Oldmachar Academy

Overview

The inspection found that Oldmachar Academy benefits from "effective leadership" under a "highly regarded headteacher," which is driving improvements in student wellbeing and learning. Young people are described as "engaged, articulate, and welcoming," demonstrating strong community pride and clear understanding of their learning progress.

Strengths

• Students are "engaged, articulate, and welcoming," demonstrating school values well in their everyday contributions.
• The headteacher provides "effective leadership," leading to improvements in young people’s wellbeing and learning experiences.
• Staff support wellbeing "very effectively" through "carefully considered approaches," supporting improved outcomes and achievements.
• Staff have built "highly respectful and supportive relationships" with students, resulting in strong classroom engagement and clarity on next steps.

Areas to improve

• Staff should focus on improving the quality of National Qualification passes, particularly for S6 students.
• Senior leaders should further develop the role of all stakeholders, especially young people, in identifying improvement priorities and evaluating their impact.

Safeguarding

The report states that staff support young people’s wellbeing "very effectively" through a "strong and embedded approach," which is supporting improvements in outcomes.