Information Bulletin
10 January 2006
Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) are impressed with Happyhansel Primary School
Happyhansel Primary School was inspected in September 2005 as part of a national sample of primary education. They stated that the school provided a good quality of education for its pupils. Staff worked very well together, provided high quality teaching and care and were committed to the ongoing improvement of the school.
They reported that relationships with parents were very good and the support of the wider community was positive and productive.
They reported the main strengths of the school as being:
- The strong sense of school community and warm relationships between staff and pupils;
- A very welcoming environment in which all pupils felt valued, and responded by being polite, happy and well-behaved;
- The commitment of all staff;
- Very effective leadership of the Head Teacher.
In the more detailed indicators of quality that HMI use, the following were considered to be Very Good: The Teaching Process, Pastoral Care, Accommodation and Facilities, Climate and Relationships, Partnership with Parents, The School Board and the Community, and Leadership.
The following areas were considered to be Good: Structure of the Curriculum, Pupils’ Learning Experiences, Pupils’ Attainment in English Language, Meeting Pupils’ Needs, Expectations and Promoting Achievement, Equality and Fairness and Self-evaluation.
In only one area was the school found to be Adequate. That was in pupils’ attainment in mathematics. The teachers at the school are implementing measures to improve attainment in this area.
The school staff have developed an action plan to address the points for action in the report and to plan for other developments to ensure that the school continues to improve. Parents and carers are invited to see this action plan if they wish. Please ask the Head Teacher.
The main points for action that are recommended by the inspectors are:
- improve attainment in mathematics and writing;
- improve the skills of pupils in using ICT;
- ensure that pupils, particularly those at P5 to P7, have challenging learning experiences; and
- continue to strengthen strategies for self-evaluation.
The staff, pupils and parents of Happyhansel Primary School have all worked very hard during a period of change leading to the Shared Management of the three primary schools on the Westside. This is recognised in this positive report and the way in which the school and the pupils continue to improve with pupil achievements increasing all the time. The Education Service is confident that the change in management will continue and enhance the very good leadership developed in Happyhansel Primary School.
The full report can be downloaded from the HMIE website http://www.hmie.gov.uk
Ends