Standards & Quality Report 2015-16

1. Standards and Quality Report
2015-16
Stronsay Junior
High School

2. 1
Each year we have a duty to report on the work of the school, outlining the developments
and progress we make to improve the quality of teaching and learning for all in Stronsay
Junior High School.
About our School
Stronsay Junior High School provides education for the island’s children from pre-school at age 3 to
the end of compulsory schooling at 16. Pupils can then transfer to Kirkwall Grammar School, if they
wish to do so, or move on to further education, training or employment. Pupils transferring to
Kirkwall Grammar School stay in the Papdale Halls of Residence, and supporting our young people at
this time of transition presents an additional challenge for the school.
The timetable for the Primary and Secondary Sector is in part dependent on the day specialist
teachers arriving and Loganair’s timetable. Itinerant teachers generally spend less time in school
during the winter as the planes cannot land in darkness. The number and length of time each
itinerant teacher is on Stronsay is decided centrally by the Authority.
The number of pupils on the school roll in 2015/16 was:
Nursery 4
Primary Sector - 18
Secondary Sector - 13
The learning and teaching team is ably supported by a committed group of non-teaching staff
including a Secretary/Office Auxiliary, Support for Learning Assistants, Janitor and Kitchen staff.
Cleaning roles are contracted out.

3. 2
Vision Statement
Together our vision is to ensure that everyone achieves their full potential and enjoys being part of a
caring learning community.
Aims
Effective Contributors
To motivate everyone to participate with enthusiasm in the school community and wider world, to
be well organised, dedicated and open-minded.
Responsible Citizens
To encourage everyone to take care of the community and wider world. To do the best they can in
an honest and respectful way.
Confident Individuals
To inspire within everyone self-confidence, tolerance and high expectations.
Successful Learners
To develop a life-long enthusiasm for learning; to have the confidence and ability to work
independently or with others whilst knowing when to ask for help.
Cultural Identity
To see our island as a benefit not a barrier; to embrace and enrich our unique resources -
friendliness, community spirit, heritage, landscape and culture - to help maintain and develop the
island as a great place to live.
‘Proud to belong’. ‘Proud to be a Limpet’.
Vision and Aims – Key words
Respect
Trust
Honesty
Responsibility
Kindness
Manners
Positivity
Sensibility
Inclusion

4. 3
Successes and Achievements
Strengths
The school aims to produce a learning environment which meets the needs of the learners in its
care. We evaluate their progress using a wide range of methods. The following are demonstrations
of our progress:
 The SQA results for 2015-16 were as expected or above expectations.
 We provide additional support as identified through our self-evaluation of learners’ progress
in order to help them achieve their very best. This has included a range of support packages.
 Middle Years Information System data shows that the value added by the pupils through the
secondary sector is above the national normal expectations.
 The school has embraced the Curriculum for Excellence, and adjusted the teaching to
attempt to fulfil the ethos behind the initiative. Our planning is in line with the experiences
and outcomes and departments have continued to develop ways of assessing and recording
in line with this. The Primary Sector has developed a new three/four-year rolling programme
to ensure effective coverage of the Experiences and Outcomes.
 Learners’ evaluations show they are engaged meaningfully with their learning, and this was
reinforced when their views were surveyed independently by the Head Teacher of another
primary school in Orkney.
 The school and the community of Stronsay work hard together to provide a wide range of
opportunities to broaden achievements which include:
o Music lessons on a range of instruments, enhanced by opportunities on the island,
with musical events in school and in the community to entertain and celebrate their
efforts.
o Pier Arts Centre workshops.
o STEM club from P7-S4.
o Sporting activities, including after school clubs, and athletics training supported by
the Stronsay Development Trust.
o The development of interdisciplinary projects/ activities, which has enabled learners
to embrace new ideas and skills and has resulted in a real enjoyment of learning.
This year, interdisciplinary activities have included the commemorations of the
Battle of Jutland, and Literacy Day with Tom Muir and Simon Hall focusing on Orkney
dialect.
 Stronsay Parent Council continues to support Stronsay Junior High School through
applications to the Stronsay Development Trust and received funding of £19,749 for the
academic year 2015/16 to provide enhanced learning resources, music theory lessons,
athletics grants and a significant contribution to the Norway trip, which is due to take place
in the first week of the 2016/17 academic year.
o The Parent Council also actively participates in the development of the school
through involvement in Open events and Fund Raising Events.

