St John’s RC Academy Standards and Quality Report 2014-15

School Aims and Values

Mission Statement

In St John’s RC Academy, we seek to grow together as a community of faith and learning in which every member feels welcomed, valued and safe. Guided by the gospel values of Jesus Christ, our staff will work to provide the highest quality of education for the young people in our care. In doing so, we will help them to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors to our school and to society.

Aims

The work of everyone associated with our school is directed by the following aims:

we will help each other to grow in faith and to develop our values and spiritual lives we will inspire in each other a lifelong love of learning with a positive culture of

achievement we will encourage our pupils to take responsibility for their learning and lifestyle we will support our families and the life of the wider community we will promote self respect and show consideration for others we will develop our gifts in the service of others promoting a spirit of peace and

forgiveness

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Achievement

Attainment

The April 2014 HMI report highlighted our

improvements in performance among our

children and young people as a very good

strength. In 2014/15 the overall trend in

attainment across the broad general

education has continued to be very positive,

particularly mathematics throughout the

primary department and across all areas of

Literacy and English (Listening and Talking,

Reading and Writing) in the secondary

department.

In Primary 1 most children are achieving at

the expected level or better in Listening and

Talking (84%) and Mathematics (88%). The

majority of children are achieving at the

expected level or better in Reading and

Writing.

In Primary 4 most children are achieving at

the expected level in all areas of Literacy and

English (Listening and Talking, Reading and

Writing) with 69% achieving this in

Mathematics.

In Primary 7 the majority of children are

achieving at the expected level across

Reading, Writing and Mathematics with

Listening and Talking being the strongest

elements with most children achieving the

expected level or exceeding it.

In Secondary 3 (S3) the majority of children

are achieving at the expected level across

Listening and Talking, Writing and

Mathematics with most achieving this level or

exceeding it in Reading.

Pupils in S4 studied National Qualifications,

mostly at National 3, 4 and 5 and achieved the

school’s best-ever results. 43% of our pupils

achieved five awards at National 5 level, an

increase of 15% from 2014. 88% of our S4

cohort achieved at least five qualifications at

National 4, up from 87%. When compared

against pupils of similar profiles from across

Scottish schools, our S4 pupils performed

better across all relevant measures.

In S5, 54% of our pupils gained at least one

SCQF Level 6 (Higher) award. This is an

increase of 5% from the previous year. 26% of

S5 pupils achieved three Highers and 12%

achieved five Higher awards, an increase of

2%

In S6, there was an expected drop in

Advanced Higher awards, with 15% of the S4

roll achieving at least one Advanced Higher.

56% of our pupils achieved at least one Higher

award – an increase of 3% from 2014. 41% of

S6 pupils gained at least three Highers, while

27% gained five SCQF level 6 (Higher) awards,

an increase of 3% from last year. Again, when

our S5/6 pupils’ achievements are compared

with pupils with similar profiles, our pupils are

performing better against most relevant

measures.

Wider achievements

We continue to recognise and celebrate the

achievements of our pupils in and out of

school, including through our portfolios,

assemblies and award ceremonies, including

our 2015 Dux, Ewan Morrison, who achieved

3 Advanced Higher awards at A.

Our nursery department has developed very

successful ‘Stay and Play’ and craft sessions

for parents and carers, and we have enhanced

our outdoor area and increased opportunities

for outdoor learning.

Within our primary school, highlights in 2014-

15 included the P3 class café and the excellent

P2 nativity play. Primary 7 piloted SCIAF’s

Talented Fundraisers Initiative, which helped

them to develop creativity and enterprise

skills while raising awareness and funds for

the work of SCIAF. In addition, half of our

Primary 7 achieved the Pope Francis Faith

Award, an award by the Bishops’ Conference

of Scotland. This award is designed to help

children to show ‘signs of love’ in their daily

lives and be active members of their local

Church or faith community. P7 also excelled in

their production of Zoom and participated in

the transition week at Dalguise with pupils

from Our Lady’s, Perth and St Stephen’s,

Blairgowrie. As always, a particular highlight

of the year was the reception of the

Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist and

Confirmation for many of our P3 and P4

pupils. Our partnership with our local Catholic

parishes continues to be strong throughout

the school, aided by our chaplains and youth

workers.

