Double whammy for Bo'ness Academy

Christmas has come early at Bo'ness Academy after the school received good news over work it has undertaken lately.

Because education watchdogs have identified “significant progress” at the secondary which received a less-than-favourable report at an inspection back in October 2015.

And on the strength of that progress, Her Majesty’s Inspectors have concluded that their ongoing investigation on the campus is complete.

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A change in staffing involving the appointment of new senior leaders has been credited for the final result.

Head teacher Steve Dougan was singled out for praise as were his deputies.

The report stated: “They are raising the aspirations of staff and young people. More pupils people are leaving with better literacy and numeracy qualification. Senior leaders and faculty leaders recognise where further improvements are required and have strategies in place to achieve this.”

Pupil, too, in newly formed leadership teams were also commended and it was also stated that the youngsters “were more engaged in their learning” in general.

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Mr Dougan said:“I am immensely proud of the hard work undertaken here.

“This has been a collective effort and the dedication shown by all staff has been quite rightly recognised by the inspectors.

“I am also extremely proud of our young people and delighted to see that the work with their leadership teams has been acknowledged as making a difference in Bo’ness Academy.

“The inspectors’ feedback demonstrates that the education we are providing for our young people is relevant, appropriate and is improving both their academic attainment and their opportunities to progress onto a positive and sustained destination.”

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Councillor Adanna McCue, spokesperson for Education said: “Since the original inspection took place in late 2015, staff have worked very hard to ensure the school meets the highest standards set by Education Scotland and it is really great to see this massive effort pay off. The entire community of Bo’ness should be proud of their work, the work of the pupils and everyone connected with the school in ensuring that this report was so positive. I believe Bo’ness Academy will go from strength to strength, improving the education experience for all pupils who attend.”

It has also emerged that the secondary has triumphed in a UK-wide competition which encourages youngsters to foster a lifelong love of the written word, especially among pupils not normally drawn to reading for pleasure.

The school was named as overall ‘Team of the Year’ for the use of an online global reading tool and was led by teacher Sam Phillips – after adopting it just a year ago.

Dedicating the win to her students, Miss Phillips said: “The real achievement is that we are getting our young people reading and talking about books.”

Principal teacher Jamie Crawford added: “It has been great to see so many staff and students working corroboratively towards improving literacy and reading skills in such a supportive environment.”