Falkirk area primary school praised by inspectors for ‘caring and inclusive environment’
A Falkirk area school has received positive feedback following a recent inspection which commended it for having a “caring and inclusive environment”.
Whitecross Primary School and Nursery Class received two “very good” evaluations in an inspection report published this week.
The Nursery Class gained “very good” ratings for children’s progress and learning, teaching, and assessment, with the report finding staff have a “warm” and “nurturing” relationship with children and families. The report also praised the nursery for having a “wide variety of stimulating learning experiences” for pupils, and found children have made “very good” progress with their education.
Staff within the school foster positive relationships between staff and children, and both areas of the school have effective approaches in identifying gaps in learning as they monitor pupils' progress.
The report identified a few areas of improvement, which include staff continuing to build on positive developments in learning, teaching, and assessment as well as listening, writing, and talking skills. Staff were also asked to monitor the impact of different approaches used to raise attainment for individual pupils.
Whitecross will also continue to develop children’s digital skills and their learning of other languages, which is in line with national guidance.
HM Inspectors of Education, who inspected the school in August, have noted they are confident that the school will continue to improve and they will not make further visits in connection with this inspection.
Councillor Iain Sinclair, Falkirk Council's spokesperson for education, said: “This is a positive report for Whitecross and one the whole school community can be proud of.
“What comes through clearly is the commitment of staff across the school and the strong relationships they have built with children and families.”
Donna Kilpatrick, headteacher at the school, said: “We’re very proud of this report and of what it says about the caring and inclusive environment we have created across Whitecross.
“It reflects the hard work of our whole team and the strong relationships we have with our children and families.
“We know there is always more we can do, and we will use the report to continuously strive to build on our practice of what is working well to continue to improve the experiences and outcomes of all our children.”