Forfar Academy

Overview

Education Scotland inspectors visited Forfar Academy in March 2025 and found that while young people learn in a "calm, respectful environment" with "clear classroom routines," the school requires additional support to improve. The report evaluates "Learning, teaching and assessment" as "satisfactory" but judges "Raising attainment and achievement" as "weak," indicating significant challenges in driving pupil progress. Consequently, the inspectorate will return within one year to monitor improvements.

Strengths

• Young people benefit from a "calm, respectful environment" where teachers use a "clear structure for delivering learning episodes," leading to more consistent classroom experiences.
• Pupils in ‘the Hub’ are "well supported to attain and achieve at appropriate levels" while feeling like "valued members of the wider school community."
• Staff possess a "strong understanding of the context of the school" and know families well, enabling them to provide "bespoke, equitable and discreet supports."

Areas to improve

• Senior leaders must improve the quality of teaching, learning, and assessment, ensuring tasks are set at the "right level of difficulty for all young people."
• Staff need to raise aspirations and attainment, including ensuring "professional judgements of achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels across all subjects are sound."
• There should be a particular focus on improving outcomes for "middle and highest attaining groups," those in S5 and S6, and specifically in "numeracy and in mathematics."

Safeguarding

The report does not explicitly state a separate evaluation or specific findings regarding safeguarding practices.