Thornwood Primary and Nursery Class

Doing your Best Thornwood Primary School

Respect

Trustworthiness

Responsibility

Good Sportsmanship

Our Core Values

Thornwood Primary School, Glasgow School Handbook Page 2 Thornwood Primary School

School Handbook 2012

Thornwood Primary School and Nursery Class

Welcome from the Headteacher

Dear Parent / Carer,

A very warm welcome to Thornwood Primary School and Nursery Class.

Throughout your child’s stay with us, it is our wish that your child is happy and successful. As you know, the early years in a child’s life are the most important. During these years they will be forming attitudes towards themselves and others and learning about the world they live in. Home, family and school play important roles in laying these foundations so the working partnership that we form with you as parents and carers is very important in supporting your child throughout their learning experience. At Thornwood, we aim to make learning stimulating, interesting and enjoyable. Children need to have a sense of achievement and satisfaction, therefore the work we provide is varied so that the children have the opportunity to achieve targets at whatever level they are working at. Our core values are Respect, Responsibility, Trustworthiness, Good Sportsmanship and Doing Your Best. We try to promote these through all that we do. By the time your child leaves Thornwood, we hope they will be a successful learner, confident individual, effective contributor and a responsible citizen.

Please be assured that no worry concerning your child is too small or unimportant to share with us; please contact us at anytime.

We hope the following pages will give you a flavour of our school. Should any questions remain unanswered, we will be only too happy to help.

Kind Regards

Ms Lynn Ballantyne Head Teacher

Thornwood Primary and Nursery Class VISION STATEMENT

At Thornwood Primary School and Nursery Class we will continue to provide a safe, caring and welcoming environment where every child and staff member will ‘be the best they can be’.

We aim to:-  Provide a friendly and secure environment where children, staff and parents/carers feel happy and are valued

 Encourage each child to become a successful learner by providing challenging and stimulating experiences

 Promote awareness of health and wellbeing throughout the school to encourage healthy and active lifestyles

 Develop the personalities, talents, abilities and ambitions of our young people in a supportive culture where we value each other’s individuality

 To strengthen relationships with all by continuing to create a positive ethos

 To provide a broad, relevant curriculum which meets individual needs

 To equip pupils with the foundation skills, attitudes and expectations necessary to prosper

In doing this we will ensure that each child’s time at Thornwood will be happy and a good foundation for life.

School Information School address and telephone number is: Thornwood Primary School, Glasgow School Handbook Page 4 Thornwood Primary School

Thornwood Primary School 11 Thornwood Avenue Glasgow G11 7QZ

Primary School TEL: 0141 334 4271 Nursery Class TEL: 0141 339 7445 FAX: 0141 339 6317 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEB-SITE: www.thornwood-pri.glasgow.sch.uk Glasgow City Council Going to School web-site www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/residents/goingtoschool

Stages The school covers all stages from Nursery to Primary 7. This is an age range of 3 years to 11 years and over. The school is co-educational and non-denominational (girls and boys) Children of all religious denominations are welcome. The roll at each stage is currently: Nursery Class 40 morning places & 40 afternoon places

P1 22 P5 19 P2 23 P6 29 P3 26 P7 25 P4 26 Total Primary Roll=170

Classification There are times when the distribution of children over the various stages of the school necessitates the formation of composite classes. This is where children from two stages of the school compose one class. Primary teachers are trained to teach children in differentiated ability groups. Consequently, composite classes, organised in teaching and learning groups, operate in the same way as single stage classes and allow children to study at their own stage level. A composite class will never exceed 25 in number, unlike single stage classes, which may contain 25 children in Primary 1, 30 in P2 and P3, or 33 children in Primary 4-7.

Nurture Class We have within Thornwood our ‘’Treehouse’’ group. This is a nurture class. This is a resource mainly to support children at the early stages that are identified as requiring

Thornwood Primary School, Glasgow School Handbook Page 5 Thornwood Primary School some additional support with personal and social development in order that they can reach their full potential. Children remain a member of their own class and spend part of each day in the Tree House room. Mrs McGill is the Nurture Teacher and Mr Moore is the Support Assistant for the Nurture Group.

What is a Nurture Class? ‘’A Nurture Class is a school based educational resource which tries to meet the underlying needs of the children, to relieve their anxiety and rebuild their self esteem’’. Most children start school with confidence and enthusiasm, but for a number of reasons, a few do not. These children can benefit by becoming part of the Treehouse. While the children remain part of their own class and join in with some class activities, such as P.E, registration and assemblies, they spend most of each working day with the Treehouse teacher and assistant within a small group of around 8 children or less working on their own curriculum. This takes place within a dedicated classroom (The Treehouse) that combines features of both home and school. Each child follows the mainstream curriculum at their individual pace and the class teacher and the Treehouse teacher work together to ensure continuity for the child. Children are expected to work with the Treehouse for up to 4 terms, after which reintegration into the mainstream class is a priority. Although the nurture class is a very specific way of educating children, the theories and skills that underpin it are common to the school generally. It relates closely to the values and attitudes within Thornwood Primary.

