Press Release
Baltasound Junior High praised by HM Inspectors
Baltasound Junior High in Unst has been praised by school inspectors for its pupils’ enthusiasm in learning, a strong sense of belonging, caring staff, a vibrant community and the achievements of its young people.
The inspection in March took every part of the school curriculum, from nursery to fourth year. The inspection also looked at other learning opportunities for both young people and adults that are provided by the council and partners through community learning and development.
Among the particular strengths identified by the inspection team were:
- An inclusive ethos across the school and learning community, providing “a strong sense of belonging.”
- The enthusiasm of young people “who are keen to learn and who have an influence on their school and community.”
- The achievements of local young folk “in a wide range of settings, in and beyond school.”
- A caring staff “working together to ensure the health and wellbeing of young people and adults.”
- An “active and vibrant community in which to grow and learn.”
The way in which HM Inspectors conduct inspections and report on their findings will be changing in August 2011. The team at Baltasound undertook a pilot of the new inspection process, and parents will receive a letter that summarises the inspection findings.
In this letter, the inspection team commented on other things, including recognition that young people are successful in sporting and arts activities and take a very active interest in local heritage and environmental projects. They stated that “children in the nursery, and young people at the primary and secondary stages, are happy in school. They are enthusiastic and making good progress in their learning.”
The inspection team commented on the fact that young people have good opportunities to work together. Staff are encouraging them to think and talk about how well they are doing. It was pointed out that “community groups have recently had some outstanding achievements, for example a very successful commercial pier that supports the salmon and shell fish industry,” and that the Fetlar Community Development Trust is making good progress towards re-vitalising the local economy and community.
The inspection team agreed with staff and with the education authority how learning in the nursery, school and community can improve further, pointing out that
“by S4, most young people do well in national examinations overall, and very well in some subjects. However, over the past few years attainment at Credit level at Standard Grade has gone down.”
The school should, inspectors said:
- Develop consistently strong approaches to helping young people reflect on how well they are doing and how to improve.
- Improve whole school approaches to developing young people’s literacy and numeracy skills across all aspects of their learning.
- Continue with current plans to improve approaches to planning and monitoring learning.
- Build on existing strengths in the community to support sustainable economic development.
The inspectors said they were sure that the school and the learning community would be able to make the necessary improvements in light of the inspection findings.
“We are confident,” the report said, “that the school and learning community will continue to provide good quality learning and development. We will make no further visits in connection with this inspection.”