Standards and Quality Report 2001-2

West Barns Primary School serves the community of West Barns village and its surrounding area including Belhaven, Tynefield and into the Lammermuir Hills up to the Halls, with many pupils coming from the nearby town of Dunbar.

During the session 2001/2002 the school roll comprised 95 pupils, 7 teaching staff including those designated to support pupils with learning difficulties and special needs, with 1 classroom assistant and 2 auxiliaries.

The present school building came into use in 1972 and overlooks the John Muir Country Park and the Firth of Forth. The building is on three floors; the lower ground housing the P1-P4 in two classrooms; the ground floor containing the administration offices, staffroom, medical / learning support room, the school hall / dining area and adjoining resource area stage, and kitchen; the upper floor caters for P5-P7 in two classrooms, with a covered balcony between housing a computer suite.

The Nursery is housed in a separate building to the rear of the main school.

The school is set in a large grass play area, with its own seven-a-side football pitch, and a tarmac netball pitch.

West Barns School is co-educational and non-denominational providing education for children from approximately three to twelve years old.

At the present time there are 95 pupils in four composite classes i.e. P1/2/3, P3/4, P5/6, P6/7, with 20 children in the Nursery Pre-School class, and 20 three year olds.

When year groups are required to be split, as in the case of P5/6 and P6/7, it is the policy if the school to do so by age.

To promote the highest standard of achievement, through programmes which enable all pupils to realise their full potential as individuals, and to develop the values needed to become full members of society.

To provide equality of opportunity for all pupils, by identifying and removing barriers to achievement, and programmes which are appropriate to the needs of the pupils.

To provide a broad education through a balanced curriculum covering essential learning areas with high levels of competence in basic literacy and numeracy, social subjects, science and technology.

To provide a foundation in the early years for future learning and achievement through programmes which include support for parents in their vital role as their child's first teacher.

To encourage pupils to become independent and lifelong learners by providing programmes which will develop the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to be successful in the modern, ever changing world.

To ensure good health in all pupils through strategies which promote physical and mental wellbeing and self-esteem.

To maintain and improve the quality of educational experiences for pupils through a programme of continuing professional development for all staff.

The following priorities were identified and incorporated within the school's development plan this session:

To review current guidelines for ITC and implement changes with close regard to 5-14 National Guidelines;

To review provision for Technology and formulate and implement a programme with close regard to 5-14 National Guidelines;

To formulate a programme for Behaviour within the Nursery which reflects the ethos of the school;

To implement programmes for Drama, Music and Art throughout the school.

All of the above have been successfully completed except for Technology which is still in the process of completion.

Aims of the school

Assessment records

Broad view audit records

Curricular materials

Curriculum statements

Curriculum structure and balance

Departmental development plans

Development plans – progress reports

Evaluation of 5-14 attainment data

Forward plans ( teachers )

Golden Rules

Individual education plans

Personal learning plans

Programmes of study/schemes of work

Pupil records of progress

Pupil work sampled

Quality indicators – detailed audit

School development plan

SQA attainment data

Staff involvement in self-evaluation

Tracking records

As part of the school's procedures for monitoring effectiveness and evaluating progress towards development targets, the following methods have been deployed during the year.

Overall we judge that the curriculum in the school is broad, balanced and closely matched to the national 5-14 guidelines and council advice.

The local and national initiatives in early intervention have helped to produce excellent programmes in early literacy and numeracy. 

The introduction of a Maths Teacher from Dunbar Grammar School who works with P6 and P7 classes and a renewed emphasis on mental mathematics have raised attainment at all stages. 

In writing staff have concentrated on implementing strategies for further improvement including a system for the teaching of spelling from P3-P7. 

As in Maths a mender of the English Department of Dunbar Grammar is in school once a week to work with senior pupils which has proved very beneficial in our quest to raise standards in writing.

In Environmental Studies many of the themes for study at each stage have been revised in the light of recent national guidance and significant development work has been carried out in science and social subjects. 

The school has also continued to develop the work done in ICT including giving P6/7 pupils more responsibility in producing the school website ( www.westbarnsprimaryschool.com).

P6 and P7 continue to have modern languages once a week.

Health Education and Personal and Social Development will become a major focus in the coming session and have been prioritised in the development plan. The school has been selected to become a Health Promoting School and will be working closely with Lothian Health Board and East Lothian Council on this initiative which we hope will enjoy major support and participation from parents.

The Expressive Arts are well provided for with the work done by our visiting specialist in PE and the introduction of a Music Specialist. The Art and Drama programmes provide for excellent work throughout the school.

Attainment

At West Barns Primary one of the key aims of the school is to promote the highest standards of achievement amongst our pupils. Overall, we judge that attainment is very good and is improving consistently. Detailed analysis is available for the areas of reading, writing and mathematics. Assessment by teachers, end of unit tests and National Tests provide evidence of the attainment of individual pupils. 