5. 4
o The Parent Council also support the work done in progressing the School
Improvement Plan, which this year has included the development of new facilities
and the transition and hostel arrangements for students leaving at the end of S4.
o The Parent Council also works with the Community Council and other bodies on the
island to ensure travel arrangements for pupils and itinerant teachers are
appropriate to the needs of the school, pupils and community.
o A member of the Pupil Council attends Parent Council meetings and feeds back to
the Pupil Council of decisions made. Pupils have a voice with the Parent Council and
their views and opinions are carefully considered and respected.
 The internal development of the school site was completed during this academic year. This
two-year project, which has revitalised the learning environment for the learners throughout
Stronsay School, has resulted in learners and staff having access to appropriate facilities and
resources to meet their needs. All staff and the Stronsay community have worked hard to
ensure that there was minimum disruption to learning whilst this major construction was
undertaken.
 The continuing development of staff and learners’ expertise in the use of glow sites has
ensured the minimum disruption possible for learners when itinerant teachers are unable to
travel to Stronsay.
As a small school on a small island, we know our learners extremely well and aim to support them
as fully as possible. Our learners enjoy being at school and have reported that they have very good
teachers. Learners feel that their teachers and support assistants really know them well: this makes
the learners feel that teachers and support assistants can give them appropriate support. Each
learner is able to make good progress and have his or her strengths and areas for development
identified. The school team work hard to ensure that all pupils’ needs are met and effective support
is given.

6. 5
Summary of progress made on the 2015/16
School Improvement Plan
Priority 1: To continue to develop the Curriculum for Excellence
How well do young people learn and achieve?
1.1 Improvements in Performance
2.1 Learners’ experiences
Strengths
We have achieved the following:
o National courses refined/ developed following new national guidance from SQA. This work
focused around assessment activities which had significantly changed through this academic
year.
o The school undertook verification processes in both Chemistry and Practical Woodwork with
SQA, and our moderation of assessment materials were deemed to be accurate. This process
also continued with other Secondary schools in Orkney in a wide range of subjects to ensure our
judgements were accurate and consistent with those of other schools.
o New tracking systems to assess learners’ progress were introduced which included pupils from
P1 to S3 undertaking the GL numeracy assessment. This allows us to track attainment in
Mathematics at an individual, year group, class or even school level, enabling us to focus on
areas of strength and address any areas for further development. We have also refined our
tracking systems to allow itinerant staff to gain easy access in a secure environment to the
information whilst away from the school site.
o We extended the individual support for our S4 students by continuing individual support at
lunchtimes and after school, and introduced revision days, which occurred just prior to the
examinations. The impact of these two developments was to reduce anxiety and ensure greater
achievement in examinations.
o The school has also continued to develop closer links with Sanday School, including joint training
on Mindset and How Good is our School 4 Framework for evaluation, literacy and numeracy
planning within the primary sector, moderation of writing levels across the schools, as well as
sharing resources to the benefit of both schools.
o We have also developed courses, including National 3 and 4 courses, to meet the individual
needs of the students: Spanish as a third language for Primary 6&7 pupils, Princes Trust for S2 to
S4 pupils and a wide range of courses for the community.
o In partnership with Sanday School, we have developed our knowledge of Mindset and how this
can impact on a learners’ development. This has led to significant work across the school to
ensure learners and staff develop a positive ethos for learning.
o The school has been actively involved in the development of ‘an Orkney Offer’ for Senior Phase
learners. The most significant development for our learners will be the enhanced opportunities
to undertake vocational courses and experiences.

