Kittybrewster School
Standards, Quality & Improvement Plan 2020-21
School and Early Learning & Childcare
Our Vision:
“To build a community of resilient, independent thinkers who aspire to be the best they can be.”
Our Values:
Kindness Aiming High Respect Responsible Trust
National Improvement Framework Priorities Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP) Stretch Outcomes
• Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy • 95% of children (0-5years) will reach their expected developmental • Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged milestones by the time of their child health reviews by 2026. children and young people • 90% of children and young people will report that they feel mentally well by • Improvement in children and young people’s health & wellbeing 2026. • Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school- • 95% of care experienced children and young people will have the same leaver destinations for all young people levels of attainment in education, emotional wellbeing, and positive destinations as their peers by 2026. • 95% of children living in our priority localities will sustain a positive destination upon leaving school by 2026. • Child Friendly City which supports all children to prosper and engage actively with their communities by 2026. • 25% fewer young people (under 18) charged with an offence by 2026.
School Improvement Priorities 2019 – 2020 School Improvement Priorities 2020-2021
• Priority 1: Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and • Priority 1: Deliver school COVID-19 recovery numeracy. • Priority 2: Continue to develop learning, teaching and assessment • Priority 2: Closing the attainment gap between the most and least approaches in order to improve attainment and achieve excellence and disadvantaged children / young people. equity. • Priority 3: Improvement in children and young people’s health and • Priority 3: Develop approaches to supporting wellbeing, equality and wellbeing. inclusion in order to improve outcomes for children. • Priority 4: Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive • Additional Priority: Continue to develop leadership capacity within the school-leaver destinations for all young people. school community in order to drive change and improvement.
Standards, Quality & Improvement Plan (SQUIP) 2019/20 Summarised School Community SQUIP 2019/20
Education Scotland Inspection Education Scotland Summarised Inspection Findings 04/12/18 Education Scotland Further Inspection Letter 25/02/20 Context of the School
Kittybrewster School is housed in a large, Victorian, granite building first opened in 1899. It is sited in an established, busy area of Aberdeen with a mix of housing including local authority, private and privately rented accommodation. Kittybrewster School is part of St. Machar ASG and only a short distance from St. Machar Academy.
The school roll is approximately 280. An additional 40 children attend the school’s Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) provision. The school roll has steadily increased over the past few years (from 214 in 2013/14) and is forecasted to increase to 300 and remain at this level for the next five years. Approximately 38% of children who attend the school and Early Learning and Childcare provision have English as an additional language (EAL).
The Head Teacher of Kittybrewster School is Ross Watson. Mr Watson was appointed in March 2020 following a period as Acting Head Teacher. The Senior Leadership Team comprises Mr Watson, Mrs Jennifer Kirk (Depute Head Teacher), Mrs Sonia Gow (Acting Depute Head Teacher) and Miss Elizabeth Maguire (Acting Principal Teacher). Mrs Gow is the Nursery Manager.
At Kittybrewster School there are twelve primary classes and one nursery class. In addition to class teachers, there are two Support for Learning teachers and two teachers who provide teacher reduced class contact cover. There are currently two probationer teachers. We begin the session fully staffed.
Learning and teaching is supported by an allocation of 10 Pupil Support Assistants. There is a full-time Office Administrator, a part-time Office Support Assistant and a part-time janitor. Pupil Equity Funding is used to employ a part-time Barnardo’s Northern Start Worker. Pupils in all classes take part in weekly football inputs from the Russell Anderson Development School.
In August 2019, the Parent Council was re-launched as ‘Kitty Parent Voice’ with a revised constitution. The Parent Council work in close partnership with school staff and meet regularly to discuss educational matters as well as community and fundraising events. Home school communication is enhanced by regular email newsletters, GroupCall messages, the school website and the use of G-Suite tools including Google Classroom. A new platform for improved digital communication and pupil profiling will be introduced in session 2020/21.
Kittybrewster pupils have many opportunities to participate in the life and ethos of the school. Pupils have a sense of pride and belonging in their school and almost all are keen and motivated learners. Pupils’ views are sought through a Pupil Council. In 2019/20 the Pupil Council developed approaches for consulting the pupil body and contributed to school decision-making. Pupils are active participants and contributors in the local community with a recent highlight being an intergenerational art-project culminating in the painting of large sub-station on Great Northern Road. The ethos of the school is very positive. The school is welcoming, nurturing and inclusive. This is commented on frequently by parents/carers, partners, visitors and by Education Scotland inspectors in December 2019.
An After School Club is provided by Woodside Community Partnership. Prior to COVID-19 this took place in the school and grounds at Kittybrewster but is currently delivered off-site. Other key partners of the school include High Church Hilton, University of Aberdeen, Clifton Court Sheltered Housing, Aberdeen Model Railway Club and Scripture Union. Work will take place in session 2020/21 to develop a wider range of partners to support pupil learning and the life and work of the school.
Kittybrewster School was inspected by Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate in December 2019. Reports are available via the following links: https://www.education.gov.scot http://www.careinspectorate.com/index.php/type-of-care
How do we know? What are we going to do now? QI 1.3 Leadership of How well are we doing? What evidence do we have of positive What are our improvement priorities in this Change What’s working well for our learners? impact on learners? area? Summary Statement Developing a shared vision, values and aims relevant to the school and its community Continue to embed the school vision and values. A shared vision, values and aims were established in Observation of learning and teaching Vision and Values September 2019. These are visible in most classes The Pupil Council will rewrite the aims using simpler Evidence from pupil assemblies and underpin the improvements in the school. language to make these easier to use and understand. There is a strong school Senior Leadership Team In October 2020, SLT remits will be reviewed to ensure Senior Leadership (SLT) which has delivered significant and these align with school improvement priorities. meaningful change since May 2019. Teachers demonstrated a high level of Teacher leadership will be developed through commitment, skill and adaptability during a period Teacher Leadership establishing new improvement groups which clear aims of significant change and the subsequent COVID-19 and responsibilities. school closure. Visits from Education Scotland inspectors, Care The approach to leading change and improvement Inspectorate and Aberdeen City Council officers at Kittybrewster is well suited to the position and during session 2019/20 evidence the change and Continue to take a similar approach to leading change and context of the school. The rapid change since May improvement which has taken place. improvement in 2020/21 but with fewer priorities and School context 2019 was necessary and there is an urgency to leadership roles distributed across school and Early improvement outcomes within the school Learning and Childcare (ELC) teams. community. Improvement activity from May 2019 to June 2020 Continue to evaluate impact through a range of self- Impact resulted in positive and wide-ranging change. evaluation activities including stakeholder engagement. Strategic planning for continuous improvement Culture for change Visits from Education Scotland inspectors, Care Continue to take a similar approach to leading change and Evaluation There is a clear culture of change and self- Inspectorate and Aberdeen City Council officers improvement in 2020/21 but with fewer priorities and Management of change evaluation which has resulted in significant during session 2019/20 evidence the change and leadership roles distributed across the school and ELC improvement since May 2019. Achieving change improvement which has taken place. team.
