HM Inspectors from Education Scotland visited Cathedral Primary School in May 2025 and the inspection report was finally published on Tuesday 7th October. It is rare for a school to receive even one ‘excellent’ grade, but Cathedral achieved an outstanding three ‘excellents’ and one ‘very good’, placing it amongst Scotland’s very top schools. You can read the full Summarised Inspection Findings for Cathedral Primary School via the link below:

https://education.gov.scot/media/0w5n1fyr/our-lady-of-good-aid-cathedral-ps-sif-071025.pdf

A video celebrating Cathedral Primary School’s outstanding inspection can be viewed by clicking on the link below:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGwbuAxWrA/PpyaqO751Z0-OPwDIvof0A/watch

During their five days in Cathedral Primary School, the inspection team found the following strengths:

• The headteacher’s outstanding leadership of the school. He has a very strong, clear vision for the work of the school which is shared fully by all staff and children. Supported very ably by senior leaders, he has supported and challenged all staff in the primary school to develop a relentless focus on achieving the best outcomes for all children. Senior leaders lead all staff very successfully to develop an outstanding culture of leadership by all. The whole school community are proud to be fully involved in leading high-quality school change and improvement.
• Children in the school are highly articulate and extremely enthusiastic learners. They behave exceptionally well and are very proud to be part of the school community. They are empowered to lead their own learning as they enthusiastically explore and extend areas of their learning each day. Children have a very strong understanding of their own wellbeing and how to support the wellbeing of others.
• There is consistently high-quality learning, teaching and assessment across the school. All teachers have embedded highly effective, bespoke approaches to learning and teaching across the primary school. They provide a broad, balanced curriculum which meets the needs of all children very well. All children are highly motivated and engage very effectively in a wide range of well-planned, inspiring rich learning experiences and activities. All children engage fully in a bespoke, progressive achievement framework which supports them to develop skills for life, learning and work very well as they progress through the school. This is leading to positive outcomes for all children.
• In the primary school, all staff have a relentless focus on closing gaps in children’s learning, raising attainment and achieving the best possible outcomes for all children. Teachers and support staff provide high-quality targeted support for children who require additional help or challenge with their learning. All children experience learning which meets their needs and challenges them to extend their knowledge. This leads to all children being fully engaged and motivated in their learning.

In the nursery, inspectors found practitioners who share kind, encouraging interactions with children. Practitioners use a range of questions to help children develop their understanding of what they are learning. As a result, almost all children engage well in learning as they play indoors and outside. Our nursery video can be viewed via the link below:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGw3xfP2fY/w700OUc8iBpv_57a8gE5wg/watch