Wick High School Inspection Report

[Venture]

Parents of children at Wick High School can now read for themselves the Inspection Report issued by HMIE.



http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/inspection/5102138WickHS.html


http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/inspection/Wick%20HS,%20additional%20evidence,%20Highland%20C ouncil%205102138.pdf

[rainbow]

Interesting that the quality of the school building needs to be improved - wonder if the Highland council will sit up and take notice.

[cuddlepop]

When Lochaber had their inspection and the building was found to be detremental to the pupils learning,the council found the money for improvements.
Similary when Portree was inspected this was highlighted too and thankfully we were in the process of getting a new school.
Your badly needed new school for Wick will depend on whether someone in Education is "embarrassed" by this report.

[lynne duncan]

"However, the school building as a whole is not yet a welcoming, secure or positive environment for learning. We discussed aspects relating to health and safety with the school and authority"

would love to have heard that conversation!!!

[rfr10]

It was a very disappointing report. Too many negative comments on various aspects of the school.

I notice they would like to see the pupils involved in improving the school community- well Highland Youth Voice have created a survey which was sent out to 80 pupils and 20 teachers in the school. It is in the form of a rating scale for- Teaching, School Environment, Building/ Structure, Pupils' attitude to work, Discipline methods, hygiene/ cleanliness, subject selection for pupils, school staffing and classroom space.

At the moment, the school building is at the bottom of the list along with hygiene/ cleanliness. This is the average of 30 surveys so far. Pupils are also asked to comment on Uniform/ dress code, PSE lessons and the school building. In general from the teachers' and pupils' surveys, it seems that the majority believe that the media is over exaggerating the condition of the school and believe that a whole new school is not necessary. This is the response from the teachers and pupils.

Also to see that the hygiene is at a low rating is very alarming. We will be creating a report from the survey which will be sent to the school and also the Director of Education and is likely to be used by the Scottish Youth Parliament as well.

[AfternoonDelight]

Yes - I often wondered whether the pupils work was ACTUALLY suffering or whether bad exam results are being blamed on the surroundings when in fact low atainment should be attributed to other factors.

When I was at the school, the buildings were in a state of disrepair, pipes and roofs were leaking, cladding was falling off, banisters were shoogly... none of this affected my willingness to learn. If I was interested in the subject I would study it - if I wasn't I didn't. :roll:

Although I must say I have been appalled at some of the pictures in the parents report - and the closure of the swimming pool is a disgrace.

It amuses me that a certain local politician likes to bump his gums about this travesty whenever he gets the chance, dispite his party holding part power in the Highland Council... then the council blame the Government for not giving them the money. The school has been going downhill for years - what did the Labour/LibDem coalition do about it when they were in power? Nothing. [disgust]

[viking]

The previous comment says it all. While it's undoubtedly depressing to be taught in such an environment (the hygiene situation sounds very worrying) it's what goes on in classrooms that counts and the experiences the pupils receive while at high school and their vision and expectations for their futures. I'm sure many of us here 'of a certain age' did not have swimming pools at school! I've read the report briefly and the staff, parents and pupils would seem to be positive about taking the school forward and moving on. Well done.

[celtic 302]

I have been involved with the survey that rfr10 mentioned. And as he said, the state of the school seems to be a big issue, but many pupils agree that it has been over-hyped. And as afternoondelight said, the state of the building should not affect how well a pupil learns a subject. I mean, the cracks in the wall are not stopping me from learning my differential equations!

rfr10 also mentioned hygiene, and something which emphasises just how bad it is, is that I am in S6, and have been at Wick High School since S1, and it has taken until now for the toilets to have soap in them. And just after it has been put there, some moron has used it all up.

Basically, in my opinion, the school certainly does not need rebuilt. Instead, a decent refurbishment would suffice, and some new equipment. And also, the whole ethos of the school needs to change. Learning needs to be made enjoyable. If it is not enjoyable, you are not going to want to learn it, and you need to. You need to learn to get a job, so you can afford to raise a family. One last thing. There needs to be more subjects put on offer. I am a scientist, so for me there is what I want. But for the people who prefer the languages, there is French. And a little Spanish in S5 & S6.