Calendar of staff development and collegiate stage meetings has been established for the session. These will There is a need to provide planned opportunities for Collegiate learning Evidence of staff development meetings provide regular opportunities for collegiate learning. collegiate learning. There will be further opportunity for collegiate and collaborative learning through staff improvement groups. Implementing improvement and change There is now a greater focus on looking outward but Signpost and provide greater opportunity to look Looking outward there is a need to increase the extent to which staff Evidence of staff development meetings outwards through professional learning and collaboration learn from colleagues in other settings. with other settings. How do we know? What are we going to do now? QI 1.3 Leadership of How well are we doing? What evidence do we have of positive What are our improvement priorities in this Change What’s working well for our learners? impact on learners? area? Summary Statement Whole-school attainment tracking from prior to the Assessment calendar and tracking of children’s progress Improvement activity is firmly focused on delivering COVID-19 closure demonstrated signs that Equity and achievement will resume so that attainment over excellence and equity for pupils. attainment for those who experience poverty was time can be evaluated. improving.
Self-evaluation including all Most members of staff and stakeholders contribute Increase opportunities for all stakeholders to contribute Evidence of self-evaluation and consultation stakeholders to self-evaluation activity. to self-evaluation. Significant professional learning had taken place Provide a greater number of professional learning since May 2019 as a result of the inspection process. Professional learning Evidence from staff development meetings opportunities for staff, particularly those which involve During the COVID-19 school closure, staff increased collaboration with colleagues from other settings. their skills with digital learning and partnerships.
Most members of staff and stakeholders contribute Increase opportunities for all stakeholders to contribute Planning for improvement Evidence of consultation and improvement planning to planning for improvement. to improvement planning. How do we know? QI 2.3 Learning, What are we going to do now? How well are we doing? What evidence do we have teaching and What are our improvement priorities in What’s working well for our learners? of positive impact on assessment this area? learners? Summary Statement Learning and engagement
Culture, ethos and In almost all classes, relationships are positive between pupils and between pupils relationships and members of staff. This provides a positive and supportive ethos for learning. Observations of learning and Continue to promote positive relationships in the teaching school. Develop a relationship policy and improve approaches to promoting positive behaviour. Learner In most classes almost all children are eager and active participants and interact Learner conversations engagement well during learning.
Observations of learning and Develop learners’ understanding of successful The majority of learners are making good progress in learning and are beginning to learning characteristics in order to increase their Pace, challenge and teaching take increasing responsibility as they become more independent in this learning. independence in learning. relevance to learner conversations The majority of learner experiences are matched to their needs and interests, but learning Professional dialogue Continue to work with teachers on differentiation the level of challenge is appropriate in only a minority of lessons. and challenge through developing and sharing Jotter sampling practice and tracking the progress of individuals.
Digital devices are now available in all classes but the use of these is variable across Develop teachers’ digital expertise through Learner use of the school. In a few classes, the use of technology is highly effective. The period of Observations of learning and sharing of best practice, collaborative learning digital technology school closure has supported all members of staff and most pupils to develop their teaching and development of pupil digital leaders digital skills.
Continue to develop the consistency and clarity of All learners have core targets for writing. All teachers use these to support self, learning and teaching expectations through peer and teacher assessment and in the majority of cases these are used sharing practice across the school. Observations of learning and effectively. In most classes, learners are confident in sharing what they are teaching learning. Enhance pupil voice by: learner conversations • Developing children’s understanding of Pupil Council established in session 2019/20 has provided a process for pupils’ Professional dialogue representation views to be taken account of and represented. Pupils views are sought at regular • Learner Jotter sampling Building the capacity of the Pupil Council Leadership pupil assemblies. Pupils voice is beginning to inform improvements to learning and • Using digital technology to increase the teaching. number of opportunities for pupil views to be sought.
Observations of learning and In the ELC setting, links with the community are well established and relevant in teaching Share good practice and develop links across the supporting children’s learning. school. Professional dialogue How do we know? QI 2.3 Learning, What are we going to do now? How well are we doing? What evidence do we have teaching and What are our improvement priorities in What’s working well for our learners? of positive impact on assessment this area? learners? Summary Statement Quality of teaching
Continue to use the vision, values and aims to drive improvement in learning and teaching. In the majority of classes, the school vision underpins learning and experiences. A Range of teaching Provide opportunities to share good practice and range of learning environments, including the outdoors, are used effectively to Class observations approaches extend this across the school. Staff to seek support learning in the majority of classes. examples of creative approaches to learning and teaching.
Digital technology Observations of learning and Develop teachers’ digital expertise through Digital technology is a feature of the majority of lessons. Teachers are becoming used to enhance teaching sharing of best practice, collaborative learning increasingly confident at using devices to enhance pupil experiences. learning Learner conversations and development of pupil digital leaders.
Delivery of learning, In most classes explanations and instructions are clear and support the learning Observations of learning and Continue to develop the consistency and clarity of explanations and activities on offer. Learning intentions and success criteria are observed in almost teaching learning and teaching expectations through instruction all classes, although the quality of these are variable across the school. Learner conversations sharing practice across the school.
Questions are used in almost all classes. Effective questioning is a feature in the Observations of learning and Provide opportunities to share good practice and Questioning majority of classes. In the minority of classes, questioning is used to develop higher teaching develop consistency across the school. order thinking.
Purpose and Develop the extent to which learning is relevant The learning is relevant in most classes. However, only the minority of learners Observations of learning and relevance of across the school and pupil’s understanding of the understand the purpose of this learning. teaching learning purpose of learning.
In most classes, teachers know the learning needs of individuals. Although the Continue to work with teachers on differentiation Observations of learning and majority of learning experiences are differentiated, further work is required to and challenge through developing good practice teaching Differentiation of ensure that appropriate support and challenge is provided to all learners. and tracking the progress of individuals. learning
Observations of learning and Provide guidance on the use of PSAs to support In the minority of classes support staff are deployed effectively to support learning. teaching learning to ensure consistency across the school. How do we know? QI 2.3 Learning, What are we going to do now? How well are we doing? What evidence do we have teaching and What are our improvement priorities in What’s working well for our learners? of positive impact on assessment this area? learners? Summary Statement
Class observations Feedback for Praise is used effectively in most classes. The quality of feedback on learning varies Improve effectiveness and increase consistency of Learner conversations learners across the school. formative assessment across the school. Jotter sampling
Effective use of assessment Formative Assessment resource introduced to support the use of assessment for learning. Staff are more aware of the range of formative assessment strategies to support learning conversations and feedback. Most teachers use formative assessment strategies but to varying degrees of impact. Continue to develop staff use of formative assessment strategies outlined in the school’s The ability of teachers and ELC staff to create and use age-appropriate learning Observations of learning and agreed expectations for Learning, Teaching and Assessment intentions has improved. The majority of children now experience the use of age- teaching Assessment. Approaches appropriate learning intentions and success criteria. Assessment information Ensure that all assessment information and data is held in one place to improve staff access. A range of assessment tools are used at all stages to assess children’s progress in Literacy & English and Numeracy & Mathematics. Scottish National Standardised Assessments are used to assess the progress of children in Primary 1, 4 and 7. This assessment information is used alongside teachers’ professional judgements.
