A Wishaw school has been given pass marks by inspectors following previous damning reports.
Calderbridge Primary School in Coltness has been the subject of several reports from inspectors over the past five years although a previous visit in 2020 painted a rosier picture than previous inspections.
This year, inspectors carried out a visit to the school and learned how the children and their families were being supported throughout the pandemic as well as discussing how the headteacher and local authority officers have been taking forward the recommendations from its original inspection.
And the results were impressive.
HM Inspector Moira Allan noted in her report: “The headteacher, together with practitioners and staff, ensured that children’s health and wellbeing remained central to their engagement with each other, learners and families throughout lockdown and periods of remote learning.
“Together with the depute headteacher, she also supported nursery practitioners, teachers and support staff take forward areas identified from our previous visit as in need of improvement.
“Parents and staff spoke highly of the trust they had in the headteacher’s strong leadershipn and direction which helped steer the school through lockdowns and periods of remote learning. Nursery practitioners valued the depute headteacher’s guidance.
“Across the primary stages, teachers have improved how they plan and organise lessons which are now better paced to meet children’s needs.
“They are more confident in using assessment information to identify children’s strengths and in planning next steps for their learning.
“Across the school, staff use approaches which allow children to know they are valued. Children are better behaved as a result of these improvements.”
In May 2019, inspectors blasted Calderbridge following poor inspection report cards in November 2016 and December 2017.
However, a much improved report card was given by inspectors in February 2020 painted a much improved picture.
And following this most recent visit, inspectors confirmed that all recommendations from previous reports had been met.
In her report, Moira Allan added: “Understandably, the school has been responding to the challenges resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite this, staff have worked hard and been effective in implementing plans to support recovery.
“The headteacher’s clear vision and support for practitioners, teachers, support staff, children and families at the school have contributed significantly to improvements and much better outcomes for learners.
“Recommendations from the original inspection have been well met. As a result, we will make no more visits to the school in connection with the original inspection.”
Calderbridge headteacher Diana Osborne said she was delighted with the very positive progress report from Education Scotland following the recent inspection.
She added: “We were very pleased to see that the inspectors recognised the progress that has been made in the school and nursery and the support that has been offered to our young people and their families throughout the course of the health pandemic.
“The staff in the school and nursery are committed to supporting all our children and providing a nurturing environment for them to learn in.
“The inspection team were very complimentary about the leadership, direction and support offered by our staff to enhance learning for our young people.
“I would like to thank all those in our community who helped support the work of the inspectors and also colleagues in North Lanarkshire Council for their support with the inspection.”
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