Forres Academy inspection report published

The inspection report has highlighted strengths in the work of the school along with areas for improvement. Education staff are working with the school to progress an action plan to address these.

The inspection team praised the way a number of staff at Forres Academy work to help pupils feel included and valued. The clubs and activities offered are supporting young people to develop a range of skills, while provision at college helps them to achieve positive outcomes and skills for life and work.

The school was evaluated as ‘satisfactory’ for learning, teaching and assessment, and ‘weak’ in leadership of change, ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion, and in raising attainment and achievement.

Education Scotland will make a return visit within the next 12 months when education staff expect to demonstrate significant progress.

The council’s Head of Education, Vivienne Cross, said: “The inspection report sets out the improvement agenda which the school, supported by the central Education team, is committed to delivering.

“Senior leaders and the wider staff team are focused on ensuring improved outcomes for all young people across the whole school community, including positive post-school destinations. National attainment measures for 2021/2022 show over 98% of Forres Academy’s school leavers moved on to a positive post-school destination which was above national and Moray averages.

“Recruitment of staff for the session ahead is progressing well, with appointments to the Maths department and to provide additional leadership capacity which will support improvement work to progress at pace.”

Forres Academy and Moray Council as education authority have been asked to focus on four areas before the inspectors make their follow-up visit. These are:

• Improve the strategic leadership of change and improvement across all areas of the school. Leadership at all levels needs to be focussed on improving outcomes for learners.
• Improve the quality of learning, teaching and assessment. Teachers should focus on meeting the needs of individual learners. Class lessons need to be more engaging and young people should be involved in leading their learning.
• Improve approaches to supporting young people’s learning and wellbeing. This includes the planning and review of supports for learning. Young people and their parents should be fully involved in decisions that affect them.
• Improve attainment for young people from S1 to S6. Teachers should track progress at all stages and make sure learner’s progress is understood by young people and their parents.

The full report is published on the Education Scotland website.