Standards and Quality Report

Monkton Primary School and Early Years Centre

2019-2020

Introduction The purpose of this report is to provide an answer to the question – ‘How good was our school in 2019-20?’ This report tells you about the quality of education in the school and Early Years Centre (EYC) and how children benefit from coming here. Vision, Values and Aims Staff, parents and children reviewed and produced the following vision and aims for school (June 2020).

Vision

At Monkton, we encourage and support every child to be the best they can be. Our ambition is to close the

attainment gap by stretching and challenging all children. Children are encouraged to have high standards and

be aspirational about their future. A school in the community as well as a community in the school. At Monkton

We Fly As High As The Sky!

Aims

Fantastic futures for all!

Learning life skills!

You have pride in the school!

Hard working children and helpful staff!

In Monkton, everyone is included!

Great learning experiences (including play)!

Heart of the Monkton community! Prestwick Cluster Values For a number of years the school has had shared values with the other schools in the Prestwick Academy cluster. These are Honesty, Compassion, Respect, Responsibility and Equality. The cluster schools have also created ‘Our Prestwick Promise’ which is-

We aim to work collaboratively across the cluster, supporting and challenging each other to improve outcomes

for children and young people and to help raise attainment for all. We will work together across

establishments to support equity and address gaps by sharing time, expertise and resources. By working

collaboratively, we endeavour to reduce workload and provide consistent approaches, pedagogy and systems

to promote high quality learning and teaching.

Context of the School and Early Years Centre Monkton Primary School and Early Years Centre is located in the village of Monkton which is approximately two miles from the town centre of Prestwick (where our cluster secondary school, Prestwick Academy, is located). The catchment area of the school includes the village and surrounding rural area. The new school building, built as part of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme, was officially opened in January 2008 and offers a bright and stimulating learning environment for children. There are currently seven classrooms in operation within the school and an Early Years Centre for 3-5 year olds. The seventh classroom was adapted in 2017 within the school in response to the growing roll and future developments planned around Monkton however the school roll next year is going to dip, therefore the extra classroom will be utilised as a nurture / learning space. Separate dining and sport halls maximise PE opportunities for children. The well maintained school grounds give children opportunities for outdoor learning and space to relax and play during break times.

At the end of session 2019-20 the roll of the school was 134 with 14% of pupils residing outside the catchment zone. The EYC currently has 32 children attending across morning and afternoon sessions. There have been no formal exclusions from the school this session. The catchment area for the school is entirely made up of SIMD 5 and 6 data zones. A very small percentage of our children live in SIMD 1 or 2 data zones. Less than 10% of Primary 4-7 children received Free School Meal Entitlement (FME). The Locality Data Profile 2017 for Prestwick can be found in the Parent Zone section of the school website (www.monkton.sayr.sch.uk). There is not a more recent report for this. The total allocation of teaching staff within the school this session has been 8.2 Full Time Equivalent (FTE). This included a Head Teacher (HT) and Depute Head Teacher (DHT) as the Management/Senior Leadership Team (SLT) for the school. During this session, there has been a change in the HT – the former HT left in September 2019, the DHT took on the Acting HT role until the new HT took up post in December 2019. We have also had an additional Pupil Support allocation of 0.2FTE. There are currently four School Assistants with a variety of different contracts. The Early Years Centre had weekly access to a 0.4FTE Class Teacher and 4 FTE Early Years Practitioners (EYP) for both morning and afternoon sessions. The staffing of the EYC will increase by 0.8 FTE EYP next session to reflect preparation for the rollout of offering children 1140 hours Early Learning and Childcare by 2020. This year the school supported one Modern Apprentice to become a qualified EYP and another is in the process of this. In the clerical team there is one full time member of staff and one part time. Cleaning and janitorial duties are carried out by MITIE employees as part of the PPP contract. Children in the school are given opportunities in woodwind and brass from peripatetic music specialists and the school receives support from our Active Schools Co-ordinator. The most recent external evaluation of education provision was undertaken in November 2013 by Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate which resulted in a positive report. The report recognised the strengths within the school, capacity for improvement and areas that required further development. A positive follow through visit took place in January 2015 with the school’s Quality Improvement Officer (QIO). The Care Inspectorate visited the Early Years Centre in September 2019 for an unannounced inspection. The feedback was very positive with a ‘Very Good’ grading being given for the areas inspected. What key outcomes have we achieved? This last two terms of this session have been unique. The school closed for formal education on Friday 20th March due to COVID-19. Staff have worked remotely supporting children’s learning by preparing weekly home learning tasks which were sent home to pupils via emails and also posted on GLOW Teams. In addition, staff have been volunteering at central HUBS helping to care for the children of key workers. Prior to this happening, we had been working towards the targets identified in our School Improvement Plan in order to build on our successes and address the areas for development highlighted through our self-evaluation processes. Staff engaged enthusiastically with HGIOS 4 and HGIOELCC, helping to evaluate our school and EYC effectively and support in our next steps. In addition, we grasped opportunities to work with our cluster, local authority and the South West Collaborative. This has supported us in challenging our thinking and being reflective in our practice. Examples of how evidence was gathered include;

o Self-evaluation procedures – School/EYC monitoring and evaluation o Tracking of Personal (Wider) Achievement and associated data e.g. Positive Behaviour Policy Tracker,