Capacity The capacity of the school is 379 and the working capacity is 264. Our present role is 210 (including 40 nursery places). Parents/Carers should note that the working capacity of the school may vary depending upon the number of pupils at each stage and the way in which the classes are organised.

Community Facilities The school is closely involved in the local community in a variety of ways. In addition the building is used in the evening and at the weekend by a variety of organisations such as a Church, Councillor’s Surgeries, Community Council and Fitness and Football Club.

Groups or organisations wishing to use the school should contact:- Glasgow Life : Letting Section 20 Trongate, Glasgow G1 5ES 0141 302 2814/5. Staff in the above section will be happy to supply an application form and information on costs.

The Parent Forum and the Parent Council The Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 has changed the arrangements for parental representation in all schools. Since August 2007, all parents/carers are automatically members of the Parent Forum for their school and they have a right to establish a Parent Council to represent them.

Parent Forum The membership of the Parent Forum is made up of all parents/carers who have a child or young person at an education authority school. Membership of the Parent Forum allows parents/carers to have a say in local arrangements to enable their collective view to be represented on matters such as the quality and standards of education at the school and other matters of interest to parents/carers. One of the ways parents in the Parent Forum will be able to express their views will be through the Parent Council.

Parent Council The Parent Council is a group of parents/carers selected by members of the Parent Forum to represent all the parents/carers of children and young people at the school. Parent Councils are very flexible groups and the Parent Forum can decide on the type of group it wants to represent their views. A Parent Council could get involved in:  Supporting the work of the school;  Gathering and representing parents’ views to the Head Teacher, education authority and HMIe;  Promoting contact between the school, parents/carers, children and young people and the local community;  Fundraising;  Involvement in appointment of senior school staff.

Parent Councils are recognised in law from August 2007. As a statutory body, the Parent Council has the right to information and advice on matters which affect the children and young people’s education. So, the school and the local authority must listen to what the Parent Council says and give it a proper response. Every school’s Parent Council will be different because it will be parents/carers in each school who make the key decisions. The Parent Council is also entitled to support from the education authority in fulfilling its role.

Membership of the Parent Council Generally members of the Parent Council must be parents/carers of children and young people who attend the school and the chairperson must have a child in school. However, the Parent Council can decide to co-opt other members from teachers and the community who will have knowledge and skills to help them. Our Parent Council generally meet on the first Monday of each month during term time. If the Monday falls on a holiday the following Monday would usually be the meeting time. Summary of Thornwood Parent Council Constitution Our Parent Council will have a minimum of 5 members. Each member will be the parent/carer of child attending Thornwood Primary or nursery class. We will have a maximum number of 14 voting members but if numbers become too large, the maximum number will be reviewed by the council on a 6 monthly basis depending on the interest shown by members of the Parent Forum. The Parent Council members can be part of the council as long as they have a child attending the school. They can leave at any point and will notify the chairperson if this is the case. People will become members by coming to one of the organised meetings and volunteering. If numbers become too big then the council would arrange a meeting to discuss how they would want to address this issue. It could involve the setting up of a sub group or groups within the Parent Council. The Thornwood Primary Parent Council may from time to time invite along other school staff and/or members of the public and/or members of the pupil council to their meeting if a particular issue was being discussed that they could contribute to and they were willing to attend. In line with government legislation (2007) we have formed a new Parent Council. The chairperson is Karen Dunleavy The Head Teacher has a right and a duty to attend all meetings of the Parent Council but does not have a right to vote. If you wish to contact the Parent Council please e- mail the chairperson Karen Dunleavy on:- [email protected] Thornwood Pupil Council We have a pupil council that consists of pupil representatives from all classes. We find that the Pupil Council is an excellent way of involving pupils in the continuing process of improving our school. The following pupils have been elected to be on the Pupil Council for Thornwood Primary for session 2011/12:- Primary 1- Ross and Anurati Primary 2- Calum and Abishaa Primary 3- Mackenzie and John Primary 4- Niamh and Robbie Primary 5- James and Anoja

Primary 6- John and Demi Primary 7- Douglas and Lola

We are part of the Hyndland Learning Community

Glossary of terms used

Additional Support additional assistance/guidance in the learning process, for For Learning children of particular ability or children experiencing difficulty

Classification how the children in the school are organised into classes

Consultation consulting opinion to assist with the process of decision making by the head teacher

Curriculum the subjects taught

Formative Assessment assessment made during the course of teaching which influences next steps in learning.

