St Gerardine Primary School

Overview

Education Scotland inspectors visited St Gerardine Primary School in October 2024, finding a school with a "highly positive, nurturing and supportive ethos." The report evaluates both 'Learning, teaching and assessment' and 'Raising attainment and achievement' as "good," noting that staff are "proud of their school and community." Inspectors expressed confidence that the school has the capacity to continue improving, meaning no further visits will be made in connection with this inspection.

Strengths

• Children and staff have developed "very positive learning environments" based on values of being "respectful, responsible, resilient and demonstrating kindness."
• The headteacher and senior leaders have created a supportive culture where staff "know children very well, both as individuals and as learners."
• Staff use "collaborative and responsive approaches to tracking and monitoring" which are leading to "improved outcomes for children."
• Effective partnerships with a "wide range of partner agencies" provide universal and targeted support that is "improving outcomes for children."

Areas to improve

• Staff should develop their understanding of "higher-order thinking skills" to increase challenge and help children make greater progress.
• Teachers need to work collaboratively on "whole school approaches to raising attainment in writing."
• Senior leaders should continue plans to "track and monitor children’s skills and achievements" to identify and target gaps in learning.

Safeguarding

The report does not explicitly detail safeguarding arrangements, though it notes that children benefit from "universal and targeted support" through effective partnerships with external agencies.