Impact of Continue to support teachers to use assessment The majority of teachers are effective in their use of tracking information to inform Assessment information assessment on and tracking information to inform the planning the planning of learning and teaching. planning Record of tracking meetings of learning and teaching.
All teachers have engaged in moderation with colleagues in school and in St. Develop more robust arrangements for Evidence of school and ASG Moderation Machar ASG. There is a need to build on this initial work in subsequent sessions to moderation both in school and with colleagues moderation increase the accuracy of teacher judgements from other schools.
Planning, tracking and monitoring
The approach to planning for all Curriculum Areas was revised in session 2019/20. A review of planning formats introduced in Planning for Planning is now more closely aligned with CfE Experiences and Outcomes and Forward planning folders session 2019/20 will take place to ensure these learning Benchmarks. are sufficiently streamlined.
Teachers are beginning to plan more regularly and effectively with children. This is Observations of learning and Continue to develop the use of success criteria for Planning with the most evident in writing where children regularly use success criteria and have teaching feedback and extend the use of learning targets learner writing targets. Jotter sampling to other aspects of learning. How do we know? QI 2.3 Learning, What are we going to do now? How well are we doing? What evidence do we have teaching and What are our improvement priorities in What’s working well for our learners? of positive impact on assessment this area? learners? Summary Statement
Tracking and Tracking of children’s progress and achievement was introduced for all stages in Tracking and monitoring arrangements as monitoring September 2019. A tracking tool is used to record children’s progress and Whole-school tracking system detailed in the school’s QA calendar to continue. arrangements / achievement. This is available to all teachers and is updated at termly tracking Record of tracking meetings School to move to using SEEMIS Progress and processes meetings. Achievement module for tracking.
Impact of tracking Support and challenge to be a key discussion area and monitoring, at termly tracking meetings. Most teachers use tracking information to inform the planning of learning and Whole-school tracking system including those with Tracking information which highlights a need for teaching which has resulted in improved differentiation. Professional dialogue additional support to be align with support planning process challenges and support for learning. How do we know? QI 3.1 Ensuring What are we going to do now? How well are we doing? What evidence do we have wellbeing, equality What are our improvement What’s working well for our learners? of positive impact on and inclusion priorities in this area? learners? Summary Statement Wellbeing The school’s approaches to ensuring safeguarding and child protection have improved as a result of a number of key actions. This includes a revised child protection and Visits from Education Scotland safeguarding policies and the implementation of a number of key Aberdeen City Council inspectors, Care Inspectorate and policies and procedures. Teachers now having the ability to record digital pastoral notes Aberdeen City Council officers in has resulted in improved recording of pastoral and wellbeing information. The school during session 2019/20 evidence playground is now secured during school hours and alarms have been fitted to all external the effectiveness of approaches to doors. Staff child protection and safeguarding training takes place regularly and visitors ensure wellbeing, equity and inclusion. are briefed on the school’s child protection procedures on arrival. Each member of the Review and develop the Health and
Senior Leadership Team is the lead for a number of classes which provides a lead Wellbeing curriculum to ensure that it professional for each child. The school maintains effective partnership with Social Work, Pupil pastoral notes is responsive, relevant and supports the Joint Child Protection Team, the Educational Psychology Service, health professionals improved outcomes for children. School policies and procedures and Police Scotland. Almost all Pupil Support Assistants are first aid trained with all Early including Child Protection and Years Practitioners SSSC registered. As COVID-19 restrictions ease, Safeguarding policies. reinstate the school’s programme of Teachers and ELC staff use a progression framework linked to CfE Benchmarks to plan extra-curricular physical activities. the delivery of a Health and Wellbeing curriculum. Children’s health is supported to Classroom observations
through the provision and promotion and healthy eating. A range of physical activity is Termly review of child protection and Wellbeing of all provided during the school day and, prior to COVID-19, as extra-curricular activities. Recording of bullying and equalities safeguarding trends to be established.
Nurture approaches are well-established at Kittybrewster and evident in all classes. The School risk register school’s Nurture Room is unable to operate due to COVID-19 restrictions, but nurture Continue to promote the school values
approaches are used in classrooms. and align with work on children’s right School concenrs and complaints log in future sessions. The majority of children achieve national expectations of attainment but there is a need
to continue to improvement attainment, particularly for those who experience poverty. Child protection and safeguarding As COVID-19 restrictions ease, review training record In all classes, children are respected. The school values are expected from all within the the school’s current and previous
school community. A low number of bullying and equalities concerns have been approach to nurture to inform future First aid training record identified or reported and, in each case, this has been resolved. arrangements.
Most children demonstrate that they are responsible individuals. Children are taking Accident and incident recording increased responsibility for their actions as a result of the ongoing promotion of our school values and the restorative approach es used by all members of staff. Record of child protection and Kittybrewster School is an a highly inclusive educational setting. Children from all safeguarding incidents including a backgrounds are treated with respect and as equals and a range of planned and informal log of all calls to the Joint Child approach support equity are effective. Protection Team. The quality of learning and teaching is satisfactory or better in all classes and the majority Learning, teaching and assessment Quality of learning and of children experience highly effective practice each day. The quality and consistency of Self-evaluation evidence for QI 2.3 development will continue in sessions teaching for all learning and teaching will continue to increase in subsequent sessions. 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23 How do we know? QI 3.1 Ensuring What are we going to do now? How well are we doing? What evidence do we have wellbeing, equality What are our improvement What’s working well for our learners? of positive impact on and inclusion priorities in this area? learners? Summary Statement Observations of learning and In almost all cases, relationships between members of staff are very positive. Members teaching of staff are supportive of each other and there is an excellent team spirit. Relationships of all SLT informal observations in All members of staff have good rapport with the pupils they work with and with pupils the playground, in the dining across the school. Relationships between pupils are, in most cases, positive. hall and during assemblies. Develop and introduce a school Visits from Education Scotland relationship policy which supports inspectors, Care Inspectorate and positive behaviour. Kittybrewster School is an a highly inclusive educational setting. Children from all Children’s individual Aberdeen City Council officers backgrounds are treated with respect and as equals and a range of planned and informal needs and rights during session 2019/20 evidence approach support equity are effective. the positive relationships in the school. Fulfilment of Statutory Duties Child Protection and Looked Statutory duties and Statutory duties and requirements are in place including those to support children on the After pupil recording and pupil requirements Child Protection Register and those with Looked After status. overviews Inclusion & Equality Aberdeen City Council’s tiered model of intervention (universal / Targeted / Intensive) is established at Kittybrewster to support children with additional support needs (ASN). Child’s Plans and IEPs Child’s plan and IEP processes will be streamlined and processed in line with Inclusion and A range of support interventions are details in child’s Plans and Individual Education Plans ASN Recording new Aberdeen City Council guidance. appropriate support (IEP). A school Support for Learning (SfL) policy was developed in session 2020/21. There Support for learning will be rationalised is a need to further develop SfL procedures to ensure that approaches are consistent and Pupil support tracker and improved in session 2020/21. effective. Continue to support equality and Pupil assembly materials Equality including challenge discrimination through Equalities are promoted and discrimination actively challenged at all times. support and challenge promotion of the school values and by Discrimination and equality are discussed regularly at pupil assemblies. Recording of bullying and of discrimination focusing on children’s rights in future equalities concerns. sessions. How do we know? QI 3.2 Raising What are we going to do now? How well are we doing? What evidence do we attainment and What are our improvement What’s working well for our learners? have of positive achievement priorities in this area? impact on learners? Summary Statement Attainment in literacy and numeracy Progress from prior levels New planning formats for Literacy & English and Numeracy & Mathematics introduced early in session 2019/20 to provide a standardised approach across the school. Concrete number materials were provided for all classrooms. Scottish Heinemann Maths resources purchased for First and Second Level. SEAL (Stages of Early Arithmetic Learning) progression and resources introduced in Primary 1. Teacher forward plans Reopen and continue to develop school Every class has assessment folders for Literacy & English and Numeracy & Mathematics. library following COVID-19 closure. These are used to collect assessment evidence for each child. Evidence of library Raised attainment in New school library opened December 2019 to support improved Reading attainment. Sets of developments Literacy & Numeracy Review planning formats introduced in novels at First and Second Level introduced to increase enjoyment of reading and to expose session 2019/20 to ensure these are children to a wider range of texts. Scottish Government School Library Improvement Fund sufficiently streamlined and effective. grant obtained. This will be used in session 2020/21 to support the development of a culture of reading. All teachers and Early Years Practitioners use ACC Curriculum progressions for Literacy & English and Numeracy & Mathematics. These include CfE Experiences and Outcomes and Benchmarks. Attainment over time Tracking and monitoring arrangements Whole-school tracking system has been established so that attainment can be tracked over as detailed in the school’s QA calendar Raising attainment over time. This includes factors which may present barriers to learning. The tracking tool was in to continue. time across all curricular place for under a year prior to the COVID-19 school. Although indications that attainment Tracking system areas was improving prior to the closure, time is required to realise the true gains from new School to move to using SEEMIS approaches introduced. Progress and Achievement module for tracking.
