Davidson’s Mains Primary School Handbook
2014-2015
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A Foreword from the Director of Children and Families
Session 2014-15
Dear Parents
This brochure contains a range of information about your child’s school which will be of interest to you and your child. It offers an insight into the life and ethos of the school and also offers advice and assistance which you may find helpful in supporting and getting involved in your child’s education.
We are committed to working closely with parents as equal partners in your child's education, in the life of your child's school and in city-wide developments in education.
Parental involvement in the decision making process and in performance monitoring are now, more than ever, an integral part of school life. We look forward to developing that partnership with your support.
I am pleased to introduce this brochure for session 2014/15 and hope that it will provide you with all the relevant information you may need concerning your child’s school. If you have any queries regarding the contents of the brochure please contact the Head Teacher of your child’s school in the first instance who will be happy to offer any clarification you may need.
Gillian Tee Director of Children and Families Children and Families Vision
Our vision is for all children and young people in Edinburgh to enjoy their childhood and fulfil their potential.
We believe that children and young people do best when:
• they are able to live safely and happily within their own families with the right kind of support as needed • they attend first class, inclusive schools and early years settings which meet their needs
We will do all we can to strengthen support for families, schools and communities to meet their children's needs.
Our mission is to place children, young people and families at the heart of our service and provide support when it is needed throughout childhood and the transition to adulthood.
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Welcome from Mrs Nock, the Head Teacher
Dear parents/carers
I would like to welcome you warmly to Davidson’s Mains Primary School. This is a very successful school with a long history of serving the Davidson’s Mains area. We are a large school but we aim to maintain the friendly family feel of a school at the heart of its community where every child is well-known and valued.
The purpose of this handbook is to provide you with some useful and important information about the school and a general overview of the education your child will be getting at school. Information common to all schools across the city is contained in the main section of this handbook. Other information is specific to Davidson’s Mains Primary.
This is an exciting and dynamic time in education and the school is involved in taking forward the Curriculum for Excellence. Although there are still eight discrete curriculum areas, we are now working on building clearer links across the curriculum to make learning more coherent and allow children to apply their learning in other contexts. There is now an emphasis on children increasingly taking control of their own learning, setting targets for where they need to go next and being able to evaluate their progress on their individual learning journeys.
We believe that for children to get the maximum benefit from their time at school, it is vital for the school and parents to work together in harmonious partnership. Please come and discuss any queries or concerns you may have. We have a strong and supportive Parent Council and Parent Staff Association who work with the school to enhance all the children’s educational experiences.
If you have any questions, or would like any further information on any aspect of this handbook or the education of your child, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Lesley M K Nock Head Teacher
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To make our handbook easy to use the information it is divided into five different sections:-
o Section One – Practical Information about the School
o Section Two – Parental Involvement in the School
o Section Three – School Curriculum
o Section Four – Support for Pupils
Contact Details
Head Teacher Lesley Nock
Davidson’s Mains Primary School
Corbiehill Road
Edinburgh
EH4 5 DZ
0131 336 1184
Website; http://www.davidsonsmains.ik.org/home.ikml
E-mail [email protected]
About the school
Davidson’s Mains is a non denominational primary school catering for children between the ages of 3 to 12. Davidson’s Mains Primary School, built on the site of the old village school, offers seven years of primary education to pupils whose ages range from 5 years to 12 years approximately. It serves the Davidson’s Mains and Silverknowes districts of Edinburgh City consisting of mainly owner-occupied mixed housing and is close to the original village high street and park. There are two nursery classes in school at present accommodating 40 morning and 40 afternoon places. Parents should be aware that when children are enrolled in the nursery class, this does not guarantee a child a place in our Primary 1 class.
The present school building, which opened in 1967, is set back from Corbiehill Road and has spacious grass and asphalt areas where the pupils may play in safety. The accommodation is for 18 classes in either the main three storey building, single storey primary one and two block or temporary units at the front of the school (4 classes). The nursery also occupies 2 classrooms in a temporary unit close to the school. All classrooms are traditional in design, some with small
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adjoining workrooms. In addition the school currently has a large hall for PE, dining and assemblies, a well-stocked library, a music room and a computer suite.
The school role (as of August 2014) was 514 with a further 40/40 in the Nursery.
Associated cluster schools are Blackhall Primary, Clermiston Primary, Cramond Primary and the Royal High School.
Organisation of the School Day
Start Time 8.50 am Monday to Thursday warning bell at 8.45 am
Morning Break 10.30 to 10.45 for primaries one to seven
Lunch Time 12.10 to 1.15 for primaries one and two
12.30 to 1.15 pm for primaries three to seven
Finish Time 3 pm for primaries one and two
3.15 pm for primaries three to seven
EVERY FRIDAY THE SCHOOL CLOSES AT LUNCHTIME at 12.15pm for Primaries 1 and 2 and 12.30pm for primaries three to seven.
Parents are asked not to send their children to school too early in the morning especially in inclement weather. Children should arrive only 5-10 minutes before school is due to start.
Gym days for pupils are advised at the start of the session and available on the school website. Assembly day for all pupils is usually Tuesday.
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School Term Dates January to June 2015
Spring
Pupils Return Tuesday 6 January 2015
School Closed Monday 16 February – Friday 20 February 2015
Pupils Return Monday 23 February 2015
Term Ends Thursday 2 April 2015
Summer
Pupils Return Tuesday 21 April 2015
School Closed Monday 4 May 2015
Pupils Return Tuesday 5 May 2015
School Closed Thursday 7 May 2015
Pupils Return Friday 8 May 2015
School Closed Monday 18 May 2015
Pupils Return Tuesday 19 May 2015
Term Ends Friday 26 June 2015
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School Term Dates 2015-16
Autumn
Pupils Return Monday 17 August 2015
School Closed Monday 21 September 2015, Autumn Holiday
Pupils Return Tuesday 22 September 2015
School Closed Monday 12 October 2015 - Tuesday 20 October 2015, Mid Term
Pupils Return Wednesday 21 October 2015
Term Ends Tuesday 22 December 2015 at 12 Noon
Spring
Pupils Return Thursday 7 January 2016
School Closed Monday 15 February - Friday 19 February 2016, Mid Term
Pupils Return Monday 22 February 2016
Term Ends Thursday 24 March 2016
Summer
Pupils Return Monday 11 April 2016
School Closed Monday 18 April 2016, Spring Holiday
Pupils Return Tuesday 19 April 2016
School Closed Monday 2 May 2016, May Day
Pupils Return Tuesday 3 May 2016
School Closed Thursday 5 May 2016, staff only day to coincide with Scottish Parliament election
Pupils Return Friday 6 May 2016
School Closed Monday 23 May 2016, Victoria Day
Pupils Return Tuesday 24 May 2016
Term Ends Thursday 30 June 2016 at 12 Noon
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Section One – Practical Information about the School Davidson’s Mains is a non denominational Primary School with currently 18 classes, mainly with two classes at each stage from Primary 1 to 7. There are currently three classes at primary one, two and three and a composite classes at primary five/six. The school is situated within large and attractive grounds in the west of the city near to the Firth of Forth in what was the former village of Davidson’s Mains. There has been a school in Davidson’s Mains for many years and the current building was erected in 1967.
Six generously sized infant classes are housed within a block equipped with several sets of infant toilets, two additional teaching bays and a first aid care room. The upper school is housed in a three storey block of large classrooms along with currently a computer suite, support for learning base, care facility and two resource rooms. The two blocks are connected by a very large hall which is used for both physical education, assemblies and as a dining room. There is accommodation for another four classes in temporary units in the upper playground alongside a music room and an after school club base. The nursery is also housed in a temporary unit in the playground with its own dedicated garden and play area.
Davidson’s Mains School Staff as at December 2014
Head Teacher Mrs Lesley Nock Business Manager Mrs Lynne McGrath
Depute Head Teacher Mrs Julia Higgins School Administrator Mrs Diane Reid
Principal Teacher Mr Diarmid Harris Clerical Assistant Mrs Carolyn Thomson
Class Teachers Mrs Lynda Abela School Services Officer Mr John Fotheringhame
Miss Rebecca Anderson Early Years Officer Miss Melissa O’Neill
Mrs Jane Allmark Nursery Nurses Mrs Lynda Bardai
Mrs Aimi Armstrong Miss Caroline Donald
Mr John Armstrong Mrs Rena Swinton
Mrs Lorraine Buchanan Pupil Support Assistants Miss Gayle Bray
Mrs Janis Davidson Miss Carolann Cunningham
Miss Lynne Dowds Mrs Margaret Downie
Mr Kieran Heaney Mrs Frankie Essex
Mr Chris Hilton Mrs Joan Hague
Mrs Fiona Kay Mrs Elinor Hamilton
Mr Alasdair Lippok Mr Neil Hogg
Miss Claire Livingstone Mrs Sandra Little
Miss Sally Neilson Mrs Jane MacDonald
Mrs Alison Pollington Mrs Julie McLair
Mrs Alison Reid Ms Lorraine Meadlarkin
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Miss Nikki Sturrock Mrs Jo Osborn
Miss Kay Underwood Mrs Susan Robertson
Miss Aimee Kingsford-Smith
This section deals with the practical aspects of your child’s attendance at our school. It provides details on such things as:
• travelling to and from school • school meals and milk • financial assistance with school clothing, transport and school meals • school closures in an emergency or unexpectedly for any reason • general supervision available for your child at break and lunchtimes • wet weather arrangements • how the school communicates with parents • how to complain if you are not happy about something.
