A HELENSBURGH primary school has been given a glowing report card by education chiefs.

St Joseph’s Primary School has received the results of an inspection by Education Scotland officials, who remarked positively on several aspects of life at the school.

The document hailed the progress of pupils’ attainment in numeracy and literacy, along with the work of Pauline Walsh, who has been the school’s acting head teacher since August.

Ms Walsh took over on an acting basis after the retirement of Michelle Collins at the end of last term.

She will also oversee Colgrain Primary School, where she has previously been head teacher, from January until June.

The Education Scotland report said: “All staff work well together as a team to create a very positive and nurturing learning environment for all children across the school.

“The school has a warm, welcoming ethos underpinned by strong relationships between all staff and children, reflecting the gospel values.

“All staff show the school’s values of respect, kindness, tolerance and honesty in their daily interactions with children and each other. All children are polite, well behaved and welcoming to visitors.

“They enjoy being part of St Joseph’s Primary School and are proud of their community. Children and staff treat each other with respect and demonstrate a good understanding of the rights of others through their class charters and actions.

“In most lessons, teachers plan activities well, ensuring a balance of opportunities for children to work independently and in pairs or groups. They ensure the pace of learning is appropriate which has a positive impact on children’s engagement and motivation to learn.

“As a result, almost all children interact positively during lessons, asking questions and providing appropriate contributions to class discussions.

“All teachers share the purpose of lessons and support children to understand how to be successful.

"In a few strong examples, teachers involve children effectively in identifying the skills they will need to be successful.

"In these lessons, children can talk about the skills they develop as a key part of their learning.”

The report added: “The acting headteacher and staff have a good understanding of the needs of their community.

"They provide nurturing and consistent support for children, ensuring they are fully included in the life of the school.

“Those not on track and requiring additional help are known to staff and supported well to make progress in their learning.

“The acting headteacher, in a short space of time, has identified clearly where both this year’s, and the previous year’s unspent PEF (pupil equity funding) will be used.

“In consultation with staff, additional staffing has been identified to support class-based interventions.

"The principal teacher is working closely with staff to gather robust data for individuals.

“Currently, staff do not have sufficient evidence to demonstrate the progress made towards closing the poverty related attainment gap.

"This new approach is supporting staff to monitor more regularly the progress children are making.

“This regular monitoring should also support the leadership team to identify more clearly the interventions that are making the most impact in accelerating children’s progress.”