Performance in National Tests is tracked using a database and there is a good level of dialogue between Head Teacher, Senior Teacher and class teachers about the progress of the pupils'.performance in National Tests show that the school attainment continues to move forward, however, we are a little disappointed that we fell short of our targets for June 2002. 

Care should be taken in drawing conclusions from the raw data as the school population in relationship to class size varies from year to year, and there can be distortion to the overall trend when the class size can mean that one pupil accounts for 10% of that class.

P3, P4, P6 and P7 are only taken into account in these figures and show the percentage of children attaining or exceeding national test levels for their stage.

Reading

2000-70%

2001-76%

2002-78%

Target - 83%

Writing

2000-66%

2001-58%

2002-63%

Target - 75%

Mathematics

2000-70%

2001-78%

2002-85%

Target - 86%

The school has set revised targets for June 2003 of Reading 80%, Writing 70% and Mathematics 85% which our projections show are attainable.

During session 2002/2003 the school will address the need to work more closely with parents in order to raise attainment levels. 

Personal Learning Plans are being introduced into P5, and to continue in P6/7 which will help strengthen the home-school partnership. Further work is required in establishing target setting procedures for pupils and involving them more in recording and monitoring their own progress towards attainment targets.

Whilst the quality of Learning and Teaching is of a high standard at West Barns Primary, the school continues to strive to bring about improvements to the learning experiences of pupils. There is a purposeful learning environment at all stages and pupils are encouraged to exercise initiative, take responsibility for their learning and to set personal targets. 

Individual records of achievement are updated regularly and pupils are encouraged to evaluate their own performance and the performance of their peers. 

The continued involvement of DGS staff in the teaching of mathematics and language has added to the learning experience of older children.

There is a wide range of experience and expertise among the teaching staff who make use of a variety of teaching methods and differentiated approaches. 

The staff continue to pursue professional development by attending courses in a range of curricular areas.

The needs of learning support pupils are well met. 

There are Individual Learning programmes in place for pupils with special needs, and for those with behavioural difficulties. A number of our children are able to attend the Literacy Base at Longniddry where particular learning difficulties can be specially addressed by specially trained staff, and the close liaison with West Barns ensured that strategies employed there are utilised in the school.

Visiting Specialists plan, teach and assess alongside class teachers.

Homework is set and marked regularly with positive feedback given to pupils. 

All forward planning is done with particular attention being given to the differentiation within composite classes.

Parents are encouraged to participate in their child's learning. Within the school's consultation procedures parents receive an interim report in the first term and at the end of each session a comprehensive report about the progress of pupils.There are in addition twice-yearly parental consultations when parents can discuss their child's progress with the teacher.The school operates an open door policy and parents are encouraged to come to school if they have a particular concern.

During the session 2001/2002 the school acquired a significant level of new computing technology and teachers are making increased use of ICT in learning and teaching and although we have a very computer literate staff, in-service development opportunities are still essential in helping all staff to become familiar with the new technologies and software and confident in using computers to support their work.Forward Planning, assessment, and in the upper school Personal Learning Plans, are now computerised which has decreased somewhat the workload of the teaching staff.

The quality of pastoral care for pupils and their personal and social development is very high at West Barns Primary. Staff work collectively to maintain a climate where mutual trust, respect and confidence are evident throughout the school. Staff are alert to the emotional, physical and social needs of individual pupils and effective arrangements are in place throughout the school for the care and welfare of pupils.

Good progress has also been made in developing support for pupils with behavioural difficulties including the introduction of a 'Chill-out Area', and needs are attended to at an early stage by effective intervention by staff. Parents are included in discussions and always have a key part to play in the development of any social / emotional / behavioural modification programme devised for their child. 

The Headteacher tries hard to resolve difficulties using positive behaviour management strategies.

Individual education programmes contain aims that cater for each individual child. 

All teaching and ancillary staff directly involved are aware of their supporting role. 

Regular case conferences are held for pupils with special needs and the school 's learning support teacher works alongside class teachers, but also on a withdrawal timetable, as well as acting in a consultancy capacity. There has recently been the formation of a Multi-Agency Cluster Integrated Pupil Support Initiative which aims to streamline the referral procedures and action for children with Special Educational Needs.

Many of the P6 pupils participate in the Buddying arrangements for Nursery pupils in the Summer term as they approach P1. This arrangement carries on into the first term of a new session.

P7 pupils take part in a transition programme over their last year in primary whereby they are integrated socially and educationally with cluster pupils with whom they will be attending Dunbar Grammar School. The programme has proved very effective.

Pupils are given the opportunity of a residential experience at P7. They are also encouraged to participate in our sporting and musical activities.

The pupils have a voice by way of the School Council which includes children from all classes.