Communicating with the School
This section provides you with some background information on our school and our nursery. It tells you how our school day and school year are made up and how to contact the school if, for example, your child is ill. Registration and enrolment
The date for registration of new school entrants is advertised in all local nurseries, in the local press and on the council’s website www.edinburgh.gov.uk . Registration for Primary One and First Year Secondary takes place in November each year. Pupils should be registered in only one school for their catchment area. Parents will be provided with information about the school, when they register their child.
Parents who want to send their child to a school other than their catchment school must make a placing request. Please refer to section four of this handbook for more information on placing requests.
Parents of pupils who have moved into the catchment area or, who wish their child to transfer to the school, should contact the school office for information on available spaces. Attendance and absence
It is the responsibility of parents of a child of school age to make sure that their child is educated.
Absence from school is recorded as authorised, that is approved by the children and families department, or as unauthorised, that is unexplained (truancy).
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Please let the school know by letter or phone if your child is likely to be absent for some time, and give your child a note on his or her return to school, confirming the reason for absence. If there is no explanation from a child’s parents, the absence will be regarded as unauthorised.
Please make every effort to avoid family holidays during term time as this will disrupt your child’s education and reduces learning time. Head Teachers can approve absence from school for a family holiday in certain extreme situations, for example, in traumatic domestic circumstances where the holiday would improve the cohesion and wellbeing of the family. Please discuss your plans with the Head Teacher before the holiday. If permission cannot be given before the holiday, it will be recorded as unauthorised absence. Head Teachers can authorise a holiday if you can prove that work commitments make a family holiday impossible during school holiday times. Normally, your employer will need to provide evidence of your work commitments. Absence approved by the Head Teacher on this basis is regarded as authorised absence.
Any requests for extended absence over two weeks will be referred to the Senior Education Manager: Inclusion, who will decide if it will be recorded as authorised or unauthorised leave.
Parents from minority ethnic religious communities may request that their children be permitted to be absent from school to celebrate recognised religious events. Absence approved on this basis is regarded as authorised absence. Extended leave can also be granted on request for families returning to their country of origin for cultural or care reasons.
A supportive approach is taken to unexplained absence. However the Children and Families Department has legal powers to write to, interview or prosecute parents, or refer pupils to the Reporter to the Children’s Panel, if necessary.
The school are required by CEC to monitor pupil attendance. Parents whose child’s attendance drops below 87% will receive a letter from the school to make sure parents are aware this will impact on their child’s progress and to alert them to try to improve attendance in future. Children are expected to attend school at least 95% of the time in order to benefit fully from their education. The Educational Welfare Officer can become involved if attendance drops further.
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School Uniform Parents are asked to co-operate with the school in encouraging the wearing of the school uniform. There is overwhelming support for the wearing of the Davidson’s Mains uniform within the school community and all children are expected to take a pride in doing so. The wearing of uniform, a sign of a good school, also supports the school equality policy and prevents discrimination or bullying. Our Parent Council are fully involved in the uniform policy in the school.
A school’s reputation can also be enhanced in the local community by the wearing of school uniform and school security will be improved as it will be easier to identify intruders.
Sweatshirts, polo shirts and PE shirts embroidered with the school badge in our school colours, can be purchased online from yourschooluniform.com. Children sometimes wear a shirt and blue tie when representing the school on special occasions, for example the school choir. A school tie is plain royal blue and available from Clanhouse.
Clothing vouchers can be exchanged in school for items of school uniform.
Please note that royal blue tops and grey bottoms are the official school colours.
The Davidson’s Mains Primary school uniform is as follows:
° Royal blue sweatshirt or royal blue cardigan
° White polo shirt
° Charcoal grey trousers, shorts, skirt or pinafore
° Blue checked or striped summer dress
° Charcoal grey or black tights or white socks
° Black plain jogging bottoms (no other colour or styles of joggers/sports trousers please)
° Black plain school shoes or black boots in winter (low heeled and well-fitting)
A school branded royal blue fleece (optional) or branded royal blue waterproof (optional) are available for both girls and boys to purchase from yourschooluniform.com.
The Parent Staff Association regularly sell good quality second hand uniform donated by parents. Details of sales can found by contacting the PSA.
Nursery
There is no uniform for nursery. Children should dress in comfortable and easily washable clothes. A royal blue nursery sweatshirt (optional) is available to purchase from yourschooluniform.com if desired.
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The appropriate clothing and footwear for indoor PE is a white or blue short-sleeved (not sleeveless) T-shirt, plain shorts (preferably black) and gym shoes with non- marking soles. These are necessary for health and safety reasons and your co- operation is requested to ensure that pupils are equipped to participate in the PE lessons. They should be sent to school in a clearly named drawstring bag that can hang on a peg.
Please ensure that all items of clothing are clearly labelled, particularly ties, sweat shirts and PE clothing which are often lost. The school is not responsible for lost property but does try its best to reunite pupils with lost items. Lost property is stored in a cupboard near the main office and parents may look in it at any time.
You may be asked to supply sports trousers, a sweat top, light waterproof jacket and outdoor trainers so that children can take part in outdoor PE activities at times. Taking part in outdoor PE allows the school to provide sufficient opportunities for all children to be active and has a positive effect on their health and wellbeing. If this is required a letter will be sent home explaining this.
Please help us by ensuring that pupils do not bring valuable or expensive items of clothing to school.
Children should not wear jewellery to school as it can become lost or entangled during physical activities and playtime. Earrings are only permitted if a child has pierced ears and should be of the small stud variety only. Only clear nail varnish is permitted and no make up.
Fashion clothing and offensive clothing such as T-shirts or other items with obscene or inappropriate language or illustrations are not permitted. Football colours are also inappropriate as they can lead to incidents of rivalry or bullying. Fashion footwear (such as branded trainers, Ugg boots, heels, sling backs and sandals) is also strongly discouraged as it can be dangerous on the stairs and unhealthy.
If you have any queries regarding the school’s dress code, please contact the school office.
Clothing Grants
Clothing for children are available to parents receiving:
• Child Tax Credit, but not working tax credit, with an annual income of less than £ 15,860 • income support • jobseekers allowance [income-based] • support under Par V1of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999 • income related element of Employment and Support Allowance
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Information on free school meals and clothing grants is available on the www.edinburgh.gov.uk website. Applications for free school meals and clothing grants can be made by contacting Grants, Awards and Placements, Business Centre 1:1 Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG
School Meals Menus offer healthy and tasty meal options while reflecting the Scottish Government food and drink legal requirements for school lunches. Special diets and allergies are usually accommodated subject to consultation with parent/guardian and catering services.
Meal prices are reviewed annually. Please contact the School to be advised of the latest cost. (The current cost is £1.90 a day August 2014). A sample of the school menu will be available on the school website and copies can be supplied on application to the school office. From January 2015 all pupils in primaries one to three will be provided with a free school meal.
School meals are cooked fresh in the school and eaten in the dining room. Payment for school meals should be sent to school on Thursdays for the following week with the days when lunch is required clearly marked on the outside of the envelope. Children may have a mixture of packed lunches or school lunch each week.
Children bringing packed lunches can eat them in the school hall. In good weather the older children have the choice to eat outside in our new sensory garden or at the picnic tables. As part of our promotion of healthy eating we suggest pupils bring only one piece of healthy snack to school and a healthy packed lunch. Fizzy drinks, glass bottles and cans are not allowed and sweets during the school day are strongly discouraged. Children may bring a water bottle into school to have in class.
Children may purchase milk to drink. A letter detailing payment arrangements will be sent out at the start of each session.
Free School Meals Some families may be eligible for free school meals. Application forms are available from the school office. The forms have to be completed by the parent along with supporting documentation as detailed on the application form. An application is required for every school session. Travel to and from School Parents are requested, when dropping off/collecting children from school that they park considerately for both the safety of all children and the neighbours. Please do not park on the zig zags or in any location which may cause an obstruction or restrict the view of the school crossing patrol.