Participation Tracker and Pupil Progress Meetings o Systems for gathering stakeholder views - pupil, parent, staff evaluations/surveys o Attendance levels o Exclusion levels o Transition plans for EYC to P1, stage to stage and P7 to S1 (adapted creatively due to COVID 19

pandemic) o Professional dialogue at staff meetings o Records and evaluations of CLPL activity / PDRs / PRDs / Professional Update o ASN data o Remits and timetables of teachers, support staff and specialist staff.

What Outcomes Has The School Achieved?

The School Improvement Plan for 2019-20 has impacted positively on the school and EYC with a focus on Literacy, Numeracy and Health & Wellbeing.

Recorded CfE data, based on the judgement of teachers, shows that most pupils achieved expected levels for their age in Languages (88%) and most pupils achieved expected levels for their age in Mathematics (88%).

Teaching Staff are continuing to develop knowledge and confidence in making CfE teacher judgements across the school, cluster and authority.

The school successfully maintained Gold Level - Unicef Rights Respecting School Award.

Every child in the school was involved in a Leadership Group including Pupil Council, Eco-Committee, Rights Respecting School, Literacy (including Dyslexia Friendly Schools), Digital Leaders.

P6 and P7 pupils had a successful residential trip to Dumfries House.

Business links made with Balfour Beatty and Spirit Aerosystems.

P7 pupils organised a whole and EYC school fundraiser in the form of an obstacle course to raise money for the school fund.

The Pupil Council organised fundraising for Children in Need.

Once again all Primary 5 children took part in a block of swimming at Prestwick Pool.

Children have represented the school at a variety of sporting events including football, netball, swimming and gymnastics competitions, in addition to participation events. There has also been delivery of rugby, netball, multi-sports, and football during school and at after school clubs.

The gymnastics team once again qualified for the Scottish Gymnastics Championship in Perth for the third year in a row (event was cancelled due to COVID 19).

Children and staff once again organised and delivered a hugely successful Christmas Fayre.

The school continues to work closely with the Parent Council in terms of fund raising and improving experiences of children within the school.

School leaders have been involved in leadership development at national level with the Scottish College of Educational Leadership (SCEL) and Education Scotland.

Updated all school and EYC Risk Assessments, created new ‘Respectful Relationships Policy’ - consultation with parents (through Microsoft Form), staff, pupils and community.

Created new website.

New First Aid policy.

Altered School Hours consultation begun – consultation with parents (through Microsoft Form), staff, pupils, Parent Council and community.

Monthly newsletters to parents.

Leadership Team have collaborated and shared good practice within cluster, at HT meetings, at PSC meetings and through SWEIC events.

The Parent Council has been involved in consultation and providing feedback.

Created Staff Wellbeing Charter – agreed by all staff.

In December 2019, New HT conducted pupils, parents and staff feedback – what they liked about school and what they would like improved /changed.

Engaged with Monkton Community Council meetings (HT attends) and events.

P6 and P7 pupils took part in a full day golf based, Self Confidence (Young Tommy Morris) programme delivered by the Tommy’s Honour Education Trust. Feedback was positive and impact evident.

Termly Class newsletters to share learning with parents.

Yoga Bears (children’s yoga training) trial sessions – P6 and EYC pupils.

Introduction of Shared Lunches for pupils and parents to enjoy lunch together.

Staff attended Love Learning Festival on Inservice Day in February which had a Wellbeing focus.

School as a Learning organisation – HT involvement at authority and cluster level. Staff issued with document and completed survey. Results have now been published and shared with staff.

Supporting ‘Aoife’s Sensory Bus’ (A Space to Make Sense of School).

Active Schools Coordinator has helped develop a new playground plan (to be implemented August 2020).

In November, a P1-3 parent Read, Write, Count event was well attended and had positive feedback.

The school choir performed at various community events e.g. Lights Switch on and village Carol service.

Staff reviewed Vision, Values and Aims in June 2020. Pupils designed posters so that they can be displayed and more visible in school.

The P6 pupils achieved Level 1 and the P7 pupils achieved Level 2 of the Bikability programme.

