Fair Isle Primary School receives ‘excellent’ HMIE inspection

In September 2026, a team of HM Inspectors of Education visited Fair Isle Primary and Pre-School, talked to parents/carers and children, and worked closely with the headteacher and staff. 
  
The inspection team found the following strengths in the school’s work: 

• Very strong, positive, nurturing relationships among all adults and children. Across the establishment, all children are thriving. They feel understood, valued and very well supported. 
• Personalised, high-quality learning and teaching across the curriculum. In the school and nursery, children develop a wide range of transferable knowledge and skills. In particular, they demonstrate a rich knowledge of their island environment, culture and heritage. 
• Outstanding collaborative approaches to working with the island community and wider partners. All children benefit greatly from authentic and purposeful learning experiences across highly engaging contexts and projects. Their learning is extended further through well-considered partnerships staff develop across Shetland, Scotland and internationally. 
• Exceptional approaches to wellbeing, inclusion and equality. Across the school and nursery, all children achieve outcomes of a very high quality. Supporting children’s wellbeing during times of transition is an outstanding feature of the school’s work. 

The following area for improvement was identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from Shetland Islands Council:

• As planned, continue to design and embed high-quality approaches to assessment. 

HMIE’s evaluations for Fair Isle Primary School are as follows:

• Learning, teaching and assessment – Very Good
• Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion - Excellent 

Evaluations for the nursery class are as follows:

• Learning, teaching and assessment – Very Good
• Wellbeing, inclusion and equality – Excellent

Inspectors are confident that the school has the capacity to continue to improve and no more visits will be made in connection with this inspection. Parents/carers have been informed about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its schools.

Fair Isle Primary School has a current school roll of five pupils, and one in the Pre-School.  

Davie Sandison, Chair of the Council’s Education and Families Committee, says: “This is a tremendous report, and to the credit of staff, pupils and parents, and I am very impressed at the achievement of an Excellent grade, which is a much sought after accolade.  

“Inspectors made very positive comments around the school’s relationship with its community, and I’m particularly pleased to see they highlighted the support given to children during times of transition.  Well done to everyone involved.” 

The full inspection report for Fair Isle Primary and Pre-School is available on the HMIE website