What’s it all about?
To evaluate the quality of learning and teaching in Scotland schools and education services.
The focus for primary schools is based on the quality of children’s learning and achievement, with a particular interest in how the school is developing children’s skills and understanding in literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing.
For Parents and Carers – information can be found here to find out more about process for the time the inspectors are on site (short summary below) and what happens with the questionnaires completed in December (invitation to do was shared by HT, for each child in PPS).
The inspection starts on Monday 13th December.
During the inspection
An inspection team will visit your child’s school (and nursery class) or setting. The size of the inspection team is dependent on the school roll and can comprise of HM Inspectors, Associate Assessors, Assistant Inspectors, Health and Nutrition Inspectors and a Lay Member. Where there is a nursery class, it will be inspected by an inspector from Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate or by one inspector on behalf of both organisations. During the visit the inspection team:
- will visit classrooms/nursery playrooms, observe learning, and talk to staff and children about their learning
- may spend some time looking at your child’s work and reading his/her reports
- may work with your child as part of a small group or in a classroom/playroom.
After the inspection
We will publish a letter for parents on our website and share it with the education authority or Board of Governors, and where appropriate to the Chairperson of the Parent Council. We will also publish a document called the Summarised Inspection Findings (SIF) which provides some detail supporting the evaluations made by inspectors.
If necessary, the school, with the support of the education authority or Board of Governors, will amend its school improvement plan to bring about any improvements that the inspection team have discussed with senior leaders and representatives from the education authority or Board of Governors.
Where appropriate, we will carry out a further inspection to support staff in making improvements or to gather information about good practice.
The term ‘parents’ should be taken to include foster carers, residential care staff and carers who are relatives or friends.
We want to thank you for being such a special part of Pencaitland and bringing such a lot of smiles to the faces of all in it’s community, families, staff – and most importantly, our children.
Funds raised are added to the school all year round as the participants take part. Anyone can join, you don’t have to be parent/carer of child in the school currently – family members can join too.