P7 pupils were completing Award of Ambition (not completed due to COVID 19).

Girls Handball team qualified for Scottish finals (could not attend due to COVID 19).

In January, some teachers and parents attended a HWB Parent event held at Prestwick Academy.

Below includes a summary of progress made against the School Improvement Plan created in June 2019.

School Priority 1 : Improvement in attainment in literacy.

NIF Priority: Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy. Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children.

Links to HGIOS 4 / HGIOELC: 2.2 Curriculum, 2.3 Learning teaching and assessment , 2.4 Personalised support, 2.6 Transitions, 2.5 Family Learning, 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion, 3.2 Raising Attainment and achievement

Progress and Impact Raised attainment in all aspects of literacy (reading, writing & listening/talking) for all children in school and EYC The school has continued to make good progress in this area. The school uses the SA Literacy Strategy in teaching and learning to support consistency of practice throughout the school and EYC. There has been a refocus on using Digital Technologies effectively to support literacy across the school and EYC which in particular has come about as a result of the school closures due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Staff have shared ideas and resources with each other to help them plan activities for home. The teaching staff have been involved in CfE Twilight events which have shared good practice within and beyond the school and EYC. P1-P7 teachers have implemented the Cluster Assessment Programme using a variety of assessments (including Whiterose Maths) carried out at an agreed time with cluster schools. The DHT worked with colleagues from cluster schools to create a parent leaflet which helps explain how children are assessed in school. Staff have continued to use Education Scotland’s Literacy and English benchmarks to support assessment judgements and decisions about next steps in learning. Staff try to use a holistic approach to planning learning, teaching and assessment of Literacy and English with reference to updated SAC framework. Teaching staff were trained in MTV. During Book Week Scotland, the importance of reading a class novel was reintroduced with class teachers reading to their class every day and individual reading time given to pupils each day. In relation to play based pedagogy, the Local Authority has funded play based learning furniture and materials which are set up, ready to use when school returns. The P1 class teacher has undertaken play based learning training and has been undertaking professional reading in this area. The P1 class teacher will work with the EYC staff to try and ensure consistency and progression in the teaching of Literacy from Early Years into Primary 1. The HT and DHT have attended SWEIC events which have enabled them to look outwards and reflect. Staff across the school have developed knowledge and confidence in the assessment and moderation of Literacy in line with SAC developments in this area. Close the attainment gap in Literacy between the most and least disadvantaged. Good progress was made in this area with most targeted children (Free School Meals (FME) & Care Experienced) achieving benchmarking levels that were age appropriate and some cases well beyond. All staff in the school have very good knowledge of all children and their needs which is reflected in the excellent pastoral care given to children. The PSC and ASfL teacher have continued to carry out benchmarking assessments and monitoring progress for targeted children. School Assistant timetables were amended in February 2020 to ensure that interventions such as ‘5 Minute Box’ and Readingwise were consistently delivered. School Assistants each had responsibility for specific interventions and have become more confident in delivering interventions. The Staged Intervention process continues to ensure children access appropriate support when required. The Pupil Support Co-ordinator continued to monitor Staged Intervention within the school to ensure all learners have their needs met. Improvements in the use of Planning, Assessment & Moderation in literacy to ensure outcomes for learners are consistent. Inter school cluster working continued this session with several twilight and Inservice events. Working with colleagues from the same stage across the cluster was welcomed by all teaching staff at Monkton. Children will benefit from greater stakeholder involvement in planning of Literacy and English in the school and EYC. At a class level there were some very good examples of engagement with parents and families where classes held Sharing the Learning events and teachers were able to showcase work being covered. At the February Parents evening, parents were consulted and asked to provide feedback about the Assessment leaflet that the Cluster DHTs had produced. In the EYC, PEEP sessions with Literacy focus have been well received. Due to staffing changes and the COVID 19 pandemic, the following has not been implemented –

o Engage parents through focus groups and workshops related to literacy. o Involve teaching staff in using BGE Comparator tool to analyse against comparator schools. o Review and update Learning & Teaching policy. o Active Literacy refresher training for all staff. o Continue developing and implementing approaches to providing high quality feedback:

o To allow the children to have an accurate understanding of their progress and what they need to do to improve.

o To enable the children to give effective feedback to peers and suggest ways in which they can improve.

o We will engage in robust tracking of attainment which will include: o Ensure there is a more consistent approach to the tracking of progress which links with the new

reporting model. o Further development of data analysis skills to focus on key aspects of learning and teaching which

are having a positive impact and those which need to be improved. o Develop creative ways to develop family learning opportunities. o Introduce new ‘reading for pleasure’ initiative and re-organise library areas in the school and EYC.

Next Steps

Further develop a vocabulary rich school and EYC to improve pupils’ vocabulary.