Improvement Plan a plan of how the school proposes to develop & improve year by year

Non Class Contact Time A period of the school week in which the class teacher is (NCCT) released from direct teaching duty to plan and prepare lessons. Another member of teaching staff has responsibility for the class for this period .

Principal Teacher this is a promoted post in schools, usually class based

Summative Assessment assessment at the end of a unit of work to find out how successful learning has been.

Who’s Who in Our School -December 2011 Teaching Staff Head Teacher Ms Lynn Ballantyne (Overall responsibility for the daily running of the school and nursery class and every aspect of education)

Principal Teachers Mrs G Christie and Mrs J Matheson (on maternity leave)

Class Teachers P7 Ms R Mackenzie (Acting Principal Teacher) P6 Mrs G Christie (PT)/ Miss S Devlin P5 Miss D Reid P4 Mrs A Archibald P3 Mrs E Coyle/ Ms J Dickie P2 Mrs A Taylor P1 Mrs D Shenkin Nurture Class Mrs L McGill Nursery Class Mrs J Lawson NCCT Cover Mr E Anderson (0.4) and Mrs K Granger (0.6) English as Additional Language Mrs L McKay (0.2)

Total Number of Staff =11.7 Child Development Officers Mrs Karen Gray (Team Leader) Mrs Ann Adam Mrs Betty Reid Ms Angela Molloy

Clerical Assistants Mrs J Thomson Mrs A Fleming

Pupil Support Assistants Mrs C Brown Mrs E Gemmell

Nurture Group Assistant Mr D Moore (Nurture Group) Thornwood Primary School, Glasgow School Handbook Page 10 Thornwood Primary School

Pupil Support Assistants Mrs R Campbell (A.S.N) Mrs J Quinn Mrs C McGrellis

Janitor Mr B Nelson

Nursery Hours Morning 8.45am-11.45am Afternoon 1.00pm-4.00pm

School Hours Opens 9.00am Interval 10.30am- 10.45am Lunchtime 12.30pm- 1.15pm Close 3.00pm

This session Primary 1 attended the morning session only for the first three weeks of term.

We have a Breakfast Club that operates in the school from 8.00-8.45am. This is organised by Cordia. The cost is 50p per day. It is free for pupils who are in receipt of free school meals.

Thornwood Out of School Service T.O.S.S has been running successfully for several years and is a welcome addition to the facilities on offer to parents and carers. The service operates from 3.00pm to 6.00pm Monday to Friday and caters for the needs of all children. School holidays and In-Service Days can be a concern for working parents. This service will be offered during such periods, with the exception of statutory public holidays if there is a demand for it. Activities on offer include Art and Craft, Creative Play, Construction, Team Games, Book Thornwood Primary School, Glasgow School Handbook Page 11 Thornwood Primary School

Corner and Board Games. In addition, school holiday trips are organised to take the children to the beach, library, museums and adventure play zones. In order to fund the cost of materials and outings, money is raised by means of a number of activities involving both children and adults. For further information about this service, please contact:- Project Leader, Jackie Craig on 0141 334 0400 after 2.00pm.

Extra-Curricular Activities Children take part in many interesting activities in and out of school throughout the year. This includes taking part in a range of competitions and enterprising opportunities. A variety of clubs are offered after school. So far during 2011/2012 we have had football, dance, choir and badminton.

Hyndland Secondary School offer Supported Study Classes after school for Primary 7 pupils from all the feeder schools. The pupils can take part in a range of subjects such as computing, craft, design and technology, science, art, music and food technology.

Glasgow School Holidays 2012/2013

Return Date for Teachers Monday 13 August 2012

Return Date for Pupils Wednesday 15 August 2012

September Weekend Friday 21 and Monday 24 September 2012

First Mid-Term Monday 15 to Friday 19 October 2012 (inclusive)

Christmas/New Year Monday 24 December 2012 to Friday 4 January 2013 (inclusive)

2012 Return to school Monday 7 January 2013

Second Mid-Term Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 February 2013

Easter G o o d F r i d a y i s 2 9 M a r c h and Easter Monday is 1 April 2013

Spring Holiday Monday1 to Friday12 April 2013 (inclusive)

May Day Monday 6 May 2013

May Weekend Friday 24 and Monday 27 May 2013

Schools Close Wednesday 26 June 2013

In- Service Days Monday 13 August 2012 Tuesday 14 August 2012 Thursday 20 September 2012 Wednesday 13 February 2013 Tuesday 7 May 2013

Enrolment Procedures and Pre-entrant Programme The enrolment date for children who are entering school for the first time will be announced in the press early in the New Year. If you are in any doubt about when you should enrol your child, please do not hesitate to contact the Head Teacher who will be happy to offer advice/assistance. Please remember you must enrol your child in your local school even if you intend making a placing request for another school. The Head Teacher will be happy to give you guidance on this procedure. Many parents find it helpful to visit the school prior to enrolment and with this in mind, Ms Ballantyne would be glad to make arrangements to allow you to see the facilities and to answer any questions. Should you wish to take advantage of such an arrangement it would be helpful if you would telephone to make an appointment. A pre-entrant programme involving all the children who are starting school in August takes place from the end of May. This provides opportunities for the children to become familiar with new surroundings and to meet the school staff.

