Inspectors tell Wallyford Primary School to close attainment gap

The need to continue to improve the quality of learning and teaching “to support children to make the progress they are capable of” was also highlighted by Education Scotland.

The report’s publication earlier this month followed a visit to the school on Futures Way by a team of inspectors in September.

For the primary school, raising attainment and achievement was described as ‘weak’, while learning, teaching and assessment was ‘satisfactory’.

The nursery class was also inspected, with the report saying learning, teaching and assessment was ‘satisfactory’, as was securing children’s progress.

The inspectors listed key strengths of the school, saying that senior leaders and staff across the school and nursery knew children and families “very well”.

They were “caring and supportive” of children and each other.

'Work well together'

“Across the school, staff build strong, positive relationships and ensure a nurturing environment for all children,” they said.

“Teachers work well together to share planning, resources and creative ideas. They are committed to developing their practice to improve outcomes for children.”

A number of areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from East Lothian Council.

The report explained that teachers and practitioners should use information gathered through assessment opportunities “to match better” the tasks and activities to children’s needs and abilities.

Senior leaders now need to develop and use more effective tracking and monitoring approaches, the report said.

It added: “This should help them to measure the progress children make over time and the impact interventions have in closing attainment gaps.”

A further inspection of the school will be carried out within 12 months.

Education Scotland said: “As a result of our inspection findings, we think that the school needs additional support and more time to make necessary improvements.

“We will liaise with East Lothian Council regarding the school’s capacity to improve. We will discuss with East Lothian Council the details of this inspection.”

'Work will continue'

A council spokesperson said: “We are pleased with the positive practice that Education Scotland highlighted during their recent visit to Wallyford Primary School and nursery class.

“Particularly given the challenges of the last few years, it’s heartening to see inspectors recognise the strong and caring relationships within a nurturing environment.

“The report highlights a number of areas for attention, including in attainment, literacy and numeracy.

“Our central team will be working closely with the new headteacher, Mrs Zena Diggle, and her staff team to put in place the resources and support required to focus on these important areas.

“As an authority, we have developed a rigorous approach to capturing and sharing attainment data with schools that enables them to carefully track progress and build on successes.

“We will be working closely with the headteacher and her staff team to ensure effective use of this information.

“The whole staff team is committed to providing the very best learning and teaching for all of the school’s children and, as the report reflects, work well together to share ideas and resources.

“This work will continue with a renewed focus and a new headteacher who is enthusiastic about driving forward improvements.”

Zena Diggle, headteacher at Wallyford Primary School and Nursery, said: “Wallyford’s learners and staff team have worked tirelessly over the last two years, with the support of the authority, to continue to improve the learning opportunities and environment for our children.

“I joined the team in August and am privileged to be leading such a committed and energetic team.

“We are delighted that the strengths of our learners and our staff team were recognised by Education Scotland and I am thoroughly looking forward to the next few years as we continue to improve and grow.”