Implement a re-training programme for the teaching of Active Literacy to ensure a consistent and progressive programme throughout the school.

Ensure consistency and progression in the teaching of Literacy from Early Years into Primary 1 through a play based pedagogy using new played based resources.

Implement ‘reading for pleasure’ initiative, re-organise library areas in the school (P1-5) and EYC, and ensure that parents are involved in this initiative.

Continued involvement in the national ‘Book Bug’, ‘Read, Write, Count,’ and ‘First Minister’s Reading Challenge’ campaigns with a focus on parental engagement.

Introduce Accelerated Reader to P6 and P7 pupils - use in daily practice, monitoring individual progress rigorously (partially funded by PEF).

Continue to implement cluster assessment programme for Literacy (EYC – P7) and cluster tracking system (spreadsheet) to ensure robust tracking of progress in Literacy.

Analyse assessment data and carry out termly Pupil Progress Meetings to identify individual needs and plan how to meet those needs. Identify key aspects of learning and teaching which are having a positive impact on Literacy attainment and those which need to be improved.

EYC staff work with families to share Developmental Milestones in Literacy to support raising attainment and ensure early interventions and identification.

Develop creative ways to provide family learning opportunities to support children’s progress in Literacy from EYC – P7 including PEEP sessions for EYC.

Use BGE Comparator tool to analyse data, compare with schools nationally and establish relationships with schools across the SWEIC including moderation and achievement of levels.

Continue to work with parents on digital learning and how best to use it at home to support their child(ren) particularly during ‘blended learning’ phase.

School Priority 2 : Improvement in attainment in numeracy

NIF Priority: Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy. Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children.

Links to HGIOS 4 / HGIOELC: 2.2 Curriculum , 2.3 Learning teaching and assessment , 2.4 Personalised support, 2.6 Transitions, 2.5 Family Learning, 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion & 3.2 Raising attainment and achievement

Progress and Impact Raised attainment in Numeracy and Mathematics for all children. There has been good progress in this area. Staff have been using the new SAC framework in their planning. Full staff training took place for Big Maths and it has been implemented across P1-P7. It has been a focus of several staff meetings and reviewed in February. Staff have attended cluster CLPL on Numeracy with focus on Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract approaches. The school now needs to link the new SAC planning framework with Big Maths. Teachers continue to use their skills in data analysis to focus on key aspects of learning and teaching which are having a positive impact and to identify those which need to be improved. Staff have used the new reporting model this year – using a cluster model. Teachers have continued to ensure tasks, activities and resources are effectively differentiated and provide appropriate pace and challenge for learners. Staff continue to reflect on their own practice and work collaboratively with others to build capacity to meet the needs of learners including through termly Pupil Progress meetings. Teachers have used the Whiterose Maths assessment programme to ensure consistency for all children across the cluster. Sumdog has been purchased and introduced to all pupils in the school, as has Education City – both have been particularly useful to support learning at home while the school has been closed due to COVID 19. Close the attainment gap in Numeracy between the most and least disadvantaged. Good progress has continued to be made in this area. Staff have continued to use a Cluster Assessment Tracker (using a programme of agreed assessments) to monitor progress of specific children identified through PEF. In all cases over the last year, any gap that existed has not widened and in most cases children have continued to make age expected progress in Numeracy. All staff will benefit from training being given throughout the year in school and across the cluster. Since February 2020, School Assistants have delivered numeracy interventions including 5 Minute Box and Power of 2 to targeted pupils. The school was involved in the national ‘Read, Write, Count,’ campaign again this year. Staff in the school and EYC continue to make effective use of the Staged Intervention (STINT) process to ensure that the Numeracy needs of all children are met. Improvements in the use of Planning, Assessment & Moderation in numeracy. Inter school cluster working continued this session with several twilight and Inservice events. Working with colleagues from the same stage across the cluster was welcomed by all teaching staff at Monkton. Creative approaches are employed to engage families in family learning related to Numeracy and Mathematics. At the February Parents evening, parents were consulted and asked to provide feedback about the Assessment leaflet that the Cluster DHTs had produced. In the EYC, PEEP sessions with a Numeracy focus have been well received. Due to staffing changes and the COVID 19 pandemic, the following have not been implemented – o Engage parents through focus groups and workshops related to numeracy. o Continue developing a planned programme of good practice visits across school and cluster/family of

schools and across Regional Improvement Collaborative. o Further embed analysis of information gained from SNSA and facilitate opportunities for teaching staff

to discuss with colleagues.

Next Steps

Ensure our school and EYC are Numeracy rich environments which support and enhance pupils’ learning.

Continue to implement Big Maths across the school, ensuring tasks, activities and resources are effectively differentiated and provide appropriate pace and challenge for learners – new SAC planning framework will be linked with Big Maths.