Looking internationally, almost half of our S2

pupils developed their winter sports skills in

the Italian Alps and many our S4 pupils

travelled to the Battlefields of Belgium and

France to mark their respect and deepen their

understanding of World War 1. Following on

from Mr Hagney’s visit to Ethiopia, the school

raised a record-breaking £9000 for SCIAF (and

this was doubled by the UK government). This

was the largest donation to SCIAF from any

school in 2015. Pupils also supported

MacMillan, CRY UK and Perth Autism Support

(through the YPI programme) this session.

The Charities pupil group were recognised by

being chosen as winners in the PKC Spirit of

Youth Awards with many other individuals

and pupils groups reaching the finals.

Towards the end of 2014, we became the first

all through school in the UK to achieve Level 2

status as a UNICEF Rights Respecting School.

The report recognised as key strengths our

“polite, confident pupils who were proud of

their school”; a “high level of pupil

participation throughout the school”; “the

extent to which the wider community is

actively involved in RRSA”, and “the clear

connections between initiatives such as

Fairtrade and the UNCRC”.

The school has also been developing and

extending our links with Romania, building on

our links with the Recuperare Clinic in

Bucharest. In February a formal partnership

agreement between St John’s RC Academy

and St Joseph’s College (an all-through

Catholic school in Bucharest) was signed, and

opportunities to learn from one another are

being developed.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award continues to

grow at St John’s RC Academy with some of

our S3 and S4 pupils accumulating 5000 hours

of volunteering, skills development and

physical activity at Bronze and Silver level,

including outdoor expeditions led by our

instructor and staff. From across S1 to S4, 150

pupils achieved bronze, silver or gold

navigational awards with the National

Navigation Award Scheme.

Pupils also had opportunities through the

school to be Sports Ambassadors with Active

Schools, achieve Food Hygiene and

Employability awards, and offer their time to

the school and local faith communities

through the Caritas Award.

Through our transition and health and

wellbeing initiatives, 69 of our young people

from across S1, S2 and S3 were recognised

through the Saltire Award and 14 S4 pupils

received Heart Start Awards from the British

Heart Foundation. In addition, 45 S1 and S2

pupils gained SCQF credits at Level 3 and

achieved Dynamic Youth Awards through

their commitment to overcoming a range of

personal challenges.

As part of the pilot for Careers Academy

within Perth and Kinross, 15 S6 pupils

graduated in an award ceremony at the

Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, with Elinor

Mooney winning the regional award and an

internship with Standard Life.

Learning

The HMI report in April 2014 stated that our

learners’ behaviour and positive attitudes to

learning were key strengths. Across the

whole school, we are developing the children

and young people’s skills for learning, life and

work.

We recognise that the key to ensuring all our

learners’ needs are met is through high

quality learning and teaching. Since the

inspection, we have been building on our

approaches to improving the quality of

learning experiences which meet the needs of

all learners in a wide variety of ways.

Staff have undertaken a range of continuous

professional development (CPD) activities,

within whole school, department and

individual settings. Whole school staff CPD has

included a focus on how our school can meet

the needs of some of the most vulnerable

members of our community as a result of

mental health issues, abuse and poverty. A

significant number of staff have been working

in ‘teacher learning communities’ focusing on

developing their practice in assessment for

learning approaches and this is building a

greater consistency of approach across the

whole school. In the primary, pupil support

assistants have benefited from a range of CPD

opportunities which are developing their skills

in working with pupils with particular needs.

Individual staff have been improving their

knowledge and skills, including at Masters

level, across a wide range of activities. These

activities are having a positive impact on the

learning opportunities which they lead, for

example, in developing pupil mentors,

opening up opportunities for international

learning and delivering Scottish Qualifications

Authority and other qualifications.

Observations of teaching, where teachers are

provided with feedback on the children’s and

young people’s learning, have improved

through paired observations across the whole

school. This allows us to be more consistent

with feedback which is focused on strengths

and next steps.

