The Royal High School

Percentage of the S4 roll attaining awards at SCQF levels

12.6.5 It is however a fact that, as the above groups of pupils were due to sit exams, there was a degree of prioritisation attached to protecting their teaching time. Due to the period of the year they were also able to benefit from the exam study leave so they could work at home for some of the time. It is therefore perhaps not that surprising that their performance in exams was much in line with the attainment of previous years.

12.6.6 In evidence, there was concern expressed in relation to the effect on S3 pupils, as during the latter period of the decant from mid-May onwards they would normally have been commencing their transition to S4, including the initial preparation of course work which ultimately will be examined at the end of the S4 year.

12.6.7 It is more difficult to assess the impact on primary school pupils. The information provided by the Council indicate that whereas the average lost teaching time per pupil per day in the secondary schools was approximately 12 minutes, the equivalent for primary schools was 71 minutes per pupil. The Inquiry has no way of assessing the impact of this over the period of approximately ten weeks of being decanted, however this does represent a significant proportion of each school day over the period.

12.6.8 The Inquiry took the view as Oxgangs school was initially closed in January as a result of the wall collapse and subsequently from mid-March up until May, the head teacher from that school was well-placed to provide an informed opinion on the impact of these events on educational development.

12.6.9 In her evidence, she offered the view that there were positives as well as negatives in relation to the children's development during this period. She said;

"As far as any detriment to the children was concerned, I do not believe there was anything significant. In fact, there were many positives which came out of this experience which the children found initially at least a "big excitement"."

"In many cases children came back to Oxgangs after their experiences in other schools with lots of good ideas that they had seen elsewhere. Although they were fed up towards the end of the decant and were keen to get back. Following the situation, I expected to see a big dip in levels of attainment but in fact this never materialised. In fact, in some cases I have seen something of an improvement. Overall, I would say that the experience for children has been at worst neutral."

12.6.10 The Inquiry also sought the views of the head teacher at Braidburn in relation to the impact on the attainment of pupils with additional needs.

"We would reiterate that it was disruptive but they did make progress at a rate which was not unduly affected. Our targets in terms of educational attainment were still met but the day-to-day experience for many of the children was not the same as it would have been in Braidburn.

There were some positives that came out of the situation. Our children mixed well when they were at some of the decant locations. That was a very positive experience. Unfortunately, some of our children went to different facilities and did not have that opportunity. However, it was not necessarily a bad experience in every sense. For the staff, it was helpful in that it strengthened partnerships between us and other groups. It was good for staff development and teamwork."

12.6.11 It is difficult to determine and it will subsequently be difficult to prove whether the closure and decant of the schools has had any longer-term negative impact on the educational attainment of the pupils affected. However, on the basis of the evidence provided, the Inquiry is of the view that any negative impact is likely to have been of a limited nature and that these may have been offset in certain instances by some unexpected positive impacts of the experience.