Curriculum for Excellence

Bringing learning to life and life to learning

Curriculum for Excellence is now being 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 enables professionals to teach subjects creatively, to work together across the school and with other schools, to share best practice and explore learning together.

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 the change 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 deep general education, whatever their level and ability. Every single teacher and practitioner will be responsible for literacy and numeracy- the language and numbers skills that unlock other subjects and are vital to everyday life.

It develops skills for learning, life and work to help young people go on to further study, secure work and navigate life. It brings real life into the classroom, making learning relevant and helps young people apply lessons to their life beyond the classroom. It links knowledge in one subject area to another helping children understand the world and make connections. It develops skills so that children can think for themselves, make sound judgements, challenge, enquire and find solutions.

There will be new ways of assessing progress and ensuring children achieve their potential. There will be new qualifications for literacy and numeracy and from 2013/14, new National 4 and 5 qualifications from 2013/14. Our well regarded Access, Highers and Advanced Highers will be updated to take account of and support the new approaches to learning and teaching.

There’s 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 a new 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.

Our Curriculum In this section we hope to give you a general overview of the subjects your child will cover in the course of his/her primary education. You will find some technical terms within the section that we will try to make clearer. Should you remain unsure, please do not hesitate to contact the school for clarification. Your children’s education is a very important matter, so please do not feel awkward about asking questions. At Thornwood Primary we are working towards full implementation of ‘A Curriculum for Excellence’. Through this we aim to develop the following four capacities in our young people:-  Successful learners  Confident individuals  Responsible citizens  Effective contributors It is our aim to ensure that the programmes of study we offer effectively raise levels of attainment and enable each pupil to fulfil their potential. The main curricular areas the children learn about are Language, and Literacy, Numeracy and Mathematics, Health and Wellbeing, Expressive Arts, Social Studies, Sciences, Technologies and Religious and Moral Education.

Level Stage Early the pre-school years and P1 or later for some First to the end of P4, but earlier or later for some Second to the end of P7, but earlier or later for some

Languages and Literacy English Language Literacy is fundamental to all areas of learning as it unlocks access to the wider curriculum. The Literacy and English framework provided by the Curriculum for Excellence promotes the development of critical and creative thinking as well as competence in listening and talking, reading, writing and the personal, interpersonal and team working skills which are so important in life and in the world of work. We are fortunate to have a nursery class that enables us to develop pre- reading skills before the majority of our children start school. This early work is built upon in P1, P2 and P3 by the use of the same reading resource introduced in the nursery.

Reading Our main reading resources for teaching reading skills are Oxford Reading Tree, Fireflies and Heinemann Literacy World but as part of our school improvement agenda we are increasing the range of resources over the course of this session. Senior classes also use novel studies making cross curricular links with topics where possible. We have a wide range of resources that teachers can use to supplement the core programmes or use as an alternative tool to teach the skills required thereby meeting the needs of all children. Children apply their reading skills across all curricular areas. From P3-7 children’s reading ages are measured annually and this is used to track progress in reading. This session progress in reading outcomes is mainly being measured by a range of formative assessment strategies during the course of learning and teaching.

Writing Writing skills for all purposes in life will be developed alongside the important technical skills of spelling, handwriting and grammar. We use the ‘Big Writing’ methodology which focuses teaching and learning on V.C.O.P, (vocabulary, connectives, openers and punctuation). Children are actively encouraged to ‘up level’ their work. i.e improve the quality of it by using a higher level of V.C.O.P. Handwriting is taught using ‘Nelson Handwriting’ resources. Children’s progress in writing skills is tracked termly through very close marking against detailed writing criteria.

We have a process for individual target setting in writing for all our pupils to enable them to be clear about their next steps and what they need to be able to do to achieve this.

Talking Talking skills are formally developed through a range of curricular areas to enable children to be effective communicators for all life situations. Children will be encouraged to express their own ideas, opinions and feelings confidently and articulately. We have an annual Scottish Poetry Recital competition. Children are actively encouraged to take part in whole school assemblies so they have experience of addressing a larger audience.

