Glasgow primary school goes through five different headteachers in three years

A south Glasgow primary school which has had five headteachers in the last three years has suffered from a lack of leadership, an inspection has found.

An inspection report noted the high staff turnover at Toryglen Primary, and said the school has now appointed a new permanent head, which is bringing much needed “stability”.

Inspectors recently handed the school a list of improvements after a visit where they scored some categories weak while also praising the team for their strengths.

A letter sent home to parents said: “The school’s journey of improvement has been hampered over recent years by a lack of continuity in leadership.

“Now with a permanent and substantive headteacher in post we are confident that we have the leadership capacity to respond positively to the report’s findings and in good time.”

No explanation was given for such a high turnover of head teachers, with the report noting only that several had moved on.

The letter also said there may be “disappointment” over the ratings and reassured parents that council education officers would support the school over the next year.

It said: “The report highlights a number of strengths of the school and how committed the teachers and school staff are to your children, while clearly highlighting some areas where there requires to be important improvements.”

The inspection report said almost 86 per cent of the children live in deprived areas and 32 per cent of pupils have English as an additional language.

The school scored weak in three categories and satisfactory in another according to the Education Scotland inspection report, which was published last month.

Although heaping plenty of praise on the staff, inspectors rated the school as weak in ‘leadership of change,’ ‘ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion’ and’ raising attainment and achievement.’ It was judged satisfactory in ‘learning, teaching and assessment.’

Education Scotland wrote to parents in December outlining the situation.
The letter said: “As a result of our inspection findings we think that the school needs additional support and more time to make necessary improvements. We will liaise with Glasgow City Council regarding the school’s capacity to improve.”

Another inspection is to be carried out in a year.

Among issues to be addressed, management are to improve leadership of learning, teaching and raising attainment. Inspectors also said staff are to increase attainment and boost children’s progress in literacy and maths across the primary.

The school’s strengths were also mentioned with staff and management praised for developing “calm and purposeful learning environments.”

It was also highlighted that the school and its language and communication resource staff know children and their families well and give caring and nurturing support.

A council spokeswoman said: “The inspection report highlights several key strengths of the school and how committed the staff are to the children.

“The school has a clear action plan to address some of the points referred to as areas of improvement and will work together with the local authority.”