7. 6
Impact on Learners
o Due to our small numbers, it is not appropriate to provide a breakdown of attainment as this
would identify individual pupils. However, the S4 learners achieved an excellent set of results,
with the majority of learners achieving 8 or more qualifications at National 4 and National 5
levels.
o Courses have been designed to meet the individual needs of learners, ensuring they are engaged
in their learning and feel appropriately challenged. Feedback from learners indicate that this is
true.
o The careful assessment and tracking of learners’ progress has ensured appropriate interventions
have occurred and, through this, issues addressed. This has included reading recovery
interventions, which resulted in reading ages of some learners increasing by 2 years over a 6
month period.
o The effective tracking of attainment and the detailed knowledge of the learners in our care have
resulted in appropriate support being provided in partnership with external agencies to meet a
wide range of complex support needs.
o The majority of learners are making ‘good’ to ‘very good’ progress appropriate to their ability
and needs.
What we plan to do next:
o Embed the revised tracking system into the school self-evaluation of learners’ progress.
o Implement in August 2017 Spanish for Primary 6 and 7.
o Implement community courses in the following subjects: English, Biology, Computing, Art and
Geography at National 5 and Higher levels to accommodate community needs, especially for
those who want to achieve qualifications. This is particularly relevant for those who attended
Stronsay School in the 1970s and 80s when qualifications were only available to those who went
on to attend KGS.
o Continue to develop the use of the school as a social and educational hub for the community.
o Review the teaching of mathematics across the school, investigating a new maths scheme in the
Primary Sector and undertaking the GL assessment in February 2017 to determine learners’
progress through a year and introducing National 3- 4 Lifeskills Maths.
o Continue to refine qualification courses in line with SQA developments
o Introduce two further courses for S3/4 learners, including National 5 Cake Craft and National 4
Physical Education.
o Continue to review the timetable to optimise opportunities to ensure personalisation of the
curriculum for S3 and S4 learners.
o Continue to develop the Princes Trust Achieve Course for S2 to S4 learners.
o Develop team teaching in the lower and upper primary, and provide time for joint planning.
o Further develop moderation of Curriculum for Excellence levels in writing and numeracy in line
with Orkney Island Council and Scottish Government initiatives.
o Engage in moderation across all subjects.
o Review reporting methods to parents.

8. 7
o Continue development of the Orkney Offer for Senior Phase learners to ensure enhanced
vocational experiences are available to learners during the 2017/18 academic year.
Priority 2: Continued development of self-evaluation across the school
Strengths
We have achieved the following:
o A review of the whole school self-evaluation timetable to ensure all tasks occur at an
appropriate time and provide meaningful information to aid learning.
o A planned approach to self-evaluation which ensures that all aspects of the school life are
targeted.
o Lesson observations which have shown teaching to be of ‘a good’ to ‘very good’ standard and
use Assessment for Learning techniques effectively.
o Planning which shows coverage of appropriate Experiences and Outcomes and shows
differentiation to meet individual needs. All departments have developed reflective
practices/frameworks so that learners have the opportunity to consider their learning, their
successes and mistakes, and know how to make improvements to their learning.
o Nursery pupils are fully involved in planning their learning; the report following the Care
Inspection visit recognised that the Nursery was developing effective self-evaluation.
o Across the school, learners have developed appropriate targets in literacy, numeracy and health
and wellbeing. Learners have shown a clear understanding of their targets and value them.
o Portfolios are developed across the school and are valued by learners and parents
o All staff participate in a Staff Development and Review programme, and support is given to staff
to meet their targets for development. Teaching staff keep their records of continuing
professional development using the General Teaching Council site. Non-teaching staff have used
the council recording system. Staff are encouraged to visit other schools and meet with other
staff in order to see and share practice.
o Staff continue to share good practice with each other within the learning community. The staff
share good practice with colleagues in Sanday and other schools within Orkney. The staff have
actively developed moderation and verification processes which validate the teachers’
determination of a learners’ Curriculum for Excellence level.
o The school has continued to further enhance its links with the community with the ongoing
development of the school blog and by including a monthly report in the Limpet to inform the
community of school events and learners’ achievements.
Impact on learners:
o Learners continue to be actively involved in their own learning, understanding their own
strengths.
o Staff use the tracking data to meet the individual learner’s needs and then assess the impact on
any intervention.
o Schemes of work are revised through evaluation of the effectiveness of existing courses, and
feedback from learners have resulted in the development of enriched learning activities.

