Cargilfield School, a leading independent, co-educational preparatory school for children aged 3 to 13, in Edinburgh, in September announced the results of its 2023 Education Scotland inspection.
Cargilfield School received an outstanding report in all four inspection categories, with an excellent for raising attainment and achievement; and very good for leadership of change learning; for learning, teaching and assessment and for ensuring well-being, equality and inclusion.
Education Scotland reports that “the School’s motto ‘Where Learning is an Everyday Adventure’ is evident in the exciting and motivating experiences for children”. The inspection states the School successfully strikes “a balance between achieving outstanding academic standards and expectations, while ensuring children’s emotional and mental well-being is nurtured”.
The report praises the School for its “highly effective leadership” and described staff as [an] “enthusiastic, highly skilled and forward-looking group of teachers” that are “committed to developing each child as an individual”. The School’s governance and strategic direction is regarded as very high quality.
The report found that the “Board, Headmaster and senior leadership team “have a clear and shared vision for the future of Cargilfield School.” Parents and parent groups, including Year reps and Friends of Cargilfield are also recognised in playing “a key role in the success of the school.”
In terms of attainment, Cargilfield pupils are noted as working “hard to achieve their potential and are very polite and respectful in their interactions with staff and other children.”
The report recognises pupils“ ’exceptional confidence [and] leadership” and “attaining levels that were far beyond expectations for their age and stage” in Literacy. Inspectors observed that pupils are “motivated “to learn and demonstrate a very positive work ethic.
The report further stated that pupils “lead particularly active and healthy lifestyles''. Children reported that they “feel safe, happy and well looked after at school” with the School taking “prompt action where children require some additional support or intervention.”
Cargilfield is described as having a “calm, happy, family ethos where children can be
themselves in a supportive, inclusive, home from home environment”. The report remarks upon Cargilfield’s “impressive range of extracurricular activities", “the variety of engaging states “ attainment information shows a clear pattern of sustained, outstanding levels of attainment across the school and importantly, across curriculum areas”.
Headmaster Rob Taylor, said: “I am extremely proud of what our children and my colleagues achieve on a daily basis. Given how difficult it is to be assessed as ‘excellent’ under this inspection framework, we are delighted that this report recognises the attainment of our children as excellent. The report’s findings define Cargilfield as a sector leader across Scotland”
“We would very much like to show you just why our school was valued so highly and hope you will visit Cargilfield soon. To arrange a private visit on any school day, please contact Fiona Craig our Registrar.
To arrange a visit, please call 0131 336 2207 or email registrar@cargilfield.com
The team of five inspectors from Education Scotland that visited Cargilfield consisted of a
serving headteacher and a lay inspector from outside the education sector.
During their five-day visit, they explored all aspects of the School's provision and worked hard to gain a deep understanding of Cargilfield. They used stringent standards to evaluate the educational and care services provided, engaging with both staff, parents, governors and, perhaps most importantly, with our children to ensure an accurate and comprehensive assessment.
At the time of inspection, there were 270 learners across the P1 to P3 classes and Form 4 to Form 8 classes. The Nursery provision was not included in this inspection of the School.
To view a copy of the Education Scotland report, please click here