The majority of learners make expected progress through CfE levels over time. There is a Tracking system Continue to closely track and monitor Learners progress from need to increase the number of children who attain to national expectations, particularly children’s progress in order to develop prior levels over time Annual CfE attainment data those who face poverty-related barriers. for P1, P4 and P7 pupils a picture of attainment over time.
Quality assurance calendar established in session 2019/20. This details the range of Teachers to continue to engage in assessments used to support more reliable judgements of progress and achievement. Quality assurance calendar moderation activity. Early Level Effective use of assessment Moderation evidence moderation to include Early Years Teachers engaged in school and ASG moderation in session 2019/20. to make judgements Practitioners. All teachers now use Aberdeen City Curriculum Progressions (which include CfE Benchmarks) for all Curriculum Areas.
How do we know? QI 3.2 Raising What are we going to do now? How well are we doing? What evidence do we attainment and What are our improvement What’s working well for our learners? have of positive achievement priorities in this area? impact on learners? Summary Statement A range of Literacy & English and Numeracy & Mathematics assessments are used (including Scottish National Standardised Assessments) to support judgements of children’s progress Teacher forward plans and achievement. Rationalise the recording of assessment Assessment information New writing planners and assessment grids introduced in session 2019/20 provide core and information. To be available from a genre targets for each CfE level. Evidence of tracking single source. New approach to planning and delivering Listening & Talking learning and teaching meetings introduced in session 2019/20. Tracking systems and An attainment tracking system provides information and assessment data which is interventions beginning to support pace and challenge. School to move to using SEEMIS Tracking system Progress and Achievement module for Attainment of individuals The tracking system tracks the progress of individuals and will in time provide attainment tracking. and groups over time information for children as they progress through school. Overall quality of learners’ achievement Learner achievements are recognised though weekly school assemblies. There has been Learner Achievements some work to track children’s participation in activities outside school, but this has not yet Evidence from assemblies focused on achievements. Introduce pupil profiling using SeeSaw A skills framework is available to teachers to support children’s skills development. However, online tool Development of learner there is need to focus on the development of skills for life, learning and working through Skills document skills pupil profiling.
Learners taking ownership Follow local Aberdeen City Council This is established for Writing only. Pupil writing targets of individual pathways guidance on this when issued. Equity for all learners
A Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) plan was in place in 2019/20. Interventions included a Barnardo’s PEF Plan 2019/20 Worker, Active Schools Assistant and a specialist for developing children’s voice though Pupil wellbeing and Systems which promote outdoor, singing and intergenerational projects. Systems are in place to evaluate the impact engagement assessments See PEF Plan 2020/21 equity of interventions including termly pupil wellbeing self-assessments and for targeted children, Barnardo’s evaluations for Leuven Scale assessments and Boxall Profiles. targeted pupils Raised attainment of the There is some evidence to suggest that attainment for the most disadvantaged learners is most disadvantaged Tracking system improving. learners Continue to closely track and monitor The whole-school tracking system allows for close progress monitoring for children who face children’s progress in order to develop Impact of tracking and additional challenges. This information provides an indication of barriers to progress and a picture of attainment over time. monitoring, including those Tracking system achievement. In session 2019/20, interventions were in place for targeted individuals and with additional challenges groups, particularly those who experience poverty or adverse childhood experiences. High Level Plan Year 1 (2020-2021)
QI 1.3 Leadership of change Develop capacity within the school community through distributed leadership and improving pupil, parent and staff Year 2 (2021-2022) voice. Continue to develop quality assurance processes to ensure that these are effective, streamlined and manageable. QI 1.3 Leadership of change Year 3 (2022-2023) Continue to develop community and business links to raise Staff members will actively engage with professional learning aspirations and develop capacity within the community. and training beyond the school setting to inform their own QI 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment / QI 3.2 Raising practice and to support school improvement. QI 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment / QI 3.2 Raising attainment and achievement Staff members to take increasing responsibility for attainment and achievement Continue to develop the use effective questioning and the developments and improvement priorities. Continue to develop learning, teaching and assessment use of success criteria for feedback. Children to play a greater role in school improvement approaches in order to achieve mastery. Creativity, through the use of HGIOURS (national resource to support metacognitation, problem solving and digital learning will be at Develop the use of digital technology to enhance learning in the centre of improvements. school and at home. learner participation in self-evaluation and school improvement) Continue to engage in colleagiate assessment and moderation Introduce whole-school pupil digital profiling. QI 2.3 Learning, teaching and assessment / QI 3.2 Raising activities so that staff have a high level of confidence with Improve the extent to which learning experiences are attainment and achievement assessing children's progress and achievement. differentiated to support and challenge all children. Shared expectations for learning, teaching and assessment Continue to develop pupil profiling to ensure that this is led by Develop approaches to assessment and moderation to will continue to be developed to ensure consistency. the child and supports parents/carers to be meaninful partners improve judgements of children's progress and achievement. in the learning process. Improve approaches to teaching Numeracy and Mathematics. Enhance parent/carer involvement in children’s learning QI 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion through pupil profiling and access to improved tracking and Continue to develop the use of technology for learning to improve pupil engagement and to support progress. Continue to develop processes for supporting wellbeing, reporting. equality and inclusion to ensure that these are highly Develop the use of Emerging Literacy approaches particularly Continue to develop pupil profiling to increase pupil responsive, support true partnership and have the child at the in ELC and Primary 1. ownership of learning and parental involvement. centre. Develop the use of active play to promote children's curiosity, Continue to engage in regular moderation activity to futher QI 3.3 Increasing creativity and employability improve teacher judgements of progress and achievement. enquiry and social interaction. Further develop in ELC. Focus on developing children's creativity and problem solving QI 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equaity and inclusion Continue to focus on closing the poverty-related attainment and staff confidence to support this. gap. Improve