[sweetpea]

I have been involved with the survey that rfr10 mentioned. And as he said, the state of the school seems to be a big issue, but many pupils agree that it has been over-hyped. And as afternoondelight said, the state of the building should not affect how well a pupil learns a subject. I mean, the cracks in the wall are not stopping me from learning my differential equations!

rfr10 also mentioned hygiene, and something which emphasises just how bad it is, is that I am in S6, and have been at Wick High School since S1, and it has taken until now for the toilets to have soap in them. And just after it has been put there, some moron has used it all up.

Basically, in my opinion, the school certainly does not need rebuilt. Instead, a decent refurbishment would suffice, and some new equipment. And also, the whole ethos of the school needs to change. Learning needs to be made enjoyable. If it is not enjoyable, you are not going to want to learn it, and you need to. You need to learn to get a job, so you can afford to raise a family. One last thing. There needs to be more subjects put on offer. I am a scientist, so for me there is what I want. But for the people who prefer the languages, there is French. And a little Spanish in S5 & S6.

Ok, you share some of my sentiments. Firstly a building does not make a service if that service is good but it's about making the very best of what you have, at that time.
Hygiene in certain schools needs looked at, some schools don't put soap and paper towels in the toilets because they get trashed and the toilets get blocked but in others it's different.
As for learning being enjoyable that's because we all belong to about 3 main learning styles, auditory, visual and kinesthetic, no magic science there.
Good post from you

[sweetpea]

I feel so strongly about this sort of thing that I need to post again. If the building is crap then if there' good teaching and relationships going on inside it then that will compensate a goood bit for the it.
Also if the school is seen as having good outcomes and good destinations for the young people leaving it whilst putting up with the poor surroundings then that will say more about Wick than anything. Hey, we could turn it into a film, lol

[Murdina Bug]

The campaign team may well be over-emphasising the situation at Wick High but they have needed to do this to bring it to the attention of the public and authorities. That is the point of a campaign! The previous requests for attention have been overlooked so much lounder shouting has been required. This apparantly has become the name of the game - you won't get anything unless you shove the situation into the public eye and shame the authorities into listening.

The school obviously needs some work - you may be of the opinion that it is 'fixable' but there has to come a point where it is not financially viable to keep pumping money into old facilities. The entire structure of the school is being considered now, from the fabric and fittings to space allocation - and what is there is not fit for future purpose. I think the buildings have reached the end of their viable lives and a new school is the way to go. I also think that the surroundings definately have an affect on morale and learning and that will be evident when pupils and staff step foot into brand new facilities. I hope this issue never leaves the front pages of the press until captial funding for a new school is promised.

I notice that some say that it is the teaching/learning that is more important than the buildings but you can not separate these issues! If you want to improve the teaching and the availability of courses then you need to be able to attract top quality teachers. Now, it is difficult enough to presuade them to move north of Inverness, can you imagine how difficult it will be to sell them on the idea of Wick High versus the new Millburn Academy?? Get real and get behind the campaign.

[rfr10]

We have closed our survey for Wick High School and have gathered results of all surveys completed. I thought I'd share the basic results from the survey here-

Pupil Ratings
General Teaching 6.7 / 10 (satisfactory)
School Environment 5.1 / 10 (satisfactory)
Building/ Structure 3.5 / 10 (cause for concern)
Pupils’ Attitude to Work 5.5 / 10 (satisfactory)
Discipline 5.7 / 10 (satisfactory)
Hygiene/ Cleanliness 4.9 / 10 (unsatisfactory)
Subject Selection 6.1 / 10 (satisfactory)
Staffing 6.3 / 10 (satisfactory)
Availability of Facilities 4.9 / 10 (unsatisfactory)
Classroom Space 5.4 / 10 (satisfactory)

---

Teachers Ratings
Your Teaching 7.5 / 10 (good)
School Environment 4.4 / 10 (unsatisfactory)
Building/ Structure 2.8 / 10 (cause for concern)
Pupils’ Attitude to Work 5.2 / 10 (satisfactory)
Discipline Methods 6.1 / 10 (satisfactory)
Hygiene/ Cleanliness 2.6 / 10 (cause for concern)
Subject Selection for Pupils 5.1 / 10 (satisfactory)
School Staffing 6.1 / 10 (satisfactory)
Your Classroom Space 5.5 / 10 (satisfactory)
------------------------------------------------
Wick High School overall rating - 5.2 / 10 (unsatisfactory)
For the overall rating 6.5 + is satisfactory

[rfr10]

Can I just add-

As mentioned many times before- Highland Youth Voice do have a Highland wide Schools & Education Campaign Group.

