Published on:
13
February 2018
A team of inspectors from Education Scotland has found a number of strengths at Lornshill Academy and awarded gradings of Good in all quality indicators during an inspection which took place in November.
During the inspection, the team spoke to young people and their parents and carers, and worked closely with the headteacher and his staff. They awarded the Good gradings for a number of quality indicators in the school:
• Leadership of change
• Learning, teaching & assessment
• Raising attainment & achievement
• Ensuring wellbeing, equality & inclusion
Inspectors identified a number of key strengths at Lornshill:
• The headteacher’s inspirational leadership which is helping senior and middle leaders, staff and young people to develop strong leadership skills. It is also supporting all people in the school community to be successful, aspire and belong.
• The newly revised vision, values and beliefs which are central to the school’s work. They contribute well to the school ethos, which promotes diversity and seeks to ensure that all young people are included and encouraged to do their best.
• The positive start to improving young people’s attainment in literacy.
• The supportive way in which young people are assisted to make informed decisions about their next steps in learning. A high number of young people leave school for a positive destination.
A number of areas for improvement were also discussed including:
• Ensure that all self-evaluation evidence is of a good quality and used consistently by teachers to ensure learners’ prior knowledge and progress is considered when planning lessons.
• Further improve experiences for young people at all stages by providing more opportunities for them to work collaboratively, lead their learning and increase their skills in working independently.
• Implement a wider range of accredited courses and programmes for young people who use the learning centre and learning hub to enhance their learning experiences and opportunities for attainment and achievement.
• Continue to review the range of learning pathways which young people can access.
Education Spokesperson Cllr Graham Lindsay said: “We want to ensure that all our young people in Clackmannanshire get the very best education to prepare them to achieve all they can throughout their lives, and so I am delighted to see this very positive inspection report for Lornshill Academy. It is satisfying to see the results of all the hard work the staff, led by headteacher Tom Black, pupils and families are putting in to raise attainment at Lornshill being recognised by the inspectors.
“We’re on a journey towards continuous improvement in our schools, so everyone will be closely studying the areas where things can be done better to ensure they are part of the focus to make the school even better as the progress continues.”