Almost all our pupils demonstrate positive self-esteem, show kindness to others and co-operate well in the classroom and in the playground.

West Barns Primary School has aims which we hope reflect the ethos of the school. These aims are primarily focused on children's learning within a broad and balanced curriculum. The environment of the school, which is secure and happy, is intended to provide opportunities for each child which allows them to perform to the best of their abilities; where their attainment can be maximised; where their learning experience is of the highest quality regardless of gender, or social or cultural background; where they can learn to understand and care for their personal and wider environment; and they are helped towards understanding and accepting responsibility for their own actions; where children are helped to meet any challenge confidently whether it be physical, intellectual, emotional or practical.

We consider West Barns Primary to have significant strengths in the following areas:

-sense of identity and pride in the school

- sense of equality and fairness

- pupil and staff morale and relationships between staff, pupils and parents

-pupils and staff expectations of attendance, behaviour and discipline.

We also aim to involve the local community in the life of the school, and the staff and pupils in the life of the community.

The accommodation and facilities at West Barns are of a very high standard and provide a safe and stimulating environment well suited to supporting the curricular activities of pupils and the work of staff. Accommodation is in a very good state of repair and fixtures, fittings and furniture match educational needs very well.

Some windows are to be replaced and all are to be painted.

There are plans to enlarge the staffroom which will allow all staff to be in the room at the same time, and will allow the creation of a workplace with space for resources.

During session 2001/2002 the school received a number of new computers through the ELC TIC project and pupils and staff use these facilities extensively. There is evidence of increased use of ICT to support learning and teaching and the use of multimedia technologies and the Internet has increased significantly during the past session.Staff at West Barns have continued the development of their ICT skills and there is clear evidence that teachers are becoming more skilled and confident in using information technology as a key component of learning and teaching.

The school has recently purchased an interactive white board which will enhance teaching and provide a new set of learning experiences for the pupils.

Staff use computers for Forward Planning, Assessments, Reports and in P5-P7 for Personal Learning Plans.

Developments in Environmental Studies this session required a large investment in new resources, particularly in the area of Science. 

The Head Teacher, Senior Teacher and staff together decide on spending priorities and the school's PTA provide much welcomed additional resources thanks to their successful fund-raising activities.

We continue to develop the non-fiction and fiction books which are available for use by pupils in the school and nursery. 

There will also be more Story Sacks made available for nursery and P1 pupils.

Management, Leadership and Quality Assurance

Quality assurance is of prime importance in West Barns Primary and to this end the Headteacher monitors Forward Plans, Assessment and Reports. 

There has been an increase in the amount of time which the Headteacher spends in classrooms working with staff and pupils, which also allows close observation of classroom practice. 

Pupil's work in the form of jotters and folders are monitored by the Headteacher who sees a selection from each class each week.

There is a fair degree of team teaching and planning and staff are aware of work being done throughout the school.

Parents are informed of what is happening in school through a monthly newsletter, and a yearly Curriculum Plan.

The school Development Plan is discussed with the Parent Teacher Association committee whose members will be welcome to make comments and suggestions.

The Quality and Standards Report will be discussed with the PTA committee before being made available to the wider parent body.

The school has also taken steps to ensure that all staff and probationary teachers are fully familiar with school policies and procedures with each class having a Policy Folder.

The management structure of the school operates through teamwork with an emphasis on joint staff decision making. 

Promoted staff give advice and are always available to support teachers, classroom assistants and administrative staff.

All members of staff - teaching and support personnel have clearly defined remits and roles and almost all teaching staff have been reviewed as part of the school's staff review programme.

During the year staff and pupils at West Barns Primary made other notable contributions to the life and work of the school.

Our senior pupils continue to develop the school website and are taking more responsibility for the content.

Our School Council meets to discuss the working and running of the school and make valuable contributions on a wide variety of topics.

In Netball the team won the County Shield for the second year in a row, and the football team are making good progress, possibly challenging for honours this year.

Pupils have continued to support Jennifer, a Nigerian girl, and enthusiastically participate in various charity events e.g. Red Nose Day.

Our young brass musicians are progressing very well, and the musical aptitude of our pupils was demonstrated in the P7 musical which was a resounding success.

Our Senior Teacher has been actively involved in developing educational guidelines for the authority.

The areas planned for future development are as follows:

1. To develop Drug education throughout the school in line with ELC and National Guidelines;

2. To develop a whole school framework for Health Education/Promotion;

3. To ensure the personal and social development of all pupils in the school through a planned programme;

4. To develop a Sex Education programme and policy in line with National and Local Guidelines.

Further to our priorities listed below are developments to be introduced and expanded throughout the coming session :

1. West Barns as a Health promoting school

2. Personal Learning Plans to be introduced throughout the school (2003/2004)

3. Increase in Storysack