ARGYLL & BUTE COUNCIL HELENSBURGH AND LOMOND AREA COMMITTEE

CORPORATE SERVICES 5 FEBRUARY 2008 ______

HERMITAGE ACADEMY: ACHIEVEMENT REPORT 2007

1. SUMMARY

A report on the performance of all Argyll and Bute pupils in the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) examination results was presented to the Strategic Policy Committee on 18 October 2007.

This report, presented by the Head Teacher, Mr Geoff Urie, outlines the major achievements of the school in 2006/7 and includes the SQA examination results for pupils who sat examinations in May/June 2007. The results are based on pre-appeal data.

2. RECOMMENDATIONS

The Area Committee are asked to note the continuing improvement in the performance of pupils and the commitment of staff in their examination successes and in the wider aspects of achievement across the school.

3. DETAILS

The details are included in the attached report from the school.

4. IMPLICATIONS

Policy: None Financial: None Personnel: None Equal Opportunities: None

For further information contact: Mr Geoff Urie, Head Teacher Hermitage Academy

Telephone: 01436672145

Argyll and Bute Council: Community Services – Education

Hermitage Academy Report on Achievement 2006/7

Introduction

2006/7 was another very successful year for Hermitage Academy. The new school building is nearing completion and the eagerly awaited entry is scheduled for February 2008. This is a very exciting time for the school and the community and the new school building will provide the facilities for a quality education to be provided for the pupils and wider school community of Hermitage Academy.

What we intend to improve in 2007/8

The introduction of Improvement Groups consisting of the vast majority of staff, focussed on developments in a number of areas. The developments started by the Assessment for Learning, New School, Eco, Click and Go, Professional Development, Celebrating Achievement, Publicity, Citizenship, Assertive Discipline and the Literacy groups were very successful and will be continued in session 20007-08.

Attainment

ADVANCED HIGHER It was extremely pleasing to note that 2007 saw a further 13% increase in the percentage to 87% attaining an A-C pass rate at Advanced Higher level. The school continued to build on the previous good performance of the previous year with 29% of the awards at A grade.

HIGHER GRADE At Higher Grade there was a broadly similar performance to last session,

• 74% of all pupils presented gained at least one Higher pass. • Eight pupils achieved 5 A awards at Higher. • Two pupils gained 5 Band One awards. • A further four pupils gained 4 A + 1B awards.

INTERMEDIATE 1 AND 2 Pupils presented at Intermediate level 1 and 2 performed well. • Over 77% and 69% respectively achieving passes at A- C. This represented an improvement of 6% for Intermediate 1 and 3% for Intermediate 2. • More than doubling the number of A awards at Intermediate 2.

STANDARD GRADE Eight subjects either increased or held steady their percentage of Credit Grade passes over a three year period. Some of these increases were significant; others were already in high performing subjects.

There was available an extensive range of courses ranging from Access Level 2 through to Advanced Higher which allowed considerable choice for pupils.

The three main priorities for session 2007-08 under attainment are to:

• Continue to raise the attainment level of S4 to S6 boys • Examine mentoring as a strategy to support and encourage specific groups • Target low attenders i.e. less than 85% attendance

The young people leaving Hermitage Academy are doing so with good qualifications and very good education.

Curriculum

The structure of the curriculum provided a wide range of subjects which were available at all levels. In S1 and S2 pupils followed a common course of fifteen subjects which was reduced to eight in S3 and S4. In S3 and S4 almost all pupils studied English, Mathematics, French, German or Spanish, a social subject, a science, a creative subject, a technological subject and one other option. In addition pupils undertook courses in religious and moral education, personal and social education and physical education. Almost all pupils studied eight subject Standard Grades at the end of S4.

In S5 and S6, twenty–four subjects were available at Higher and fourteen at Advanced Higher level. Also, twenty–two subjects were available at Intermediate 2 and twelve at Intermediate 1.

A new course was introduced for S3 which was organised in partnership with Clydebank College. The course offered Childcare and Enterprise activities and pupils who complete the two year course will receive awards in

• Skills for work (Early Education and Childcare – Intermediate 1) • Scottish Progression Award (Enterprise and Employability)

A new course was also introduced successfully in Technical - Practical Craft – (Woodworking Skills, - Intermediate 1).

5-14 attainment in S2 in 2007

The percentage of the S2 roll attaining or exceeding the 5-14 Level E was as follows:- School Argyll & Bute % % Reading 40.2 (59) 65.1 (71) Writing 14.5 (44) 48.2 (58) Mathematics 56 (59) 60.7 (63) Last year’s figures in brackets NB Testing did not take place in Reading and Writing in HA in 2007

SQA results 2007

The percentages of pupils gaining the National Qualifications shown were as follows:- School Argyll & Bute Scotland

% % % In S4 5+ Level 3 (SG foundation or equiv.) 96 95 91 5+ Level 4 (SG general or equiv.) 86 82 75 5+ Level 5 (SG credit or equiv.) 38 35 32 In S5 1+ Level 6 (Higher) 45 40 38 3+ Level 6 (Higher) 25 21 22 5+ Level 6 (Higher) 13 9 9 In S6 3+ Level 6 (Higher) 37 35 29 5+ Level 6 (Higher) 28 22 19 1+ Level 7 (Advanced Higher) 22 16 12

(above data from Fyfe Analysis 2007, pre-appeal)

In addition, the government’s National Priorities for Education framework, requires reporting on the cumulative successes of pupils by the end of S6. This analysis adds together all examination achievement of all pupils by the end of S6, i.e. an addition of all successes achieved in S4, S5 and S6. The measure is a three-year average, 2005-2007.

