A report carried out after an Education Scotland Inspection revealed a minority of young people displayed difficult behaviour which disrupted the learning of others.

The Education Scotland team who visited Linwood High said it needed to do more to cater for behaviour management but said staff showed commitment to improving outcomes for young people.

Findings from the inspection, carried out in February this year, were detailed in a letter sent out to parents from the HM Inspectorate of Education to inform them of how the school will improve on any concerns.

It also highlighted some of the key strengths at the school, which included building young people’s confidence within and beyond the classroom, helping them to engage with the local community and having an effective focus on employability skills for life and work.

A letter sent out on April 28 said: “Most young people across the school, including those attending the Kintyre Base, are confident and motivated in their learning. Most feel that they are progressing well with their studies, staff encourage them to do the best they can and they get help from teaching staff when they need it.

“Overall, relationships across the school between young people and staff are positive and most young people respond well to teachers’ guidance and instructions. However, a minority of young people display poor behaviour that disrupts the learning of others.

“The school is currently developing its promoting positive behaviour management strategies and working towards teachers applying them consistently across the school.” The letter said the purpose of the school inspection was to evaluate the quality of education. Inspectors assessed the school, with a focus on five quality indicators which were: improvements in performance; the quality of learners experiences; meeting learning needs; the curriculum; and improvement through self-evaluation.

On a positive note, a report to the Education and Children Police Board on August 20 also highlighted how well Renfrewshire Council was working to improve pupils’ involvements in a wide range of activities that they could take part in within or beyond school.

One example included the fact that almost every pupil at the school was working within the Linwood area in partnership with the local Community Development Trust.

The report continued: “They are working well to improve the environment and contribute to the increasingly positive image of Linwood in partnership with the local Community Development Trust.

“This work is building pride in the local community, developing young people’s sense of belonging and showing them that their activities have an impact.” Education Scotland said it was ‘confident’ that the school will be able to make the necessary improvements and, as a result, would be making no further visits in connection with this inspection.

Instead, progress on the action plan will be monitored by children’s services staff on a proportionate basis and a report will be prepared within two years of the original inspection, detailing progress made.

Marie McAdam, HM Inspector, said: “We are satisfied with the overall quality of provision. We are 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. As part of its arrangements for reporting to parents on the quality of education, Renfrewshire Council will inform parents about the school’s progress.”