Strathdon School
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From mountain to sea Strathdon School Handbook 2020/21 2 | Contents Introduction to Strathdon School 4 Our Vision, Values and School Ethos 6 Curriculum 9 Assessment and Reporting 13 Transitions (Moving On) 15 1 Admissions 16 2 Placing requests & School Zones 17 Support for Children and Young People 18 3 Getting it Right for Every Child 18 4 Wellbeing 18 5 Children’s Rights 19 6 The Named Person 19 7 Educational Psychology 20 8 Enhanced Provision & Community Resource Hubs 21 9 Support for Learning 21 10 The Child’s Plan 22 11 Child Protection 22 12 Further Information on Support for Children and Young People 23 Parent & Carer Involvement and Engagement 24 13 Parental Engagement 24 14 Communication 24 15 Learning at Home 25 16 ParentsPortal.scot 25 17 Parent Forum and Parent Council 26 18 Parents and School Improvement 26 19 Volunteering in school 26 20 Collaborating with the Community 26 21 Addressing Concerns & Complaints 26 School Policies and Useful Information 28 22 Attendance 28 23 Holidays during term time. 28 24 Dress Code 29 | 3 25 Clothing Grants 29 26 Transport 29 27 Early Learning & Childcare Transport 30 28 Privilege Transport 30 29 Special Schools and Enhanced Provision 31 30 School Closure & Other Emergencies 31 31 Storm Addresses 32 32 Change of address and Parental Contact Details 32 33 Anti-bullying Guidance 33 34 School Meals 34 35 Healthcare & Medical 35 36 Exclusion 36 37 Schools and Childcare – Coronavirus 37 38 Educational Visits 37 39 Instrumental Tuition 37 40 Public Liability Insurance 37 41 School Off Site Excursion Insurance 38 42 Data we hold and what we do with it. 38 43 The information we collect from you 39 44 Your Data, Your Rights 39 45 Parental Access to Records 39 46 Information Sharing 40 47 ScotXed 40 Further Information 41 4 |Introduction to Strathdon School All information in this handbook is correct as of October 2019 Introduction to Strathdon School Welcome to Strathdon Primary School. We pride ourselves on our welcoming ethos and active learning curriculum which helps our children develop a range of important skills to ensure their success in future years. School Contact Details Lilian Field 019755 20420 Strathdon Primary School Strathdon, AB36 8UR www.strathdonschool.org.uk [email protected] Parent Council Email [email protected] Adverse weather and emergency closure https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/Apps/schools-closures/ Information Line 0370 054 4999 02 2640 (Please do not use this line to leave messages for the school.) Strathdon Primary School is attractively situated in Upper Donside, is a non- denominational school with a current role of 25 children. The school serves the Strathdon catchment area. The school catchment area includes Candacraig, Delnadamph and Dunecht Estates. The school was first opened in 1875 and the Admissions Register started in that year is still in use today. The school has two well equipped classrooms, a general-purpose room, a staff area, a Head Teacher’s Office, Admin Office and a separate building with cooking and serving facilities for lunchtime meals. There is a large playground with grass and tarred areas and a woodland wild garden area with mature trees for the children to explore. A biodiversity garden area with pond area, a vegetable garden and composting area have been established within the grounds. Status as an Eco Schools Scotland Green Flag school was first awarded in 2007 and has been maintained since. Introduction to Strathdon School | 5 The school has strong links with the Unicef Rights Respecting School award and achieved the highest level two status. It also became the smallest school in the UK to achieve this! Devolved budgets are managed in accordance with authority guidelines in order to support planned improvements in the school. The school also benefits from a Trust Fund set up in memory of former pupil Mabel Anderson. This enables the children to access a range of tuition and experiences that would not normally be possible. Relationships and Partners Community links are highly valued, and the school has formed many supportive and successful partnerships in recent years. The school is used as a base for pre-school parent and child groups and has active attendance on Monday and Thursday afternoons from parents and children of all ages. These groups are regularly supported by Community Learning and Development and Health Professionals. Local Estates provide support in a variety of ways by giving Ranger support, technical expertise and opportunities for children to experience the world of work. The school also provides a space for the local Doctor to see patients during after school hours. The school runs successfully in partnership with other local schools