High praise for pupils and teachers in north east Fife schools

Pupils at north east Fife high schools, such as this group of captains and vice-captains at Bell Baxter High School, are performing well, not just academically, but in supporting the wider work of their schools.

The rates of pupils staying on for fifth and sixth years are high, attendances are improving and the vast majority of leavers are going on to positive destinations.

Attainment levels are good and there is continued strong focus on improving literacy and numeracy.

That’s the findings in a report on Bell Baxter High, Madras College and Waid Academy, which was presented to Fife Council’s north east Fife area committee.

Councillor Frances Melville, who chairs the committee, said: “There is a lot of hard work being done by pupils and staff to raise standards and keep them high.

“It’s also refreshing to see the additional work that pupils are prepared to put in to improve the communities in which they live.

“These reports, and visits to the schools, help members of the committee see the strengths and improvements, and the challenges they face.”

All schools in north east Fife emphasised a rigorous approach to self-evaluation and reported a commitment to this from teachers, as well as promoting an openness and willingness to work with all pupils and not only those whose aim is to go on to university.

There was a strong emphasis on developing partnerships in the community with local employers, some of which are Fife’s largest organisations.

All schools were continuing to strive for improvements, with a particular emphasis on achieving positive destinations for those in the most deprived areas of north east Fife.

They are also placing greater emphasis and trying harder than ever to prepare pupils for the world of work, with the need for increasing partnership opportunities in the communities the schools serve greater than ever.

As part of a strategy to further develop links and opportunities with businesses, ‘Graduate Aides’ have been recruited. They will also focus on creating opportunities for individual young people.

Moving into 2016, there are three broad area schools are working on in the drive to achieve positive destinations for all pupils – skills and employability and developing the young workforce; programmes of learning and partnerships with business; and systems of support for those ‘at risk’ of not achieving a positive destination.