Glencairn Primary School in Motherwell has made ‘insufficient progress’ since its previous inspection, according to a letter sent to parents.
The school was told to make a series of improvements following an inspection in June 2025. Inspectors returned this year but found the progress was not good enough, despite increased improvement since the arrival of a new headteacher.
Inspectors note slow pace of change
In a letter to parents, inspectors said: “The pace of change has been too slow but it has increased significantly since the appointment of the headteacher in February 2026.”
They added: “As much of the work is still at a very early stage, there is insufficient evidence available to evaluate fully the overall impact on the school.”
Inspectors noted that the headteacher “has taken prompt, well-judged and decisive action to allocate resources more effectively to support improvement”. This includes targeted deployment of staff, better use of the space available and more efficient use of time.
New systems beginning to have positive impact
“She has introduced robust systems and procedures that are beginning to have a positive impact on the day-to-day work of the school,” the letter said.
“All members of the senior leadership team now have clearly defined and appropriate remits. This is helping the senior leadership team to have a more collaborative, accountable and systematic approach to their work. It also provides greater clarity for staff, children and parents about who they should approach for support in the first instance.”
Inspectors will now liaise with North Lanarkshire Council regarding the school’s capacity to improve. They will return to carry out a further inspection of the school within nine months.
Interventions helping raise attainment
The inspectors’ letter added: “Senior leaders have put in place a range of interventions that are helping to raise attainment in literacy and numeracy. Staff are now building a clearer picture of the impact of interventions and can evidence more effectively the extent to which children are making progress.”
“The headteacher is helping staff to develop their confidence in using a wide range of data to make judgements about children’s individual progress. While this is at an early stage of implementation, there are positive signs that this is beginning to help raise attainment.”
