Good report for Falkirk's Graeme High School following inspection

School inspectors were full of praise for the staff and pupils of Graeme High School following an inspection in March.

They found effective leadership was well supported by all of the staff – and they also praised the “articulate, well behaved and courteous” young people they met.

Councillor Adanna McCue, spokesperson for Education said: “The inspection report recognises the very real and positive strengths of the school which evolve from its ambitious vision and values for the school and its community.

“It’s an excellent report all round and shows a very strong partnership between the head teacher, her deputes, staff and pupils.

“I’m particularly pleased the inspectors noted the strong support for young people, which includes the promotion of positive mental health which will stand the school in good stead during these challenging times.”

Lesley Carroll, head teacher said: “I am delighted with this report as it reflects the real strengths of our Graeme High School community.

“I am grateful for the hard work and commitment of our fabulous pupils, staff, partners and parents/carers whose contributions are recognised in the report.

“It is a real privilege, each and every day, to lead such a successful school community.”

During the visit, the inspectors from Education Scotland talked to parents/carers and young people and worked closely with the headteacher and staff.

They found “a culture of continuous improvement” enabled by the strong leadership of the headteacher, supported by the depute headteachers and high quality contributions from the wider community of staff and young people.

They also noted the “outstanding commitment of all staff to engage in professional learning to improve outcomes for young people”.

And they found young people who are “motivated to achieve highly and are proud of their school.

“They are articulate, well behaved, courteous and play an active part in the life of the school and the local community.

The inspectors found strong support for young people, including promoting positive mental health, which they said was resulting in improved engagement in their learning.

The inspectors suggested that the school should continue to develop the curriculum but said they are confident in the school’s capacity to improve and will not make any follow-ups to this inspection.

In summary, the leadership of change was found to be very good; learning, teaching and assessment was good; raising attainment and achievement also good; and ensuring well-being, equality and inclusion was also very good.

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the highest standards in the world. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you