A SOUTHSIDE school for pupils with additional support needs has been praised by inspectors after a recent visit.

The Education Scotland team highlighted a number of strengths at Middlefield School in Toryglen, which has 25 pupils from across the city.

Its key strengths included: “Staff develop strong and stable relationships with young people. This helps them to feel cared for and valued.”

Inspectors also noted there had been “important improvements in young people’s wellbeing and motivation to attend school regularly” which “supports young people to access a range of learning opportunities.”

The report also said staff work “effectively with partners to prepare young people to access college, work placements and wider experiences in the community, or undertake online courses when they leave school.”

Areas for improvement, which were identified and discussed with the headteacher and a representative from Glasgow City Council, included a requirement for teachers to “develop further how they plan lessons so that young people’s learning builds progressively on what they already know” and to “increase the amount of time young people experience high quality planned learning during the school day.”

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Mairi Graham, Middlefield’s acting headteacher, said: “We are continually looking for ways to improve the learning experience for all of our young people, and are committed to discovering innovative and stimulating approaches. 

“We are delighted that the report recognises that the strong, successful, relationships and partnerships we have nurtured have resulted in increased attendance and positive post school destinations.”

She added: “Many of our young people and families have had to overcome significant challenges in order to access education. We strive to reduce barriers to learning and to continue to offer valuable opportunities and meaningful experiences to our young people.”

Councillor Christina Cannon, Glasgow’s education convenor, said: “I want to congratulate the headteacher, teachers and school staff for their commitment to the learning and teaching of the young people at Middlefield.

“The report makes reference to a number of supports in place that are making a difference to the pupils' lives and looking at ways in which to offer as many opportunities as possible and a bespoke plan for their futures.”

The full report is available on the Education Scotland website.