Please note for health and safety reasons parents are not permitted to drop off or pick up children from the school car park. This area is out of bounds to the
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children as it is access for delivery, maintenance and other vehicles at all times of the day. Please ensure you time your journey to school to allow a margin for safe parking.
Cycling
We encourage children to cycle to school and are involved in an Ibike programme at the moment. Racks are available to padlock bikes and scooters but please note the school cannot be responsible for items left at the racks. For the safety of all our children pupils are asked to dismount from bikes and scooters before entering the school grounds.
The school has a travel plan that encourages parents and children to walk, cycle or bus it to school whenever practicable.
General Supervision
Before school begins supervision is very limited, therefore pupils should not arrive at school until as near to the school start time as possible. On days of very inclement weather the children will be allowed into school earlier but please note there is again very limited supervision before the official school starting time.
During intervals support staff supervise the children in the playground or in class if it is very wet. There is always access to the toilets from the outside and to first aid and other support inside the building as required at breaks and the children are made aware of how to access this help .
School security The safety and security of pupils and staff when attending or working in a school is very important to us. We use a number of security measures including a visitors’ book, badges and escorts, while visitors are within the school building. Normally, anyone calling at a school for any reason will be asked to report to the school office first. The school staff then can make the necessary arrangements for the visit.
Wet Weather Arrangements In very wet or inclement weather pupils stay in school during breaks and at lunchtime. During this time they are supervised by learning assistants and senior staff as available. However children are expected to be on their best behaviour on such occasions to maintain high standards of health and safety and facilitate the smooth running of the school. Children who go home for lunch should, where possible, return as late in the lunchtime as possible. Children will be allowed out in light rain to get fresh air and the chance to run around. Please make sure that your child has appropriate wet weather outdoor clothing available in school, even in the summer months.
In very inclement weather children will be allowed into school at 8.40, but, as
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supervision is very limited, parents are requested to bring children as near to the bell as possible on such days. Unexpected Closures In the event of an emergency, such as a power cut or severe weather, that prevents schools from opening in the morning or results in an early closure, a range of communications channels are used to let parents know.
We will use the parentmail system to alert parents to such closures.
In addition, announcements will be made on Radio Forth and via the Council's corporate Twitter account www.twitter.com/Edinburgh_CC and Facebook page www.facebook.com/edinburghcouncil . If many schools are affected, or the situation is likely to be prolonged, then the Council's website www.edinburgh.gov.uk will also be used.
Mobile Phones and Hand Held Devices
The Minister for Education and Young People stated in February 2007 that: “Any kind of violence or the filming of such violence in schools is totally unacceptable. We back schools in taking tough action against all forms of bad behaviour, including misuse of mobile phones. Irresponsible use of mobile phones cannot and will not be tolerated. Staff and parents need to know that action will be taken against those who misuse mobile phones in schools. Pupils need to know the consequences of misuse.”
“Every school should have a clear policy on the use of mobile phones on its premises, and make it clear that any abuse – such as using these phones to bully and humiliate – will be dealt with severely. I will back Head Teachers who take action against those who use mobile phones irresponsibly. I expect Head Teachers to use the full range of powers available to them, including temporary confiscation, exclusion and – in extreme cases – the involvement of the police.”
We appreciate that many pupils may have a mobile phone with them during the day so that they can contact parents or carers on their way to school and after school. However, there are risks involved in allowing pupils of primary age access to phones during the school day.
Our policy
Parents should write to the school to inform us if a child will be bringing a mobile phone (or hand held device or tablet) to school. Phones should be switched OFF on entering the school grounds at the start of the day and remain so until the end of the school day and the pupil is out of the school grounds. Mobile phones must not be taken outside during playtime or lunchtime. Please note that the school cannot take responsibility for their loss or damage. The policy on mobiles and hand held devices is on our website along with the letter requesting permission for a mobile to be brought to school.
If a pupil chooses to take their mobile outside at breaks or chooses to use it inappropriately inside the school, then we will remove it from their possession, contact their parent and ask them to collect the phone from the school office. If a pupil chooses
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to take a photograph of another child or a member of staff on their phone, then we will remove it from their possession, contact their parent and ask them to collect the phone from the school office. The photograph will be deleted before the phone leaves the premises. Parents who need to pass a message to their child during the school day should do so by phoning the school office.
The recording of meetings, parent consultations and teaching sessions within the school on mobile devices such as tablets or mobile phones without permission of all the participants is strictly forbidden.
Equality
Council has published an Equality Scheme, which can be viewed on the council’s website. This outlines the duties which the Council is required to undertake to tackle discrimination, prevent harassment and ensure our work promotes equality. The Council is committed to eliminating discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, marriage or civil partnership, transgender status or pregnancy/maternity. English as an Additional Language
The Children & Families Department provides a support service of teachers of English as an additional language and bilingual support assistants. The teachers visit schools to work with those bilingual pupils who require assistance in developing English language skills. Complaints, Comments and Suggestions Procedure
We all hope that you will be completely satisfied about your child's education and we encourage feedback on our services from parents and pupils. We are, therefore, interested in feedback of all kinds, whether it be compliments, suggestions or complaints.
If you want to register a comment of any type about our school you can do this by writing, e-mailing, telephoning or making an appointment to see someone. All feedback is welcome and keeps us in touch.
If, in particular, you have a complaint about the school, please let us know. It is better that these things are shared openly and resolved fairly, rather than being allowed to damage the relationship between the family and the school. There will be no negative consequences arising from making a complaint and we will deal with the issue as confidentially as possible.
There are some things which you should take note of in relation to making a complaint:
• Please make any complaints initially to the Head Teacher. This makes sure that the school knows what is going on and has an opportunity to respond and resolve the issue.
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• We will try to respond as quickly as possible, but often issues are complex and we need time to investigate. • If you are still unhappy with the service or with our response then you will have the right to take the matter further and contact Advice and Conciliation [ 0131 469 3233] • If you are still unhappy after the further investigation and reply, you can take the matter up with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, our reply will include the contact details. Health and Safety
"Within the general policy laid down by The City of Edinburgh Council, the Children & Families Department has prepared and has continuing development of, safety policy statements for all areas of its responsibility in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 . School staff are fully instructed in their responsibilities in this respect, and safety regulations apply to all aspects of school life, both on and off the premises. It is expected that pupils will behave responsibly and comply with all safety requirements . The support of parents/carers in promoting good practice in health and safety matters is of great importance to the school". School Health Service
A team of specialist Health Service and Children and Families Department staff work together to provide a service throughout your child’s years at primary and secondary school. A planned programme is put into place to make sure that they benefit as much as possible from all that school has to offer, and to help prepare for life after leaving school. The School Health Service is part of the Community Child Health Service and has direct links with those who carry out health checks on children before they start school.
Many different services are provided. The staff involved make every effort to work closely with parents/carers and with others who are caring for your child, both at school and in other branches of the Health Service. Some of the services, e.g. testing for vision, hearing or speech, are provided to all children on a routine basis to discover which children may need further tests. Parents/carers are not necessarily notified at the time of these screening tests and any parent who does not want a child to be included should notify the school at the beginning of the session. Naturally, if treatment is thought to be required the child’s parents/carers will be informed and consent requested. The issue of maintaining confidentiality is taken seriously by the School Health Team at all times.
Some of the staff concerned and the parts they play are as follows:- School Nurses are involved with health promotion and education, prevention of ill health, immunisation, health surveillance and screening.
The School Nurse is made aware of any possible problems and parents/carers and the family doctor are informed if any further action is considered necessary. The School Nurse acts as an important link between home and school. He visits the school and liaises with the teachers to find out whether any pupil has a health need that requires to be addressed. The School Nurse can link with other members of the health team, in the community or in hospital, concerned with a child’s health. 17
The School Nurse reviews the notes of all children in Primary 1, 4, 7 and Senior 3 as well as those of all new entrants.
Parents/carers are also asked to complete a health questionnaire about their child at Primary 1, 7 and Senior 3 and asked if they would like their child to have a medical consultation with the School Doctor.
The School Doctor may ask for your consent to examine your child if his/her medical records are incomplete or if the doctor particularly wishes to check on his/her progress. You will be invited to be present at any medical examination and kept informed if the School Doctor wishes to see your child again, or thinks that he/she should be seen by the family doctor or a specialist in paediatrics. You can, if you wish, arrange for your family doctor to undertake the examinations instead of the School Doctor, but you may be charged a fee for this.
In secondary schools the School Doctor may consider whether any special information should be provided for the Careers Service. The School Doctor or Nurse will be pleased to see you and your child at a mutually convenient time if you are concerned about his/her health or general progress at school. With your consent, the School Health Service Staff also carry out immunisations to protect against various diseases.
