ARDROSSAN ACADEMY

Standards and Quality Report Session 2015-16

AMBITION RESPECT EXCELLENCE

Ardrossan Academy is a comprehensive

school serving the towns of Ardrossan,

Saltcoats and West Kilbride.

The school is situated on an extensive

plot and dates back to 1882. The Main

Building has many original features,

Including Dux boards which are still

maintained every academic year and a

traditional Assembly Hall. There are also

4 newer buildings which were built in the

1970s. The school grounds include

extensive social areas and astro turf

pitches.

The school roll for session 2014-15 was

814 broken down as follows:

S1—144

S2— 159

S3— 140

S4—164

S5— 126

S6—81

Ardrossan Academy Particular Strengths of the School

Enthusiastic young people who are proud of their school and the wide range

of achievements.

Committed staff who provide young people with a range of opportunities

for achievement in and out with the classroom.

Improving trend of attainment in Literacy and Numeracy.

Clear Vision, Values and Aims.

The range of extended curricular opportunities that contribute to learners’

attainment and achievement.

Universal Personal Support which allows all young people to be carefully

tracked and monitored in their learning and health & wellbeing.

An innovative BGE curriculum.

A commitment to improving outcomes for learners through a wide and

varied curriculum.

How well do young people learn and

achieve?

“Young people learn and achieve well at Ardrossan Academy. They are motivated

and positive about their learning experiences and proud of their school. They enjoy

their learning and feel encouraged and supported to do their best. Across the school,

they participate actively, undertaking a wide variety of engaging and interesting

learning activities and contributing confidently in lessons.”

Education Scotland May 2016

We continue to have a positive impact on young people’s achievement and

attainment by providing a broad curriculum; enabling access to a range of courses in

conjunction with local colleges and other secondary schools; offering opportunities

to students to lead whole school activities and engaging with a range of agencies

and business links to enhance the learning experience.

Literacy & Numeracy Attainment

School Leavers

Careers in Languages

S3 pupils were involved in an event involving

local businesses and also Universities to gain

an understanding of how Languages can

impact on career routes. The Modern

Languages department linked closely with

Home Economics and Physical Education to

develop a fun and interesting programme of

study . This led on to a project involving a

local restaurant and some S3 pupils who were

studying Spanish devising a Tapas menu

which was researched, produced and sold to

teaching staff in a “Pop-Up” restaurant.

The Ad Astra Awards went ahead for a second year and following consultation with

pupils, it was made more challenging to achieve the Ad Astra Award, which was

recognised through award ceremonies. Pupils were formally recognised for their

contributions to the school in the categories of Respect, Uniform, Effort,

Contribution (to classes and whole school) and Behaviour. We feel it is vital that we

tell young people when they are doing well to help build confidence and

self-esteem. Reward activities including Cinema afternoons, Pizza lunches,

Inflatables day and theme park visits were offered to highlight to students how

much we value their citizenship 625 students were involved in reward activities last

session.

AMBITION RESPECT EXCELLENCE

Last session 19 pupils achieved their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award and 9 their

Silver award. There is a small but very committed team of staff supporting young

people in their expeditions, volunteering and completion of their profiles.

There is a commitment to extend learning beyond the traditional curriculum in

Ardrossan Academy and Skills for Work Courses in Early Education and Childcare,

Digital Passport ,Travel and Tourism and now Web Design are a popular part of our

Senior Phase. We have also developed our approaches to wider achievement in the

Broad General Education with the introduction of Crest and Health and Wellbeing

Awards . Last session 126 S1 pupils were the first to achieve these awards.

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2015 91.9% 87.5% 74.4% 60.6%

2014 90.1% 81.5% 72.6% 36.7%

2013 90.7% 73.5% 60.3% 59.3%

2012 91.4% 72.9% 60% 54.3%

Our Senior Phase encompasses all the requirements and arrangements of SQA

while offering unique experiences for our learners, working with partner agencies.

Visits to local business including Woodward Aircraft Systems in Prestwick, where

young people were able to find out more about careers in engineering and see a

working factory provide useful learning experiences.

The introduction of new courses such as Higher Food and Health Technology, Web

Design and Digital Passport is an example of meeting the demand of learners as

well as the local labour market. Our curriculum has been designed following

consultation with learners, parents/carers and partners including business.

Consortium learning is a key feature of our Senior Phase as we strive to continue to

offer progress in academic and vocational pathways. Close links with local schools

and colleges ensure learners have the opportunity to study at Advanced Higher

level as well as experience a range of Skills for Work courses in Construction,

Technologies and the Hospitality industry.

AMBITION RESPECT EXCELLENCE

Curriculum and Meeting Learning Needs

Our Broad General Education is a result of a strong transition from Primary School.

Our P7 transition programme allows young people to not only experience learning in

the secondary sector but also has our practitioners going along to our Cluster

primaries to engage and facilitate learning in a range of curricular areas. Last

session pupils were treated to readings and activities from our Drama department

on “Haunting Halloween” and Rabbie Burns as well as working with teachers from

PE, Mathematics, Modern Languages and English in their own schools. Our Broad

General Education is entirely built around the spirit of Curriculum for Excellence.

There is a focus on ensuring breadth of learning in all Curricular Areas and providing

challenge and depth within subject specific contexts when pupils are ready. Robust

and exciting Inter-disciplinary learning is a key feature of the BGE.

