The poverty-related attainment gap has closed at an Erskine primary as inspectors brand the school “very good” across all areas of learning.
Inspectors from Education Scotland made an unannounced visit to Barsail Primary School in September and found children who are friendly, polite and eager to learn.
The school was assessed across four key categories, including leadership; learning, teaching and assessment; wellbeing, equality and inclusion; and raising attainment.
Inspectors graded the school as very good across all areas and commended staff for their “relentless focus on improving outcomes for children”.
In particular, the school was recognised for supporting children whose learning had been badly interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and also for closing the poverty-related attainment gap in numeracy.
The inspection report stated: “Senior leaders and staff have planned and implemented approaches to raise attainment in reading, writing, numeracy and health and wellbeing.
“School data indicates these approaches are helping to close identified gaps in learning which are a result of Covid-19.
“They are making very good progress in raising attainment in literacy and numeracy and have moved beyond planning for recovery.”
It adds: “There is no longer a poverty-related attainment gap in numeracy.
“The poverty-related attainment gap in literacy has been closing steadily over the last three years.
“Identified children and their families engage more with reading as a result of a well-considered partnership between the school and the local library.”
The school was also commended for its approach to the wellbeing of staff, children and their families, with nurturing values and a compassionate ethos at the centre of school life.
Teachers’ ability to quickly identify children who may need additional support with learning was also highlighted, as was the team’s ability to remove barriers to learning for specific children.
The report states: “Barsail Primary School has a strong sense of community where all staff care deeply about children in their care.
“They put children’s emotional and social well-being at the heart of all they do. All staff demonstrate a strong commitment to school improvement and do their best for all children.
“Children learn and thrive in a happy, calm environment where all adults support them well.”
The dedication of staff to their own professional development was identified in the report, but inspectors did ask that approaches to planning, assessment and moderation of learning be improved.
They asked that this include increased opportunities for children to use their learning in new and unfamiliar situations.
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