At Port Elphinstone School during session 2013-14, the following comments about Port Elphinstone Primary School and Nursery were received from …….

Parents

·  A fantastic school we are proud to be part of.

·  All teachers and staff are very approachable and helpful.

·  Very inclusive feeling in the Port like the whole group is one big team. Working in groups and Friendship Stops really help.

·  Good communication with staff, pupils and parents.

·  My children have learned and been supported at their own level.

Staff

·  Lovely, friendly, supportive and fun atmosphere amongst staff this year. Feel proud to be part of the Port team!

·  Lovely atmosphere and well-mannered children.

·  The Port is an amazing place to work. Everyone is willing to give that wee bit more in order to make things happen.

Pupils

·  People are helpful and take care of each other.

·  The teachers are kind and help you when you are hurt or stuck.

·  Everyone's work is displayed on the walls.

·  There are lovely people in school who are always willing to help.

·  Co-operative learning is fun, and work is always interesting.

·  I like the challenges and the good opportunities that the teachers give me.

·  All the classrooms are nice and bright and the school looks like a friendly school.

2013 / 2014

Port Elphinstone School

School Road

Port Elphinstone

Inverurie

Aberdeenshire

AB51 3XJ

Tel: 01467 621277

Fax: 01467 621277

Email:

Website: www.portelphinstone.aberdeenshire.sch.uk


The School in Context
Port Elphinstone School is situated in the community of Port Elphinstone, which is adjacent to the prosperous and thriving town of Inverurie.
The main school building, which is in good order, dates back to 1870, but has been substantially modernised and extended to provide the current, relatively spacious accommodation, which includes a purpose built Nursery added in 2000.
The current school roll is 75 with 40 Nursery children. This equates to 4 Primary classes and a morning and afternoon Nursery session, which gives 6.0 full time equivalent teachers, including 2 non-teaching Job share Head teachers. We have visiting specialists in PE, French, Music and Drama.
Pupils from Port Elphinstone normally transfer to Inverurie Academy on completion of P7, as we are part of the Inverurie CSN, and there are very effective arrangements to ensure this is a smooth transition.
We have an active Parent Council and their functions are to set up social events for pupils & parents and to raise money to support the work of the school.
Our Vision
We want our pupils to achieve their full potential in a safe and nurturing environment.
Our Values
Respect Teamwork Honesty Fairness Responsibility Inclusion
Key Developmpent / Progress during year/year
Nursery – Outdoor Learning / Continue into next session
Co-operative Learning / Completed - monitor
Rights Respecting Schools / Completed - montior
Active Literacy / Continue into next session
SUMMARY OF IMPROVEMENT PLAN PRIORITIES FOR YEAR / YEAR
Outdoor Learning for Nursery and School
  • To see our nursery outdoor area completed and used daily
  • To increase the use of the outdoor area by classes
  • To increase parental awareness
  • To improve resources for outdoors.

Literacy
  • To raise attainment in Literacy across all stages
  • To increase motivation and enjoyment, particularly in reading
  • To build confidence in planning and assessing Active literacy
  • To improve learning experiences for all.

Restorative Practice (Inverurie Cluster Plan)
  • To support and enhance positive relationships
  • To maintain high standards of behaviour and discipline
  • To share expertise with other staff across Inverurie Schools
  • To implement a programme of work and use resources.

4.  How do we ensure equality and inclusion, and promote diversity across the school?
In arriving at these evaluations, we considered the following evidence
  • A variety of visitors to the school helps to expose the children to a range of people and challenge attitudes.
  • Work differentiated so that all children are suitably challenged
  • Talking Boxes, Circle Time and Seasons for Growth are all available to support children and talk through issues.
  • The Positive Behaviour Policy promotes values of inclusion.
  • Co-operative Learning fosters an inclusive ethos.
  • Combined Golden Time for middle/upper stages.
  • Community award – embedding/praising our values.
  • Introduce Makaton to all classes.
  • Children who have EAL are encouraged to share their own home language and customs in school.
  • Use of modern technology (website and Facebook) to share news with parents and the wider community.

Our key strengths in this area are
  • Children on a split placement are included in the day to day activities of the school and whole school activities.
  • The whole school pair and share in house teams once a term.
  • P7 pupils from Inverurie small schools have a transition get together at each school and on a school trip.
  • Parents encouraged to play an active part in life of the school.

