Carbrain making ‘very good’ progress

The report, in the form of a letter issued to parents and carers of pupils, follows previous inspections in 2012 and 2013 and looks at the ongoing efforts to improve various aspects of education and school life.

The inspectors found that in the nursery children are motivated by the stimulating experiences, are happy and work well together.

It was also noted that the majority of primary school children were enthusiastic about learning and behaviour in the playground was much better.

Children were described as being motivated by rewards systems and working well in pairs and small groups, as well as enjoying a greater level of choice in what they learn.

Teachers were praised for providing clearer feedback , helping children understand their strengths and how they can improve, and achievements folders helped show the knowledge and skills they had developed.

It was noted that children were making better improvements in literacy and numeracy, with several pupils in P3-P7 making “very good” progress. One example the inspectors quoted was that children in Primary 3 were able to present their hypothesis on why the dinosaurs died out and support it with evidence.

In P4 and P5 pupils were challenging themselves ot improve their fitness levels while at P3/2 children made creative use of effects in Powerpoint to make a slideshow on the Comonwealth Games.

The school will continue working to improve children’s attendance levels as children who miss school or are often late could make better progress.

The level of planning in both the nursery and primary and curriculums was praised, with teachers taking greater account of what children have previously learned and having higher expectations of their achievement, for example P7 pupils recently held a challenging political debate covering such issues as benefits, immigration and corruption.

Work is ongoing to improve the support given to children, particularly those who have poor attendance.