Ensure consistency and progression in the teaching of Numeracy from Early Years into Primary 1, through a play based pedagogy using new played based resources.

Continue accessible online Numeracy resources such as Sumdog and Education City with breakfast club access if required.

Continue to use Whiterose Maths assessments to ensure consistency for all children across the cluster.

Cluster CLPL on Numeracy with focus on Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract approaches.

Continue participating in the national ‘Read, Write, Count,’ campaign focusing on parental engagement.

Continue to implement the cluster assessment programme for Numeracy (EYC – P7) and cluster tracking system (spreadsheet) to ensure robust tracking of progress in Numeracy.

Analyse assessment data and carry out termly Pupil Progress Meetings to identify individual needs and plan how to meet those needs. Identify key aspects of learning and teaching which are having a positive impact on Numeracy attainment and those which need to be improved.

EYC staff work with families to share Developmental Milestones in Numeracy to support raising attainment and ensure early interventions and identification.

Develop creative ways to provide family learning opportunities to support children’s progress in Numeracy from EYC – P7, including PEEP sessions for EYC.

Use BGE Comparator tool to analyse data, compare with schools nationally and establish relationships with schools across the SWEIC including moderation and achievement of levels.

School Priority 3 : Improve the health and wellbeing of children at Monkton PS and EYC

NIF Priorities: Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing.

Links to HGIOS 4 / HGIOELC: 2.1 Safeguarding and child protection 2.4 Personalised support 2.5 Family learning 3.1 Wellbeing, equality and inclusion 3.2 Raising attainment and achievement

Progress and Impact There have been improvements to pupils’ physical, emotional and mental wellbeing in school and EYC. Staff have created an Anti-Bullying policy in line with SAC Anti-Bullying Management Guidelines (June 2020) which will be implemented when school returns. The HT has been trained in how to use Click & Go to record incidents involving bullying and has been recording incidents on there. Throughout the year, there has been a regular focus on Anti-Bullying during whole school assemblies. The new HT has picked up the monitoring of attendance of P1-7 in February 2020 and this will continue when the school returns and be extended to monitor attendance in the EYC. Staff helped create a Wellbeing Charter which all staff have agreed to follow. Wellbeing Wednesday has been implemented for staff with treats / special events taking place in the staff room on a Wednesday each week. Teaching staff discussed and reviewed the Health and Wellbeing curriculum and agreed to try a new online resource. A timetable has been implemented for the Sensory Room and children were enjoying spending time in the room playing with the resources. Wellbeing Webs are completed by children at various points in the year to monitor progress, and then recorded in the Cluster developed, tracking sheets. EYC children/parents continue to complete Care Plans at agreed points across the year. New HT purchased Paul Dix “When the Adults Change Everything Changes” for all staff members who read and gave feedback on impact it had. Staff have completed Attachment module on COAST and online ACEs training to help better understand social and emotional needs of pupils. One teacher and one school assistant attended the two day ‘Seasons for Growth’ training and groups will be started once we have returned to school following the COVID 19 pandemic. Due to staffing changes and the COVID 19 pandemic, the following has not been implemented –

Increase level of engagement with parents through workshops and focus groups on particular Anti-Bullying issues.

Re-introduce senior pupils being given higher profile role within the playground at break times to buddy younger children.

Develop closer links with Educational Psychology department to give CLPL for staff on areas such as ASD, ADHD & nurture.

Personal targets include HWB as part of profiles.

All staff trained in Growth Mindset methodologies and emotional literacy in the EYC.

Implement Play on Pedals within the EYC. Next Steps

Further resource and develop the use of the sensory room to be used universally by all pupils for curricular learning and in a targeted way to support vulnerable / ASN pupils in a therapeutic way.

Continue CLPL on Nurture, Attachment, Impact of Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences.

Implement recently reviewed Respectful Relationships Policy.

Implement recently reviewed First Aid Policy.

Implement recently created school Anti-Bullying Policy.

Analyse assessment data and carry out termly Pupil Progress Meetings to identify individual needs and plan how to meet those needs.

EYC staff work with families to share Developmental Milestones in HWB to ensure early interventions and identification.

EYC children/parents continue to complete Care Plans at agreed points across the year.

Implement Playground Plan including P7 playground buddies with younger pupils.

Implement Play on Pedals within the EYC.

Use SAC Management Guidelines to effectively track attendance (in particular those being tracked through PEF) and engage with families, when required, if attendance falls below 90%. Increase scrutiny of EYC attendance.

Develop creative ways to provide family learning opportunities to support children’s progress in HWB from EYC – P7 including PEEP sessions for EYC.

School Priority 4: Improve employability skills for all children across school and EYC.

