28 June 2016

Dear Parent/Carer

Kirkmichael Primary School and Nursery Class South Council

We are trying out some new approaches to inspection. You can find more information about why we are doing this, and details of our new approaches, at the links below.1

As you may know, in May 2016, my colleague and I inspected your child’s school following a two-working-day notification period. During our visit, we talked to parents and children and worked closely with the headteacher and staff. We wanted to find out how well children are learning and achieving and how well the school supports children to do their best. The headteacher shared with us the school’s successes and priorities for improvement. Following on from what the headteacher told us, we planned inspection activity which enabled us to find out how good the school is at improving children’s education.

How well do children learn and achieve?

At the primary stages and in the nursery class, children have very positive learning experiences. Children in the nursery are motivated as learners and are gaining in confidence and independence. They are developing skills of investigation through learning outdoors. Many enjoy choosing to play with large construction toys and concentrate well when building houses and structures. Almost all children in the primary stages are eager to learn and are motivated by their interesting learning activities. They are becoming skilled in working independently and are confident about sharing their ideas with one another. We have asked staff to continue developing children’s learning skills through working regularly together in groups. At the primary stages and in the nursery class, children are responding positively to the recognition given to their successes at assemblies, the awarding of Dojo points and the display on the achievements tree in the nursery. Children are actively involved in the life of the school and are proud of their achievements. Staff relationships with children are very positive, and opportunities for children to feel valued and develop friendships across the school through their involvement in houses and committees is strong. The partnership forged by the school with parents and their children is very positive and has resulted in the development of the outdoor play areas and community garden. At the primary stages, children are developing their leadership skills well. They take on a variety of roles as ‘Buddies’, ‘House Captains’ and participate in pupil council and eco committee activities. Children use their enterprising skills and develop their

1 Trying out new approaches - Future approaches to inspection and review - Inspection and review

Education T 0131 244 4474 Johnstone House F 0300 244 9493 50-54 Rose Street E [email protected] Aberdeen Textphone 01506 600236 AB10 1UD This is a service for deaf users. Please do not use this number for voice calls as this will not connect. www.educationscotland.gov.uk Transforming lives through learning understanding of the needs of others through a variety of fund raising activities for charities and participation in the village gala day. The school is proud of the children’s success and achievement in a UK cycling challenge where they gained second place.

At the primary stages and in the nursery class, most children are making good progress in literacy and English. Most children in the nursery are developing good listening and talking skills and enjoy using books independently. They are developing awareness of letters in their names and recognise logos in the local environment. At the primary stages, most children listen attentively and talk confidently about their learning. Children’s writing is of a good standard and children at P1 to P3 are making a strong start to developing independent writing and word recognition skills. By P6, children can write well-crafted stories and apply literacy skills across their learning and for a variety of purposes. Very good support is provided to children who have additional support needs. Staff recognise that children across the school are capable of taking more responsibility for their own learning and are continuing to develop children’s confidence as independent learners. At the primary stages and in the nursery class, children are making good progress in numeracy and mathematics. Children in the nursery class are learning to recognise and count numbers to twenty. Many can recite the days of the week and recognise and name shapes. At the primary stages, children are developing confidence in their mental agility and enjoy measuring their increasing accuracy in making mental calculations. By P6, children have a good understanding of the relationship between fractions, decimals and percentages. However, children’s attainment in mathematics can be raised further through expecting children to achieve more through challenges and problem solving. Children in the nursery class are developing an understanding of moving safely and confidently when playing outdoors. A few are becoming skilled at riding two wheeled toys. At the primary stages, children are aware of the importance of physical activity and its importance in healthy lifestyles. They know what a balanced diet looks like and have a good understanding of where food comes from. They enjoy cooking vegetables they have grown in the school garden.

How well does the school support children to develop and learn?

At the primary stages and in the nursery class, staff provide a supportive and nurturing environment that encourages children to value one another’s achievements and ensures a positive climate for all children to learn. In the nursery class, children are cared for very well. Nursery staff have fostered very strong links with the language centre resulting in effective individualised support and progress for children. At the primary stages, children’s learning needs are very well met. All children are supported and challenged through activities that are well matched to meet their individual needs. Staff provide exceptionally well planned activities and manage the varied range of individual needs very effectively. All staff contribute positively to the ethos of the school and are ambitious for your children. They have created an exciting school environment that stimulates and supports effective learning for all. Support staff work very effectively as a team. They work closely with teachers in classes to support learning. The personalised learning programmes for all children at the primary stages are helping children make as much progress as they can. Staff at the primary stages and in the nursery work closely with a wide range of partners and specialists to identify support needs at an early stage and to ensure children are achieving well. Staff are skilled in supporting children with communication needs through effective use of

2 symbols. The school gives high priority to working in partnership with all parents to support children’s learning. The dynamic parent council successfully promotes the work of the school within the village community and encourages children and families to become involved in a range of activities that benefit all children at the school.