We have identified the following as priorities for improvement in this area
  • Continue to work towards the first accreditation for the Rights Respecting Schools Award by setting up a working party.
  • Continue to use Makaton, including all classes.

Key

Evaluation – Excellent -outstanding, sector-leading very good - major strengths Good - important strengths with some areas for improvement Satisfactory - strengths just outweigh weaknesses Weak - important weaknesses Unsatisfactory - major weaknesses

1.  How well do our children learn and achieve?
Evaluation
QI 1.1 ~ Improvements in Performance / good
QI 2.1 ~ Learners’ Experiences / Very good
In arriving at these evaluations, we considered the following evidence.
  • The school has a well-established Pupil Council.
  • Assemblies and the Golden Lunch table, the WOW wall, and Newsletters are all used to share and celebrate achievements.
  • Pupils are encouraged to be Responsible Citizens with activities like recycling, monitor duties and school dinner orders and gardening.
  • Children at risk of underachieving are identified and known by individual staff members and discussed with the HT regularly.
  • Introduction of the PIPS and INCAS assessment programmes, in which all pupils in P1, P3, P5 and P7 will be assessed.

Our key strengths in this area are
  • Pupils are actively involved in their own learning and development.
  • The school encourages all pupils to be aware of the rights and needs of others, with regular fund raising.
  • The pupils are very well behaved and are good ambassadors for the school in the community and beyond.
  • The pupils are confident and speak well to peers, staff and visitors.

We have identified the following as priorities for improvement in this area
  • Continue to track progress and achievement.
  • Continue use of school assessment materials.
  • Use of PIPS and INCAS results to highlight areas of need.
  • Parental pop in session to evaluate learning (listening and talking).

2.  How well does out school support children to develop and learn?
Evaluation
QI 5.1 ~ The Curriculum / Very good
QI 5.3 ~ Meeting Learning Needs / Very good
In arriving at these evaluations, we considered the following evidence.
  • Staff continue to develop active approaches to learning.
  • Teachers becoming increasingly confident in the terminology of the outcomes and experiences of CfE
  • Pupils well supported by staff and partner agencies, and parents included in order to work together in getting it right for every child.
  • Pupil Support Assistants share a common role in providing pupils and teachers with additional support as directed by the teacher.
  • Six staff have now been trained in Co-operative Learning.
  • Introduced Fresh Air Fridays for Primary 1/2, developing their outdoor learning.
  • Introduction of Makaton to all classes.

Our key strengths in this area are
  • There are very effective systems in place for the Transition from Nursery into P1 and also within the cluster from P7 to Secondary.
  • ICT is well embedded and is evident in classroom delivery.
  • The SFL teacher is used effectively to support pupils’ needs across the school and provides support and advice for all staff.
  • Individual Education Plans [IEPs] are in place for those pupils who require them. Teachers know their pupils very well.

We have identified the following as priorities for improvement in this area
  • Continue work on frameworks to support progression of skills knowledge.
  • Ensure the most able continue to be challenged.
  • Focus on raising attainment at all levels.

3.  How does our school improve the quality of its work?
Evaluation
QI 5.9 ~ Improvement Through Self Evaluation / good
In arriving at these evaluations, we considered the following evidence.
  • HTs monitor classroom practise for teaching and learning as well as the pupils’ work. Good practise is shared with pupils & staff.
  • Review meetings are held with teaching staff and with non-teaching staff every one to three years, depending on their job.
  • Regular staff meetings are held for teaching and non-teaching staff with agendas and minutes kept, so that there is ample opportunity for all to contribute to improvements.
  • The Nursery team hold weekly meetings for staff involved to share information and evaluate practise.
  • Nursery staff meet with other nursery teams termly.
  • We have developed the RRS with a class charter, rights/responsibilities across school.
  • SFL meet as a team through the Local Management Group.

Our key strengths in this area are
  • Annual questionnaires in the form of 2 stars and a wish, feedback slips and our visitors’ book are used to gather feedback from stakeholders and feed into the School Improvement Plan.
  • Self / peer assessment are taught to pupils from Nursery onwards
  • Pupils involved in evaluating learning using a variety of strategies
  • Our vision, aims and values have been shared with all and are prominent in the school, allowing them to be central to school life.
  • Parents and staff are consulted and are offered the opportunity to influence school policy and direction.

We have identified the following as priorities for improvement in this area
  • Build on cluster working to offer further opportunities for staff.
  • Monitor/review the self-evaluation calendar.
  • Facilitate moderation at all levels.