NIF Priorities: Improvement in employability skills and sustained leaver destinations for all young people.

Links to HGIOS 4 / HGIOELC: 2.2 Curriculum 2.7 Partnerships 3.3 Creativity and employability 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion

Progress and Impact Children are aware of employability skills. This area did not move forward as quickly as last session. During class and EYC activities in addition to assembly, staff continued to link activities to World of Work (WOW). The children in the EYC enjoyed visits from several parents who came in to discuss their jobs and let them try out some of the equipment that they use e.g. the ambulance. There were some visitors to the school who shared their experiences and inspired children. Further work needs to be done to access online resources that are available. The wider achievement of children is tracked each week as part of assemblies. The School and EYC continues to work in partnership with Active Schools and has begun to look at tracking and targeting individuals / year groups. STEAM programme embedded in curriculum. The DHT sent a letter out to all parent / carers to ask them what skills / interests / expertise they have that they would be willing to share with pupils in the school / EYC. The school has established some stronger links with the Community Council and local businesses including Spirit. This will continue and we will aim to expand these links. Increased number of young people gaining work experience within our environment. This target was fully met and the school has once again agreed to take on extra work experience students next session. School and EYC continues to actively seek and support those wishing work experience in our place of work and develop skills of those taking part. The volunteer intake has been maintained with a focus on the skills people have to share. External accreditation achieved Little progress has been made towards gaining the Digital Schools Award status due to changes in staff. Rights Respecting Schools Gold Level has been achieved. The school has gained a fifth Eco-Schools Green Flag. Due to capacity no progress was made in becoming a Fair Trade School. The school has not started working towards reaccreditation for the Gold Sports Award. Due to staffing changes and the COVID 19 pandemic, the following has not been implemented – o Continued development of activities (particularly non-sport) to promote the wellbeing of children,

particularly for targeted groups of children. o Continue to complete class overview of personal/wider achievement, including involvement in personal

choice activities, and update on a termly basis. Pupils who have limited opportunities for personal/wider achievement will continue to be provided with opportunities to be part of activities and clubs in school (lunchtime and after school).

o Develop EYC specific World of Work/DYW calendar. o Children will benefit from STEAM programme embedded in curriculum. o Focus on challenging gender stereotypes across the school and EYC. o Children access online resources available e.g. My World of Work. o Further develop programme of participation in national competitions and initiatives to ensure balance

across all stages of school and EYC. o Embed World of Work into literacy and numeracy activities in the school and EYC. o Greater level of parental involvement as STEAM ambassadors. o Continue with STEAM being part of the ‘Friday’ programme which also includes pupil groups and

masterclass learning opportunities. o Establishment of STEAM lunchtime club. o Development of Digital Technologies in the EYC. o Children have an increased knowledge of employability skills and range of local employment

opportunities. o Continue with Enterprise Challenge with different focus. This area will not be a targeted focus next year.

Evaluation Summary

Quality Indicator

School Self Evaluation

1.3 Leadership of change

Developing a shared vision, values and aims relevant to the school and its community –. The school has recently reviewed the ‘Vision, Values and Aims’ with all stakeholders. Following review, they largely remained unchanged but it was clear that all three needed to be more visible in the school community as parents and pupils were unsure about them. We have relaunched the school website and the ‘Vision, values and Aims’ are clearly displayed. We also ran a ‘competition’ for children to design posters portraying all three which will be displayed around the school from August 2020. Our vision is aspirational where everyone connected with the school has the highest possible standards. Senior leaders within the school strive to provide strong leadership where there is a culture of self-improvement. Since the new HT has begun and during the lockdown periods, staff have updated and discussed changes in order to identify gaps and create a new SIP for next session. Staff at all levels have a clear understanding of local social, economic and cultural issues and continue to show leadership of learning and groups. Strategic planning for continuous improvement – A culture has been built within the school where staff feel confident to initiate and implement changes – the new HT has continued this. This has been seen within the context of numeracy where issues with the current programme were identified and staff led research into what would be the most appropriate course of action – implementation of Big Maths this session. Senior leaders have managed the pace of change as much as possible taking account changes to staffing over the past year. Staff at all levels take advantage of CLPL opportunities available and have been encouraged to look out with the school / cluster for specific training e.g. Mental Health and Wellbeing at the authority Love Learning Festival in February 2020. Implementing improvement and change –The SIP has had a positive impact on the school and focussed areas to be improved. The pace of change has been managed effectively. The SIP continues to have clear targets that reflect national priorities set out in the National Improvement Framework. Regular monitoring shows that some improvements were made across the school and EYC but that other areas on the SIP were not progressed as much. The HT and DHT have established links within the Regional Improvement Collaborative and has begun working with schools across the region. Overall we show good leadership of change across the school and EYC.

