Agenda item

In Attendance:- Mr Bruce Robertson (Headteacher), Christian Robertson (Quality Improvement Officer) and Councillor Moffat.

3.0       The Chairman welcomed the representatives from Berwickshire High School.

3.1       HMIe report

          With reference to paragraph 2 of the Minute of 3 March 2022, there had been circulated copies of a report on His Majesty’s Inspector of Education (HMIE) Reports for Berwickshire High School and the continuous scrutiny and support provided by the Quality Improvement Team within Scottish Borders Council.  The report explained that Initial inspection of Berwickshire High School by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) in March 2019 noted significant concerns in a number of areas, including leadership, safeguarding, learning and teaching, wellbeing and attainment with areas noted for immediate action.  A Follow-up visit by HMIE in November 2021 reported significant improvement under the leadership and direction of the new Headteacher and confirmed that HMIE would not undertake a further visit, but would ask the Local Authority to review and Report on continued progress.  After a period of monitoring and support by the Quality Improvement Team, a review took place in November 2022 to validate progress made and to report back to HMIE and Education Scotland.  The Team recognised significant additional progress and improvement made by the Headteacher and staff over the previous 12 months, whilst monitored the progress of Berwickshire High School following the visit by Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Education (HMI) in November 2021. This had included regular visits to the school by members of the Quality Improvement team, an in-depth Attainment Analysis meeting following the publication of 2022 attainment data, and a formal Review Visit in November 2022. During that visit, the team talked to children and young people, members of the middle and senior leadership teams, teaching and support staff, parents and observed children and young people in their learning.

3.2         Mr Robertson explained that in terms of leadership,  there had been a continued focus over the past 12 months, to develop leadership at all levels. This had included establishing a new mission statement of the school – ‘Aim for Best’ – in consultation with key stakeholders and this was helping to create a       shared sense of community, purpose and ambition.  There was a coherent approach to school improvement with a clear improvement cycle to evaluate progress. A strategic focus on leadership capacity development, with a particular focus on the middle leadership team, was having a very positive impact across the school. For example, middle leaders were now leading programmes of professional learning workshops for teachers, and were playing an enhanced role in the planning of a newly introduced Supported Self-Evaluation Programme,    with follow-up coaching. There was clear alignment between the school and faculty     improvement plans.  Communication at all levels had improved significantly, with a regular pattern of leadership team meetings, and systems to share key messages with staff, which was having a positive impact on staff, who felt valued and supported to participate in collaborative improvement.  As well as meeting on a weekly one-to-one basis with middle leaders, members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) meet weekly with focus groups of young people, on a rotation, to ensure the voice of all young people was heard. These     ensure pupil voice was at the heart of school improvement. The student Head Team attend weekly SLT strategic meetings and the Student Council was also playing an important role.  Further opportunities had been created to promote leadership at all levels and included three newly established Assistant Head of Year positions with a pastoral focus, a digital            learning lead, and a support staff member co-leading Beekeeping in senior phase curriculum. Individual staff members had volunteered to take on additional leadership   responsibilities, including leading the Student Council, the Equity and Diversity Group, and      mentoring Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs).

3.3       In terms of creating a calm, safe and purposeful learning environment conducive to high quality learning, the learning environment within Berwickshire High School was calm and safe. The updated vision, values and aims set clear expectations and identify respect and safety explicitly. There were clear procedures in place for moving around the school, which were adhered to consistently across the school. There were also clear systems and procedures in place to help ensure high standards of behaviour across the school. Young people demonstrate polite behaviours in corridors and are well behaved and courteous in classes. Professional learning initiatives, such as weekly reading and discussion groups focusing on teaching positive behaviour, were having a tangible impact across the school.  Most young people report they feel safe in school and feel their views are listened to.  A renewed assemblies programme, focusing on school values, was having a positive impact on culture. Staff report that they feel valued as members of the school community and that Berwickshire High School was a rewarding place to work.

3.4       In terms of all staff developing an agreed shared understanding of what high quality learning looked like, Improving learning and teaching across the whole school was now the core business of all teachers. This was evidenced in the high quality professional learning, which was on offer for all staff, the rich professional dialogue around pedagogy and the significantly improved experiences in the classroom for young people. There was a shared understanding of ‘what excellent looked like’ and all staff were encouraged and supported to deliver their best for the young people.  The Principal Teacher of Pedagogy maintained a high profile and there was clear evidence of his impact across the school. A plethora of opportunities were available for all teachers to improve their pedagogy, including: professional reading groups, YouTube bite size tutorials, staff-led workshops, peer review programmes, and coaching sessions. Digital Technology had a very high and growing profile in all aspects of the school and its work.  Young People were able to articulate how they learned and used the language of learning with confidence.  A shared understanding of lesson structure had been developed through the use of a Lesson Evaluation Toolkit, which was used consistently by almost all teachers. An inaugural Pedagogy Conference was held in November 2022, showcasing the school’s journey of improvement in learning, teaching and assessment.

