Auchengray Primary School Handbook 2015/16
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Education Resources Auchengray Primary School Handbook 2015/16 Contents 1. Introduction 2. About our school 3. Parental involvement 4. School ethos 5. The curriculum 6. Assessment 7. Reporting 8. Transitions 9. Support for Pupils (Additional Support Needs) 10. School improvement 11. School policies and practical information If you need this information in another language or format, please contact us to discuss how we can best meet your needs. Phone: 01698 454545 Email: [email protected]. 1. Introduction Dear Parents and Carers I would like to welcome you and your child(ren) to Auchengray. We are proud of our reputation in our local community. Some of you will already be familiar with us, but for others we will be meeting you for the first time. As parents of our pupils, you will always be made welcome at Auchengray. If we are to achieve the very best possible education for your children, we need to work together. We hope that you will support us in this endeavour by always keeping in close contact with us. Our main priority is to ensure that all our children can enjoy a high standard of care and welfare; learning in an atmosphere that is happy and stimulating. We strive to ensure that the ethos and the school environment is one where children are encouraged to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. I am confident that this handbook will answer many of your questions about Auchengray. However, if you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact either myself or a member of our team. We are always happy to help and will do our best to address your concerns. We have recently moved back to Auchengray Village after a period in a decant facility; while our new building was under construction. We now have a super new building fit for the 21st Century. Back in our own community, we hope to foster links with the wider community including parents; the WAT Group, WAT If and Auchengray Church Centre. Together we can work together to enhance learning experiences and develop skills necessary for learning, life and work. All staff at Auchengray Primary look forward to working with you as partners in your child‟s education now and in the future. Kirstin McNeill Head Teacher South Lanarkshire Council is the fifth largest authority in Scotland. It covers the following main areas; Clydesdale in the south which features extensive rural areas, Cambuslang, Rutherglen, Blantyre and Uddingston to the north as well as the towns of East Kilbride and Hamilton. The Council‟s Plan Connect sets out the Council‟s vision which is, “to improve the quality of life for all within South Lanarkshire”. For Education Resources this means delivering services of the highest quality as well as striving to narrow the gap. It is about continually improving the services for everyone at the same time as giving priority to children, young people, families and communities in most need. The priorities for schools and services are set out in the Education Resources Plan which confirms the commitment to provide better learning opportunities and outcomes for children and young people. 2. About our school Contact details:- Auchengray Primary School Auchengray Road Auchengray Lanark ML11 8LN Phone: 01501 785245 Fax: 01501 785349 Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Stages covered P1-7 Present roll 19 Auchengray Primary School is a non-denominational establishment. School staff Head Teacher: Shared Head with Walston Primary School Mrs Kirstin McNeill Principal Teacher: Mrs Jennifer Alexander Class Teachers: P1 – 7 Mrs Jennifer Alexander CCC Cover Teacher Miss Lisa Borland Specialist Support Teacher Ms Kim Ross Support Staff: Team Leader Ms. Mary Carrillo Support Assistants Mrs Andrina Alexander Mrs Elly Newbold Janitorial, Catering and Dining Assistant Mrs Myra Dick Parent Council Chairperson – Mrs Claire Dunbar Phone: c/o school office Email: [email protected] What to do if you have a concern At Auchengray we work in partnership with our parents. If you have any concerns we would appreciate it you would contact the school first. Either Mrs Alexander or Mrs McNeill is available to discuss any concerns you may have. We will always try and contact you promptly to discuss the matter. Sometimes a worry or concern can be easily sorted with a quick phone call to the school. We would encourage Parents to contact us no matter how trivial they think their issue might be. Pupil absences We appreciate that life can be difficult and often other issues may arise which mean that your child cannot come to school. We would appreciate a telephone call to the school office before 10am so that we know where everyone is. If we have not received a phone call before 10am someone from the school office will contact you. Complaints procedure We have a strong reputation in our local rural community and we would hope that any issue would be resolved at school level. However should you wish to take your complaint further you can do this by contacting our head of service. Carole McKenzie at SLC Head of Education (Clydesdale) Education Resources Almada Street Hamilton ML3 0AE Phone: 01698 454468 School visits If your child is coming to Auchengray in August we are always happy to have visitors to our school. Usually a representative from the school will have visited your child in their nursery environment. We also have a Parent question/answer session, in May, for those with children coming to Auchengray for the fist time. During June we will arrange two sessions where our new P1‟s can come and spend a morning with us. Parents have told us that this has been a great help for the new starts in P1 as it lets them meet their teacher and the other children in their class. If you are thinking about enrolling your child at Auchengray, having moved from another school to our area, we will always be happy to see you. Please telephone the school first to discuss a suitable time for a visit. 3. Parental Involvement South Lanarkshire Council recognises the importance of parents as partners in the education of their child and has published a strategy entitled, „Making a difference – working together to support children‟s learning‟. This is available from the Council‟s website: www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk Parents, carers and family members are by far the most important influences on children‟s lives. Children between the ages of 5 and 16 children spend only 15% of their time in school! Research shows that when parents are involved in their child‟s learning, children do better at school and throughout life. Parental involvement can take different forms but we hope you share the same aims and agree that by working together we can be partners in supporting children‟s learning. As parents/carers we want you to be: Welcomed and given an opportunity to be involved in the life of the school; Fully informed about your child‟s learning; Encouraged to make an active contribution to your child‟s learning; Able to support learning at home; Encouraged to express your views and involved in forums and discussions on education related issues. To find out more on how to be a parent helper, or a member of the Parent Council and/or the Parent Teacher Association just contact the school or visit our website. Some useful information contacts for parents to find out more on education are as follows:- Parentzone – www.parentzonescotland.gov.uk Engage Parent Forum – www.engageforeducation.org National Parent Forum for Scotland – www.educationscotland.gov.uk/parentzone South Lanarkshire Council – www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk 4. School ethos Auchengray is a small rural school and we are at the centre of our wider rural community. We bring together the villages of Woolfords, Tarbrax and Auchengray. We believe in all our learners being the best that they can be and that learning should be fun. We provide regular opportunities through festivals at Spring and Harvest and our Christmas show to allow our children to celebrate their achievements in school. We work very closely with our Parents and partners to provide the very best learning opportunities for the young people at Auchengray. We expect high standards of behaviour and continue to work with all our stakeholders to achieve this. We believe that learning is a journey which we can all share and we strive to provide the best opportunities for our pupils. Here are some comments and pictures to give you the Auchengray experience! What the children say is good about Auchengray Primary: The I-pads are fun. We like the trim trail. We like working outside. There are not too many people. It is important to get good at learning, to help you in the future. The whiteboards. We like working in groups. Auchengray is a good place to learn how to make friends P.E. with Miss Borland is fun! A visit from the construction team helped us understand about safety on a building site. Keeping in touch with our community through special assemblies. Celebrating Success at the SLC Pupil Award Ceremony. Team work at our joint Sports Day with Walston Primary. Then and Now! 5. The Curriculum Curriculum for Excellence is the name given to the curriculum in Scotland for all children and young people aged 3-18. It is a forward looking, coherent, flexible and enriched curriculum that provides young people with the knowledge, skills and attributes they will need if they are to flourish in life, learning and work, now and in the future.