The Audiometric Team normally checks children’s hearing on a number of occasions before the age of 13/14 years. The School Health Team will be told if your child seems to have a hearing problem and they will inform parents/carers and GPs as necessary.
The Speech and Language Therapist can provide assessment and, if necessary, treatment if you, a teacher or the School Doctor feels that your child may have a speech or language problem.
Any enquiries concerning the provision of dental services should be made to: The Director of the Community Dental Service, 16 Duncan Street, Edinburgh, EH9 1SR (Tel. 0131 667-7114).
We hope that the School Health Service can, together with yourselves, contribute to your child’s overall well-being and development. Please do not hesitate to arrange through the Head Teacher to see the School Doctor or School Nurse should you require any further information.
Head Lice
Head lice are an unfortunate fact of life and are often present at times in large groups of children They are spread through head to head contact at home, while playing or in school.
Regular wet combing of your child’s hair using a head lice detection comb is the best way to catch this possible problem at an early stage.
The only way to be sure that your child has head lice is to find a live louse. If you find live lice, get the correct lotion from your doctor, health visitor or pharmacist. Ordinary shampoos and other treatments are not effective.
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One treatment is two applications of the treatment lotion, seven days apart. If this is not followed then re-infection is likely.
Advise family members and close friends that your child has head lice and that they should check their own hair. Only treat if live lice are found. Overuse of the chemicals causes resistance in the lice and are then less effective. Don’t be shy about advising others of this possible problem because you would likely tell family and friends about other infections which might affect them. We are no longer able to send out letters when a child is infected so it is vital you check weekly.
Regular wet combing of your child’s hair with the head lice detector comb is the best protection as it allows you to detect the condition and treat it speedily. Medicine administration Children who require regular medication during the school day (for example asthma inhalers or insulin) should have a care plan drawn up for them and discussed with the school. GPs are generally helpful in providing the required information if parents are unsure. This should be signed by parents and the school so that everyone is clear on the procedures to follow.
If a child requires medication for a short time (for example an antibiotic), a form needs to be filled in with details of the dosage and timings and handed into the school along with the medication. We are unable to give medication to children without this form and clear instructions.
Parents or carers of children who may have more complex medical needs should make an appointment prior to the child starting at school with senior staff to discuss fully the child’s requirements so that we can ensure they are met appropriately. We are happy to meet with any health professionals who may be involved with the child.
Gaelic Education
Gaelic-medium education, where pupils are taught the entire curriculum through the medium of Gaelic, is available at nursery and primary levels. There are Gaelic parent and toddler groups and playgroups across the city.
Edinburgh’s first dedicated Gaelic nursery and primary school opened in the former Bonnington Primary School Building August 2013. Pupils attending the school do not need to have prior knowledge of Gaelic. If you wish your child to attend the new Gaelic School, you should contact the school. Pupils who wish to study Gaelic at secondary level can transfer to James Gillespie’s High School which offers Standard Grade and Higher courses. Section Two – Parental Involvement in the School
Parental involvement is very important as we know it helps children do better in school.
This section contains information about how parents can be involved in supporting learning at home as part of a home – school partnership.
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You can also find out more about the ethos of our school, what our values are and our aspirations for our pupils including how we celebrate pupil success, and links we have with partner organisations and the wider local, national and international community.
Lastly, it includes information on our Parent Staff Association/Parent Association and Parent Council, how to contact them and how parents can get involved in the life and work of the school . Ethos
SCHOOL AIMS
ACHIEVEMENT To ensure every child is supported and challenged to make maximum progress and achieve to the very best of his/her ability.
ETHOS To provide a welcoming, safe and caring environment in which each child’s uniqueness is valued, supported and respected. To build and maintain effective partnerships in the school and wider community.
LEARNING & TEACHING To provide a wide and balanced range of learning experiences through which each child will develop their full potential as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible and respectful citizens, and effective contributors.
LEARNING FOR WORK; LEARNING FOR LIFE To equip children with the life-long learning skills required to be proactive and successful in the 21st century.
HEALTH PROMOTION To continually improve the health of all children and staff through strategies that promote a balanced life style and encourage physical and emotional wellbeing as well as high self-esteem.
EQUALITY & INCLUSION To ensure all members of the school community enjoy equality of access to educational opportunities regardless of their additional support needs, religious, cultural, racial, family, social or economic background; To provide effective support systems for everyone to achieve their potential.
LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT To ensure that the school’s promoted staff provide the highest quality of leadership and management and support for all; To improve the quality of learning and teaching by providing a programme of continuing professional development for all staff; To promote and enable leadership to be distributed throughout the school.
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Our Mission Statement for Raising Attainment
We aim to:
• Inspire children to have hopes, dreams and high aspirations, and to have the courage and determination to follow them;
• Provide an inclusive learning environment where all children attain the highest standards of achievement, including those with additional support needs;
• Provide a safe, caring, nurturing and supportive environment in which all children can develop their personal, emotional, spiritual, social, and academic potential;
• Ensure that all children are valued, respected and celebrated as equal members of the school community, have equal entitlement and access to a broad and balanced curriculum and equality of outcome;
We celebrate children’s achievement at assemblies and give weekly certificates to encourage effort in learning and publish children’s wider achievements in the school newsletter. Values
We are committed to supporting the development of the whole pupil and as a result, wish to encourage their development in spiritual, moral, social and cultural terms.
Our learning community is strengthened by a set of core values that underpin the life and work of our school. We develop the Four Capacities of the Curriculum for Excellence, Responsible Citizens, Effective Contributors, Successful Learners and Confident Individuals in our pupils through the teaching of these values. Our ‘living values’ provide a ‘compass’ to steer by in making choices and decisions and in shaping our daily lives.
At the heart of everything we do, we teach and develop:
Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Fairness and Justice, Consideration for others and Tolerance and Acceptance.
These key aspects of learning are supported by:-
• Creating a school ethos that, in every way possible, supports these values, providing an overall atmosphere that is both caring and challenging and which creates opportunities for the development of personal responsibility.
• Promoting social and moral learning through the way in which disciplinary issues are handled.
• Ensuring that staff and adults within the school provide positive models for pupils.
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• Arranging regular gatherings of the school as a community and using such occasions to encourage and reinforce the values on which the school is based.
• Enriching the curriculum in all appropriate areas with an emphasis on spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
• Providing opportunities within the curriculum to advance personal and social development.
• Providing a programme of religious and moral education in which consideration will be given to responses to basic questions relating to the meaning, value and purpose of human life.
• Taking every appropriate opportunity to acknowledge, value and appreciate the various cultures and heritage of all our pupils and to encourage them to appreciate and value the cultures and heritage of others.
Promoting Positive Behaviour We wish to encourage partnership with you to ensure the best possible standards of pupil behaviour.
We wish to encourage a partnership with parents to ensure the best possible standards of pupil behaviour. Education is more than the promotion of academic achievement. It is also about teaching and learning values and behaviours that allow quality relationships to flourish within a community. As in other areas of learning, children need:
• praise and encouragement • the opportunity to practise skills • support when things go wrong • good role models • to choose appropriately from the variety of skills and strategies learned
We promote good behaviour through a positive discipline programme which includes • Circle Time in class • the rights and responsibilities of community membership • how to build and maintain successful relationships • how to resolve conflicts and deal with difficulties positively
The school’s standards have been established to ensure behaviour that is essential to good order, the physical safety of pupils, their moral and social education and the maintenance of school property. Our aim is to create an atmosphere in which staff and pupils can live, learn and work happily. We encourage children to develop self- discipline. Children will be required to obey rules that are necessary for the safety and welfare of all pupils. If a child’s behaviour is giving cause for concern, the Head Teacher or Depute Head Teacher will contact the child’s parent/carer and ask for their co-operation with the school in an attempt to resolve the problem.
The school values are the guiding principles behind promoting positive discipline within the school. Children will be expected to be polite, respectful and courteous at all times
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and follow the school rules. Inside the school, children will be required to move about quietly and purposefully and to take care of the school property.
Anti-Bullying Policy
At Davidson’s Mains Primary we take bullying very seriously. Incidents do sometimes occur as in all schools and are then addressed using the City of Edinburgh Guidance on Positively Challenging Bullying, Racism and Discrimination and the school Discipline Policy. Whilst appropriate action will be taken by the school, it is also vital that all parents involved work with the school to resolve the problems in the best interests of their child or young person. We take a restorative, not punitive, approach to discipline within the school although this does not mean free of consequences. We work with the children to make aware of the upset and hurt they have caused others and support them in making things right again. Through our Discipline policy and our personal and social development programmes we aim to create a culture where children are confident, secure and are able to ask for help when required and support each other in getting help when necessary. We work with them to ensure they have the strategies to deal with conflict with peers appropriately.