within the Aboyne Schools Network and in the Alford Schools Network. The school has a very hard-working Parent Forum who organise a wide range of events for the whole community throughout the year. This can generate a lot of extra funding to help support a range of trips, experiences and resources for the children. The School Day Monday - Friday School Commences 0915 hrs Lunch 1230 hrs – 1330 hrs School Dismissed 1530 hrs Our Staff Team Head Teacher Ms Lilian Field (The Head Teacher is also Head Teacher of Crathie School) Class Teacher P1-4 Mrs Gemma Ellis Class Teacher P5-7 Miss Megan Fowlie School Administrator Ms Letty Scrimgeour Pupil Support Assistants Ms Jill Main Ms Claire Leal Mrs Jo Humphries Mrs Fay Beaumont Cleaner Mrs Morag Stuart Cook Mrs June Callard Visiting Teachers Mr Andrew Watts ASL Mr Ian Gilliland 6 |Our Vision, Values and School Ethos Our Vision, Values and School Ethos • Respectful of others and themselves • Committed to participate in all aspects of school life Responsible • Encouraged to be good representatives of the school R Citizens and community UNCRC Article 15, 31 • Enterprising, resilient, self-reliant and enthusiastic learners Effective • Aware of how to help others in the world and enjoy E Contributors their rights UNCRC Article 28,29,30 • Encouraged to do the best they can Successful • Open to new thinking ideas S Learners UNCRC Article 23 • Enjoying their school and learning experience Positive • Developing a positive approach to all aspects of learning P Attitudes UNCRC Article 14, 15, 23, 31 • Building an appropriate awareness of Environmental issues Environmentally • Developing an active and positive attitude towards the environment E Aware UNCRC Article 29 • With a sense of wellbeing Confident • With strong values and beliefs • Encourage to contribute and offer opinions C Individuals UNCRC Article 12. 13, 24 • Having an appropriate opportunity to access new Technology technology • Developing the IT skills required for the future T Literate UNCRC Article 17 | 7 We ask parents, carers and families to … Support the school and staff in progressing key aspects of your S children’s learning and development T Take an active interest in the work of the school R Remember that we will do our best to support children and families Attend school events and be partners in all aspects of children’s A learning and development Try to ensure that the school as up to date contact information for you T and your family H Help your child to develop good routines for doing their homework D Discuss any queries or concerns with the school as quickly as possible O Organise school events as part of the parent forum team Negotiate and contribute ideas and feedback to enhance the learning N experiences of the children 8 | | 9 Curriculum Within Strathdon School, we aim to provide a curriculum that is both inclusive and ambitious for all – a curriculum which is both academically challenging and also provides opportunities to develop skills for learning, life and work. Our curriculum will be based around the four capacities of Curriculum for Excellence to ensure our pupils are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens. Our curriculum will also reflect the principles of curriculum design to ensure breadth, depth, personalisation & choice, challenge & enjoyment, progression, coherence and relevance. Therefore, we will have a curriculum which we will adapt continuously over time to meet the needs of our pupils. Following the principles of Curriculum for Excellence, achievement of children and young people is celebrated in its broadest sense. This means looking beyond formally assessed learning, to also recognise activities like volunteering and participation in arts, sports and community-based programmes. This approach complements the nurturing and aspirational outcomes of Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC), and our aim in Aberdeenshire to overcome inequality by Raising Attainment for All, promoting Equity and Excellence in schools, and Closing the Gap. Curricular Areas • Literacy and English Language: Listening, Talking Reading and Writing. • Numeracy and Mathematics: Number, Money and Measure, Information Handling, Shape, Position and Movement. • Health & Wellbeing: Mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing, Physical education, activity and sport, Food and health, Substance misuse, Relationships, sexual health and parenthood. • Social Studies: People, past events and societies, People, place and environment, People, society, economy and business. • Sciences: Planet Earth, Forces, electricity and waves, Biological Systems, Materials, Topical Sciences. • Technologies: Technological developments in society, Business technology skills and knowledge, Computing science, Food and textiles,