how interventions for children are planned, Increase children's awareness of the world of work in order to recorded and evaluated by developing our use of the Child’s QI 3.1 Ensuring wellbeing, equality and inclusion raise aspiration and to further support children to develop Plan and Individual Education Plan (IEP) process. Continue to develop processes for supporting wellbeing, skills for life, learning and work. Rationalise support for learning (SfL) to ensure a consistent equality and inclusion including support for learning. QI 2.5 Family Learning and effective approach across the school. Increase the focus on children's rights and align this with our Focus on family learning and early invervention and Introduce a new process and approaches for supporting vision, values and aims and the school Relationship Policy. provention in order to improvement outcomes for children dyslexia and reading difficulties. QI 2.2 Curriculum and the wider community. Develop whole-school Relationship Policy to support positive Revisit curriculum design to improve the quality of pupil behaviour. interdisciplinary learning, pupils' involvement in the life and Review and develop our Health and Wellbeing curriculum to ethos of the school and opportunities for personal ensure that it is effective and responsive. achievement. Pupil Equity Funding - Summary of Proposed Spend
Funding Allocation £77,536.80 Carry forward from previous year £0.00 Total £77,536.80 Staffing Including Non-Staff Intervention/Resource Cost FTE Cost Partner Providers 1-1 Chromebook deployment for P5-7 pupils Barnardo’s Worker To increase digital inclusion and to increase access to home learning £23,970.56 N/A £19,583.00 (Family Support) opportunities. * Additional Chromebooks or tablet devices £4,119.94 To further support digital inclusion. Classroom Visualisers £3,250.00 To improve learning and teaching ReadingWise Programme £1,500.00 To improve reading attainment STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) Materials £500.00 To improve pupil engagement in learning Additional Numeracy & Literacy Textbooks To improve consistency of teaching in Literacy & English and Numeracy & £2000.00 Total Mathematics £54,923.50 Non-Staff Total 2020/21 £35,340.50 Staff Total 2020/21 N/A £19,583.00 **
* If devices are provided to P6 and P7 pupils via an alternative scheme, P3, P5 and P5 pupils would receive these Chromebooks.
** The spend of the remaining £22,500 (approx) has not been planned. This is to allow us to be respond to challenges linked to poverty and COVID-19 experienced by Kittybrewster children and families this session. Planning for the remaining funding will take place in January and March 2021. Action Plan 1 School Return Plan - August 2020
Last updated 17/08/20
Section 1 - Key Principles
Aberdeen City Council’s Local Delivery Phasing Plan (LDPP) incorporates the principles and expectations set out in national guidance and details a direction of travel for schools in order to realise equity and consistency wherever possible. The approaches agreed in the LDPP has guided the development of this individual School Return Plan. The LDPP, local updates regarding schools and frequently asked questions are here: https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/coronavirus-covid-19/latest-service-update-schools
This School Return Plan reflects the key principles as set out in the LDPP and in national guidance:
● Implementation will take full account of scientific and medical advice that it is safe to proceed ● The wellbeing of all pupils and staff will be carefully considered when determining the approach to reopening school buildings ● Risk assessments will be used to support planning and ensure that health and safety legislation and guidance is fully adhered to ● Public health measures will be taken fully into account ● Planning will build on the experience of delivering Hub and Emergency Childcare provision ● Planning will enable movement up and down the phases of Scotland’s route map ● Clear and effective communication with all stakeholders will be paramount What will this mean for primary schools?
All primary pupils will return to school full-time from Monday 17th August. One-day pupil inductions will take place on Wednesday 12th, Thursday 13th and Friday 14th August with a third of children attending each day. Movement through the school will be limited and most children will spend their day in the one classroom or in outdoor spaces in the school grounds at scheduled times. In most cases, in a single day each class will be with their teacher and supervised at key times by the same Pupil Support Assistant.
The relaxation of physical distancing guidance for children enables us to welcome all children and young people back into school with minimal adaptations to classroom spaces. Children will remain with their classmates at almost all times. Interaction with children in other classes will be kept to a minimum. Children are not required to socially distance from the other children in their class, but adults will maintain 2m distance from each other and children where possible. Staff members will wear a face covering when it is necessary to be within 2 metres of a child for 10 minutes or more.
Playgrounds
National guidance advises that passing briefly in the playground is considered low risk. Staggered morning break and lunchtimes are in place to allow classes to remain separate with enough physical space for children to play. No use of fixed outdoor equipment will be permitted at this time. A limited supply of playground equipment will be provided to each class for use.
Ventilation in buildings and the use of outdoor space
Staff will be asked to ensure good ventilation by keeping windows open and where possible not closing the doors of small rooms (unless these are fire doors). Children, young people and staff should spend more time outdoors, with weather appropriate clothing. Effective outdoor learning can be delivered across many subject areas as part of the 3-18 learner journey. Informal outdoor classrooms set within the natural environment will be used as spaces for learning where possible. Care will be taken to ensure that outdoor contexts for learning are fully accessible.
Management of symptomatic building occupants
Children waiting to be collected by a parent or carer will be isolated in a private, well ventilated room/area and asked to avoid touching surfaces. Parents and carers will be contacted to collect their child and a face mask will be provided for the journey home.
The Head Teacher or deputising manager will contact Facilities and ensure appropriate cleaning takes place. If there are two or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the setting within 14 days, or an overall rise in sickness absence where COVID-19 is suspected, there may be an outbreak. In this situation we will make prompt contact with our local Health Protection Team (HPT). If an outbreak is confirmed, we will work with the HPT to manage it. The HPT will make recommendations to the incident management team on self-isolation and on testing of children and staff and the arrangements for doing this. What will this mean for Early Learning and Childcare (ELC)?
In line with Aberdeen City Council guidance, discussions with parents/carers of children who will attend our Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) setting pupils will take place prior to their child’s return. Week beginning 17th August, Kittybrewster ELC staff will contact parents of new and returning ELC pupils to arrange for necessary sharing of information to take place and an initial induction.
The use of outdoor space will play a key part in how we deliver ELC. Children will enter our ELC setting directly and not through another part of the school. The organisation of drop-off and pick up will be carefully coordinated to maintain social distancing when parents and carers are on site.
