ST JOSEPH’S primary school, in Kelty, had an inspection to remember as not only did they achieve great results but they also had a burst water pipe to contend with!

On the last morning of the inspection the school had to be closed due to flooding in the reception area, corridors and school office, and all the water had to be turned off.

Headteacher Kirsty O’Connor said, “It was certainly a memorable inspection for Her Majesty’s Inspectors for Education (HMIE), who had never had that happen before! Thankfully they had completed the assessment but they will remember St Joseph’s!” Despite this watery mishap, the school was praised for its “responsible, well-mannered children who are making good progress in their learning, with positive learning experiences provided by staff, and the headteacher’s leadership of change and high expectations in improving the school.” In their conclusions, the inspectors discussed with staff and Fife Council how they can keep improving the school and they recommended that St Joseph’s “continue to develop the curriculum and raise expectations of what all children can achieve” as well as “increasing the rigour of the school’s approaches to self evaluation to improve the school further and bring about greater consistency in the quality of teaching.” HMIE said that they were “satisfied with the overall quality of provision and confident that the school’s self-evaluation processes are leading to improvements. As a result, we will make no further visits in connection with this inspection.” The proud headteacher said, “I’m delighted that the report highlighted the positive ethos, the staff commitment, children’s enthusiasm and engagement in learning, as these are the key features which make St Joseph’s the great place we know it is.

“Visitors to our school often comment on the positive, welcoming atmosphere, and we are pleased that the inspectors recognised this, as this promotes and encourages everyone to be the best they can!

“We will focus on the specific points for action and continue to make St Joseph’s a great place to work and learn at.”