According to the council, Mearns Castle High School’s report is one of the best-ever achieved in Scotland.
During a week-long visit inspectors scrutinised two areas, ‘raising attainment and achievement’ and ‘learning, teaching and assessment’.
The Newton Mearns school was evaluated as “excellent” in both categories.
(Image: East Renfrewshire Council)
Head teacher Stuart Clark said: “Having led the school for the past six years, I am delighted that all the hard work put in by our staff, pupils and wider school community has been recognised in this excellent inspection report.
“I am privileged to be the head teacher and constantly strive to improve the opportunities provided to our young people.
“We promote an ethos of ‘be your best, and for inspectors to highlight the enthusiasm in which our pupils rise to this challenge every day is testament to the culture we have created across the school.
“It’s a real team effort and my thanks go to all my colleagues for their support, as well as the young people and their families who work in collaboration to ensure we continue to improve.”
(Image: East Renfrewshire Council)
Mr Clark was highlighted as providing inspirational leadership due to the “inclusive aspirational culture of learning” which has been created within the school.
Also praised by inspectors was the range of high-quality data used by the school to meet the needs of all learners, as well as the rich understanding by staff of the strengths, needs and next steps required for all pupils.
Mearns Castle High School in East Renfrewshire is celebrating after receiving an excellent inspection report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education in Scotland (HMI). All images © Gibson Digital /East Renfrewshire Council 2026. (Image: East Renfrewshire Council)
In addition to the fabulous attainment levels across the school, inspectors noted that pupils engage enthusiastically and purposefully with the outstanding range of clubs and activities that support and develop skills, confidence and wider achievement.
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Mearns Castle High School in East Renfrewshire is celebrating after receiving an excellent inspection report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education in Scotland (HMI). All images © Gibson Digital /East Renfrewshire Council 2026. (Image: East Renfrewshire Council)
Mark Ratter, director of education at East Renfrewshire Council, added: “This is an outstanding inspection report for Mearns Castle High and I’m delighted for everyone at the school.
“To achieve two excellent evaluations makes this one of the best secondary inspection reports ever achieved in Scotland, which is a phenomenal achievement.
“We continue to see excellent practice across all our schools, and the sector-leading learning demonstrated within Mearns Castle High will be shared across the area to the benefit of all.
“This is another demonstration that our approach to providing all our pupils with a wide range of excellent experiences throughout their educational journey plays a massive part in developing and improving our already high-achieving schools.”