There is no expectation of physical distancing between children or between a young child and their key worker – on the understanding that core public health measures underpin the reopening of services, such as:
● Enhanced hygiene and cleaning practice ● Limiting children’s contacts with different groups of children ● Maximising the use of outdoor spaces ● Physical distancing between adults in the setting including parents at drop-off and pick-up times ● Active engagement with Test and Protect.
Key Workers
Staff members should work with the same key worker groups where possible throughout the day, and if cover is required for breaks, toileting etc, this should be managed within the staff working with a particular group. If staff need to work with other groups, this should be for limited periods. Staff will also need to maintain a 2-metre distance from one another, where possible.
Sharing Resources in ELC
Sharing of resources should be minimised. Where resources are used by different groups (e.g. on a rotational basis), consideration should be given to cleaning between uses. This also applies to outdoor equipment which should be cleaned between use by different groups of children. Resources such as sand, water and playdough can be used with regular cleaning of the equipment used. Water and playdough should be replaced on a daily/sessional basis, when groups change. Section 2 – Hygiene and Health and Safety Practice
Cleaning Routine
Toilets and washrooms will be cleaned daily by cleaning staff to maintain high standards of cleanliness, using methods and cleaning products in keeping with national guidance. Additional sanitisation of taps and flush handles will be undertaken by janitorial services on a regular basis during the school day.
All other areas will be cleaned by cleaning staff before the start of every day, paying special attention to door handles, table/counter tops, bannisters, and other areas touched regularly by staff and children, with additional cleaning during the day.
Particular consideration will be required when children and young people require access to sensory spaces. An appropriate cleaning routine will be in place between uses. Cleaning arrangements will be considered on a school by school basis as part of the risk assessment process.
It may not be possible to adequately clean of some facilities and areas of the school. In these cases these facilities will be put out of use. In line with national guidance, gym halls will not be used for physical activity or physical education at the current time. Instead, this will take place at scheduled times in the playground.
Sanitising wipes will be provided to school staff to clean telephones, laptops/desktop computers and associated peripherals and any other items which may be used by more than one individual, so that these items can be effectively sanitised between uses.
Where there has been a COVID-19 case, the cleaning regime will be in accordance with strict rules outlined here.
At Kittybrewster School our first aid space will continue to be located on the ground floor. Our isolation space will be located on the second floor. Both rooms will require special attention for cleaning. See Section 3 below for more information on isolation spaces.
All staff require to familiarise themselves with Test and Protect arrangements on either the 10th or 11th August. Staff will be given priority access to testing when requested. Tests should only be requested when staff are symptomatic or advised to seek a test through Test and Protect.
The use of PPE Including Face Coverings
Face coverings are not expected, however if individuals (children and adults) choose to wear them then they will be supported. If a member of staff must work within 2m of a pupil for more than 10 minutes, then a face mask will be required. PPE will also be required for intimate care. PPE is available to staff to access when required. Use of Learning Resources
School staff will be given approved sanitising wipes and cleaning solution to undertake cleaning of resources, toys and any other items so that these can be effectively sanitised between uses by different classes. Some resources, such as fabric resources which cannot be easily cleaned between uses, will not be used for in school learning. Resources which are not being used will be removed from classrooms to aid this process. Staff will be guided to carefully consider an appropriate provision of resources for ‘in school’ learning.
Children and young people will be discouraged from bringing resources into school from home where possible: personal belongings should not be shared with others. The sharing of school resources should be limited where possible. Toys and equipment used in school will be easy to clean and resources such as sand, water and playdough will only be used by consistent groupings of children. All equipment should be cleaned between use by different cohorts.
Particularly in ELCs and primaries, children should come to school appropriately dressed for learning outdoors. Children should not share outdoor clothes or footwear. Items belonging to settings should be allocated to one child and cleaned before use by another child.
Children and young people can access shared library books and textbooks once quarantine arrangements are established. Books must be quarantined for 72 hours before being shared. Paper resources can be shared following a 24-hour quarantine period.
Hand Washing
The promotion of handwashing continues to be critical. All children, young people and staff will wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use an alcohol hand sanitiser, when:
● entering the building (or returning after lunchtime) ● before eating or handling food ● after blowing the nose ● after sneezing or coughing ● after going to the toilet ● when changing classroom ● prior to entering school transport ● Stocks of sanitiser have been delivered to schools. Posters and reminders about hand hygiene are displayed throughout the school.
Hand sanitiser will be available at all entrances to the school building. Stocks will be kept in the janitor’s room. The janitor will manage the stock of sanitiser. There are bins in every room for the safe disposal of used tissues. Access to Toilets
It is recognised that the number of staff toilets can be limited in some school buildings. At Kittybrewster School, pupil access to toilets will require to be carefully managed in order to maintain social distancing within the toilet areas. Only one child from a class will be permitted to enter a toilet area at any time. In every toilet space there will be a cubicle and a sink marked for use by an individual class with cubicles and sinks in between blocked off.
Pupil use of toilets will predominantly take place at break and lunchtimes. Initially, children will be accompanied by a Pupil Support Assistant if they require the use of the toilet during class time. There will be a strong emphasis on hand washing after visiting the toilet, and hand washing may require to be supervised (by a PSA) for younger children.
Pupil Toilets at Kittybrewster School:
● All pupil toilets will become unisex. ● Urinals in the current boys’ toilets will be blocked off. ● There will be signage on the outside of the door of each toilet area stating maximum capacity and which classes are permitted to access. ● Each cubicle will be labelled for use by the class it is allocated to. ● There is a disabled toilet in the medical room which will continue to be used for the provision of intimate care if required.
There are five single use staff toilets at Kittybrewster School. These will be allocated to staff members so that each member of staff uses one toilet only.
Procedures for pupils accessing toilets will be reviewed on an ongoing basis by the school Senior Leadership Team
Restricted Activities
In line with national guidance, assemblies, singing, any activity that promotes voice projection and the playing of wind and brass instruments is not allowed. Assemblies will take place using digital technology with classes attending virtually from their own classroom.
Access to Drinking Water
There is a legal requirement for pupils to have access to drinking water whilst at school. Building Services have confirmed that cold water from sinks within classrooms is suitable for drinking and so this can also be used to fill pupils’ water bottles. Water fountains are temporarily not in use as a sink has been allocated to each class for refilling water bottles. Pupils are required to wash their hands or hand sanitise immediately before and after filling their water bottles. Sinks and taps should be cleaned regularly, particularly where the sinks are used for other purposes. Section 3 – Practical Measures to Support Social Distancing
Whole-School Timetable
A whole-school timetable has been created to support adults to distance (parents/carers at drop-off and collection and members of staff) and to support classes to remain apart during the school day where possible
Use of Space
The spaces used for ‘in school’ learning will be prepared to clarify boundaries. This may include closing off some areas. It will be important to ensure that all staff and pupils are aware of any changes in the use of the building. Staff spaces such as school staffrooms, kitchens and break out spaces will also be subject to social distancing arrangements.
Most learning and teaching will take place in classrooms. All corridors will be kept clear to support safe distancing whilst walking through the school building. Reconfiguration of furniture in these spaces has been required to support this. Resources which cannot be easily cleaned after use have been removed from classrooms.