Listening Listening is the key to all learning. The various skills required to be effective listeners will be developed throughout the seven year course.

We are increasing opportunities for pupils to develop each of the language skills across the different curricular areas and through an Active Learning approach.

Modern Languages At present in Thornwood Primary we are very fortunate to have four teachers trained to teach French in the Primary School. This session children at Primary 5, 6 and 7 have been taught French. By the time children begin to learn French at school they already know a great deal about the purpose and functions of language. The learning of French will build on what they already know. There will be a clear connection between language and languages. Learning to communicate in a foreign language is great fun, and will raise intercultural awareness in our children. Young people in Scotland must be equipped with the skills to enable them to communicate with others, and take their place in the world of work and the world at large. Learning other languages enables children and young people to make connections with different people and their cultures and play a fuller part as global citizens.

Mathematics and Numeracy

Mathematics is important in our everyday life allowing us to make sense of the world around us and to manage our lives. It equips us with the skills we need to interpret and analyse information, simplify and solve problems, assess risk and make informed decisions. On entering primary school a child has already experienced mathematics in an informal way:- By handling and naming objects Doing and putting things in order Enjoying pattern Through following our nursery experiences at the early level a child will have some grasp of number, shape, direction and time as well as some skills in counting, measuring and sharing. Our mathematics programme will be based on the Curriculum for Excellence outcomes from Early Level to Second Level. The main resources we use are Scottish Heinemann Mathematics, Heinemann Mathematics and Tee Jay Maths. In the early stages there is a focus on developing maths skills through play. Children are taught a range of problem solving strategies as they progress through the school and are encouraged to apply them in a range of situations. We have a wide range of resources that teachers can use to supplement the core programmes or as an alternative tool to teach the skills required thereby meeting the needs of all children. Maths sessions commence with a range of interactive mental maths activities. Progress in maths is measured by formative and summative assessment by the class teacher.

Social Studies Through social studies, children and young people develop their understanding of world by learning about other people and their values, in different time, places and circumstances; they also develop their understanding of their environment and of how it has been shaped. Children and young people as they participate in experiences and outcomes in social studies will:  Develop their understanding of the history, heritage and culture of Scotland, and an appreciation of their local and national heritage within the world.  Broaden their understanding of the world by learning about human activities and achievements in the past and present Thornwood Primary School, Glasgow School Handbook Page 18 Thornwood Primary School

 Develop their understanding of their own values, beliefs and cultures and those of others  Develop an understanding of the principles of democracy and citizenship through experience of critical and independent thinking  Explore and evaluate different types of courses and evidence  Learn how to locate, explore and link periods, people and events in time and place  Learn how to locate, explore and link features and places locally and further afield  Engage in activities which encourage enterprising attitudes  Develop an understanding of concepts that encourage enterprise and influence business  Establish firm foundations for lifelong learning and for specialised study and careers.

The social studies experiences and outcomes have been structured under the three main organisers:  People, past events and societies  People, place and environment  People in society, economy and business

In social studies effective learning and teaching will draw upon a variety of approaches including:  Active learning which provides opportunities to observe, explore, experiment and play  Use of relevant contexts and experiences familiar to children and young people  Appropriate and effective use of technology  Building on Assessment is for Learning  Both collaborative and independent learning  Discussion and informed debate  Interdisciplinary learning experiences  Learning outdoors, field trips, visits and input by external contributors

Sciences Through learning in science, children and young people develop their interest in, and understanding of, the living, material and physical world. They engage in a wide range of collaborative investigative tasks, which allows them to develop important skills to become creative, inventive and enterprising adults in a world where the skills and knowledge of the sciences are needed across all sectors of the economy.

Technologies The technologies framework offers challenging activities which involve research, problem solving, exploration of new and unfamiliar concepts, skills and materials, and the rewarding learning which often results from creating products which have real applications. It provides progression in cognitive skills. Learning in technologies enables children and young people to be informed, skilled, thoughtful, adaptable and enterprising citizens. Information Communication Technology skills are developed progressively from P1 - P7. ICT is also used to support and enhance learning within other curriculum areas. Thornwood Primary is part of the Glasgow Education Network and has filtered access to the internet and e-mail facility. There are at least 2 networked PC’s and access to a network printer in each classroom. We now have interactive whiteboards (Smartboards) in all classes in the school.(except the TreeHouse). We have wireless access and a set of laptops that can be used across the school as required.

Expressive Arts The inspiration and power of the arts play a vital role in enabling our children and young people to enhance their creative talent and develop their artistic skills. By engaging in experiences within expressive arts, children and young people will recognise and represent feelings and emotions, both their own and those of others. The role of expressive arts plays a central role in shaping our sense of our personal, social and cultural identity. Learning in the expressive arts also plays an important role in supporting children and children and young people to recognise and value the variety and vitality of culture locally, nationally and globally. This heading covers subjects such as Art and Design, Music and Drama.

