| An inspection by officers at the department of education in Edinburgh last year identified a number of weaknesses at Braeview, saying measures to combat poor behaviour were ineffective, some pupils did not feel safe, staff and pupil morale was low and the quality of education unsatisfactory. Positive steps at Braeview
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However, a follow through report by the education inspectorate in February, published today, has concluded that staff have taken positive first steps towards making Braeview a better school.
Shortly after the inspector’s visit last year, the then rector Alan Wilson took early retirement prior to the report being published, although he did not escape censure. The inspectors said that, while he was was committed to the school, he had not been successful in retaining the confidence and support of staff and pupils.
Although another head teacher was drafted in to help out temporarily, even the appointment of the first permanent head teacher for over a year at Braeview was controversial.
It emerged Brenda Hadcroft, who was given the charge in January, had faced a similar challenge of turning a school around at her last post in England.
But she was criticised by school inspectors and an executive head teacher was appointed to help her.
However, while Mrs Hadcroft said the school in Bradford had serious problems before she arrived, inspectors a year later said the school still required special measures since it had serious weaknesses, including poor pupil progress, low attainment in exams and poor attendance rate.
With regard to the latest Braeview report, inspectors noted, “In some areas, significant progress has been made. The school is now more stable overall, and a good platform for achievement has been established.”
Recently-appointed principal teachers were beginning to have a positive impact in a number of departments and, overall, changes in staffing and procedures for quality assurance had increased the school’s capacity to improve.
“The ethos of the school has improved markedly. On the whole, staff feel happier working in the school and parents are increasingly becoming involved.
“Absence and exclusion rates show some signs of improvement, although some staff continue to have concerns about attendance and the behaviour of a minority of pupils.”
There had been promising signs of improved learning and major weaknesses in the structure of the curriculum had been addressed successfully.
There were, noted the report, six main points for action, which included the head teacher providing strong leadership, improving the quality of learning and teaching and dealing effectively with the behaviour of some pupils, and reviewing and improving the management, deployment and provision of staff.
Further, senior managers should work more closely with departments to ensure pupils’ experiences were of a high standard, the school curriculum and courses should be improved and the school should ensure support for learning staff, guidance staff and agencies work together to support pupil learning.
The city council’s education convener, Kevin Keenan, said it was clear significant progress had been made in many areas in a very short time and there was now a good platform for further improvement.
He said he wanted to thank the staff, pupils and families for their hard work and assured them the council was hugely supportive of the work that had been done.
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