Oustanding HMIE report for Clippens School in Linwood

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Clippens School in Linwood which caters for 60 pupils with additional support needs has been awarded the best rating given by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education to any Scottish school this year.

A team from HM Inspectorate of Education assessed Clippens School on sixteen key aspects which covered its effectiveness, the environment for learning, the process for self-evaluation and capacity for improvement, and pupil achievements. HMIE’s verdict was that the school was rated “excellent” in ten categories and “very good” in the remaining six.

Clippens School provides education for pupils aged 5 to 18 years who have additional learning support needs. Those needs could arise from complex learning difficulties, sensory impairments and physical disabilities. Children with autism are taught in the Lismore Unit which is an integral part of the school.

Among the main strengths of Clippens School which the inspectors identified were:

• The quality of leadership
• The partnership with parents and other agencies to meet the needs of pupils and give them opportunities to participate in the wider community
• A strong culture of achievement which made sure that pupils were successful learners
• Creative teaching approaches
• Good teamwork which put pupils at the centre of all planning and development, and
• The impact of approaches to self-evaluation on pupils’ achievements.

The report sought the views of parents, pupils and staff and received a highly positive series of responses all round. Parents felt staff were welcoming and provided clear and detailed information about children’s progess. Pupils showed pleasure when taking part in classroom and recreational activities. Teachers, instructors and support staff felt that all staff worked well together as a team and that the school set high standards and was well led.

The HMIE inspectors found that Clippens School, including the Lismore unit, offered “an excellent educational experience for its pupils within an inclusive learning environment.” The school “provided consistently high quality of teaching and support” for pupils who “were making very good progress within a stimulating and challenging curriculum.”

The quality of leadership at the school was judged “excellent” with particular praise being given to head teacher Olwynne Clark, who was described as “an inspirational leader, highly respected by parents, staff and the wider community.”

Given the pupil’s learning needs and challenges, it was a particular boost for the school that the inspection found that the “overall quality of achievement in language was excellent.” Pupils benefited from “a wide variety of language experiences” backed by “comprehensive and highly creative support.” The pupils’ personal and social development was also assessed as “excellent.”

The school’s head teacher, Olwynne Clark, said: “The staff of Clippens School were delighted to receive such an excellent report. It highlights a significant number of strengths including partnerships with parents and teamwork across the school. This report would not be possible without the ongoing hard work, creativity and support of the staff, parents and friends of the school.

“Clippens School is about working together, staff and parents, trying to find ways to help our children learn and improve the quality of their life for now and for the future.”

John Rooney, Renfrewshire Council’s Director of Education and Leisure Services, was equally delighted. “This is quite clearly an outstanding report. It endorses, in a very public way, the excellent work of the school. In this sense, I am very pleased that the very fine work of the head teacher and her staff has been praised and recognised. The school can look forward to the future with much pride and confidence.”

Press Release: Wednesday 14 June 2006