Parents Welcome
We strongly encourage parental involvement as research has shown that when parents/carers are involved children do better in school. Parents/carers are welcome in school and we always endeavour to answer any queries promptly. Parents are invited to a Meet the Teacher session at the start of each school year when information about their child’s learning journey will be shared. A learning overview sheet is sent home each term showing the main learning and activities for that block. A newsletter is sent out approximately each month with information about the school and the school website and parent email system is also used to share news. There are numerous other occasions throughout the year when parents/carers are invited to share in their child’s learning journey with us. Parents/carers are welcome to share in school events such as the infant nativity re-enactment and the primary seven leavers’ event. We undertake to phone parents/carers if there is any information we would like to share with you about your child. We encourage parents/carers to accompany the children on learning excursions and events out of school. We endeavour to be a responsive and open school, always willing to take time to discuss your concerns and respond to requests for information whenever possible within 48 hours. Parental Consultation We offer opportunities for you to discuss your child's progress with teachers through arranged meetings in October and March each year. You will be advised when these meetings take place. Over and above these set meetings, parents are welcome to contact the school at any time to ask for information or for an interview. Please see section two of this handbook for more details on home / school partnership.
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Parental Involvement
Parents are encouraged to become involved in supporting their child’s learning at home by reading to and with them, supervising home learning tasks and taking an interest in their school life. The pupil learning journals also provide an excellent opportunity for parents to see their child’s progress across all the curriculum areas. These journals are sent home three times a year and also available to share with parents at a coffee morning in January or February.
We regularly survey parents’ opinions on the school. At key points such as when the school improvement plan is developed, when reports are issued, parent workshops and other events, questionnaires/evaluation forms are issued to gather parental opinion. The Parent Council also seeks parental views over key whole school issues.
Parent Councils Parent Councils are the formal representative body for parents/carers with children attending school. Parent Councils are different in each school to enable them to meet the needs of parents/carers locally. Parents are welcomed to be: • involved with their child’s education and learning; • be active participants in the life of the school; and • express their views on school education generally and work in partnership with their children's schools.
All parents/carers are automatically members of the Parent Forum at their child’s school. As a member of the Parent Forum all parents can expect to – • receive information about the school and its activities; • hear about what partnership with parents means in our school; • be invited to be involved in ways and times that suit you; • identify issues you want the Parent Council, to work on with the school; • be asked your opinion by the parent council on issues relating to the school and the education it provides; • work in partnership with staff; and enjoy taking part in the life of the school in whatever way possible. The Parent Forum decides how their representatives on the Parent Council are chosen and how the Parent Council operates. Parents/carers are encouraged to volunteer or put themselves forward to be chosen as representatives of the Parent Council if they wish .
The main aims of the Parent Council are:
• To support the school in its work with pupils • To represent the views of parents • To promote contact between the school, parents, pupils, providers of nursery education and the community • To report to the Parent Forum • To be involved in the appointment of senior promoted staff.
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The parent council can be contacted through a link on the school website and by emailing [email protected]
For more information on parental involvement or to find out about parents as partners in their children’s learning, please contact the school or visit the Parentzone website at www.parentzonescotland.gov.uk. The National Parent Forum of Scotland has been set up to give Parent Councils and parents an opportunity to discuss and raise educational issues of mutual interest or concerns at a national level.
Parent Staff Association (PSA)
The PSA is mainly responsible for arranging events for parents and raising funds for the school. Volunteers are welcome - please contact the PSA directly if you want to join in.
The Parent Staff association can be contacted through the link on the school website and by emailing [email protected] .
The Scottish Parent Teacher Council is the national organisation for PTAs and PAs in Scotland, Parent Councils can join too, and it runs an independent helpline service for all parents.
Pupil Council
Currently the pupil council is made up of representatives from each class from primary 4 to 7 who put themselves forward for the role and are then chosen by their class. They meet with the Head Teacher regularly. They have a leadership role within the school and are encouraged to collect and share the concerns and interests of the children with the Head Teacher and to engage in discussions round such issues. They have a direct role in supporting the quality of learning and teaching within the school by being given the opportunity to share their opinions respectfully on learning and teaching within the school and discuss possible improvements. They have the opportunity to present ideas at assemblies and on occasions represent the school by talking to visitors and showing them round the school. Section Three – School Curriculum
This section describes how the curriculum is planned and delivered in our school including the range of subjects and subject areas your child will be learning. It also includes information on how pupils develop skills for learning, life and work, including literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing in and out of the classroom.
As well as giving you information about the statutory curriculum requirements, we have included details on sports and outdoor activities available to pupils and the range of facilities available within the school.
Details of how parents will be informed about sensitive aspects of learning e.g. relationships, sexual health, parenthood and drugs awareness are included, as well
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as information about religious instruction and observance and arrangements for parents who wish to exercise their right to withdraw their child Curriculum for Excellence
Bringing learning to life and life to learning
Curriculum for Excellence has now been introduced across Scotland for all 3-18 year olds – wherever they learn. It aims to raise standards, prepare our children for a future they do not yet know and equip them for jobs of tomorrow in a fast changing world. Curriculum for excellence will be fully implemented by 2016.
Teachers and practitioners will share information to plan a child’s ‘learning journey’ from 3-18, helping their progression from nursery to primary, primary to secondary and beyond, ensuring each transition is smooth. They’ll ensure children continue to work at a pace they can cope with and with challenge they can thrive on.
Curriculum for Excellence balances the importance of knowledge and skills.
Every child is entitled to a broad and general education, whatever their level and ability. Every single teacher and practitioner will be responsible for the development of literacy and numeracy from Early Level through to Senior Phase.
It develops skills for learning, life and work, bringing real life into the classroom, making learning relevant and helping young people apply lessons to their life beyond the classroom. It links knowledge in one subject area to another helping make connections in their learning. It develops skills which can enable children to think for themselves, make sound judgements, challenge, enquire and find solutions.
There is an entitlement to personal support to help young people fulfil their potential and make the most of their opportunities with additional support wherever that’s needed. There will be an emphasis by all staff on looking after our children’s health and wellbeing – to ensure that the school is a place where children feel safe and secure.
Ultimately, Curriculum for Excellence aims to improve our children’s life chances, to nurture successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors, and responsible citizens, building on Scotland’s reputation for great education.
At Davidson’s Mains in addition to developing the Four Capacities, we help our children become Resourceful, Resilient, Reflective and Reciprocal Learners so that they ‘learn how to learn’ and understand themselves as learners. We also foster the mindset that effort put into learning will bring success and that intelligence is not fixed but can be grown and developed.
Learning and teaching is based on a range of strategies and methods and include direct whole class, group, and individual teaching. They may learn in a range of settings for different tasks - individually, mixed ability groups, ability groups, pairs, as a whole class and there will be opportunities to work and learn cooperatively and collaboratively. We actively engage pupils in their learning whenever possible to
26 provide appropriate challenge and motivation. Children will be involved in investigating, problem solving and discussion, and presenting their work in a variety of ways.
ICT is used as a tool to support learning and teaching and to capture the children’s learning. The children learn to use computers and iPads to create text, including online books, e-mail, word process, create Power Points, animations as well as, digital and video cameras, and programmable toys. We have a mixture of PC desktops in a computer suite and a number of iPads available for use in class. We recognise that tomorrow’s adults will live in a high technological society and we have integrated today’s technology into our learning and teaching programmes. In future we hope to increase the number of 1:1 devices of various types available within school.
Teachers plan learning with their stage partners using an annual, termly and weekly/daily plan to provide similar curriculum experiences for each class in the same year group. Children are now increasingly involved in helping to plan their learning especially in Interdisciplinary learning. Planning is monitored by the Senior Leadership Team to ensure quality.
LITERACY & ENGLISH Children learn to communicate at the earliest age and in school, we continue to build on the very good work begun at home. Learning Outcomes for Literacy and English cover the areas of Listening and Talking, Reading, and Writing.
Listening and Talking We live in a world where children are bombarded through a variety of media. Many children need to be taught listening skills and need to be able to listen in a variety of situations and for a variety of purposes. They need to listen to one another to express an opinion, listen to the teacher in order to relay an understanding of what they have heard, take notes when listening in order to write a report later and listen to remember to relay information to others. Children will experience a variety of listening activities from listening to adults and other children, to DVDs, stories, programmes and games.
Linked to the development of listening is the development of talking - answering questions, offering opinions, giving talks and debating. Skills in talking include projection of the voice, eye contact with audience, use of notes for formal presentations, clear pronunciation, varying tone and speed.
Some of these skills we develop through drama but many other opportunities arise on a daily basis to practise talking skills. Listening and knowing when and how to take your turn in a conversation is a valuable skill.
