Tingwall primary praised by school inspectors

THE head teacher of Tingwall Primary has been praised in a government inspection report.

Cheryl Spofforth was commended for her very good leadership when inspectors visited the school earlier this year.

Their report, which paints a generally rosy picture of the 50-pupil school, said Mrs Spofforth’s teaching was “a model of good practice”, and she had successfully raised staff morale after a period of instability.

“Her drive and commitment to the school had earned her the respect of staff, pupils, parents and the local community,” the report said.

“She had promoted positive changes to key aspects of learning, teaching and achievement. Pupils and staff recognised and responded well to these improvements and were becoming more actively engaged in their learning and teaching.”

HMIE inspectors visited the school in June as part of a national sample of primary education.

Their report was the last of its kind to be carried out in Shetland before a radical rethink of school inspection procedures gets underway.

The inspection team judged the school to be good in eight categories of assessment, and very good in another six.

“The committed staff were developing into an effective team and were promoting pupils’ skills in a number of areas,” the report said.

Head of schools Helen Budge said the report reflected well on all the staff at the school.

Full story in this Friday’s Shetland Times.