The sharing of resources between children and young people during a learning activity will be avoided in order to limit the potential for transmission. Personal belongings will be taken home at the end of any ‘in school’ learning. Resources that cannot be effectively cleaned have been removed from teaching areas.
At Kittybrewster we are fortunate to have good availability of outdoor space, including two playground areas and our wild garden. Daily use will be made of these areas to promote outdoor learning across all areas of the curriculum. This will include nurturing activities and Physical Education. Children and staff will be advised to wear appropriate clothing in anticipation of being outdoors. The use of available outdoor space will allow pupils to participate in activities which involve greater movement than will be possible in the classroom due to the requirement to socially distance.
The current Sensory Room on the second floor has been identified as an isolation space for any pupils or staff who develop COVID-19 symptoms, while they wait to return home. This location has been selected for the following reasons:
● Near classrooms where children and staff will spend most time. ● Away from ‘The Well’ which is the main thoroughfare in the school. ● From this room, exit from the building and school grounds is easily achieved via the nearby staircase, ‘Lilybank’ fire exit and infant playground.
Isolation spaces will be well ventilated at all times and will not be used for any other purpose, as they will require to be intensively cleaned after being used by any symptomatic individuals. For example, our first aid room will not be used as an isolation space, unless first aid provision is to be moved elsewhere. The main school office is small but can accommodate two members of staff at 2m distance. Our main entrance vestibule will have a limit of one person at a time. There is sufficient space in the entrance area for a member of office staff to maintain 2m distance from a visitor from behind the glass window. During Phases 1–3 visitors will be unable to access this area of the school unless by prior arrangement. Further details in the Managing Visitors / Managing Reception section below.
An additional staffroom space will be created by repurposing a classroom. This will allow staff to maintain 2m distance.
The number of children who will attend our Early Learning and Childcare provision, and how this provision will be organised is guided by national guidance and advice from the Aberdeen City Council Early Years Team. At Kittybrewster School, morning and afternoon sessions will continue to be offered everyday Monday to Friday. Each session lasts for three hours and ten minutes. This will ensure that the entitlement of 600 ELC hours is provided during the school year. For both the morning and afternoon session, the children will be organised into groups with a dedicated key worker.
How will we decrease interaction?
It is not necessary to have a one-way system in the building Kittybrewster School to decrease interaction. Groups of pupils will remain apart by:
● Doors at either side of the building will be used by identified classes for entrance and exit at staggered times (see timetable above). ● Use of staircases at both sides of the school which are easily accessible from pupil entrances and classrooms. ● Only one class will be allowed on a staircase at any one time. ● At the top of each staircase the corridors, classes will ‘fork’ in two - left and right. Our ‘Well’ area on the ground floor naturally lends itself to separation of the two classes who will be located in nearby classrooms. A corridor will be allocated to each of the two classes. ● Staggered times for pupil entry and exit to the building. The order of children entering and exiting the building has been carefully planned to ensure that separate groups of pupils do not pass in the corridors. The way this is organised will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and agreed with the school’s Quality Improvement Manager.
We have established a protocol for pupil drop-off and pick-up. Parents and carers will enter the school playground so that social distancing can be controlled. It is not desirable to have parents/carers and pupils queuing in the narrow streets either side of the school (Burnett Place and Lilybank Place) or along the extremely busy Great Northern Road. There are no suitable areas nearby for ‘park and stride’. There is no car park at Kittybrewster School so parents/carers dropping off and collecting children in vehicles will continue to park on-street. With smaller numbers of children attending school at the same time, and staggered drop-off and collection time, it is anticipated that parking will become more straightforward at Kittybrewster School. Parents/carers will be asked and reminded to distance if they need to wait in the playground.
School reception areas will not be accessible to parents and carers during Phases 1-3 of the return. All enquiries will be made either by phone, e-mail or other online platforms.
From 9.25am until 2.35pm playgrounds will only be accessible by children for the purpose of attending in-school learning and only an emergency will trigger a need for anyone else on site so that carefully calculated capacities can be maintained. The secured playground already in place will allow for this. Access to the building will be strictly controlled. Every class will have an identified entrance/exit door to the playground. ELC pupils and staff will access the playground directly via the external door in the setting. Parents and carers will be advised of day start/finish times and drop-off and collection locations by Groupcall.
As mentioned above, groups of primary children will be taught by a limited number of staff and staff movement between groups will be minimal and risk assessed. Teachers and ELC staff will work with only one class/group of pupils in a single day.
Staff personal resources and school resources that cannot be effectively cleaned will be removed from classrooms.
Dining Arrangements
Free School Meal vouchers for those in receipt will continue until Friday 14th August. A school packed lunch will be available to order from week beginning Monday 17th August. The full school lunches service will resume on Monday 24th August. Children can take a packed lunch to school from home but cannot go home for lunch.
The lunch serving time has been extended by 30 minutes to allow three sittings of 4 classes to eat in the dining hall at separate times with clearing in between. There will be at least 2-metre distance between tables to allow classes to remain apart.
Early Learning and Childcare snack will take place within the setting area. A specific risk assessment on kitchens will be in place and all nursery staff have an Elementary Food Hygiene Certificate.
Evacuation Procedures
Circulation routes and entry/exit points have been altered and evacuation processes have been amended to reflect this. Muster points have been spaced further apart to allow for social distancing. The Fire Evacuation Plan has been amended in response to this Return Plan.
Should evacuation arrangements for children with complex needs or disabilities be required, a Personal Evacuation Plan will be in place.
Orientation
The school Senior Leadership Team will brief staff on circulation patterns and revised school layouts to ensure that all staff are aware of new restrictions. During pupil induction days, class orientation activities will take place so that children are familiar with new procedures and restrictions. Teachers and Early Years Practitioners will support children to understand and follow these once school has resumed.
Transport Arrangements
The Scottish Government has confirmed that no social distancing is required on dedicated school transport. Children will be required to wear a face covering on Public Transport and encouraged to do so on taxi and private hire vehicles, unless unable to do so because of a particular need. There is no expectation that children wear a face covering on dedicated school coach/minibus transport although may wear their own face covering if they choose to do so. All children travelling on school transport will be required to sanitise their hands prior to boarding and after alighting the vehicle. The onus will be on the parent/carer/child to sanitise prior to boarding from home and the children will sanitise at school after alighting transport and before boarding to go home.
School Transport providers for Aberdeen City Council are confident in their ability to deliver school transport. Aberdeenshire Council has confirmed the same position. All mitigations advised have been put in place for school transport to resume.
Walking and cycling should be encouraged where safe to do so. Additional cycle and new scooter racks will be installed this term.
Managing Visitors / Managing Reception
External visitors to the school building will generally not be permitted. The only exceptions to this will be for:
● Local authority officers required to visit the school to provide essential support to pupils or staff (by pre-arranged appointment only). ● Contractors required to access the main building or grounds to undertake essential planned maintenance or repairs (by pre-arranged appointment only). ● Contractors working on a closed construction site within the school building or grounds, where appropriate measures have been taken to entirely separate the construction site and contractor personnel from the rest of the school, and the work has been approved to go ahead by Corporate Landlord officers. ● Any other visitors required to enter the building for emergency purposes, including emergency repairs. Parents/carers will not be permitted to visit school to speak to teachers about their children. This will be communicated clearly to all parents/carers via Groupcall. Where parents/carers require to contact a teacher, they will be asked to make contact initially by email, and by booking a phone call or video conference meeting.