Art and Drama While much of Art & Design and Drama are developed in the context of topic work there will also be a focus on skills development. We are using the Borders Art Pack, Glasgow’s Drama lessons linked to topics and Radio Programmes to do this.

Music Children gain musical knowledge, understanding and skill by actively taking part in musical experiences. This allows the child to perform, invent, listen to and enjoy music. Primary 3 follow the Youth Music Initiative Project with Mrs Hainey once a week. We have a small group of P5 and P6 pupils who receive guitar tuition once a week from Mrs Charaund. Two staff members have set up an after school choir for senior pupils this session.

Religious and Moral Education This area of the curriculum deals with the development of the pupil in relation to self- awareness, relationships with others, the range of beliefs, values and practices that go to make a religious outlook on life.

Scotland is a nation whose people hold a wide range of beliefs from the many branches of the Christian faith represented throughout the land to the world’s other major religions and to beliefs which lie outwith religious traditions. Such diversity enriches the Scottish nation and serves as an inspiring and thought provoking background for our children and young people to develop their own beliefs and values.

Our aim is to enable children to gain knowledge and respect for their own and/or other religions and respect for each other’s beliefs. Our current religious education programmes focuses on learning about Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. We celebrate a range of religious festivals across the school. Our school chaplain is the Rev. Campbell Mackinnon from Balshagray Victoria Park Church.

Parents/Carers have the right to withdraw their child/ren from religious education. Any parent/carer wishing to exclude their child from participation in religious education may do so by informing the Head Teacher in writing. Such pupils will be set alternative tasks by the teacher.

Religious Observance We are presently revising our Religious Observance policy in line with the Religious Observance Policy of the authority. Policy and provision is consistent with national advice Thornwood Primary School, Glasgow School Handbook Page 21 Thornwood Primary School set out in SOEID Circular 6/9, The Education (Scotland) Act 1980, SEED Circular 1/2005 and additional advice received from the Scottish Government on RME/ and RO in February 2011. We aim to deliver eight assemblies which will provide religious observance opportunities over the course of a school year. These opportunities have included Harvest, Christmas and Easter. Although these have a Christian theme, they are inclusive in their approach and all pupils and families are welcome to attend either to actively take part or just to join the school as an audience. We also hold assemblies to celebrate Eid and Diwali. Emphasis is placed on learning the stories associated with the above festivals.

Parents/Carers can request, in writing, that their children do not take part in these assemblies and if required the children will be taught away from the event. A request for withdrawal means that the child will be withdrawn from all the religious observance opportunities that the school provides. This is a quite separate request from the withdrawal from religious education.

Parents and carers from religions other than Christianity may request that their children be permitted to be absent from school in order to celebrate recognised religious events. Only written requests detailing the proposed arrangements will be considered. Appropriate requests will be granted on not more than three occasions (days) in any one school session and the child or young person noted in the register using code REL on these days.

Our weekly Friday assemblies which are led by promoted staff reinforce spiritual, social, moral and cultural values.

Health and Wellbeing Learning in health and wellbeing ensures that children and young people develop the knowledge and understanding, skills, capabilities and attributes which they need for mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing now and in the future. Learning through health and wellbeing enables children and young people to:  Make informed choices in order to improve their mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing  Experience challenge and enjoyment  Experience positive aspects of healthy living and activity for themselves  Apply their mental, emotional, social and physical skills to pursue a healthy lifestyle  Make a successful move to the next stage of education or work

 Establish a pattern of health and wellbeing which will be sustained into adult life, and which will help to promote the health and wellbeing of the next generation of Scottish children.

Thornwood Primary and Nursery Class have achieved Health Promoting School status. At Thornwood we strive to create an atmosphere of care and trust, where children feel valued and parents/carers/visitors feel welcome. The school places much importance on the personal, social and emotional development of each child. All children will be provided with a structured and progressive programme of study in health and wellbeing developing understanding, awareness of self, and others as well as skills in personal relationships. This curricular area is where a strong value system is formally promoted, supported informally by the school ethos. Key areas of focus will include self-esteem, self-confidence, health, anti-racism, citizenship, equality of opportunity, anti-bullying and social inclusion. This links in with our Positive Futures Programme. The 9 themes of Positive Futures are VALUES, SUCCESS AND AMBITION, CHOICES, PERSONAL SAFETY, RESILIENCE, RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, DEALING WITH CONFLICT AND CHANGE,RELATIONSHIPS and EMOTIONS We have within Thornwood a House System. When starting school the children are put into a particular house. The 4 houses are Apsley, Kennoway, Rosevale and Exeter, all named after local streets. At the end of the week, points are tallied up by House Captains and added to our visual chart in the foyer. At the end of the session the winning house will receive the house trophy. There are usually several inter house competitions/challenges during the course of the year.

