Milne’s High School inspection report

Pupils at a Moray secondary have been singled out for praise in a report by school inspectors.

They found that pupils at Milne’s High School in Fochabers were well behaved, hard working and keen to do well.

The report, published today following a visit to the school by inspectors in September, said pupils were also extremely polite and worked enthusiastically with staff and almost all were mature, confident individuals who showed care and concern for others.

They gained leadership and team working skills through their participation in a wide range of activities.

But the inspectors also highlighted a lack of clear leadership within the school and a vision to which pupils, parents and staff could relate.

The inspection report noted that the quality of teaching and learning was good, with most teachers delivering well-planned lessons using a variety of resources.

“Almost all teachers shared the content of lessons with pupils and, in the most effective lessons, they also shared the purpose,” said the report.

“Their explanations were clear and developed pupils’ understanding very well and almost all teachers interacted very effectively with pupils.”

The quality of pastoral care in the school was evaluated as very good and the school had placed a high priority on ensuring the care and welfare of pupils.

Guidance staff had a good knowledge of pupils through planned contacts and senior pupils acted as “buddies” by supporting the needs of younger pupils.

The inspection team also identified a number of important weaknesses in the school’s performance.

Attainment by the end of S4 was weak and staff’s expectations of what pupils could achieve, particularly in exams, was not high enough.

Weaknesses in corporate leadership and self-evaluation in the school were judged to have impacted on the outcomes for pupils, particularly attainment.

“The head teacher and three depute head teachers worked hard but lack of teamwork limited their collective effectiveness and their overall impact on the school," said the report.

“Their responsibilities were not sufficiently strategic and did not focus strongly enough on improving the quality of learning and teaching and levels of pupil attainment.

“Nevertheless, they had contributed strongly to the development of the school’s positive and inclusive ethos.”

Moray Council’s educational services director, Donald Duncan, said it was a mixed report which set a clear agenda for the school.

“While the report clearly recognises the many strengths within Milne’s High School, it also identifies a number of key areas for senior management to address.

“The authority will continue to work with the school to address the issues arising from the report.”

Councillor Jeff Hamilton, joint chairman of the council’s education and social services committee, said: “While some challenges have been identified in the report, there have also been many strengths recognised by the inspectors.

“Officers will work with the school to prepare an action plan which will build on these strengths and address the challenges.”