Reading We aim to develop a love of books and reading. If, from an early age, children are regularly read to and see other people reading, this gives us a good foundation to build on when we begin to teach your child. We want them to experience and understand a range of reading materials – fiction, non-fiction, drama, poetry, plays etc. and be able to discuss and express their own views. We also teach them to respect books and handle them with care. We value the contribution made by parents to this learning process and ask you to help by supporting your child reading regularly at home. The school has an excellent library providing a wide range of fiction and non-fiction to 27 promote research skills and enjoyment of books.
We encourage children to visit the local library and we sometimes hold a Book Fair in school, and encourage you to browse with your child and have the opportunity to choose a book with your child. Sometimes we visit authors at the Book Festival and sometimes authors make visits to the school.
Writing This is the last of the language skills to develop in children. Initially children write from their own experiences. Later they learn to write for different purposes and with different readers of their work in mind and gain experience by using the skills of written language across the curriculum. We teach and develop the knowledge and skills of punctuation, language structure, handwriting and spelling through progressive programmes appropriate to every child’s needs. Different types of writing (genres) are taught in a progressive way throughout the school. We support children in using a Big Writing approach, teaching the use of interesting Vocabulary, a variety of Connectives, different Openers at the start of sentences and correct Punctuation (VCOP).
MODERN LANGUAGE From August 2015 the Royal High Cluster will be offering two foreign languages to all pupils at primary. The first language will be taught from Nursery onwards and the second language from Primary 5.
NUMERACY & MATHEMATICS The areas of study are: Number, Money and Measure, Shape, Position and Movement and Information Handling.
Maths in the early years at school is developed through structured play and focused active learning opportunities. Children will experience learning through playing with water, sand, games, by building, and taking part in group activities as well as more formal teaching, which allows the development of concepts of number, money, measurements, shape, and graphs. Importance is placed on experimenting, problem solving, looking for patterns and awareness of the uses of maths in the world outside the classroom. We have a core programme for maths from Nursery to Primary 7, which is supplemented with a variety of other resources including in primaries one and two an approach to numeracy called SEAL, computer packages, programmable toys and problem solving materials.
Information Handling is concerned with the gathering, organising, displaying and using this data. This involves pupils in practical activities such as surveys, using diagrams and tables, making graphs, using spreadsheets, databases and interpreting information produced in graphic form.
Number, Money and Measure is initially about developing the idea of what numbers mean to them and then learning to add, subtract, multiply and divide in a variety of situations. Children learn to use Money, work with Time and investigate Length, Weight, Area and Volume.
Shape, Position and Movement is concerned with geometric shapes, symmetry, angles, bearings and compass points.
In each of these three areas pupils will develop Problem Solving and Enquiry 28
Skills. This will encourage pupils to consider the skills involved in solving problems making use of basic maths processes, to question and explain a situation in context. In addition, pupils will be systematically taught a variety of strategies for supporting mental calculations and developing automatic recall of number facts.
HEALTH & WELLBEING There is a progressive programme of learning within Emotional and Mental Wellbeing, Social Wellbeing, Physical Wellbeing, Planning for Choices and Changes, Physical Education, Food and Health from nursery to primary seven. Children are also taught through the school ethos and wider life of the school how learning in these areas connects to life around them. To help us to fulfill the requirements for two hours of quality physical education a week we have a PE specialist who visits for two and a half days each week.
SCIENCE In science we investigate Planet Earth; Forces, Electricity and Waves; Biological Systems; Materials; and link these to topical science issues when and wherever possible. We use the school grounds as an outdoor classroom whenever opportunities arise. We aim to develop in our pupils’ positive, open and questioning attitudes to science and foster scientific skills, knowledge and understanding. Promoting and developing scientific literacy is a feature of the upper years of the school.
TECHNOLOGY The technology curriculum has been organised to offer opportunities for personalisation and choice through a range of contexts for learning. Pupils will learn about the technological developments in society and will use ICT to enhance their learning. They will also use the contexts of business, computing science, food and textiles, craft, design, engineering and graphics to develop technological skills and knowledge.
SOCIAL STUDIES Through Social Studies the children learn about the world and the society they live in. This encompasses the secondary school areas of geography, history, economics and business studies. We aim to teach a wide range of skills through this curriculum area so that children can investigate and understand the world and their place in it and go on to use these skills throughout their lives. Children study within three areas – People, Past Events and Societies; People, Place and Environment; People in Society, Economy and Business. Social studies often provide an opportunity for linking learning across the curriculum and interdisciplinary learning experiences are often based round a social studies context. This approach helps to build coherence in their learning and allow for the application of learning in different curricular areas.
EXPRESSIVE ARTS Within this curricular area Children will study Art and Design, and experience a range of opportunities in Drama, Dance and Music. They will participate in performances and presentations to their class and the whole school and at intervals to parents. We currently have specialist teachers for Music and Art at some stages of the school.
INSTRUMENTAL TUITION In Primary 4 tuition in violin, or cello is offered to a very small number of children assessed by the instrumental instructors. Children who demonstrate an aptitude and interest are therefore most likely to benefit. They also have the opportunity to play in 29
the Area Primary Orchestra from P5 - P7. Pupils in P7, who are of the required standard, have the opportunity to play in the Edinburgh Primary School's Orchestra and then the various Senior School Orchestras in the City. Similarly at the P5 stage, pupils who wish to learn a brass instrument - trumpet, trombone, and euphonium - are tested to assess their suitability and those considered most likely to benefit from tuition are selected. Please note that learning to play a musical instrument requires dedication and lots of practice as it is a long term commitment. Parental support is essential to ensure that children make the most of this scarce opportunity and practise regularly and bring their instrument to school.
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL EDUCATION Davidson’s Mains Primary is a non-denominational school with children reflecting a mix of faith or non-faith backgrounds. We follow a programme of themes to develop the children’s understanding of the major world faiths and moral issues. Children are encouraged to think for themselves and develop tolerance through finding out about other people's beliefs. Assemblies aim to increase pupils' understanding of themselves by reflecting on their own lives, those of others and the world in which we all live. The themes for our Time for Reflection assemblies are to be found in our newsletter and compliment both the curricular work and the school values.
Parents who wish to exercise their right to withdraw their child from religious instruction and/or observance should contact the Head Teacher in writing and Suitable alternative arrangements will be made for your child.
Personal Learning Planning
We provide parents with a termly overview of the coverage within the eight curriculum areas and particular learning opportunities and excursions for each class or stage. The children and teacher assess themselves against the significant aspects of the curriculum as identified on these overviews, setting themselves targets for their learning each term.
Teachers use learning intentions and devise success criteria for individual lessons so that children are clear on the learning intended, can measure how well they have managed to achieve it and what they need to do next.
Please contact the Head Teacher if you would like any further information about the curriculum within our school.
Further Information for parents in Edinburgh is available online from the Edinburgh Grid for Learning – parents tab. Parent information on the Curriculum for Excellence is available from http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/parentzone/cfe/index.asp
Active Learning Curriculum for Excellence emphasises the value of an active learning approach. In the early years, children will have a range of learning experiences that include planned
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and purposeful play and stimulating learning which engages and challenges children’s thinking using real life and imaginary situations. As children progress through school they continue to be involved in active learning experiences which are engaging and give them ownership of their own learning .
Home Learning
Your co-operation is most welcome in ensuring that your child develops a positive attitude to school and supporting home learning activities is one way by which this is facilitated. Parents are therefore encouraged to help pupils with their home learning activities as a means of keeping them up to date with the work of the class and the child’s progress and to promote partnership between the school and parents. Home learning activities encourage pupils to become more organised and self-supporting in their learning.
The activities will be organised according to the stage and ability of the child and can arise from all curricular areas. They may include written, oral or practical activities. The tasks set will be interesting, worthwhile and challenging for the child.
If your child has difficulty with any aspect of the given home learning, please come in to discuss it with the class teacher in the first instance who will try to sort out any difficulties.
Extra-Curricular Activities
We offer as wide a range of sporting and cultural activities as possible.
There is a range of extra curricular activities available for pupils after school and sometimes at lunch time. Parents will be informed about these by the school. In addition to in-school activities, classes also make regular educational visits and field studies. These visits are linked to pupils’ class work. Active Schools The fundamental aim of Active Schools Programme provided by the City of Edinburgh through an Active Schools Coordinator, is to give school-aged children the tools, motivation and the opportunities to be more active throughout their school years and into adulthood. These opportunities are available before, during and after school, as well as in the wider community. For further information contact the Active Schools Coordinator, Neil Russell on 07825782585. Assessment As pupils progress through our school, teachers use a range of assessment strategies, including Assessment for Learning strategies as well as setting occasional summative assessment tasks. Pupils are also involved in assessing their own progress and developing their next steps.
