The Education Scotland report on Stirches Primary School and Nursery Class published on 3 October has recognised a number of strengths in the school’s work.
During their visit in June this year, inspectors talked to parents/carers and young people and worked closely with the head teacher and her staff.
Inspectors found the relatively new headteacher to have established a strong and positive culture in the school and nursery. Children behave very well and there is a calm and purposeful environment for learning. They also noted that teachers and senior leaders have worked well together to ensure children experience high-quality learning, teaching and assessment across the school, and have improved their approaches to using data to identify gaps in children’s learning.
In the nursery, practitioners engage children well through a range of learning experiences indoors and outdoors. They have a strong focus on helping all children to achieve the best possible outcomes.
The following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with the head teacher and a representative from Scottish Borders Council:
Senior leaders should support teachers to reflect on their practice to ensure that it is improving children’s progress in learning.
Teachers and practitioners need to involve children in planning what and how they learn, and this will ensure the children know how well they are progressing.
Continue to raise children’s levels of attainment in literacy and numeracy at all stages.
Headteacher, Lesley Miglis, said: “I am delighted with this inspection report, and I am very proud of our achievements. The report identifies the hard work and dedication our staff show in their approach to the teaching and learning and wellbeing of our pupils. I would personally like to thank our pupils, parents/carers, staff, partners and local community for all their commitment to ensuring Stirches continues to achieve the best possible outcomes for our learners.”