Monday June 15th 2026
Lochend Community High, Easterhouse
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Sarah Hilley
A new headteacher has been appointed at Lochend Community High in Easterhouse after the secondary school scored ‘weak’ in two categories during an inspection.
The east end school where 72 per cent of children have additional support needs was rated as ‘weak’ in the areas of: ‘learning, teaching and assessment,’ and ‘raising attainment and achievement’.
Nearly all the secondary’s pupils live in areas among the 20 per cent most deprived in Scotland and the percentage of teenagers “persistently absent” from school is above national levels, according to the inspection report.
HMIE inspectors judged Lochend as satisfactory in two other categories: ‘leadership of change’ and ‘ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion’.
The weak ratings are in the minority as the school is one of only three out of 15 inspected in the city during 2025 to 2026, where inspection grades were below good, very good and excellent.
Responding to questions from councillor Jill Brown about weak ratings, Glasgow education director John McGhee said: “In Lochend a new headteacher has just gone in there. I’m quite confident that with new blood in there that school will very quickly turn that around.”
Pointing out HMIE says leadership is the most important thing, he said: “It is a question of school leadership. We support that as best we can”.
He told this month’s education, skills and early years city policy committee: “What I would say from a director’s point of view is that I will not allow a school to sit there for the next 10 years in that position. I just won’t allow it.
“Effectively we will support those schools to get them to where they need to be. Some of those communities are in the most deprived areas. And the one thing they need is an outstanding school.”
Carntyne Primary and the Hospital Education Service were the other two schools which were highlighted during the most recent education, skills and early years city policy committee meeting for scoring ratings below good.
Carntyne Primary was rated as satisfactory in ‘learning, teaching and assessment’ and ‘raising attainment and achievement’ and scored good in other areas.
The Hospital Education Service got one satisfactory rating for ‘ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion’ and good in all other categories.
Commenting on the inspections, Mr McGhee said: “But we have new leadership in those schools. And we hope that very soon those schools will move into a better situation.”
Explaining how Glasgow is performing above the national average he said most secondary schools in the city are seen as good or better – which is more than 85 per cent.
He said: “We are way beyond what the national average is in terms of good or better.
“There are very few authorities that will have inspection ratings that good across that range of schools.”
Labour councillor Jill Brown congratulated the school staff over the positive inspections but said she wanted to understand more about the weak ratings.
She asked what proactive action is being taken before inspection reports are issued.
Responding, Mr McGhee said: “We have a really clear picture of where we are across the city. Every school has to put in a self evaluation report every year. They have to do that.
“There are quality assurance visits across the whole estate every year. Quality improvement officers go in and validate that – they speak to children, look at attainment data and a whole range of other indicators.”
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