RATTRAY PRIMARY SCHOOL
TOGETHER WE CAN
STANDARDS AND QUALITY REPORT
2009 – 2010
- Provide an attractive, caring, secure and stimulating environment where children feel happy, confident, sage, challenged and fulfilled.
- Seeking to achieve this aim, we recognize the need to provide a broad and balanced curriculum.
Attainment & Achievement
In recent years standards of attainment have been very good with most children achieving expected national levels in reading, writing and maths. At all stages a significant minority of children have achieved these earlier than might be expected.
04 050607080910
Reading83 838485888989
Writing75 818379858588
Maths80 859085898487
Writing attainment across the school this session has increased and remaining strong with most children making very good progress.
In P2 81% attained Level A
In P3 89% attained A and above with 47% of those at Level B
In P4 91% attained B and above with 30% of those at Level C
In P5 78% attained C and above
In P6 88% attained C and above with 37% of those at Level D
In P7 82% attained D and above with 23% of those at Level E
In nursery and P1 children were encouraged to write freely and experiment with symbols and words in their attraction, welcoming writing areas. In P2 most children can explain the use of capital letters and full stops, using this punctuation correctly in a range of short stories linked to their topic work.
At P4 and P5 most children were encouraged and enthusiastic in their writing motivated by big writing tasks based on Castles, Mini beasts, Charlotte’s Web and the Scottish Wars of Independence. The rainforest and Victorian projects provided the context for the P6’s high quality poems using the different forms of haiku, kennings and acrostics.
During the summer term the P7 children’s filming project gave a real purpose for functional writing storyboards, posters, advertising jargon and letters from around the world.
This session reading attainment has remained at 89% with most children achieving or exceeding appropriate national levels.
In P2 69% attained Level A
In P3 89% attained Level A & above with 47% of those at Level B
In P4 91% attained Level B & above with 30% of those at Level C
In P5 80% attained Level C & above
In P6 90% attained Level C & above with 46% at D & 24% at E
In P7 84% attained Level D & above with 45% at Level E
All children in the school from Nursery to P7 have timetabled weekly slots in the library with P7 librarians to help them select suitable books for home and silent reading. This well attended initiative along with Scottish Book Fortnight, two commercial Book fairs, live video links with authors Michael Rosen & Julie Davidson who have encouraged the consistent school message about the importance of reading. Book and cook sessions for our nursery children and their parents and carers have been 100% successful in terms of attendance, enjoyment, interest and enthusiasm.
Paired Reading is working well for children in P2 to P6. This initiative allows older children a real opportunity to be a responsible citizen.
From P5 most children can discuss characters, settings and story lines in some depth. They also knew about a range of different genre.
The majority of P3 children read novels both for enjoyment and as part of their coursework.
Children’s listening and talking skills throughout all stages continue to be developed using a number of approaches, strategies and resources. Structural lesions have been planned as part of Bounce Back, Philosophy, circle time and RME and through interdisciplinary topics. Also the increase in co-operative learning strategies has encouraged children to listen more purposefully to each other. Nursery, P1 and P2 held successful, well attended story/rhyme times for parents and carers to join with their children reciting poems and rhymes to build confidence, recall, and audience awareness.
In P2 81% attained Level A
In P3 92% attained Level A & above with 50% of those at Level B
In P4 85% attained Level B & above with 12% of those at Level C
In P5 72% attained Level C and above
In P6 88% attained Level C & above with 13% of those at Level D
In P7 84% attained Level D & above with 13% of those at Level E
The impact has been most children listen well to their lectures and are making very good progress in listening and talking. The majority of children listen well to one another in group work however there is increased scope to further develop children’s listening skills in peer activities.
Maths attainment across the school has increased by 3% with most children making very good progress.
The positive early start has resulted in most children achieving Level A by the end of P2. In nursery children enjoyed maths through active play in the sensory garden and problem solving in the playground with pipes, tubes, wood and tyres. Excellent opportunities for P1 & P2 were planned to develop early numerical skills within lay contexts. Most children are developing confidence in mental maths strategy. Children with additional support needs are very well supported and making effective progress. Most children from P4 – P7 enjoy their learning in set maths groupings.
