Education Scotland has written to parents and carers with children at Sanderson’s Wynd Primary School and Nursery Class to share the results of their recent inspection.
The school’s commitment to inclusion and respect for all children is inspiring and key to its welcoming, nurturing environment
A team of inspectors from Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate visited the school in December 2019. The inspection also included the Hub, the council’s specialist provision for children with severe and complex needs. They spoke with parents, carers, children and staff throughout the evaluation visit.
Inspectors praised the positive steps taken by headteacher Lynsey Blair, who joined the school in November 2017, to ‘foster a school community where children are valued, respected and included’. Children are offered creative approaches to outdoor learning, providing rich opportunities to learn in a real-life context. Inspectors also found that the Hub supports children well and contributes positively to the inclusive whole school ethos.
Cabinet member for Education and Children’s Services, Councillor Shamin Akhtar, said: “Inspections are an important part of school life providing independent evaluation and guidance for schools, and reassurance for parents and carers. I am especially pleased to see Inspectors’ positive comments for the support and learning provided to children attending the Hub, and recognising the benefits that this specialist provision offers for the whole Sanderson’s Wynd community. The school’s commitment to inclusion and respect for all children is inspiring and key to its welcoming, nurturing environment. I would like to pass on my thanks to Lynsey Blair for her leadership and to her staff team who are creating a great environment for children to thrive at the school.”
Ongoing improvement
Education Scotland identified areas for improvement, including literacy and English, and numeracy and mathematics; improving whole-school approaches to tracking children’s progress and improving the quality of teaching to ensure all children are challenged across the curriculum. The council’s education service has been working closely with the school to support its ongoing improvement including additional support for the nursery.
East Lothian Council’s Chief Operating Officer for Education, Lesley Brown, said: “Inspectors have identified many aspects of good practice within the school and nursery, where staff are leading positive learning and creating a warm environment for children. Following our own review of the school, our teams have been working with staff to provide advice, support and challenge and we were able to share these improvements with Inspectors during their visit. Mrs Blair and her staff are to be commended for their commitment to delivering the best possible outcomes for their children, and we will continue to support them to do so.”
Education Scotland has published the results of its inspection on its website.