School Argyll & Bute Scotland

% % % 5+ Level 3 (SG foundation or equiv.) 96 96 91 5+ Level 4 (SG general or equiv.) 91 86 79 5+ Level 5 (SG credit or equiv.) 60 54 47 1+ 1+ Level 6 (Higher) 56 49 43 3+ Level 6 (Higher) 39 33 30 5+ Level 6 (Higher) 26 21 19

(above data from Standard Tables and Charts, Scottish Executive, 2007, pre- appeal)

The Celebrating Achievement

The Celebrating Achievement is a very important aspect of the school and the achievements are celebrated within the school at Assemblies, House Assemblies, Award Ceremonies and the Annual Prize-giving. A separate Celebrating Achievement evening for S6 was held for the second time and there was the introduction of a Football Awards evening which allowed pupils and staff the opportunity to share their achievements with parents and guardians. The annual prize giving is not only a celebration of attainment and achievement but it allowed some of our most talented pupils the opportunity to perform musically, individually and collectively. Parents’ meetings, linked to the reporting process for each year group, continued to play a central role in the work of the school.

Other achievements

Extra-curricular Activities The school has an excellent amount and range of extra-curricular clubs and activities and this contributes greatly to the ethos of the school. The activities allow pupils to achieve in a variety of ways including music, sport and other activities. Many of these activities receive funding from the school PTA.

Support for Pupils Hermitage Academy is an inclusive school and offers a curriculum suited to the needs of the pupils. Adaptations to the existing building make it accessible for pupils with different abilities. The school has also introduced an Intensive Pupil Support Department, which is used as an alternative to exclusion and works to re-integrate pupils with behavioural difficulties back into their classes.

Enterprise in Education The school continues to offer a very wide range of Enterprise in Education opportunities for pupils. These activities can be through Year Group immersion days, such as “You can do anything” and “Make it in Scotland”. It also includes an excellent Work Experience programme which includes a week long placement for every S4 pupil and Mock Interviews. This programme is a result of some excellent work by school staff and is extremely well supported by local employers.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme The school Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme has continued to grow and further expansion is planned. A number of older pupils are already undertaking the D of E through community groups.

School Exchange Eight senior pupils took part in the annual exchange programme with Jefferson High School in Georgia, USA. The American students visited Hermitage Academy in June 2006 with our pupils Visiting Jefferson in October 2006. The group visited Civil War sites and other places of interest while experiencing American culture through living with their exchange partners’ families. We have also had an exchange visit to Germany, with the partners returning here in June. The school have also linked with schools in Malawi and Spain.

Charities The Hermitage Achievers Group has been running in the school for the past six years and each year the S6 pupils organise fund raising events. This is an opportunity for the pupils to learning about organisation and commitment and to have the opportunity to put something back into the community. Over the past six years the group have raised in excess of £25,000, which has been donated to various charities. This however is not the only group helping charities. In the past year, the Christmas for Africa Concert (£1,200), Non- uniform Day (£1,470) and the CHAS appeal (£1,500) have all been the result of Charity appeals.

Activity Days These are extremely successful days held at the end of the summer term. This year’s activities had an extremely wide range from trips to Alton Towers, Paris, Edinburgh zoo, mountain biking, fly fishing and numerous sports to the Environmental Group who did a school grounds tidy. These events strengthened the excellent ethos in the school and allowed pupils and staff to interact outwith the classroom.

School Council The school has a very active Pupil Council. The council members are elected by their peers, often after having to make manifesto speeches at House Assemblies. The Council is chaired by the School Captains and they are encouraged to discuss all issues related to the school.

Expectations and promoting achievement Most pupils were very positive about their school experience. Pupil behaviour was of a very high standard. Many staff had very good relationships with all pupils.

The school climate reflected an ethos of achievement. Pupils were well behaved, courteous and considerate to others.

Pupils demonstrated a positive approach to achievement through their involvement in a wide variety of activities such as

• The Yearbook committee • Young Enterprise • The Achievers • Paired Tutoring • Charity Fundraising

A SELECTION OF PUPIL ACHIEVEMENTS

• Ryan Young, a talented Traditional Fiddler/Violinist, was Scottish finalist in the ‘BBC Radio 2 Young Traditional Musician of the Year’ competition. Travelling to London to compete in the final at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, his performance was broadcast live and preserved on a best-selling CD. Ryan was offered a place in the Traditional Music Course at the RSAMD which he will take up in 2008.

