Inspectors praise Falkirk area primary school and nursery for 'highly successful' learning

Bantaskin Primary School, along with its nursery, received across the board “good” ratings after Education Scotland inspectors visited in December last year.

Inspectors spoke to parents/carers and pupils, while working closely with headteacher Andrew Blaikie and his staff, before finalising their report.

Their report ratings were given for leadership of change; learning, teaching and assessment; ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion; and raising attainment and achievement in the primary school with the addition of securing children’s progress in the nursery.

Key strengths in the report published this week included: “Led by senior leaders, staff in the school and nursery work well together and with children, to create an ethos where children feel included and valued. This is based on their work on children’s rights and the school values. Staff have developed positive, nurturing and respectful relationships with children and families.”

The staff team in the school and nursery were also praised for engaging in high-quality professional learning and enquiry which helps children to make good progress in learning.

Outcomes were improved for children thanks to staff in the school and nursery working well with a range of partners to provide effective supports.

The staff’s approach to leading and improving children’s learning through play in the school was also noted as being highly successful.

Inspectors did highlight a few areas of improvement including senior leaders and staff should continue to develop approaches to evaluate more effectively the quality of the school’s work.

They must also work towards ensuring that learning and teaching approaches are consistent across all classes to help support all children to make the best progress in their learning and raise attainment and achievement.

In the nursery, staff should “continue to balance opportunities for high-quality child-led and adult-led learning” to support all learners to experience a broad and balanced curriculum.

Head teacher Andrew Blaikie said: "This result is a testament to the hard work of everyone involved in our school. Our staff go above and beyond to create a nurturing learning environment, our pupils are engaged and eager to learn, and our parents and carers provide invaluable support.

"We are proud of what we have achieved together, and we will continue working as a team to build on these successes."

Councillor Iain Sinclair, Falkirk Council’s spokesperson for education, added: "The report reflects the outstanding teamwork and dedication within Bantaskin Primary School. The collaboration between staff, families, and partners plays a crucial role in ensuring every child gets the best possible start in their education. We will continue to support the school in driving further improvements and maintaining these high standards."

The inspectors said that they are “confident” the school has the capacity to continue to improve and they will make no more visits in connection with this inspection.

Falkirk Council will share the information from the inspection with parents and carers.