INSPECTORS have called for an improvement in the behaviour of pupils at Scotland's national deaf school.

A report into the running of Donaldson's School, in Linlithgow, West Lothian, said there were still "too many incidents" despite staff getting better at dealing with the issue.

It comes after the school was issued with a seven-day improvement notice by Scottish ministers last year and told to make urgent changes to ensure the safety of its pupils.

It said: "There are still too many incidents of children and young people presenting challenging behaviour in class, but staff are improving their skills in managing this.

"Senior managers have more knowledge about the type and severity of behaviours causing concern. Communication with parents about their children is improving and senior managers are making a significant difference to how parents feel about the school.

"There has been significant progress in making sure that staff are aware of their responsibilities in keeping children and young people safe from harm."

The latest report by Education Scotland also highlighted a number of areas for improvement in the way pupils were being taught.

It said: "Too much learning is teacher-led and expectations of what children can achieve remain too low. For example, deaf young people should be achieving more advanced National Qualifications in British Sign Language and lip-reading.

"Too many children and young people need more challenging learning experiences. The time between activities needs to be decreased to avoid children and young people from becoming bored and disengaged from their learning."

However, inspectors acknowledged that the school has gone through a major restructuring with a new principal and board members.

The report stated: "The membership of the board has significantly changed since the last inspection. As a result there is now a much better mix of skills to help provide appropriate support and challenge. The early signs are that these changes are having a positive effect on governance and accountability.

"The board and principal have focused well on the need to safeguard children and young people by putting in place appropriate systems and processes and checking that they are being used effectively."

Overall, inspectors found the school had made progress since last year with all the actions required as a matter of urgency now in place.

The report concluded: "These changes are still at an early stage and require more time to be embedded in order to make a positive and sustained difference.

"Inspectors will continue to monitor the school’s performance and will carry out a further inspection within one year of publication of this report to ensure further improvements have been made."

Laura Battles, chief executive of Donaldson’s School, said: "The report acknowledges the hard work and progress that has been made at Donaldson’s over the past six months.

"Our focus is entirely on achieving an environment that fully meets the complex educational, therapeutic and social needs of the children and young people in our care. I recognise that there is still more to be done and we continue to work closely with all our partner agencies."