Better report for gang-fight school

Inspectors arrived unannounced at the school

A school which received what was viewed as Scottish inspectors' worst report has won praise in a follow-up assessment.

Inspectors who arrived at Musselburgh Grammar School unannounced said they had witnessed a gang-fight in the entrance area and heard how some pupils were concerned for their personal safety.

The officials said they were aware of other "serious incidents" and felt obliged to extend their visit last year amid serious doubts over standards of discipline and security.

Terry Christie: School was "scapegoat"

However, in a follow-up report, inspectors said the school and the education authority, East Lothian Council, had "responded promptly" to all the recommendations in their report.

Archie McGlynn, chief inspector of schools for the eastern Scotland region, said: "Progress towards addressing each of the main points for action has been good or very good."

Mr McGlynn said that, as a result, a second follow-up inspection planned for 1999 had been cancelled and he would seek a further progress report from the local authority at the end of the school year.

HM Inspectors of Schools said "very good progress" had been made in improving the safety of pupils and the premises.

Good progress had also been made in addressing the weaknesses in the care and welfare of pupils, establishing a secure environment and promoting "high expectations" of behaviour and achievement.

The school had met all the recommendations on staff deployment and was working towards ensuring a good overall environment for pupils and better staff development.

'Expressed concerns'

Last year, inspectors said they had witnessed "a fight between rival gangs at the entrance area of the school".

And in a survey of pupils' views, one third of those who responded "expressed concerns about their safety in school".

A similar number said the school - which is a comprehensive, though it has retained its historical name - failed to deal effectively with the problem of bullying and parents also complained about poor behaviour.

East Lothian Council and the school's headteacher, Terry Christie, said the report was unfair in its representation of the school.

Mr Christie said inspectors had acted after taking a "snapshot" of the school and accused them of following a "political agenda".

He alleged it was a pawn in the power struggle between inspectors, the Scottish Parliament and local authorities over who now controlled Scottish schools.