An inspection of St Charles’ Primary School and its nursery class in Paisley has highlighted strong relationships, positive wellbeing and effective teamwork among staff.
Inspectors from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education visited the school in January 2026 and concluded that children are “friendly, welcoming and kind to one another”, with positive and trusting relationships between staff and pupils helping create a supportive learning environment.
The inspection found that children across the school take pride in their learning and benefit from a wide range of opportunities to succeed both in and outside the classroom. Teachers and pupils also take on leadership roles which help influence improvement across the school community.
Inspectors rated several key areas of the school as good, including leadership of change, learning and teaching, and raising attainment. Wellbeing, equality and inclusion were rated very good, reflecting the strong focus on supporting pupils and building a caring school ethos.
In the nursery class, inspectors praised staff for providing motivating outdoor learning through the forest kindergarten, where children develop skills while exploring nature and working together.
However, the report also identified areas for improvement.
Staff in the nursery have been asked to provide a broader range of activities across all areas of learning and to strengthen how they plan and record children’s progress. Inspectors also said learning for the youngest children should be better matched to their developmental needs, with stronger engagement with parents.
Within the primary school, senior leaders were advised to review existing improvement systems to ensure they have the greatest impact on children’s learning. Teachers are also being encouraged to strengthen approaches to learning and teaching to improve consistency and raise attainment in literacy and numeracy.
The inspection team said they are confident the school has the capacity to continue improving and confirmed that no further inspection visits are planned.
The school currently has around 373 pupils across 14 classes, with 48 children in the nursery. The inspection noted the strong sense of community within the school and the positive impact of partnerships with local organisations and families.