LOCHGILPHEAD High School has reflected on another successful year which saw its National 5 attainment increase significantly.
The Advanced Higher A-C pass rate at the school was also higher than the local and national figures during the 2024/25 exam diet. The results for 2025/26 will be known in August.
Several extra-curricular successes for the school over the past year also feature in a report to go before councillors.
Argyll and Bute Council’s Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands area committee will hold its meeting on Wednesday, June 3.
The report said: “National 5 attainment has improved significantly, with pass rates increasing by 5.2 per cent compared to the previous session. This reflects effective presentation decisions, targeted learner support and improved use of attainment data to inform planning.
“The school is now making effective use of Results Machine (software) to analyse performance at a more detailed level. This allows staff to identify specific elements of courses where learners underperform and to plan targeted interventions to address these areas.
“This increasingly precise approach to analysis is strengthening the impact of support and contributing to improved outcomes for learners.
“A-D pass rates are above both Argyll and Bute and national averages, reflecting our positive presentations policy.
“Since pre‑Covid levels, the average number of passes per pupil at S4 National 5 has increased from 3.04 to 3.72. While overall pass rates have remained stable, presentation rates have increased significantly, demonstrating greater learner engagement and ambition.”
The document added: “While National 5 outcomes have improved, Higher attainment from A-C has shown a slight decrease of 0.6 per cent. The next step is to extend the use of Results Machine analysis to Higher courses, enabling departments to identify areas for improvement and implement targeted interventions to support improved attainment.
“Analysis of attainment by presentation shows an increase in A–D pass rates compared to last year, with National 5 increasing by 2.4 per cent, Higher by 5.5 per cent and Advanced Higher by 4.4 per cent. This reflects an increase in presentation levels and improved access to qualifications.
“However, this has also resulted in a higher number of learners attaining D grades, indicating that further work is required to improve attainment within pass bands.
“Further analysis shows that the lowest-attaining 20 per cent of learners achieving D grades are predominantly pupils with low attendance, particularly in S5 and S6. This highlights attendance as a key barrier to improved attainment and progression from D to C grades.
“To address this, the school will strengthen attendance procedures for senior phase learners, with a particular focus on early intervention.
“The year head and guidance teacher will address attendance concerns at the earliest sign of emerging issues, involving parents promptly and monitoring attendance closely throughout the school year.
“This proactive approach aims to prevent attendance concerns becoming entrenched and avoids reliance on post-prelim intervention, when it may be too late to have a significant impact on attainment.
“By improving attendance and engagement for identified learners, we aim to increase the proportion of pupils moving from D to C grades, ensuring that outcomes more accurately reflect learners’ ability and potential.”