We recognise that all pupils do not develop and progress at the same rate and, therefore, we use both group and individual methods to ensure that all pupils are given
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appropriate instruction and the opportunity to succeed. Please contact the school as soon as possible if you have any concerns about your child’s progress.
At the end of the school year in June parents will receive a written report summarising their child’s progress and giving details of attendance and the level of the curriculum on which they are currently working. In addition primary seven pupils will have a pupil profile which accompanies them to high school, written partly by the teacher but mainly by the pupil themselves covering their achievements to date.
Section Four – Support for Pupils
This section gives information about how pupils’ additional support needs will be identified and addressed and the types of specialist services provided within our school. Getting It Right for Every Child
Taking care of our children's well-being and making sure they are all right - even before they are born - helps we ensure the most positive outcomes for them later in life. It gives them the potential to grow up ready to succeed and play their part in society. Our school adopts the Getting It Right For Every Child in Edinburgh approach to give the right help to children, young people and families, when they need it from a joined up multi agency team.
Getting it right for every child aims to improve outcomes for all children and young people. It promotes a shared approach that:
• builds solutions with and around children and families • enables children to get the help they need when they need it • supports a positive shift in culture, systems and practice • involves working together to make things better
Getting it right for every child is the foundation for work with all children and young people, including adult services where parents are involved. It builds on universal health and education services, and is embedded in the developing early years and youth frameworks. Developments in the universal services of health and education, such as Better Health Better Care and Curriculum for Excellence, are identifying what needs to be done in those particular areas to improve outcomes for children.
Protecting Children and Young People We place a high priority on the well-being and safety of our pupils. To this end we have in place a personal safety programme to give pupils knowledge and life skills to keep them safe from all form of abuse. Where we have concerns about the possible abuse
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of pupils, we are required to follow the Edinburgh and the Lothian’s Inter-Agency Child Protection Procedures which set out the specific duties and responsibilities towards the child and their parents/carers. Additional Support Needs
As with all local authority schools in Scotland, this school operates under the terms of the Additional Support for Learning Act (2009) and its accompanying Code of Practice. Further details of the policies and procedures can be found on Edinburgh Council website at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/InOnTheAct
In on the Act - Supporting children and young people with additional support needs provides the following information specified by the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009 which includes –
(a) The authority’s policy in relation to provision for additional support needs,
(b) The arrangements made by the authority in making appropriate arrangement for keeping under consideration the additional support needs of each such child and young person and the particular additional support needs of the children and young persons so identified. c) The other opportunities available under this Act for the identification of children and young persons who -
a) have additional support needs,
b) require, or would require, a co-ordinated support plan,
c) the role of parents, children and young persons in the arrangements referred to in paragraph (b),
d) the mediation services provided
e) the officer or officers of the authority from whom parents of children having additional support needs, and young persons having such needs, can obtain advice and further information about provision for such needs.
At Davidson’s Mains Primary our Pastoral and Learning Support Team, comprising the Head Teacher, Depute Head Teacher and Learning Support Teacher, meets regularly to identify and address learning and pastoral needs.
For pupils who require extra help in their learning, support is available from the Learning Support Teacher who devises a programme of work appropriate to the child's individual needs. Parents are fully involved through target setting meetings held yearly. Pupil Support Assistants also support pupils in classrooms, in small groups and individually.
We have a very close working relationship with other professionals and agencies – for example, the Educational Psychology Service, the National Health Service, Social Work Services and you, the parent, to make decisions with regards to the best possible 33
education to meet the needs of your child within the resources available.
Should you wish to discuss concerns regarding your child’s learning in school, the class teacher should be contacted in the first instance or the Depute Head Teacher.
Parents, carers and children with additional support needs can also seek independent advice and support through:
Enquire: www.enquire.org.uk, 0845 123 2303
Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance, www.siaa.org.uk, 0131 260 5380
Take Note: National Advocacy Service for Additional Support Needs (Barnados in association with the Scottish Child Law Centre) www.sclc.org.uk, 0131 667 6633. Pastoral Support
Children’s pastoral care is the responsibility in the first instance of the class teacher. The Senior leadership team also plays a role in supporting individual children who may require extra support and care, particularly at times of stress, such as bereavement or family change. Sensitive Aspects of Learning
At primary 6 we teach about puberty, reproduction and parenthood. We also teach the skills of Keeping Myself Safe in primary one and again in primary 6 and 7. Parents are welcome to look at the materials that are used to teach these areas of health and wellbeing and speak to the school about any concerns they may have about these curricular areas. Transitions – Moving to a New School or Leaving School
This section also gives information about transition. There are also details about making a placing request to another school. Nursery class provision The school's nursery class provides 40 morning and 40 afternoon places for children aged 3 - 5 years.
Nursery class provision is non-denominational. This means that all nurseries are open to children and parents of all religions and beliefs. Nurseries, unlike schools, do not have a catchment area and any child is welcome to apply for a place. Placement in the nursery class however does not guarantee a place in the primary school if your child is not within the school catchment.
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Transfer from nursery to primary Before leaving Davidson’s Mains nursery class, a transfer of information record for each child will be prepared by nursery staff to ensure a smooth transition and continuity of education for the child transferring to primary. We endeavour to make contact with other nurseries that children may attend and receive similar reports.
To support your child’s transition to Primary 1 at Davidson’s Mains Primary a range of transition events are planned in the final term of Nursery. In addition staff from Davidson’s Mains Primary will visit your child’s nursery to discuss transition and hand on key information. Further details of these events will be provided in May. Primary School Admissions Starting school is a very important milestone both for children and their parents. The vast majority of our parents choose their local catchment school. In the run-up to November's registration week for the new Primary 1 intake primary schools are happy to offer an opportunity for you to visit. You can speak to staff to find out more about the school first-hand. You can see how the school runs; discuss the curriculum and their priorities as well as seeing recent examples of pupils' work on display. All of this will help you understand the school's unique character and give you an insight into the learning environment that your child could enjoy there.
All our schools do offer a high quality educational experience. Primary to Secondary Transfer Visits to the Royal High School are organised before the summer holidays and children from other catchment schools who will be attending the Royal High School will have the opportunity to meet and get to know each other and their teachers. While the children are participating in classroom activities and meeting their class teacher, parents will have an opportunity to view the school and are given a brief explanation of school life. If you wish your child to attend a secondary school other than the catchment denominational or non-denominational secondary school for your home address, you will be required to make a Placing Request as detailed in the Placing Request section below.
You do not need to submit a Placing Request if you want your child to transfer from a denominational to a non-denominational secondary school or vice-versa at the primary to secondary transfer stage, as long as the intended secondary school is still the catchment school for your home address. Parents of children who are planning to change from denominational to non-denominational or vice-versa between primary and secondary school should ensure that both the primary school and the intended secondary school know what is to happen. Catchment Secondary School The Royal High School, East Barnton Avenue, EDINBURGH EH4 6JP Tel: 0131 336 2261 http://www.royalhigh.edin.sch.uk/
o The school works closely with the Royal High school to ensure a smooth
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transfer to secondary. A number of transition events take place throughout the year and parents are invited in the autumn to visit the High school prior to enrolment. Meetings are also held with both the Support for Learning Team and the Guidance Team to ensure that children with additional support needs are well-supported and their needs planned for in advance.
Placing Requests As a parent, you have the right to make a Placing Request for your child(ren) to be educated in a school other than the local school.
If you would prefer that your child start P1 or S1 at another school instead of one of the catchment schools, you have to make a placing request. You can get an application form from mid November www.edinburgh.gov.uk/schoolplaces. Forms must be returned to: Grants, Awards and Placements, The City of Edinburgh Council, Level 1.1 Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG by 24 December. If you apply for a place after this date, your request will be considered but if you apply after 15 March places in your chosen school may no longer be available.
All parents have the right to make a request for a place for their child in another school. The Council must grant these requests where possible. When there are more places available in a school than there are placing requests for that school, then all the requests are usually granted. If the school you specify has more requests than available places, then each case is examined individually. Whatever you write on your application form is taken into account, so it is important that you include relevant details on the form.
In recent years, as the primary school rolls have increased there has been a decrease in the number of places available for children living outside the catchment area and this has resulted in high numbers of placing requests being refused.
You should also note that a successful Placing Request for one child does not guarantee a successful one for another child. It may be, therefore, that a parent could end up with children at different schools.
All children must also be enrolled at the catchment area school on the appropriate Enrolment Form whilst awaiting the outcome of their Placing Request Application . Transport for Placing Requests If a Placing Request is successful, parents will be responsible for the safety and transportation costs of their child to and from their chosen school. Section Five – School Improvement
The section gives you an overview of the main achievements of the school within the last 12 months and performance information relating to literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing.
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Raising Attainment
Monitoring performance and using the resulting information to secure improvement is an important part of the work of head teachers, school staff and officers within Children and Families. Standards and Quality Report
Every year each school publishes a Standards and Quality report which highlights the school’s major achievements.