In P2 81% attained Level A
In P3 92% attained Level A & above with 50% of those at Level B
In P4 85% attained Level B & above with 12% of those at Level C
In P5 72% attained Level C and above
In P6 88% attained Level C & above with 44% of those at Level D
In P7 84% attained Level D & above with 13% of those at Level E
Our next steps are to involve numeracy skills through interdisciplinary work and to increase opportunities for outdoor maths.
At P6 and P7 in the philosophy lessons the children have shown an increasing confidence and ability to debate and to voice their opinions ad arguments.
The art work across all stages has been innovative and varied but of a high standard and enjoyed by children as evidence in their end of year evaluations.
The life skills of P5, 6 & 7 have been enhanced by the Heart Start training they participated in.
From their end of term evaluations the Children form P3 to P7 stated that they enjoyed and learned new information in different ways about the new social subjects topics. They also like having a voice in their learning through big and little questions, talking & thinking books and the learning walls.
In PE almost all children are motivated and respond with enthusiasm to the brisk pace of lessons impacting on well developed ball and games skills. This level of hard work and enjoyment was also endorsed by the children.
Achievement
In May Rattray Primary School were winners of the Harris Moore Award for environmental work in our school Wildlife Area. Two primary six boys won The Tayside K’Nex Challenge in June. At the end of the summer term four primary six pupils were awarded first and second prized at the Perth & Kinross Noise Action Week.
Exceptional charity fund raising by pupils, staff and parents included Red Nose Day, Children in Need, Shoe Box appeal for European Countries, Shelter, Neo Natal at Ninewells, Rachel House, Earl Haig, Kolkatta and UNICEF’s Day of Change.
All classes took a turn to prepare and conduct an assembly and all pupils participated in at least one national competition.
P7 children improved their confidence, team spirit and self management through participation in Outreach and the residential trip to Holland.
Learning
Our curriculum has included space for learning beyond the subject boundaries to allow our children to make connections between different areas of learning. The interdisciplinary learning throughout the school is having a measurable impact on children’s motivation to write, research through ICT, and confidently present to a range of audiences.
All pupils enjoy two hours each week o high quality PE covering a wide range of skills. Children in all classes benefit from a very good range of educational visits and or visitors to enhance their motivation for learning and also improve the relevance of topic work.
Most children are friendly, polite, well behaved and on task in classes. They contribute well to the life of the school through participation in responsibility groups and organized charity, fund raising and social events.
Most children from P3 to P7 state that the school helps them to adopt a healthy lifestyle that they enjoy participating in extra curricular activities, they are encouraged in their learning by staff and consulted in what they would like to learn and find out.
Global citizenship was actively promoted as a vehicle to embrace, understand and respect our partners throughout the world.
The rich quality of learning from Nursery to P7 was very good allowing children to make effective progress.
Leadership
The headteacher supported by the management team has effectively managed the challenges of awareness raising of Curriculum for Excellence and also the development of language, maths and Health & Well Being.
Most staff have been empowered and encouraged to take on leadership roles which has maintained high levels of achievement and attainment.
The senior management team used varied and rigorous approaches to effectively monitor and evaluate all aspects of the work of the school. An important feature of Rattray School was the strong culture of self evaluation for improvement which included engagement of staff in discussions to identify strengths and areas of development in addition to tracking pupils’ progress and achievement challenging teachers to reflect on aspects of learning and teaching to better meet the needs of their pupils more effectively.
The headteacher’s vision to drive the school forward to ensure learning is fit for purpose in the 21st Century to equip our children with skills and knowledge they will require for the work force of the future is supported, and endorsed by a committed and talented teaching and non teaching staff.
Development Priorities for 2010 – 2011
- Embed literacy and numeracy within all curricular areas
- Broaden the range of planned opportunities for achievement for all pupils
- Recognise, record and celebrate pupils’ achievements
- Develop assessment bank for language, literacy, maths and numeracy
- Development of Science and Social subjects in line with curriculum for excellence outcomes and experiences