Renfrewshire singled out for praise in national education inspection

Renfrewshire’s education services have been picked out as examples of good practice in a national inspection of all Scottish councils.

His Majesty’s Inspectors of Education recently published their inspection into local authority approaches to improving education across the country.

And Renfrewshire Council was picked out as a case study three times – for its work with parents of children with additional support needs, its approach to sharing data with schools, and its work around training and professional learning.

No other Scottish council was cited for good practice more times in the report, which set out to offer a comprehensive overview of how central teams in all 32 local authorities help support improvement within schools.

Comments on Renfrewshire’s areas of strength included:

• ASN parent ambassadors – parents of children with additional support needs meet four times a year to discuss relevant policy and practice. Inspectors said the ambassadors have ‘a genuine voice in representing the families of children with ASN’.
• Data strategy – described as a ‘clear and highly-effective’ approach, staff in each school have access to their own data dashboard which can be used for skills development and allows decisions to be based on evidence. Inspectors said this ‘is leading to strong educational outcomes for children and young people’.
• Professional learning – Renfrewshire’s ‘train the trainer’ approach to developing school staff was also cited as a good-practice example of how to ‘grow your own’. Inspectors commented on collaboration across subject networks and within schools as well as the consistent support provided by HQ-based staff.

Janie O’Neill, director of children’s services at Renfrewshire Council, said: “We are delighted Renfrewshire features so strongly in this inspection of education services across Scotland.

“The comments from the inspectors recognise the commitment that exists to involving parents in decisions, and to using data to inform decisions around learning and teaching.

“The praise for our approach to improving the skills of our teaching workforce reflects well on what our schools offer to pupils, while also showing Renfrewshire is a good place to work for teachers looking to learn, develop and further their own careers.

“These results are only possible because of the dedication and talent of our team, and the way school staff have bought into the approach – and I want to thank everyone involved for that.”

Councillor Emma Rodden, convener of the council’s education and children’s services policy board, added: “We already knew Renfrewshire’s schools were highly regarded – but it’s great to see the council mentioned for good practice so many times in a Scotland-wide inspection.

“I want to congratulate everyone involved – from the management team who have put in place structures which are allowing colleagues to thrive, to everyone in our schools who is delivering for our pupils day after day.”