2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment

Learning and engagement – There is an exceptionally positive, nurturing ethos and culture within the school and EYC that is nearly always commented on by visitors and new staff. From observations, it is clear that children enjoy learning and almost all of the time interact well with staff across the school. Activities planned for children are relevant to them and give them an appropriate level of challenge for their age and stage. In Primary 1 children, are starting to take part in more opportunities for Play Based learning and this will continue to evolve next session following the purchase of new resources (funded by the authority). Through involvement in pupil groups, most children make positive contributions to wider school life. The Monkton Community Council has already created links with the school and children have begun to make a positive impact on the wider local community e.g. helping to plan gala day. The school also has strong links with the local church and business links have recently been made with Spirit. Quality of teaching – The quality teaching at Monkton PS and EYC has been very good this session. The continuity of teaching and support staff has been managed carefully to ensure minimum impact on learning. At all times, staff have high expectations for children. This year staff have used Big Maths to develop pupil’s skills and knowledge in Numeracy. Staff continue to use feedback effectively to inform next steps in learning. Effective use of assessment – Assessment is part of the planning process at Monkton and this session, the school implemented an Assessment Calendar which was agreed and followed by all primary schools in the cluster. This session, teachers have become more confident at using and reporting on the four stages of development through a level. Staff are making good use of the CfE benchmarks which are woven through the SAC planning frameworks. The frameworks have been discussed at staff meetings which given a shared understanding of expectations and progress. All teaching staff have benefitted from working with stage colleagues within the cluster at assessment and moderation events. Planning, tracking and monitoring –Staff have continued to use planning frameworks that are relevant and manageable in terms of workload. Contextualised learning is planned and part of the curriculum at Monkton. Across the school and EYC learners are involved in

planning aspects of their learning. At cluster level, the assessment programme has enabled comparison of data and scope to identify good practice. Effective interventions are in place to support pupils and staff are becoming more confident at using data s to inform practice. Overall the quality of learning, teaching and assessment across the school and EYC is good.

3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equity and inclusion

Wellbeing – At Monkton, the wellbeing of every child is at the centre everything that staff do. There is a clear shared responsibility in this area in ensuring that all pupil needs are met. Staff can clearly demonstrate ways in which all children are able to meet their individual wellbeing indicators. Work needs to be done with individual pupils and their families to ensure this continues through regular TAC meetings. The positive relationships across the school community are key to ensuring that the wellbeing of all is met. This has been built on a culture of mutual trust and respect. Achieving the Rights Respecting School Gold Award validated a great deal of work in this area. All stakeholders recently reviewed the Positive Behaviour Policy and have updated it to ‘Respectful Relationships’ which will be officially launched in August 2020. Children and parents/carers are active participants in the STINT process. Staff wellbeing is also at the forefront. Staff and the new HT created a Staff Wellbeing charter earlier in the year which was at forefront over the lockdown period. Fulfilment of statutory duties – At Monkton, we comply and actively engage with statutory requirements and codes of practice. All children in the EYC have a Care Plan meeting within the first 28 days which is then reviewed at various points through the year. ASN legislation is followed by all staff and all children receive two hours of quality PE each week. All staff, including non-teaching, are given annual training on Child Protection and GIRFEC. At all TAC meetings a need for a CSP is discussed and minutes distributed promptly. Inclusion and equality – Inclusion and equality for all are key to Monkton having such a positive reputation in the local community. All children are included, engaged and involved in the life of the school in a variety of ways. Stakeholders are treated in a fair and respectful manner. We are confident that we can identify the barriers that individual children and their families face and will provide interventions when required. We continue to have clear strategies for improving attainment and achievement for children facing complex challenges due to their socio-economic circumstances e.g. through our PEF plan and implementation. Overall we are very good at ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion needs are met.

