A FORRES PRIMARY SCHOOL is being told that it needs to raise pupil attainment through adopting more innovative approaches to learning and teaching.
The latest school inspection report highlighted Applegrove Primary and concluded it required a more rigorous and focussed approach to self-evaluation, quality assurance and planning.
Inspectors visited the school in March and their findings have been published this morning. Two areas of performance were assessed, self-evaluation and self-improvement raising attainment and achievement – unfortunately the school scored ‘weak’.
The report acknowledged strengths at the school including its polite and well-behaved pupils who were being motivated to learn. It also highlighted a caring relationship between children and staff and the quality of targeted support for additional needs children.
However, highlighted the areas that required improvement the report says: “Led by the head teacher, the school must adopt a more collaborative approach to measuring the quality of its work. In particular, there is a need to better gather the views of children, parents and partners on the quality of school provision.”
The school needed to raise pupil attainment and achievement, the report adds, in particular in literacy and numeracy. They also needed to increase leadership opportunities for staff, children and parents in taking forward school improvement priorities.
The inspectors also said there was a need to ensure that learning activities had appropriate pace and challenge for all children and that more innovative approaches to learning and teaching were encouraged and shared across the school.
Their report concludes: “We will liaise with Moray Council regarding the school’s capacity to improve and we will return to carry out a further inspection of the school.”
The council’s head of schools and curriculum development, Vivienne Cross, said: “Education officers within the council will continue to work closely with Applegrove as the school moves forward in addressing the issues highlighted by the Education Scotland inspectors.”