Signage will be displayed at the school visitor entrance to explain that visitors are generally not permitted, and will provide a telephone number for visitors to contact an appropriate member of staff within the building should they wish to speak with someone or if they have an appointment to attend the school.
If a visitor has an appointment to access the building, they will be asked first to confirm that they are not displaying any COVID-19 symptoms. Those displaying symptoms will not be permitted access.
Where possible, visitors permitted access will remain within the reception area of the school and speak with the relevant member(s) of staff via the reception desk window/hatch.
The name and contact telephone numbers of all visitors entering the building will be recorded, along with the date and times of their attendance, in order to support the national Test and Protect Strategy.
Our office staff will revise the visitor sign-in sheets to include contact information. Staff outlook calendars will be available to the school office to support the coordination of online parent/carer appointments.
The Curriculum
In the first few days there will be a focus on ensuring that children and young people are aware of the health and safety measures in place and a need to help learners make sense of recent events. This focus will ensure that children can re-engage positively with ‘in school’ learning and rebuild relationships with peers and staff.
All primary and Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) pupils will focus primarily on Health and Wellbeing, Literacy and Numeracy during the first term (August to October). This will allow staff to identify appropriate next steps for children.
The full curriculum will be reintroduced in stages during Term 1 and 2 (October to December). Action Plan 2 QI 2.3 Learning, Teaching and Assessment
QI 2.3 Learning, Teaching & Assessment RAG Measures of Success Resources Improvement Outcomes How will we know this has Actions Required Timescales Who and what is required? What do we hope to achieve? been achieved? What do we need to do? (including cost/fund) What evidence will we have? Pupils will have greater ownership and leadership of Observations of learning and Introduce whole-school pupil Seesaw online profiling tool By June 2021 their learning. teaching digital profiling subscription (£1309.00)
Observations of learning and Improve the extent to which Learning will become more closely matched to teaching learning experiences are By June 2021 Staff development meetings individuals’ needs. differentiated to support and Tracking information challenge all children. The reliability and validity of judgements of children’s Develop approaches to Moderation evidence progress and achievement which increase. Whole- assessment and moderation to Monthly stage meetings By June 2021 school attainment picture will become more Tracking information improve judgements of children's ASG school participation consistent across classes and over time. progress and achievement. Enhance parent/carer Staff development meetings Parents and carers will have greater awareness of involvement in children’s learning Seesaw online profiling tool their child’s learning. A greater number of parents will Parent/carer survey through pupil profiling and access By June 2021 New SEEMIS Progress & play an active role in their child’s learning. to improved tracking and Achievement module reporting. Literacy attainment Over time, there will be an increase in literacy Develop the use of Emerging ELC and P1 development attainment for children who progress from our ELC Emerging Literacy assessment Literacy approaches particularly By June 2021 meetings setting through the school. data in ELC and Primary 1.
Develop the use of active play to Children’s engagement and participation in learning Observations of learning and promote children's curiosity, By June 2021 Staff development meetings will increase. teaching enquiry and social interaction. Develop further in ELC. Children’s understanding of learning will increase, and Observations of learning and Continue to develop the use higher order thinking will be evident in a greater teaching effective questioning and the use By June 2021 Staff development meetings number of classes. of success criteria for feedback.
Effective use of digital technology will become a Observations of learning and Continue to develop the use of £28,090.50 Pupil Equity regular feature in a greater number of classrooms. The teaching digital technology to enhance By June 2021 Funding used to purchase majority of children will regularly access home Google Classroom and Seesaw learning in school and at home. digital devices for home. learning via Google Classroom or Seesaw. analytics Action Plan 3 QI 3.1 Ensuring Wellbeing, Equality and Inclusion
3.1 Ensuring Wellbeing, Equality and inclusion RAG Measures of Success Resources Improvement Outcomes How will we know this has Actions Required Timescales Who and what is required? What do we hope to achieve? been achieved? What do we need to do? (including cost/fund) What evidence will we have? Improve how interventions for children Children with significant additional support are planned, recorded and evaluated by Senior Leadership Team needs will be effectively support by developing our use of the Child’s Plan By December review of all Child’s Plans Staff development meetings interventions detailed in a Child’s Plan or an and IEP process. Child’s Plans and IEPs 2020 and IEPs Individual Education Plan (IEP). will be completed in line with new Aberdeen City Council procedures.
Teacher feedback Rationalise SfL (Interventions, shared Support for Learning (SfL) arrangements will be priorities, recording of assessment data By December Principal Teacher and SfL streamlined, prioritised and become more Improved attainment by etc). Principal Teacher (Pupil Support) to 2020 staff time effective. targeted groups and individuals coordinate.
Introduce a new process and approaches for supporting dyslexia and Principal Teacher and SfL Children with dyslexia or significant reading Senior Leadership Team audit reading difficulties (including By November staff time difficulties will be supported by in a coordinated of support planning ReadingWise). All children with dyslexia 2020 and consistent approach. documents or significant reading difficulties to be Staff development meeting supported as per school procedure.
Relationships in the school will continue to Develop whole-school relationship By March Staff, parent/carer and pupil improve and the number of behaviour concerns Pupil and staff survey policy to support positive pupil 2021 working group will reduce. behaviour.
Children experience a health and wellbeing Review and develop our Health and Staff working group Observation of learning and curriculum which is relevant to their person Wellbeing curriculum to ensure that it is By June 2021 coordinated by Principal teaching circumstances and lived experiences. effective and responsive. Teacher Action Plan 4 QI 1.3 Leadership of Change
QI 1.3 Leadership of Change RAG Measures of Success Resources Improvement Outcomes How will we know this has been Actions Required Timescales Who and what is required? What do we hope to achieve? achieved? What do we need to do? (including cost/fund) What evidence will we have? Continue to develop opportunity for pupil, staff and parent/carer voice to Increased pupil, staff and parent/carer sought. voice. Evidence of meetings of groups Teacher Working Time Further develop existing groups and By June and partnerships Agreement hours for Improved distributed leadership across the partnerships. Establish new groups 2021 collegiate groups school community which drives change Stakeholder survey aligned with key improvement and improvement. priorities. Ensure that each group or partnership has a clear focus and responsibilities.
Continue to develop quality assurance A quality assurance (QA) calendar provides processes to ensure effectiveness and By June Senior Leadership Team staff members with clarity and ensures that Actions detailed in QA carried out consistency. The first QA cycle was not 2021 time key actions are carried out at specified times. completed due to the COVID-19 school closure.
Senior Leadership Team time A greater number of external partners are Partners and activity detailed in Continue to develop community and By June involved with the school. In 2020/21 this will an overview for the session business links. 2021 Teacher Working Time predominantly take place online. Agreement hours for collegiate group