A troubled north-east secondary school will be told it still has room to improve – almost two years after a damning inspectorate report.
Banff Academy was branded “weak” by education inspectors during a routine visit to the school in November 2013.
Inspectors said the school needed to improve its engagement with pupils, its curriculum and the way it met the needs of students with learning difficulties.
A report which will be presented to members of the local authority’s Banff and Buchan area committee on Tuesday will reveal that there are still issues which need to be addressed by staff – including finding a way to encourage the good behaviour of pupils.
In her report, Maria Walker, the council’s head of education services, says that while progress has been made to turn around the curriculum, teachers must build upon their “promising” start.
“Developments should continue with arrangements for sharing information with parents and young people about what young people are learning and the progress they are making,” she said.
She added that the school should now also consult with parents and students about what improvements were needed.
Successes highlighted in Ms Walker’s report include the suggestion that pupils now feel more pride in their school than they did before and that the staff’s four-year improvement plan is now in place.
Staff created the framework to drive up standards in the immediate aftermath of the 2013 inspectorate report.
Last night, the chairman of the Banff and Buchan area committee, Banff councillor John Cox, said that improvements to the school were to be encouraged.
He said: “The physical ambiance of the place now is totally transformed from before, but we’re still on a journey.
“If it continues it will be absolutely fantastic, because it will both increase attainment and make Banff the destination people want to go to raise their families. We could say ‘look, we have a fantastic school’.”