BENARTY Primary School has received a "very good" report card following a recent inspection from Education Scotland.

The "strong and effective leadership" of the headteacher and "polite well-mannered children" were recognised, as well as steps to improve learning for youngsters with additional support needs.

The efforts of staff and pupils at the Ballingry school were rewarded with "very good" and "good" marks across the board.  

Headteacher Lynn Dyas said: "Over the last five years, I have had the privilege of being the headteacher of Benarty Primary School. I am proud and pleased for our whole school community that the inspection team validated our many strengths. 

"The staff and children were recognised and praised. As a school our commitment to continuous improvement, ensuring positive outcomes for all our children and the importance of school values, have also been highlighted. 

"Everyone has worked together to create the very successful learning community we have at Benarty!"

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The school was praised in the following areas: 

  • The strong and positive leadership of the headteacher who is highly regarded by children, staff and the school community. She is supported well by very effective senior leaders. Together they have created a clear vision for school improvement which is leading to positive change across the school and ASC.
  • The respectful and caring relationships between children and adults. Children are polite, well-mannered and proud of their school. Staff help them to learn in a calm, nurturing and inclusive environment.
  • The effective teamwork amongst the staff and their motivation for change and improvement. All staff are keen to develop their individual and collective skills to help improve children’s experiences.
  • The systems and processes to monitor children’s progress in their learning and achievement. This allows staff to identify and plan successful support for children. This is allowing children who require additional support to make good progress in their learning.
  • The quality of partnership working between ASC staff, partner schools, the Inclusive Practice Team and families. This is ensuring consistent, nurturing and child-centred approaches which are supporting children’s engagement and progress with learning.

While the following areas for improvement were identified and discussed with both the headteacher and a representative from Fife Council:

  • Staff should continue to ensure learning activities are set at the right level of difficulty and meet the needs of individual children, particularly for higher-achieving learners.
  • Senior leaders and staff should continue to prioritise raising attainment for all children across the school.
  • Teachers should continue to develop the curriculum in the ASC, particularly for learners with the most complex additional support needs. In particular, review play-centred learning activities to ensure that they support children to engage consistently with learning.

Fife Council education manager, Mary McKay, said: "We are delighted that the inspectors recognised the impact of the headteacher's positive leadership, the effective senior leaders and the motivated staff team - who create calm, nurturing and inclusive learning environments. 

"The success of high-quality partnerships with a range of professionals has also been recognised, as is getting the right support and advice to inform child-centred approaches, which are positively supporting children's engagement and progress with learning."

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Education Scotland said: "We are confident that the school has the capacity to continue to improve and so we will make no more visits in connection with this inspection. Fife Council will inform parents/carers about the school’s progress as part of its arrangements for reporting on the quality of its schools."

More information on Education Scotland's findings can be found here.