A Perthshire primary school has received a glowing inspection report by a national watchdog.
Rattray Primary School has been praised by Education Scotland for its “strong and supportive” leadership and for creating an “inclusive environment”.
The inspection report was published on Tuesday following the inspector visit in February.
The school and its staff were assessed against four key quality indicators with a rating of ‘very good’ in leadership of change, and ‘good’ in learning, teaching and assessment.
The inspection report conclusion from Education Scotland reads: “Strengths identified by the inspectors during their visit ranged across the work of the school:
“Strong, supportive and sensitively-delivered leadership for staff and the school community from the very well-respected headteacher, creating a effective culture for improvement at Rattray Primary School.
“A highly committed team of staff that works well together and has a strong understanding of the needs of the school community.
“Learning and teaching that has a positive impact on children’s attainment, with staff providing opportunities for pupils to achieve, succeed and celebrate success, and an inclusive environment that values children’s contributions.
“Children who succeed in making the school a place where their rights are respected, where they work well together and take part in school life to make positive changes across the school.
“Very effective ongoing work to meet the needs of young carers so they can learn, succeed and feel supported. This is improving outcomes for both children and their families.”
It adds: “Two areas for improvement have been identified and discussed with the headteacher and Perth and Kinross Council’s Education and Children’s Services, and are being taken forward:
“Continued work to develop the school’s approaches to assessment, to support all staff to know how well children are progressing with their learning.
“Continued focus on improving attainment for children, including the areas of literacy and stages of the school affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
As Rattray Primary School is considered to have the capacity to make continued improvement, Education Scotland will make no further visits in relation to this inspection.
Learning and Families Convener, Councillor John Rebbeck, welcomed the upbeat assessment for the school: “Everyone at Rattray Primary School will be justly delighted with this inspection of the school’s work and performance.
“My warmest congratulations go to the headteacher, her staff, pupils and the wider school community for all their efforts. Parents and carers will continue to be kept informed about progress on the areas for improvement.”
Councillor Shiers, who represents the Blairgowrie and the Glens ward, added: “I would like to congratulate headteacher, Mrs Robertson, and her team at Rattray Primary School on this very positive report. The school community have had a great deal to contend with following Covid,including the refurbishment of the school and construction of the new nursery.
“The report really reflects the ethos of the school at the heart of the Rattray community and confirms what we knew of the dedication, hard work and commitment of all staff across the school.
“I am sure pupils, parents and staff will be very proud of all they have achieved and are looking forward to the future.”
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser added: “This was an excellent report on Rattray Primary School by the Inspectors of Education.
“It was very encouraging to note the Inspectors say that the ‘highly committed’ staff team demonstrates leadership, work well together and have a strong understanding of the needs of the school community.
“I was particularly pleased to see that the Inspectors highlighted that staff at the school create an inclusive school that values the contribution of children.
“I have written to the school’s headteacher to congratulate them on this very positive report.”