3.2 Raising attainment and achievement

Attainment in literacy and numeracy – *based on same data as last session - Overall most children (88%) are making age appropriate progress in literacy and most children (88%) are making age appropriate progress in numeracy according to CfE teacher judgements. In both Literacy and Numeracy there have been improvements in terms of CfE data following a previous dip in performance. SNSA results are also very positive in this area. Pupils who do not reach expected milestones are all on Staged Intervention and closely monitored. Attainment over time – Through tracking and assessments the school can say that most pupils, and at some stages almost all pupils, are making expected progress from prior levels of attainment in Literacy and Numeracy and across the Broad General Education. Tracking of attainment across the school continues to be robust and this includes those with barriers to learning and at risk of missing out. Teachers and SLT use attainment data well, to identify strategies and resources to positively impact progress. Due to concerns of gaps following the COVID 19 pandemic, the SIP will focus on the recovery curriculum and ensuring that pupils ‘catch up’ with their learning and there is minimal impact from school closures. There is consistency across the cluster by using the same assessment calendar and tracking sheet. Overall quality of learners’ achievement - Most learners are successful, confident and contribute effectively to the life of the school. Most children are actively engaged in their learning and most can talk about and make decisions about their learning experiences. Achievements within and out with school are recognised, valued and celebrated on a weekly basis at assemblies. 85% of children took part in at least one block of extra-curricular activities over the year. All PEF targeted children take part in school clubs and most take part in clubs out with school. There has been an increase in opportunities for younger children to participate in planned lunchtime activities such as games club and choir. Equity for all learners – We have effective systems (including the cluster tracking sheet) in place to track all children with a particular focus on those identified as being most vulnerable or at risk of being disadvantaged due to financial circumstances. This informs decisions made and allocation of resources. This will continue to be monitored next session. Overall the school has a good record of raising attainment (taking into account additional support needs) and is very good at allowing children to achieve in other ways across the curriculum.

Impact of Pupil Equity Fund 2019/20 For session 2019-20 the school was given addition funding from the Scottish Government to target groups of learners coming from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. The table below gives a brief overview of the impact of spending.

Area of Spending Amount Impact

School Assistant £16813.00 School assistant timetables were altered in February 2020 – identified times for Reading Wise, Toe by Toe, 5 minute Literacy box, 5 minute Numeracy box and Power of 2 / Plus 1 to be undertaken. Feedback so far is that they are having a positive impact on pupils - not yet evidenced in assessment results (suspended due to COVID 19 pandemic).This intervention will continue next session.

ASN Class Teacher £5359.50 The ASN teacher has worked with a variety of pupils including those who are taregtted by PEF. She has timetabled her Friday morning to enable her to have the greatest impact and has constantly reviewed / reported to PSC and HT to ensure needs of pupils are being met. Nessy is used by a few pupils in the school – ASN teacher oversees this and class teacher allocates in-class time to continue.

What are the key priorities for improvement in 2020/21? In line with guidance from the National Improvement Framework, the key priorities for Monkton Primary School and Early Years Centre for session 2020/21 are:

o Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy. o Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children. o Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing.

What is the capacity for improvement?

o There is capacity to make further improvements at Monkton however due to the impact of COVID -19, the progress may be slower next session.

o All staff within the school continue to have a desire to improve outcomes for children further. o Staff continue to have an excellent knowledge of children and their individual needs and the

tracking/monitoring systems will improve this further. o A focus on Literacy, Numeracy and Health & Wellbeing in the School and EYC Improvement Plan will

give a clear direction for where our next steps will be. o Relationships between the parental body and school/EYC remain strong and we will continue to build

on this.

Supporting Evidence - Based on 2018-19 data Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation: Percentage @ September 2018

School Decile 1 Decile 2 Decile 3 Decile 4 Decile 5 Decile 6 Decile 7 Decile 8 Decile 9 Decile

10

Monkton PS 0.0 0.8 3.1 0 3.1 86.6 0 2.4 0.8 1.6

Authority 9.0 10.8 10.1 17.1 14.8 8.6 2.6 8.8 9.1 8.1

Free Meal Registered: % P4-P7 February

School 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19

Monkton PS 11 6 4.8 1.7

Authority 17.3 17.1 15.4 16.8

Clothing Grant: P1-P7 2018/19

School P1-P3 P4-P7 Total

Monkton PS 5 5 10

Authority 854 1274 2128

Attendance (%)

School 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19

Monkton PS 95.1 95.4 95.5 95.4 96.4

Authority 95.1 95.2 95.1 94.8 94.5

National 95.1 N/A 94.9 N/A March 2020

% Secure or Above at the Relevant Stage (P1, 4 and 7): Literacy

School

2016-17 2017-18 2018-19

Reading Writing Listening

and Talking

Reading Writing Listening

and Talking

Reading Writing Listening

and Talking

Monkton PS

83 83 83 74 72 72 88 88 88

Authority 83 78 88 86 80 89 85 81 88

% Secure or Above at the Relevant Stage (P1, 4 and 7): Overall Maths

School 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19

Monkton PS 78 76 83 79 88

Authority 79 84 85 85 84

% ACEL Literacy by SIMD Quintile

School 1 2 3 4 5 All

Monkton PS

0.0 100.0 80.0 100.0 0.0 82.9

 

Authority 68.6 78.0 78.9 88.6 89.6 79.6

% ACEL Overall Maths by SIMD Quintile

School 1 2 3 4 5 All

Monkton PS 0.0 100.0 85.7 100.0 0.0 87.8

             

Authority 75.6 81.9 83.2 92.5 92.6 84.1