9. 8
o Staff members continue to be provided with appropriate training developed through evaluation
of need.
What we plan to do next:
o Continue to build upon the self-evaluation work begun this year within “How Good is Your
School 4”, and use “How Good is our Early Learning and Child Care” document within the
nursery. The information obtained through this self-evaluation in 2016/17 will be used to inform
development in our next three-year School Improvement Plan, which is due to start in 2017/18.
o Continue to embed the tracking systems developed to measure learners’ attainment and
achievement.
o Continue to develop ever closer links with Sanday School to enhance moderation activities and
opportunities to undertake peer assessment and jointly reflect on curriculum developments.
o Work with other partner Head Teachers to provide opportunities for evaluation by a critical
friend.
o Continue to improve transitions (Nursery to P1, P3 to P4, P7 to S1, S4 to KGS).
Priority 3 Development of Leadership Skills Across the School
9.4 Leadership of improvement and change—Support and challenge / Creativity,
innovation and step change/Continuous improvement
Strengths
We have achieved the following:
o The Head Teacher keeps abreast of the National and Local Educational Policy development and
ensures staff are fully aware of developments.
o As a school, we share a number of in-service days with Sanday Junior High School. This enables
staff to share ideas and practice.
o Pupils are given opportunities to take on leadership roles across all sectors. These have included
Fundraising, Pupil Council, Sports Leadership, Sports Ambassadors, Troot in the Shed, Junior
Road Safety Officers, Primary learners organising the Book Fair, and Interdisciplinary days. S2-4
learners have been working towards gaining a Personal Development and Employability award.
o Staff continue to undertake enhanced leadership opportunities, which have included supporting
staff through the revised SQA verification processes for National 4 and 5 qualifications; SQA
subject Nominees for the local authority; resident staff taking responsibility in the Head
Teacher’s absence; mentoring other staff undertaking examination courses, and also
undertaking examination courses to develop their roles. One member of staff has successfully
undertaken the “Moving to Headship” course.
o Secondary staff have further developed leadership skills through the planning and delivery of
higher qualifications as part of a pilot scheme to provide courses for the community, thereby
developing a pathway for other staff.

10. 9
o Staff were encouraged to actively support drama in the community, participating in the
pantomime.
o Staff were actively involved in helping to keep local traditions alive in the community,
participating in music groups and teaching traditional dancing.
Impact on learners:
o These opportunities for leadership continue to provide the learners with the skills to work as a
team and enhance confidence when undertaking a task.
o The learners see that the skills of leadership are valued within the staff and that they are part of
a learning community in which adults also undertake learning to enhance their skills--teachers
are modelling learning.
What we plan to do next:
o Continue to develop opportunities for leadership, especially within a vocational/ enterprise
experience.
o Continue to provide staff with opportunities to lead roles within the authority e.g moderation,
verification and sharing good practice.
o Embed the Princes Trust award into the Secondary sector.
Priority 4 Continued development of Support for Learning to meet the needs
of all learners across the school.
2.4 Personalised Support
Strengths
We have achieved the following:
o The school continues to develop the expertise of teaching and support staff to meet the
individual needs of our learners including those with complex needs. This has included work on
emotional resilience, dyslexia and mindset.
o Strategies have been put into place to support senior phase learners to reduce any perceived
pressure and to raise attainment. These have included revision days (immersion days) and
access to support time during curriculum time, lunchtimes and after school, either at an
individual level or in a small focused group.
o Partnerships continue to be developed with external agencies to meet the needs of individual
learners highlighted through effective child plans.
o A continuing emphasis on Support for Learning has enabled pupils to be known in-depth, which
provides consistency for individual learners and highlights a strength of the Junior High School
model.

11. 10
o Staff offer personalised one-to-one support for an individual need in the form of supported
study, homework clubs, and extra focused support.
Impact on learners:
o A tracking system was used within the school to identify individual learner’s needs, and
appropriate interventions occurred, which, through further tracking and the review of Child
Plans etc., proved successful in the majority of cases.
o A wide range of training was provided to staff to address the needs of individuals, some with
complex needs, which impacted positively on individual’s progress.
o Senior phase students successfully undertook examinations, and were provided with support
appropriate to their needs, resulting in them achieving the best results they could in the final
examinations. Parents felt that the support was appropriate to their child’s needs.
o Child Plans allowed a more coherent support package to be developed for children with support
needs where a range of multi agencies were involved.
What we plan to do next:
o Continue to develop and enhance the skills of teaching and non-teaching staff to meet the ever
changing needs of the learners in our care.
o Continue to develop the use of Child Plans, and to enhance partnerships with external agencies
to support them fulfilling their role in meeting the individual needs of a learner.
o Work with partner agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of support given by the school to meet
an individual’s needs.
Priority 5: Continue to develop the Nursery provision
1.4 Personalised Support
2.2 Curriculum
Strengths
We have achieved the following:
o Since its move into the new setting, the Nursery has continued to develop a stimulating
environment for the learners in its care, and has enhanced its link with the Lower Primary class
for transitional purposes.
o The Lower Primary Class teacher jointly plans activities and, where appropriate, supports the
Early Years Practitioner.
o The Nursery staff continue to develop their skills in meeting the needs of a range of learners
with specific learning needs. The ability and experience of staff was highlighted in a recent
inspection to be of a ‘very good standard’ and the indoor environment to be also of a ‘good
standard’.

