INSPECTORS have praised the progress made by Lochgilphead Joint Campus and Pre-Five Unit after a follow-up visit.
The school and nursery were graded as ‘weak’ in all categories by Education Scotland inspectors following their initial visit in March 2024.
However, a follow-up visit saw improvements made in several respects which were flagged up in the first report. The school will be visited again within 18 months.
A report on the follow-up visit said: “In the early learning and childcare setting, children continue to benefit from nurturing, positive relationships that support children to feel secure. The team should continue to communicate and support one another to be more consistent in their practice as they implement recently agreed strategies for individual children.
“Practitioners should continue to make clearer connections with their campus vision and aims in all aspects of their practice.
“At the primary stages, recent survey data demonstrates that most children feel safe, they have an adult they can speak to and that staff treat them fairly and with respect. Children speak very positively about their opportunities through the more regular, higher profile pupil voice groups.
“The creation of a child-friendly school improvement plan would support children to have a better understanding of the overarching priorities for the school. Staff need to ensure that all children continue to feel heard and that their views are valued.
“At the secondary stages, all staff are addressing this area for improvement successfully. Senior leaders have linked the school values to the promotion of rights. Children’s rights are becoming higher profile across all stages of the campus.
“Children and young people are beginning to make links with their learning and building relationships, to children’s rights. This is helping to create a more positive and motivational environment for learning.
“A next step for leaders at all levels is to extend this work as part of developments to establish a whole-school, rights-based approach to learning and developing relationships across the campus.
“Overall, senior and middle leaders and teachers are making very positive progress to build positive relationships and raise expectations across the campus. Children and young people report improving fairness, respect and behaviours in line with the aspiring values and vision of the joint campus.”
The report also highlighted progress being made senior and middle leaders collaborating to improve strategic leadership, and a strategy to accelerate achievement.
It continued: “Overall, senior leaders and staff have begun to make positive progress in developing clear strategies with the aspiration of accelerating children and young people’s progress, attainment and achievement.
“It is too early to evaluate the impact of progress in accelerating and raising attainment at all stages across the campus. This remains an area for improvement for senior leaders to progress at pace.”
The report added: “The school has begun to make progress in all of the areas for improvement. We will liaise with Argyll and Bute Council regarding the school’s capacity to improve.
“We will return to carry out a further inspection of the school within 18 months of the publication of this letter.
“We will discuss with Argyll and Bute Council the details of this inspection. When we return to inspect the school, we will write to you as parents informing you of the progress the school has made.”
