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A rural South Lanarkshire school has received a positive report following an inspection. Education Scotland visited Leadhills Primary in April and published its key findings in August, which were then presented to councillors on the Clydesdale Area Committee on October 29. Inspectors evaluated the learning, teaching, achievement and assessment in the school as well as how attainment was raised, and they also analysed questionnaires that were issued to parents, pupils and all staff. Class lessons were observed and inspectors interviewed groups of pupils, the pupil council and staff as well as speaking with parents and children while working closely with the head teacher. All quality indicators that were being inspected were rated ‘Very Good’ and a number of strengths were noted. The inspectors highlighted the head teacher’s calm, considered leadership which has created a culture where children, parents and staff feel listened to and fully involved in the life of the school. The team also noted that the head teacher is held in high regard by the school community and, together with the staff, she has created a highly inclusive learning environment. As well as this, it was noted that children are articulate, kind and compassionate. They are happy at Leadhills and participate fully in the life of the school and their local community. Teachers’ approaches to planning learning experiences were also highlighted as they encourage youngsters to be creative, curious and lead their learning. And, the staff’s highly effective approaches to checking children’s progress as they move through the school was highlighted as it helps to ensure that all children are experiencing learning set at the right level, while children’s attainment in literacy and numeracy were also noted. Head teacher Claire Robertson expressed her pride with the school and said: “I am a very incredibly proud head teacher of Leadhills Primary. For a small school, a rural school like ours, the work of our school is such a vital and significant part of the community. “Making staff and pupils feel empowered, included and valued is key to our everyday core business. The report highlights that we do this very well. We promote effective leadership at all levels leading to a positive culture throughout our school community and this contributes to our success. “We were delighted that the lead inspector got us and our vision to put learners and learning at the heart of our communities. There’s a saying that says it takes a village to raise a child, and that is what we do and it is a very proud moment to have this recognised. “Throughout the report, it recognises the efforts of our children both as responsible citizens, confident individuals as well as successful learners. It recognises that our children form respectful relationships with their peers and with staff and it also recognises the polite and friendly way they go about daily tasks in the school. “During the inspection, children spoke confidently about school values as well as their learning, bringing our vision and values to life and giving them a true sense of belonging. “As you can imagine, I am very proud of all our children. One of our main aims is to provide a safe and inclusive environment where every child is known and valued and supported. And as a team, we were delighted that this was reflected strongly in the report.” She added: “Our pupils may be small in number, but they’re certainly big in personality in the way that they care for each other, including one another, and are fiercely proud of their school and community, which came across strongly through the HMI report. “Our staff, again, may be small in body, but we have a very strong team. It was pleasing to have this noted within the report and staff’s creativity, resilience, commitment to reducing barriers to participation and engagement for all pupils and working together to improve outcomes for all children came across clearly.” Inspectors noted some areas for improvement, including for staff to continue to engage in professional learning and to work across the learning community to support continuous improvement. *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here . And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here .