I have recommended on Caithness.org they get involved but have had no response. I would have thought that since the group is directly involved in Highland Youth Voice which is run by the Education, Culture & Sport Service of the Highland Council that this would be a good idea to get it into Highland wide media.

As I am not a member of the schools & education group, I do not have any direct input in the group unless I am specifically asked to do so my members of the public or school pupils. Results form the survey above will be included in a report which will be send to the schools & education campaign group and they will decide what action to take, however, it is unlikely they will form a campaign for Wick High School unless specifically asked to do so by the Wick High School parent council

[AfternoonDelight]

The campaign team may well be over-emphasising the situation at Wick High but they have needed to do this to bring it to the attention of the public and authorities. That is the point of a campaign! The previous requests for attention have been overlooked so much lounder shouting has been required. This apparantly has become the name of the game - you won't get anything unless you shove the situation into the public eye and shame the authorities into listening.

The school obviously needs some work - you may be of the opinion that it is 'fixable' but there has to come a point where it is not financially viable to keep pumping money into old facilities. The entire structure of the school is being considered now, from the fabric and fittings to space allocation - and what is there is not fit for future purpose. I think the buildings have reached the end of their viable lives and a new school is the way to go. I also think that the surroundings definately have an affect on morale and learning and that will be evident when pupils and staff step foot into brand new facilities. I hope this issue never leaves the front pages of the press until captial funding for a new school is promised.

I notice that some say that it is the teaching/learning that is more important than the buildings but you can not separate these issues! If you want to improve the teaching and the availability of courses then you need to be able to attract top quality teachers. Now, it is difficult enough to presuade them to move north of Inverness, can you imagine how difficult it will be to sell them on the idea of Wick High versus the new Millburn Academy?? Get real and get behind the campaign.

I agree that the state of the surroundings has a lot to do with attracting new teachers but it also has a lot to do with the surrounding area, house prices etc and I happen to think that Caithness is a very attractive place to settle.

And as for shouting - you can shout as long and as loud as you like - if there is no money available, no-one is going to listen. Perhaps Inverness shouldn't have spent £300,000 on fireworks last year, or billions of pounds shouldn't have been used to help the crisis hit banks but that is what happened and there's nothing we can do about it.

You'll find that if you over exaggerate the state of the school to get attention, when things like this report come out and state that it's not actually that bad, people willl eventually stop paying any attention... It's like the boy crying wolf...

I'm in no way saying that the school shouldn't have some money spent on it - of course it needs upgraded, it's been left for years with no improvements, the heating is rubbish, the swimming pool needs fixed, the canteen needs extended, the new block probably does need demolished and rebuilt... but I don't think it's helping your cause by admitting you are "over emphasising the situtaion" ...

How about you get real - look at the attendance for the last meeting in the High School and ask yourself why there was such a bad turnout? :roll:

[Murdina Bug]

When I said that the team may be 'over-emphasising' - I did not mean they were exaggerating the physical problems of the school - I meant that they are everywhere all the time emphasising their point. I do apologise if that was badly phrased and you felt that I was 'admitting' something!

You say yourself that many areas of the school need attention - as I said, it has surely got to the point that there is no point keeping patching this place up. It is just not practical nor cost effective. I guess the lack of attendance at public meetings is down to the usual apathy/busy lives/'somebody else will deal with' attitudes of people - it is always the way. That doesn't mean that those who do care shouldn't carry on with trying to change things. If you start with a defeatist attitude (there's no money/it's not that bad/it was good enough for us) you're not going to get anywhere.