Praise for turnaround

May 8 2009 by Our Correspondent, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

A FAIR City primary school has been praised for increasing attendance and reducing its exclusion levels.

Speaking after his visit to Goodlyburn Primary, Pete Wishart MP, said: “This is a school which has changed, developed and turned around its performance in a remarkably short period of time.”

He went on to praise the “leadership, dedication, commitment and energy” of the newly-appointed head teacher, Irene Thompson, as well as staff, pupils and parents.

The member of parliament for Perth and North Perthshire continued: “It is encouraging to see that the numbers of exclusions have been reduced significantly and the attendance of almost all pupils has increased to levels in line with expected percentages.

“The attainment of pupils in this school is good and improving, and on occasion, is exceeding nationally expected levels.

“Goodlyburn Primary has many challenging aspects to its intake and surroundings and serves an area of Perth city which ranks as one of the highest in terms of deprivation in the area. It is therefore even more reassuring to see such notable strides forward.’’