In the secondary department we are

continuing to work with our learners and their

parents/carers to ensure that curriculum

pathways are appropriate for all and that all

of our young people achieve positive leaver

destinations. We have been developing these

pathways in light of the Scottish

Government’s ‘Developing Scotland’s

Workforce’ policy and Perth and Kinross’

Enterprise and Employability strategy.

We are continuing to have a focus on learning

conversations all through the school which is

allowing our learners to better develop their

language of learning, and enables them to talk

about their progress and achievements. This is

also enabling our children and young people

to formulate short and long term goals.

We have also developed a number of specific

approaches to improve the quality of learning

and teaching at particular stages and for

particular groups or individuals. In the upper

stages of primary, we have reviewed our

maths provision in light of current research

and in consultation with staff. This is already

having a positive impact on attainment in

maths and numeracy. In primary and in the

early years of secondary, we are continuing to

develop approaches to peer and paired

reading. Primary teachers have been auditing

their classroom environments to ensure they

are ‘dyslexia friendly’ and we continue to

promote approaches to learning and teaching

which take account of specific learning needs.

This has included reviewing our support

resources within the secondary department

so that they are now more responsive and

flexible.

We are continuing to develop outdoor

learning opportunities in the primary and

secondary departments, including the P7

residential as well as the John Muir,

Navigation and the Duke of Edinburgh Awards

for secondary learners. For children and

young people with identified needs, we have

been improving targets within Individual

Education Plans, Coordinated Support Plans

and Additional Support Needs planning, and

with the sharing of successful approaches

with staff. We are also working well with

partners to improve the support we can offer

our learners and families. Support around the

development of health and wellbeing skills,

including social skills, anger management and

resilience, have been particularly effective.

Leadership

The 2014 HMI visit recognised that ‘leadership

at all levels…is leading to continuous school

improvement’.

As leaders of learning, all teaching staff have

been engaging with the General Teaching

Council of Scotland’s new requirements for

professional update, aligned to teachers’

Standards. Our teachers meet and exceed

these Standards through a wide variety of

professional activities. In the nursery and

primary, staff lead aspects of school

improvement such as chaplaincy and World

Book Day, and work closely together in stages

to plan learning. In the secondary

department, many teachers have taken lead

roles in developing new national qualification

courses. Staff all through the school have

been leading teacher learning communities

and improvement working groups and,

together with our forum for principal

teachers, are committed to driving

improvement by providing opportunities for

professional dialogue and learning. Teachers

have also led activities and excursions,

including during Health and Activities Week in

May, leading lunchtime and after-school clubs

and study support sessions, as well as leading

outdoor learning activities, charity events and

supporting our Fairtrade, Rights Respecting

School, Eco and sports programmes.

We have continued to develop the role of

pupil voice within the school, promoted

through the House Captains in the primary

and secondary departments. We are actively

listening to parents’ views and are developing

a programme of greater engagement for

session 2015-16 in response to feedback.

St John’s RC Academy continues to develop a

wide range of leadership opportunities for our

pupils. Younger leaders have developed their

skills, for example through the development

of Peer Mentoring in Maths, being part of

whole school groups such as the Rights

Respecting School, Eco and Fairtrade groups,

being sacristans or paired reading buddies.

Others have led through helping in the infant

playground or being primary House Captains

and Vice-Captains. Our outgoing Head Girl,

Zap Paderog, and Head Boy, Ruaridh Neil,

were supported by a team of deputes, house

captains and prefects, and our new team, led

by Andrew Blain and Laura Wardlaw, have

already made a real impact. Senior student

leadership opportunities have included daily

duties to enable the school to run smoothly,

supporting parents’ evenings, hosting special

guests and representing the school at various

events, including the Referendum and

General Election counts, the Kirking of the

Council, SCIAF’s Wee Box launch and speaking

at a national Education Scotland conference.

High level strategic outcomes

We are a successful learning community.

We are an inclusive learning environment meeting the needs of all learners.

All members of our community actively contribute to improving our school.