Broomhouse Primary School and Nursery Class were both inspected recently and Education Scotland  concluded that the school needs some more support and time to make improvements which were discussed and agreed with the staff.
The schools inspectorate will work with the council to monitor that improvement and will then carry out a further inspection within the next year to assess progress. This appears to be the first inspection in the last ten years according to the Education Scotland website.
There are many good points noted in the report, for example that the school pupils were noted as ‘well-behaved and polite’ and that parents make a positive contribution to the school in their support for events held there. The school has its own website here.
The following is an extract from the published letter for the school.
Key strengths of the school
• The caring and nurturing ethos that ensures children feel safe, happy and valued in school.
• Well-behaved and polite children.
• Parents’ positive contribution to the school and their support for open days and special events.
• The school’s positive relationships with a range of partners, and in particular the impact of the Big Project in supporting children’s achievement.We discussed with staff and The City of Edinburgh Council how they might continue to improve the school and nursery class. This is what we agreed with them.
• Give children more responsibility for learning and developing their skills independently and with others both within and beyond classrooms.
• Improve support for learning and ensure that all staff understand better how to meet children’s learning needs.
• Develop a culture of self-evaluation which leads to improvements in learning, teaching and children’s attainment.
• Provide leadership for the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence.What happens at the end of the inspection?
As a result of our inspection findings we think that the school needs additional support and more time to make necessary improvements. Our Area Lead Officer will work with The City of Edinburgh Council to build capacity for improvement, and will maintain contact to monitor progress. We will return to carry out a further inspection within one year of publication of this letter. We will then issue another letter to parents on the extent to which the school has improved.
Requirements
Under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, HM Inspectors have a duty of cooperation in our scrutiny functions. In the inspection of early education and childcare, we cooperate with the Care Inspectorate.
Where requirements are made as a result of findings of the inspection, these refer to relevant Care Inspectorate legislation.
• There were two requirements as a result of this inspection visit.
1. The provider must evidence that:
• Staff have received guidance and are clear about the purpose of Personal Learning Plans.
• Learning outcomes are identified for each child.
• Parents and children are involved in setting next steps in learning.
• Every child has a personal plan which is reviewed at least every six months or when a there is a change in circumstances or needs.
• Children with additional needs are given the support they require and accurate records are kept.This is in order to comply with Scottish Statutory Instruments (SSI) 2011/210 Regulation 4(1)(a) Health and welfare and safety of service users. We have also taken into account the National Care Standards for Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. Standard 4 – engaging with children. Standard 6 – Support and development.
Timescale: To commence on receipt of this report and be implemented by 1 December 2014.
2. The provider must ensure that:
• An action plan is developed to meet the requirements and recommendations in this report.
• The manager familiarises themselves with current legislation and best practice to equip them to fulfill their role.
• Audit/monitoring systems are developed and implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of staff and how their practice ensures positive outcomes for children.This is in order to comply with: The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 SSI 2011/210 Regulation 3 – a regulation with regard to providing a service which promotes quality. The provider must improve all aspects of the quality of the service.
This requirement also takes into account the National Care Standards in Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16. Standard 11: Improving the Service. Standard 12: Confidence in staff. Standard 13: A Well Managed Service.
Timescale: To commence on receipt of this report and be implemented by 5 January 2015.
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