12. 11
o The setting, with support from the Local Authority, continues to develop its self-evaluation
techniques to ensure the quality of the provision. A visit by the Care Commission stated that for
all areas (excluding the outdoor area, which is still under development) that the standard was
either ‘good’ or ‘very good’.
o Teaching and non-teaching staff have access to a ‘Tracking and Monitoring’ Glow site, which has
a discussion board and links to relevant supporting documents. This facilitates the sharing of
good practice and raising attainment discussions.
Impact on learners:
o Learners within the setting are making good progress appropriate to their ability.
o All external agencies who have visited the nursery continue to believe the Early Year’s Worker is
meeting the needs of the children in her care well, and it is clear that the children are enjoying
and learning from their experiences in the Nursery.
o The continued development of the Nursery, including the outdoor area, has enhanced the
learning experiences of the learners within its care and provides a safe, nurturing environment
for playing and learning.
What we plan to do next:
o Continue to develop the outdoor area to ensure it is fit for purpose ( within the school budget)
o Continue the development of the indoor facilities to ensure they meet the requirements of 2-
year-olds and to obtain a change in conditions from the Care Commission to allow the Nursery
to accommodate 2-year-olds.
o Continue the training of the Early Years practitioner and provide training, if required, for a
second member of staff (if additional staff are needed).
o Continue to develop the Nursery staff skills in self-evaluation including the effective use of “How
Good is our Early Learning and Child Care” document within the Nursery.
Priority 6: To ensure that the facilities of the school are fit for purpose and
meet the needs of the Learners in our care
1.5 Management of resources to promote equity
Strengths
We have achieved the following:
o The refurbishment of the internal areas within the school has significantly enhanced the learning
environment and available resources have been rationalised.
o The support from the Stronsay Parent Council applying to the Stronsay Development Trust has
enriched the teaching resources available to the learners and teachers, and has enhanced their
opportunities through allowing learners to take part in a wider range of curriculum activities;

13. 12
Secondary learners were able to undertake a trip to Edinburgh, and Primary learners undertook
sporting activities.
o The additional staff provided two years ago have now embedded into the school, enriching the
range of opportunities available, including the range of qualifications undertaken.
o The school site is now used as a hub of learning in the community. It is used by the Fire Brigade
for training, Stronsay’s Silver Darlings for practice, Swimming Pool training and the Badminton
group, Stronsay Drama group, and the sports fields are used for North Isles Sports and inter-isle
football matches.
Impact on learners:
o Enhanced learning environments result in positive attitudes towards learning and self-worth.
o Enhanced resources, purchased to enrich the curriculum, have resulted in greater enjoyment of
learning and raising attainment.
What we plan to do next:
o Develop the new external learning area for the Nursery and Primary Classrooms.
o Work with other agencies including the Stronsay Development Trust to source other forms of
funding to enhance the resources and opportunities available for the children in our care.
o Continue to develop Stronsay School as a learning hub for the community by enhancing the
range of courses available to include, Art, Biology, Computing, English, Geography and Piano
lessons at all levels, including N4, N5 and Higher.
o Consider the development of a textiles course for the community.
o Work with the Stronsay Development Trust to enhance the resources available to the school to
enrich the learning experiences for the community of Stronsay.
Priorities for future development
The school, through the evaluations it has undertaken, has produced a School Improvement Plan.
This has been revised from an annual document to one which now encompasses a three-year plan of
development. This plan is reviewed biannually and is adjusted following school’s evaluation of the
progress made in each area. The following priorities have been highlighted:
 Strategic Priority 1: Development of the Curriculum for Excellence
 Strategic Priority 2: Continue development of Self Evaluation across the school
 Strategic Priority 3: Development of Leadership across the school
 Strategic Priority 4: Continue the development of Support for Learning for all
learners throughout the school
 Strategic Priority 5: Continue the development of the Nursery provision
 Strategic Priority 6: Ensure the facilities of the school are fit for purpose to meet the
needs of the learners in our care.
In 2016/17, we will continue to evaluate the progress made on our three-year plan, and use the
information from this self-evaluation to determine the next steps. We will also use the information
gained from the self-evaluation exercises using “How Good is our School 4” and “How Good is our
Early Learning and Child Care” to develop our next three-year School Improvement Plan.