A QUARTER of primary schools in East Renfrewshire have not been inspected by Education Scotland for a decade or more.

Figures released following a Freedom of Information request show six schools haven’t had a visit since 2010 at the earliest.

While an inspection report for St John’s Primary, in Barrhead, was published last month, it was the first at that school since August 2009.

And you have to go all the way back to March 2009 for the last report on the town’s Cross Arthurlie Primary.

It is also more than 11 years since a report was published for Carolside Primary, in Clarkston.

There are currently 24 primary schools in East Renfrewshire, with council chiefs insisting there are “robust procedures” to ensure continuous improvements across each of them.

However, the most recent report on Kirkhill Primary, in Newton Mearns, was released in June 2009, while reports on St Thomas’ Primary, in Neilston, St Cadoc’s Primary, in Newton Mearns, and St Joseph’s Primary, in Clarkston, were last published in 2010.

Councillor Paul Aitken, who represents Barrhead, Liboside and Uplawmoor as an Independent, said the delays will be a source of concern for parents.

He told the Barrhead News: “I share parents’ concerns at the apparently unreasonably long period of time between school inspections and I would call upon the council’s Director of Education to provide a full explanation.”

A spokeswoman for Education Scotland said schools are selected “using a sampling approach and predetermined set criteria, rather than a cyclical approach.”

She added: “Overall responsibility for the quality of education and securing continuous improvement sits with the local authority.”

East Renfrewshire Council said schools that have been inspected have performed well.

A spokesman added: “We have robust procedures in place to ensure continuous improvement across all our schools, with our team of centralised Quality Improvement Officers working closely with schools in a systematic way to drive forward best practice across the area.

“Those schools that have been inspected by Education Scotland have performed very well – with the two most recent inspections delivering sector-leading performance.”