Sexual Health and Relationships Education (S.H.R.E) Pupils from P1-7 will follow a progressive programme of sexual health and relationships education. These lessons will take place in Term 3 and be delivered by a member of staff who has undergone training in S.H.R.E. Each session the head teacher will offer an information session about these lessons for parents/ carers.

Physical Education Each class has an average of 2 hours of PE per week during which gymnastics, dance, athletics and games skills will be developed. This session our Primary 7 pupils have received swimming lessons.

School Priorities for Curriculum Development 2011/12 We had a very positive follow through inspection from H.M.I.e in June 2009. It identified the following key strengths of our school  Staff and children contributing to a positive school ethos.

 Positive and effective steps being taken to actively involve children in their own learning.

 Better approaches to evaluating its own performance and identifying areas for improvement.

 The leadership and direction provided by the head teacher.

At the end of last session we identified the following priorities for us to develop. These were:-

 To develop and resource a more effective, progressive reading curriculum across the whole school in order to raise attainment in reading.

 Further develop assessment to support Curriculum for Excellence and pupils’ engagement in the assessment processes

 To set up an effective system to track progression through the outcomes of a curriculum for excellence with particular emphasis on literacy and numeracy

 To share standards in literacy and numeracy across the 3-18 curriculum

 To develop outdoor learning within the nursery class

Homework We hope that you will encourage your child to do the homework that is set for him/her. Homework gives parents/carers the opportunity to become involved in their child’s learning experiences. Homework is a very valuable tool used to reinforce and revise concepts and skills taught in class and teachers spend time preparing and marking completed homework so that it is effective. Information is issued by each teacher each term on homework. Homework is differentiated to meet children’s needs. Our expectations for time to be spent each night on homework are P1- P2 up to 15 minutes

P3-P4 up to 20 minutes P5 up to 20 minutes P6-P7 up to 30 minutes

Pupils from P3-7 will have a personal project to work on once a year. Pupils from P1-2 will either have a block of shared learning to complete with their parents/carers or take part in the play a long maths programme.

Assessment Children are assessed continuously as they progress through the school. By continuous assessment we aim to: - Improve the quality of teaching and learning for all pupils - Raise standards of individual pupil attainment. - Enable more effective reporting to parents and pupils

Various methods of assessment are used on an ongoing basis. These include both formal and informal observations, pupil self assessment, peer assessment, structured assessments and practical tests. We also administer annual standardised reading and spelling tests to P3-7 pupils so that we can monitor progress in reading and spelling ages.

Reporting We report to parents in the following ways:  Parents are informed of homework and curricular work being undertaken at the start of each term via curricular newsletter.  Parents have access to teachers by appointment to discuss specific points pertinent to their child  Parents are invited into the class to see their child’s classroom and learn about the curriculum being taught  Parents’ nights are held on two occasions in the school year for all parents/carers. These give the opportunity for a confidential interview with the teacher during which you will be informed of the general progress of your child to date.  There will also be an optional third Parents’/Carers’ night in Term 4 on which parent/carers who feel they need further information or discussion with the class teacher can request an appointment.

Parents/Carers are welcome to contact the Head Teacher to make an appointment to discuss their child’s progress at any time. Parents/Carers wishing to meet the class teacher to discuss progress should contact the school office.

Additional Support Needs Early Intervention Strategies are designed to identify children with either particular ability or difficulty in learning at the very earliest stage, transition to the nursery or school. Such strategies are designed to help our children to be successful learners. Differentiated programmes of study will be provided by the class teachers. If the needs of a child are still not being met then the class teacher will make a referral to the Additional Support for Learning Coordinator (HT) for further advice. The Head Teacher will liase with and advise and support the class teacher, child and parent/carer and make any necessary referral will be made for external support. Mrs McKay supports our pupils for whom English is an Additional language. Children who are failing to progress after receiving additional support may in consultation with parents/carers be referred to our Educational Psychologist, who will offer further assistance as appropriate. If necessary short term targets may be devised or an additional support or coordinated support plan in consultation with parents/carers. Children who have an additional support or coordinated support plan will have their targets reviewed by school staff termly and an annual review with parents/carers and all agencies involved in the plan.

