‘High levels of trust, high aspirations and high expectations’ are the words used by His Majesty’s Inspectors to describe the culture of East Dunbartonshire Council’s Education Service, following a recent thematic inspection.
His Majesty’s Inspectors visited East Dunbartonshire Council in September 2024 after His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education announced a national thematic inspection of all local authorities in Scotland. The focus of the inspection being on how local authorities support schools to improve.
The findings from the inspection of East Dunbartonshire’s Education Service were extremely positive, with some of the highlights being,
- The relationship-based approach within the service which has led to effective collaboration at all levels, with a strong focus on improving experiences for children and young people
- Staff collaborating and networking across the local authority, West Partnership and beyond
- Staff having a strong understanding of self-evaluation and school improvement
- The drive among the central team to know the schools as well as headteachers and their clarity of their role in improving educational experiences.
Convener of Education, Councillor Lynda Williamson, said, “The report published by HM Inspectors following their recent inspection of our Education Service was nothing short of excellent. Inspectors found the service operates within a strong culture of openness and transparency, with joint working across all schools and highly effective professional learning activities focussing on school improvement for all staff.
“Inspectors also reported positive relationships between staff in schools and the central Education Service, with all staff sharing a proficient understanding of self-evaluation and school improvement processes, ensuring everyone is continuously fine-tuning practice to provide the very best educational experience for all learners within East Dunbartonshire.
I am absolutely delighted with this report, and congratulate the Chief Education Officer, Quality Improvement Managers, Educational Psychologists and School Planning and Improvement Manager on this endorsement of all their success in providing outstanding support, guidance and leadership to East Dunbartonshire’s schools.