A copy of the current Standards and Quality report is available on the school website . www.davidsonsmains.ik.org/home.ikml School Improvement Plan
What we achieved last year 2013-14
Curriculum, Learners’ Experiences and Attainment
° Staff trained on using opportunities for outdoor learning and orienteering. ° Pupils attainment continues to be tracked and analysed. ° Cluster audited and moderated programmes of work in Expressive Arts and Modern Languages: policy written. ° Held successful Expressive Arts morning for parents. ° Music programme introduced. ° Staff held drop in sessions for other staff on cooperative learning strategies and continued learning rounds. ° Introduced Heinemann Active maths throughout the school.
Support for Pupils and Ethos
° Pupils have experienced a range of opportunities in the wider community: Art Project with Davidson’s Mains Park, QR codes in park, P7 Lauriston Castle WW1 project, P4 receiving John Muir award for outdoor learning, grant from Education Scotland to develop garden for food and sustainability, P6 Movie in a Day and Bikeablity reintroduced. ° Focus on values in assemblies continued and singing reintroduced. ° Pupil council involved in assessing learning and teaching within the school and evaluating anti-bullying procedures in school. ° Extended buddying system to P7s and P1 partners. ° Changing room created for upper girls.
Self Evaluation and Resources
° Mini review of learning and teaching carried out. ° Purchase of more than 70 hand held ICT devises (iPads) has had a significant impact on how pupils approach learning. Two classes have their own set. ° Reading resources increased. ° School systems streamlined and improved: resource management, lunchtime arrangements, milk storage and first aid.
This is what we plan to do this year:
Curriculum, Learners’ Experiences and Attainment
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° Continue to focus on Maths and numeracy, particularly Mental Agility, to raise standards of maths attainment. ° Plan for the introduction of 1+2 Modern Languages in 2015-16 ° Develop better structured Social Studies topics that exploit both the local area and Edinburgh citywide resources. ° Introduce structure into the Literacy curriculum in spelling, grammar and writing genres and moderate assessment within Literacy with cluster. ° Continue to develop Building Learning Power and Growth Mindset capacities in learners and share this with parents. Further develop outdoor learning, particularly in the nursery.
Support for Pupils and Ethos
° Introduce a personal learning process that engages the pupils more closely with their learning journey and embed Formative Assessment fully. ° Develop our partnership with parents by providing more opportunities for them to share their child’s learning. ° Teach pupils the life skills of evaluating their learning ° Lift the profile of the house system and rewards system. ° Increase our very good targeted support for children not attaining as expected. ° Introduce a robust Pastoral Care Policy to ensure we meet the needs of all children in good time. ° Improve Health and Wellbeing through Growth Mindsets teaching and reinforcement of Building Learning Power. ° Introduce Ibike opportunities to support health and wellbeing. Work more closely with cluster schools on Creating Confidence agenda, Ibike and JASS.
Self Evaluation and Resources
° Teaching staff to develop their allocated roles in leading in various curricular areas. ° Staff to work in stage teams to enhance professional dialogue and the quality of learning experiences planned. ° Planning system revised to reduce bureaucracy and focus teacher time on planning quality learning opportunities.
Transferring Educational Data about Pupils
The Scottish Government – Education and Training has asked that the undernoted advice be included in our school brochures.
Education authorities and the Scottish Government collected data about pupils on paper forms for many years. We now work together with schools to transfer data electronically through the ScotXed programme. Thus the Scottish Government has two functions: acting as a ‘hub’ for supporting data exchange within the education system in Scotland and the analysis of data for statistical purposes within the Scottish Government itself.
What pupil data is collected and transferred?
Data on each pupil is collected by schools, local authorities and the Scottish Government.
The data collected and transferred covers areas such as date of birth, Scottish Candidate Number (SCN), postcode, registration for free-school meals, whether a pupil is looked after by his/her local authority, additional support needs including 38 disability and English as an Additional Language (EAL), and attendance, absence and exclusions from school. The SCN acts as the unique pupil identifier. Pupil names and addresses are not passed to the Scottish Government. Your postcode is the only part of your address that is transferred for statistical purposes, and postcodes are grouped to identify ‘localities’ rather than specific addresses. Data is held securely and no information on individual pupils can or would be published by the Scottish Government.
Providing national identity and ethnic background data is entirely voluntary. You can choose the ‘not disclosed’ option if you do not want to provide this data. However, we hope that the explanations contained in this message and on the ScotXed website will help you understand the importance of providing the data.
Why do we need your data?
In order to make the best decisions about how to improve our education service, the Scottish Government, education authorities and other partners such as the Scottish Qualifications Authority and Skills Development Scotland need accurate, up-to-date data about our pupils. We are keen to help all our pupils do well in all aspects of school life and achieve better examination results. Accurate and up-to-date data allows us to:
• plan and deliver better policies for the benefit of all pupils • plan and deliver better policies for the benefit of specific groups of pupils • better understand some of the factors which influence pupil attainment and achievement • share good practice • target resources better .
Your data protection rights
The collection, transfer, processing and sharing of ScotXed data is done in accordance with the Data Protection Act (1998). We also comply with the National Statistics Code of Practice requirements and other legislation related to safeguarding the confidentiality of data. The Data Protection Act gives you the right to know how we will use your data. This message can give only a brief description of how we use data. Fuller details of the use of pupil data can be found on the ScotXed website (www.scotxed.net).
The Scottish Government works with a range of partners including Education Scotland and the SQA. On occasion, we will make individual data available to partners and also academic institutions to carry out research and statistical analysis. In addition, we will provide our partners with information they need in order to fulfil their official responsibilities. Any sharing of data will be done under the strict control of the Scottish Government, which will ensure that no individual level data will be made public as a result of the data sharing and that these data will not be used to take any actions in respect of an individual. Decisions on the sharing of data will be taken in consultation with colleagues within and out with the Scottish Government.
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Concerns
If you have any concerns about the ScotXed data collections you can email the Senior Statistician, [email protected] or write to The ScotXed Support Office, Area 1B, Victoria Quay, Leith, EH6 6QQ. Alternative versions of this page are available, on request from the ScotXed Support Office, in other languages, audio tape, braille and large print. Websites
You may find the following websites useful. • www.davidsonsmains.ik.org/home.ikml parents can find information and documents specific to the school on this website. It also contains up to date news about the school community. • http://www.parentzonescotland.gov.uk - parents can find out about everything from school term dates to exam results. This site also offers information for pre-5 and post school. It also lists relevant publications for parents and provides hyper-links to other useful organisations. • www.hmie.gov.uk - parents can access school and local authority inspection reports and find out more about the work of Education Scotland. • http://www.scottishschoolsonline.gov.uk - parents can find out about individual schools. They can choose a school and select what type of information they need such as Education Scotland reports, exam results, stay on rates and free school meal entitlement. • http://www.childline.org.uk/Explore/Bullying/Pages/Bullyinginfo.aspx - contains information for parents and children on varying forms of bullying and provides help for parents and children who are affected by bullying. • http://www.respectme.org.uk/ - Scotland’s anti-bullying service. Contains information for parents and children on varying forms of bullying and provides help for parents and children who are affected by bullying • http://www.educationscotland.org.uk/ - provides information and advice for parents as well as support and resources for education in Scotland • http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/ - contains information for everyone on equality laws within the government and local authorities.
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Glossary – DC to check for more terms in our own glossary
CFE - Curriculum for Excellence
ASN – Additional Support Needs
EMA – Education Maintenance Allowance
ASL – Additional Support for Learning
SQA – Scottish Qualifications Authority
FOI – Freedom of Information
HT/PT – Head Teacher/Principal Teacher
CLD – Community Learning and Development
GIRFEC – Getting it Right for Every Child
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Parent feedback
Please take a few minutes to fill in and return the questionnaire on this page. Your feedback will help us improve the hand book next year.
Tell us what you think Your feedback will help us to improve our handbook.
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Please tell us how we can improve the handbook next year.
Davidson’s Mains Primary School
Thank you for filling in the questionnaire. Your views are appreciated. Please return this questionnaire to: Davidson’s Mains Primary School.
Throughout this handbook the term ‘parent’ has the meaning attributed in the Standards in Scotland's Schools Act 2000 and the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006. This includes grandparents, carer or anyone else who has parental responsibility for the child I hope you find all of the above information helpful and self-explanatory. If you have any queries about any of the information contained in this handbook, or indeed about any aspect of our school, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Lesley Nock
Head Teacher
Davidson’s Mains Primary School
The information in this school handbook is considered to be correct at the time of publication (August 2014), however, it is possible that there may be some inaccuracy by the start of the school term in August 2015. 42
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