“Marked change” at Eday Primary School praised by Inspectors

There has been a “marked change” in the stability, learning, well-being, ethos, culture, community involvement and communication at Eday Primary School and Nursery Class, according to HM Inspectors of Education.

The follow-up inspection during May this year found a raft of improvements have been successfully introduced within the school and nursery thanks to the efforts of staff, Education officials, pupils and the wider community working together.

A previous inspection identified areas that required improvement work to be undertaken.

Most notably, inspectors found that overall children’s progress and attainment in learning had improved since the original inspection. Increased stability in staffing was enabling staff to meet the needs of individual children more appropriately and staff were monitoring children’s progress in literacy more closely, using the information gained to inform the pace of learning.

The acting headteacher had significantly improved approaches to communication and as a result staff, children and parents felt more involved in the work of the school and that their views were sought and acted upon.

Children in the primary had begun to engage in structured activities to evaluate various aspects of their school experience and the acting Headteacher had begun to undertake more formal quality assurance activities to inform improvement. Staff were also beginning to use increasingly reliable data about children’s progress and attainment to inform school improvement.

The Inspectors described a “marked change” in the ethos and culture across the school. The acting headteacher’s sustained focus on improving wellbeing and relationships had improved the sense of community across the school. Children had an increased sense of belonging following the introduction of a school uniform. This positive change was contributing to improved outcomes for children, the inspectors added.

Staff had made significant improvements to both the indoor and outdoor learning environments, the update continued, with the classroom and gym hall having been reorganised to increase the space available for a range of learning activities.

Children were now making regular use of the community room, enhancing opportunities for individual and group work and the school library had been improved to support the developing reading culture.

Children continued to make very good progress in the nursery class, the inspectors found and as planned, staff should continue to develop a shared understanding of national expected levels of achievement by working in partnership with staff from other schools.

Nursery children now have access to quiet spaces in which to relax and the introduction of large play equipment in the school grounds had transformed children’s access to play facilities on the island with staff also extending children’s learning experiences beyond Eday.

Inspectors found the nursery class continued to make highly effective use of a floorbook to support self-evaluation activities. Nursery practitioners monitored and recorded the impact of changes made very effectively, they added.

Moving forward, inspectors said staff should further strengthen the skills needed to progress key areas for improvement, such as writing and play. The planned implementation of the local authority’s priority of high-quality learning and teaching will support staff to improve the overall quality of learning and teaching, they felt.

Inspectors are confident that the school has the capacity to continue to improve and so will make no more visits in connection with this inspection.

Councillor Gwenda Shearer, Chair of the Council's Education, Leisure and Housing Committee, said: "I congratulate all involved for their recent inspection success. The inspection process is integral to continuous improvement of our schools and to hear such positive remarks made about Eday Primary School and Nursery Class is very pleasing indeed."

The full inspection update can be viewed on the Education Scotland website at www.education.gov.scot on 27 June 2023.