Dingwall Primary School Standards and Quality Report June 2009

 Dear Parent / Carer, 

I am pleased to be able to report on another busy and successful year and would like to thank the staff and pupils for their hard work.

We have had clear improvement priorities which we have been working on over the past year. This report provides you with an update on the progress we have made with them and the difference they have made to your child’s learning experiences in the school.

The school continues to have the capacity to deliver a quality educational experience for our learners and we will continue to endeavour to ensure that this is the case, while beginning the implementation process of a Curriculum for Excellence.

The 2009/2010 school improvement plan is available online or from the school office if you wish to know more about any of the developments. 

R.F. Mackenzie, Head Teacher 

2008 / 2009 Improvement Projects 

1. Quality of the Curriculum.

We said we intended to:

• Develop an enhanced curriculum as staff began engagement with a Curriculum for Excellence.

Here is the difference we made:

All Social Studies topics were revised to include more cross curricular links and elements of personal choice. New resources were purchased to allow for more active learning in maths. Writing, Reading for Information, Music and Art programmes were reviewed to increase contextualised learning by linking more closely with topic work. 

2. Quality of Learning and Teaching.

We said we intended to:

• Increase opportunities for active learning, play, collaborative and independent learning,
• Share the purpose and relevance of lessons with pupils
• Encourage self and peer assessment
• Give feedback which supports improvement in learning
• Increase use of ICT in the delivery of lessons

Here is the difference we made:

Increased opportunities for play in the infant department were developed. Key areas of Assessment is for Learning are used throughout the school, including sharing of learning outcomes and success criteria, peer and self assessment and learning focussed  feedback. Software was purchased to support the teaching of several curricular areas.

3. Arrangements to meet the needs of pupils for whom English is an additional language.

We said we intended to:

• Develop teaching input and resources tailored to individual needs

• Provide quality interactions
• Include EAL pupils and parents in the life of the school

Here is the difference we made:

The EAL teacher and our Additional Support Needs Teacher have developed a support package based on best practice. Resources have been sought out which pupils can access independently. Where possible information is provided for parents in an accessible format and participation in the life and work of the school is encouraged. 

4. Accommodation for Nursery Classes

We said we intended to:

• Improve the quality and appearance of the accommodation.

Here is the difference we made:

Guttering and fascias were replaced, the door, windows and external walls were repainted and the ramp was resurfaced in order to provide a more attractive and welcoming building. 

5. Effectiveness of Self Evaluation Activities

We said we intended to :

• Use self evaluation to improve learner’s experiences.

Here is the difference we made:

Class visit feedback formats were reviewed and a format for sharing good practice has been agreed for next session. 

Attainment in National  Assessments

We continue to strive to improve the attainment of all pupils in Maths, Reading and Writing, whilst also trying to promote achievement in all other areas of the curriculum. HMIe recently assessed our attainment in all areas as Good with Gaelic Language Very Good. We hope to build on these levels over the next few years as the implementation of a Curriculum for Excellence takes effect. 

Percentages of pupils attaining or exceeding minimum national assessment levels for their stage (P3, 4, 6 and 7)