• Hannah Rankin (bassoon) was chosen as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and also of the West of Scotland Symphony Orchestra.

• Other Hermitage pupils who participated in the WSSSO and WSS Wind Band courses were Patrick Cassels and Alasdair Wood (violins), Megan Cormack (viola), Heather Allan (flute), Emily Cassels and Kate Shelton (clarinets), Louise Sargent (Oboe), Simon Anderson (trumpet) and Emma Grace (percussion).

• Adam Lyon was the reigning Scottish Roadracing Champion of 2006- 07. He finished second in the British Championships. In 2007-08 it is likely that Adam will feature in Sky Sports, Motors TV and Men and Motors TV as they will be covering his class in Roadracing.

• Art and Design work by Graeme Keith, Tracey MacDonald, David Williams, Rachel Moffat, Rebecca Laurie and Lindsay Stewart was featured in the Glasgow Herald.

• Emma Cameron was highly commended in the Fringe National poster competition from 2,500 entries and her work was exhibited at the Summer Exhibition along with Megan Williams, Stephen Reid, Mark Redhead and Rose Creasey.

• Hermitage pupils were the winners in Rugby, Golf and Hockey at the Argyll and Bute Youth Games.

• Jamie Hartley, Richard Henry, Richard MacFarlane, Gary McKell and Andrew Cunningham were selected for the Under 15 Glasgow Schools Select Squad. This number of players was the most representatives from one school, selected from 33 secondary schools.

• Football. The Under 14, 16 and 18 Football teams reached the finals of the Glasgow cup.

• Gordon Reid was once more successful in wheelchair tennis. He finished runner–up in the Men’s Main Draw Doubles at the South African Open in Pretoria. He was also a quarter finalist in the Singles events. Gordon is likely to begin 2008 at the prestigious International Wheelchair Tennis Junior Masters in Tarbes, France in February.

• David Williams was voted Young Citizen of The Year at local level.

Key Strengths And Focus Of Future Action

The Authority Review team visited the school and judged the following aspects to be strengths of the school:

• The energy, warmth and commitment of the head teacher who has a clear vision for the school. • The hard working and supportive senior management team. • Hard working and committed principal teachers. • Hard working committed staff who are open to change and development. • The school’s development groups. • A majority of high attaining departments. • The positive engagement and behaviour of the pupils with their learning. • The positive and motivating relationships between staff and pupils. • The overall ethos and pupil identification with the school. • The developing positive relationships with parents and the community. • The wide range of whole school enterprise activities. • Pastoral support for pupils. • The Friends Against Bullying programme. • The wide range of extra-curricular activities. • The commitment and hard work of support teachers and non- teaching support staff. • The attitudes and demeanour of pupils.

Geoff T. Urie Head Teacher 10 th January 2008

Appendix 1: Comparator Schools

This is the group of the most similar schools across Scotland. The list is derived from Principal Component Analysis (PCA) which recently replaced the previous analysis based solely on free school meal entitlement (FME). The components of PCA are: free meal entitlement; the percentage of households whose mothers have degrees; the percentage of households where the head of household has never worked; the percentage of the lowest 15% of achievers nationally are in the school; the number of pupils with additional support needs and the number of pupils living in large city areas.

The comparator schools for Hermitage Academy are:

Comparator Schools for Hermitage Academy (Argyll & Bute), STACs 2007 pre-appeals

School Hermitage Academy (Argyll & Bute) Bridge of Don Academy (Aberdeen City) Perth Academy (Perth & Kinross) Balwearie High (Fife) St Ninian's High (East Dunbartonshire) Eastwood High School (East Renfrewshire) Largs Academy (North Ayrshire) Perth High (Perth & Kinross) Mackie Academy (Aberdeenshire) Bankhead Academy (Aberdeen City) Lasswade High (Midlothian) Montrose Academy (Angus) Park Mains High School (Renfrewshire) St Joseph's College (Dumfries & Galloway) Dumfries Academy (Dumfries & Galloway) Inverurie Academy (Aberdeenshire) West Calder High (West Lothian) Our Lady's High, Cumbernauld (North Lanarkshire) Galashiels Academy (Scottish Borders) Prestwick Academy (South Ayrshire) Broxburn Academy (West Lothian) This table provides a list of the comparator schools whose data are used to generate the whole school boxplots. The schools are chosen using PCA methodology to be as close to the current school as possible. Normally, there will be 20 schools listed below the current school in order of 'closeness', although for some schools this may not be possible. In such cases the number of schools available should be taken into account when interpreting the boxplots.

Appendix 2: Boxplots

These diagrams represent the position of the school in relation to our comparator schools.

Boxplot 1: 5+ Level 3 (SG Foundation or better) by the end of S4

Boxplot 2: 5+ Level 5 (SG Credit Award )by the end of S4

Boxplot 3: 3+ Level 6 (Highers) by the end of S5

Boxplot 4: 5+ Level 6 by the end of S5