Staff continue to review their provision to ensure we are meeting the needs of all

learners in the BGE and Senior Phase. Alternatives to traditional courses, particularly

in S5/6 are proving to be engaging and beneficial as pupils choose to continue their

learning in Ardrossan Academy. All levels of learning are catered for and allow

students to choose new pathways as they progress through the school.

Learning and Teaching remains at the heart of all we do. Workshops involving all

teaching staff on different aspects of teaching and also literacy took place last

session. Improving standards of teaching remains a priority and therefore

monitoring the quality of learning and teaching and sharing good practice is a key

part of our self-evaluation.

Developing the Young Workforce

Increasing links were formed during

2015-16 to improve opportunities and

outcomes for young people, making

them more competitive in today’s

market.

One pupil participated in the New

School of Sciences mentoring

programme “1000 Futures”. She

achieved mentee of the month

from a cohort of hundreds of girls

from all over the world and is now

working with them to develop

their mentoring programme.

Links with a local allotment have

been established and contribute to

our Food for Life group and

Learning for Sustainability group.

Our S1 Student Council have been

working with Youth Services on

Participative Democracy and are

developing our anti-bullying

strategy.

S2 pupils have devised their own

enterprise “ArdCo” and made a

successful bid to the Parent

Council for funding which will

allow them to showcase the

creative talents of Ardrossan

Academy pupils.

AMBITION RESPECT EXCELLENCE

Useful information and strategies to support learners with Additional Support Needs

and Alternative Assessment Arrangements are shared with all staff and reviewed

regularly. A planned programme of review meetings is set at the beginning of the

year and we actively encourage parents/carers and any external agencies working

with the young person to become involved with these meetings. All staff are

involved in CPD on Health and Wellbeing including physical, social, emotional and

mental health. The health of learners is a pivotal piece of our work and last session

specific sessions on wellbeing indicators and Child Protection took place with all

staff. As a School of Sport many young people are attracted to the alternative pro-

vision we have which engages them in additional training in Rugby and Basketball. In

conjunction with SRU and Basketball Scotland we offer a robust training programme

which has participants engaged in additional physical activity at the start and end of

the school day twice a week, no matter what the weather, as well as a training

session during the course of the school day.

Other opportunities for learning take place via Eco Committee, run and organised by

pupils, drama club, Ceilidh band, Young Singers, Student Councils, Netball, Football,

and many others.

We have also been fortunate to establish a Nurture base in Ardrossan Academy

which supports a small group of young people when they enter S1 and offer them

continued extended support throughout their first year of Secondary School.

How well do staff work with others to

support young people’s learning?

A successful Education Scotland Inspection highlighted areas of highly effective

practice within the school. Our work with Ayrshire College to develop pathways in

the Senior Phase ,which will allow young people to develop skills and make them

strong competitors in the areas of engineering was of particular interest and is

being rolled out in session 2016/17. The school is currently engaged with Education

Scotland to develop our approach to the delivery of STEM with our cluster

primaries, tackling issues around gender imbalance.

3 pupils attended a week-long residential summer school at Glasgow Caledonian

University on Cybersecurity. Senior pupils participated in a Leadership Development

programme at Arran Outdoor Centre.

The annual “Your Future” event is a popular event which gives young people and

their families information on school courses, careers, learning beyond school and

apprenticeships. We are also keen to learn from parents and carers and hold focus

groups and issue surveys throughout the school year to gather feedback on the

school and education. We are currently developing systems for sharing that

information with the whole school community.

Ace Base

Our Ace Base continues to provide

stimulating learning opportunities for

young people in S1 and S2.

This year outdoor learning and a CSi

style project were used to great effect,

encouraging the young people to

develop knowledge and skills in

science, research and teamwork.

Police Scotland and science staff

worked alongside the pupils as they

discovered more about investigative

techniques to track down a

perpetrator.

We continue to invite partners from across North Ayrshire and

beyond to work with our learners to develop their skills and put their

learning in context.

During the SQA examinations May 2015, Community Learning

and Development supported an extensive piece of work which

engaged a group of our S4 learners in developing a portfolio of

wider qualifications which included Heartstart, First Aid,

Customer Service Awards and Leadership.

Cumnock based poet, Rab Wilson, delivered a workshop which

helped S2 pupils develop their own poetry.

Quality Meat Scotland are working with Home Economics classes

to develop their understanding of Hospitality processes within

their National Qualifications courses.

BT STEM ambassadors delivered a “Raspberry Pi” workshop

raising awareness of and developing understanding of the gap in

the digital skills market.

This gives an idea of the range of learning opportunities open to our

learners with the support of the wider community.

Strategic Priorities 2015-18

Embed and enhance the principles of GIRFEC to ensure

improved outcomes for all learners.

Improve the quality of learning and teaching across the

curriculum to meet the needs of all learners.

Refine self-evaluation processes to support quality

improvement and positively impact on learners’ experiences.

Enhance the teaching and learning of numeracy skills across

the curriculum to increase attainment.

Enhance the teaching and learning of literacy skills across the

curriculum to increase attainment.

Develop the BGE and Senior Phase to improve learning

experiences and pathways. Leading to positive and sustained

destinations.