3.5       In terms of staff developing curriculum pathways, as already agreed, at all stages, including with partners, to promote challenge, provide more flexibility for learners and meet their needs and aspirations. The curriculum was now providing a wider range of pathways and experiences for young people. The addition of NPAs and new National courses was better meeting the needs of the learners and included Drama, Citizenship, Beekeeping, Criminology, Politics and Classics. Plans were well underway to introduce additional courses, including: Dance (level 5), Media (level 5), Exercise & Fitness (level 6), Applications of Maths (level 6) and Refereeing (level 7).  The S3 curriculum had been revised and improved, with a renewed focus on clear learning pathways and relevance to both the senior phase, and skills for life and work. There had been implementation of improved 1 + 2 languages model, in collaboration with Education Scotland.  In consultation with key stakeholders, there had been a redesign of options in senior phase to support personalisation and choice (this included the flexibility to choose from a suite of ‘long’ and ‘short’ short level 4 and 5 courses). The development of broader range of level 5 courses supported the drive for higher levels of attainment for all students, allowed students to engage in new learning pathways, and to develop vocational skills.  Expanded partnership working was supporting the newly designed curriculum and included a new partnership with Marchmont House and new curriculum enhancement opportunities, such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award and Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI). The work of the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) lead was having a very positive impact on the use of employability partners to support the delivery of the curriculum and included strengthened links with college and local businesses and tracking positive destinations. As a result, the contribution of local partners, including Community Learning and Development, in curriculum delivery was much stronger.   There was also improved collaborative curriculum design across the cluster, with a particular focus on literacy, numeracy, languages and sciences. While this work was in an early phase, it had the potential to significantly improve the learning experience for all young people.

3.6       In terms of Wellbeing, the school continued to make strong progress in this area and had worked in partnership with Education Scotland to develop and implement a strategic plan, focusing on wellbeing and inclusion.  As a result, the school now offered a calm, safe learning environment. Standards of behaviour across the school were high, with a strong focus on student leadership and student voice which was having a very positive impact on ethos. Success was widely celebrated, included through assemblies, House competitions and Praise Postcards. There was improved tracking and communication of this, including with staff and parents.  The improved health and wellbeing curriculum was having a positive impact on student’s understanding of wellbeing indicators, including how they can take responsibility for their own wellbeing.  Wellbeing indicators were tracked using MS Forms, with data analysed and presented at weekly Berwickshire Intervention Group (BIG) meetings. This allowed pastoral staff to review, plan and intervene, to support students in a timely manner. Communication with wider staff had also improved significantly.

3.7       In terms of all Staff working to raise standards of attainment and provide wider opportunities        for achievement to improve outcomes for young people, there had been considerable            improvement in this area, with particular gains in S4 and S6. These had come about as a         result of senior leaders taking a rigorous, strategic approach to planning for improvement in             the attainment and achievement for all young people.   Approaches to data gathering and   interventions planning had been reviewed and provided robust and reliable evidence for         improvement. There was annual Insight training for all staff and there had been development           of an improved whole-school tracking system. Young people were attaining more    qualifications at SCQF levels 4-6 and were attaining well in literacy and numeracy.           Analysis and discussion of tracking data with class teachers and faculty leaders was much        stronger. Every faculty had a clear plan for raising attainment at faculty level and plans were    discussed and reviewed with the Senior Leadership Team each term and there was improved sharing of attainment data with pastoral staff.  A newly appointed Principal     Teacher of Raising Attainment and Curriculum Enhancement was focusing on raising             attainment for the lowest attainment students in S4-6. The school continued to develop its             positive relationship with Borders College, which were allowing students to attain more    widely. There was improved summative and formative assessment across all year groups and     systems to track and celebrate wider achievement were having a positive impact. 

3.8       In Summary, Mr Robertson stated that the School would continue to consolidate and inbed

            improvement initiatives and work closely with the Local Authority who was supporting them.

Neil Bennett, Chair of Berwickshire High School, although unable to attend had submitted a short statement in which he expressed what a privilege it had been to be part of the School’s Journey in the past few years – the achievements were particularly tangible and there had been a culture change and the solid foundations were leading to improvements in attainment – he was particularly excited about the growing curriculum being offered.  He extended his congratulation to Senior Managers, Staff, Pupils and the wider community on achieving this during a global pandemic. 

3.9       Christian Robertson, Senior Lead Officer highlighted how immensely proud she was of the             journey undertaken by Berwickshire High School and the significant progress made – there         had been a relentless focus on attainment, which was clear, controlled and continuous.  The  investment in all staff had improved morale and the quality     of teaching.

DECISION

AGREED to approve the Local Authority and Education Scotland’s recommendation that Berwickshire High School be fully signed off following an intensive period of improvement.