The head teacher of an Erskine school has this week thanked her staff and local families following a stellar inspection report.
Barsail Primary School was graded “very good” across all four areas of learning when it was inspected by Education Scotland at the end of last year.
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”.
During their unannounced visit inspectors found children who are friendly, polite and eager to learn.
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.
Commenting on the subsequent report, headteacher of Barsail Primary School, Emma Mavers, said: “I am incredibly lucky to work with dedicated staff who all go over and above and deliver high-quality learning experiences for our children every day.
“Teamwork is one of our values and this shone through during the inspection process. A glowing report like this can only be achieved by working together and I am proud of the whole school community.”
She added: “I am delighted that the warm, welcoming and caring ethos has been recognised within the report.
“Having worked in Barsail for 15 years, starting as a class teacher, I can honestly say that it is an honour to work with and be part of the Barsail family. We have wonderful pupils and families.”
The published report commended staff at the school for putting “children’s emotional and social well-being at the heart of all they do” and recognised improvements in learning as a result.
The poverty-related attainment gap in numeracy has been completely eradicated while the gap in literacy has been closing steadily over the last three years.
Meghan Baird, a P2 class teacher, who joined the school in 2018, said the inspection provided an opportunity to showcase the achievements of staff and pupils.
She said: “The Barsail family may sound like a cheesy cliché, but it is central to who we are. We value the importance of creating positive, nurturing relationships with our children and with our colleagues.
“We have a very supportive leadership team who always encourage us to be ambitious and develop our skills as practitioners.
“I am currently being supported to complete a Masters in Education at Glasgow University and am given lots of opportunities to help shape our school and provide the best possible experiences for our families.”
The dedication of staff to their own professional development and the high-quality leadership offered to teachers was also highlighted by inspectors as being crucial to the school’s success.
Val Smith, P5 class teacher, said it is the little extras that help make the difference.
“Having worked at Barsail Primary for 19 years, I feel very proud of our team and the praise that we received,” she said.
“All the little extras are what make us so unique – from staging our own Christmas pantos, to experiencing amazing weekly music lessons from a specialist teacher; from outdoor learning with our assistant Active Schools coordinator to leadership opportunities for all staff and pupils.
“We have ambition and drive, but we also care about our pupils and each other. We work hard, but we have fun along the way. I love being a teacher and I love working at Barsail.”
All the staff and pupils at Barsail have been congratulated on their success by Natalie Don.
The MSP for Renfrewshire North and West has already highlighted their recent success with a motion to the Scottish Parliament.
She said: “I was delighted to submit a parliamentary motion to recognise the achievement of everyone at Barsail Primary School, following a fantastic evaluation from Education Scotland.”
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