Education Scotland inspectors flag up need to 'raise attainment' levels at Invergordon Academy
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"CHALLENGING staffing issues" and a need to "raise attainment" in pupil literacy and numeracy have been flagged following an inspection of Invergordon Academy.
Inspectors from Education Scotland found that the school will need "additional support and more time to make necessary improvements" following their most recent inspection.
But they also praised the "positive and respectful relationships" between staff and pupils, and hailed the "articulate" and confident youngsters and the wide variety of opportunities offered to them by the school.
The findings were released by the inspectors on Tuesday.
In their key findings, the inspectors added: "Young people speak very positively about the range of skills and improved confidence they gain.
"Effective planning and support for young people as they move on from school... is leading to almost all young people leaving school to a positive destination."
They also highlighted "the positive and respectful relationships between almost all staff and young people. Most young people are articulate and demonstrate confidence in engaging well with others."
But the report also identified areas for improvement.
The inspectors said: "[The Academy needs to] address challenging staffing issues and improve young people’s experiences in learning, teaching and assessment to ensure their learning needs are met effectively across all curriculum areas.
"[The school should] further develop systems for tracking and monitoring young people’s progress and attainment. These should support staff in providing appropriate interventions that help young people to maximise their opportunities for success."
Inspectors also called for the school to work to "raise attainment, especially in relation to young people’s literacy and numeracy qualifications and their attainment in S4".
Commenting on the next steps for the school, the inspectors added: "As a result of our inspection findings we think that the school needs additional support and more time to make necessary improvements.
"We will liaise with the Highland Council regarding the school’s capacity to improve. We will return to carry out a further inspection of the school within one year.
"We will discuss with the Highland Council the details of this inspection. When we return to inspect the school we will write to parents/carers informing [them] of the progress the school has made."
