Inverness High School

Overview

HM Inspectors visited Inverness High School in November 2025 and identified significant challenges in leadership, wellbeing, and attainment. The report concludes that the school requires "additional support and more time to make necessary improvements," with a further inspection planned within one year.

Strengths

• Staff "foster positive and caring relationships with young people," creating a supportive learning environment.
• Senior leaders and staff are collaborating to improve consistency through the "‘Inverness High Lesson framework’."
• Effective partnerships with external agencies help support young people’s "wellbeing, attendance, engagement."

Areas to improve

• The school must urgently improve "young people’s attendance and late-coming" to raise attainment towards national expectations.
• Senior leaders need to ensure a "relentless focus on improving young people’s attainment and achievement."
• Course plans for S1-S3 require review to provide "sufficient levels of challenge," as current learning lacks adequate difficulty.
• The school community should develop an "updated vision and values" to raise expectations and aspirations.
• Staff must strengthen the "pace of change and improvement," particularly regarding wellbeing, and better evaluate interventions.

Safeguarding

The report states that staff work with partners to support young people’s wellbeing, but notes that "Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion" is evaluated as "weak" and requires staff to be "more responsive to the wellbeing and learning needs of all young people."