Staff provide children with interesting and motivating opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills. They have developed programmes for all areas of Curriculum for Excellence and are focusing on literacy and numeracy to ensure children continue to progress well. Staff regularly provide creative opportunities for children to learn outdoors. This is a weekly feature for all children. Children in P5 and P6 have developed skills in teamwork and resilience at a recent residential stay at Auchengillan. Staff work successfully in partnership with other schools to develop aspects of the curriculum such as science and technologies. They are confident about the progress children are making and make effective use of assessments to ensure they are achieving as highly as possible. They have developed a shared understanding of the ways children learn and the levels they can be expected to attain. Children’s learning needs are supported very well when they move from the nursery class to the school environment. We have asked staff to continue to develop this further so that all staff have a shared understanding of what they want children to achieve at the early level of Curriculum for Excellence. Staff have fostered effective links with a range of other schools to successfully develop the curriculum. Very strong partnerships exist between Kirkmichael Primary School and Nursery Class and Primary School and Nursery Class. Staff share their professional knowledge and skills effectively to create exciting learning events to benefit all children. Children are learning skills for future learning and their move on to Carrick Academy.

How well does the school improve the quality of its work?

The headteacher is a very effective leader and has successfully shared her vision for the school with staff, parents and children. Through the range of approaches she has developed to evaluate the work of the school, she knows its strengths and development needs very well. Staff have successfully created a climate of shared responsibilities and value the ideas and proposals suggested by pupils. Together they have created a positive school ethos. Working with parents and partners, the headteacher and staff are committed to ensuring high-quality learning and teaching, to developing the curriculum and to providing nurturing support for pupils. This strong focus on improvement has led to high-quality learning experiences for children and increased achievement across the school. Staff are fully involved in identifying development priorities and many take leadership roles. This has been especially successful in developing children’s skills through personalised learning and science. Children also have a strong say in improving the work of the school and are clear about how they want to develop the outdoor adventure trail. The headteacher supports the professional development of staff very effectively and they value opportunities to develop their professional knowledge and skills. Teamwork amongst all staff is a key strength. Parents we met during the inspection are very positive about the school and the interesting ways they are involved in their children’s learning. They value the varied homework and the regular opportunities to visit the school including the ‘Coffee and Chat’ afternoons. The school continues to find new and interesting ways to engage with all parents. The school’s forward-looking approach to self-

3 evaluation and improvement is a key strength and we are confident that the school will continue to build on its high-quality provision.

During the previous Care Inspectorate inspection, the nursery class had four recommendations. From these, three recommendations have been met. Council is in the process of addressing the fourth recommendation. As a result of this inspection, there are no requirements and no recommendations.

This inspection found the following key strengths.

 The teamwork and professionalism of staff and the high-quality learning experiences and support they provide for children.  The enthusiastic children who are fully involved in the life of their school and who are motivated to do their best.  The impact of the headteacher’s effective leadership.  The strong focus on continuous improvement leading to improvements in children’s achievements.

We discussed with staff and South Ayrshire Council how they might continue to improve the school. This is what we agreed with them.

 Continue to build on the school’s achievements and high-quality provision as planned.

What happens at the end of the inspection?

We are satisfied with the overall quality of provision. We are confident that the school’s self-evaluation processes are leading to improvements. As a result, we will make no further visits in connection with this inspection. As part of its arrangements for reporting to parents on the quality of education, South Ayrshire Council will inform parents about the school’s progress.

Susan Gow HM Inspector

Details of the quality indicator evaluations, for your school can be found on the Education Scotland website at http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/inspectionandreview/reports/school/primsec/Kirk michaelPrimarySchoolSouthAyrshire.asp

If you would like to receive this letter in a different format, for example, in a translation please contact the administration team on the above telephone number.

If you want to give us feedback or make a complaint about our work, please contact us by telephone on 0131 244 4330, or e-mail: [email protected] or write to us addressing your letter to the Complaints Manager, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Livingston EH54 6GA.

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