Accessibility Strategy The school has a duty to ensure that all our children and young people have equal access to the curriculum, supported as appropriate to their individual needs. This covers not only the content of lessons and teaching strategies but also minor adaptations to the physical environment of our building to address the needs of pupils with physical or sensory impairments, including relocating classes to the ground floor where feasible. We also need to ensure that parents and carers who have a disability have equal access to information about their children. This will involve, for example, relocating the venue for parents/carers meetings to facilitate physical access; provision of an interpreter for people who have a hearing impairment; agreeing a phone contact system to provide direct feedback to parents and carers. The visitor’s entrance to Thornwood Primary has a ramp for wheelchair access. There is a ramp inside the nursery class entrance giving access to the nursery class areas. All classrooms and the school office can only be accessed by stairs as there is no lift. The stairs have a handrail. There is access to a toilet on all floors. Parent/carer appointments are generally held in the gym hall or classrooms but the venue can be changed if required to facilitate physical access. The school will also make every effort to ensure that the curriculum is differentiated and adjusted to ensure that all pupils are able to access it to the best of their ability. Any necessary supports will be accessed to make this possible.

Teaching and support staff are regularly involved in staff development to keep up-to-date with new legislation and documentation to support inclusion.

Equal Opportunities and Social Inclusion It is the policy of the school that no child be disadvantaged in opportunities because of gender, creed, colour or religion. The Head Teacher will be happy to give advice and information to parents/carers. Any issues relating to this must be reported to the Head Teacher.

The school has its own Race Equality Policy. A copy of the policy is held in the school office.

Dealing With Racial Harassment The Race Relation Act of 1976 makes it unlawful to discriminate against someone because of her/his colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national background. The Act makes it the duty of Glasgow City Council to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination. In 1999 the guidelines “Dealing with Racial Harassment “ were issued to assist all teaching staff in dealing with such incidents. The adoption of an anti-racist approach should be seen as one part of the continuing attempt to improve the quality of education. Glasgow City Council recognises that support from the home is essential if these aims are to be achieved. Every child in Glasgow has the right to be happy and secure at school.

Bullying Bullying behaviour will not be tolerated within Glasgow City Council’s educational establishments. All children in Glasgow’s educational establishment have an entitlement ‘’to work (and play) in a learning environment in which they feel valued, respected and safe and are free from all forms of abuse, bullying or discrimination’’. (A Standard for Pastoral Care in Glasgow Schools). In 2009, Glasgow City Council published its revised Anti-Bullying Policy, incorporating the requirement to record and report all discriminatory behaviours within educational establishments. All establishments are required to review their policy in light of this. Parents and carers have a significant role to play in helping to address this problem. For this reason any anti-bullying strategy must stress the importance of partnership with the parents and carers of their children.

Anti-Bullying Policy The school appreciates and share the concerns of parents regarding bullying. Pupils, staff and parents/carers work together to implement our Anti-Bullying policy which ensures that Thornwood Primary strives to be a bully free zone.

Home School Links At present we have in place as part of our home school communication strategies:-  Pre-Entry programme for New Entrant pupils and parents  Visit to dining hall for Primary 1 parents and pupils to sample school lunch before pupils are in school a full day.  Play along maths project which may be offered for P1 and P2 Parents, Carers and their children.  Individual Parent-Teacher appointments this year in October and March with an optional evening of appointments in June.  Parental meetings by appointment as and when requested  A full written pupil report issued in May.  Monthly General Newsletters.  Termly curriculum newsletters for each class prepared by class teachers.  Letters to parents/carers re specific events about outings and sporting events.  Curriculum /Open Night for parents/carers to visit classes, see pupil work and to find out about different curricular areas  Certificates that children bring home when they have been nominated for a Curriculum for Excellence Certificate if they have been a successful learner, responsible citizen, effective contributor or confident individual.  Personal Targets for reading, writing and maths which are shared with parents/carers.

Our Home School Agreement At Thornwood we actively encourage parents/carers to be involved in their child’s education and recognise that it is crucial for the home and school to work together.

Attendance at School Section 30 of the 1980 Education Act lays a duty on every parent/carer of a child or young person of “school age“ to ensure that their child or young person attends school regularly. Attendance must be recorded twice a day, morning and afternoon.

Regulation 7 of The Education (School and Placing Information) (Scotland) Amendment, etc. Regulation 1993 requires each child or young person’s absence from school to be recorded in the school register as authorised: e.g. approved by the authority, or unauthorised: e.g. unexplained by the parent/carer (truancy) or excluded from school.

Parents and Carers should inform the school by letter or phone if their child or young person is likely to be absent for some time, and to give the child or young person a note on his/her return to school, confirming the reason for absence.

Parents/Carers do not have an automatic right to take their child or young person out of school without permission during term-time. The Head of Establishment can only authorise time off during term-time in exceptional circumstances.

Exceptional circumstances include:  short-term parental/carer placement abroad;  family returning to its country of origin for family reasons;  the period immediately after an illness or accident;  a period of serious or critical illness of a close relative;  a domestic crisis which causes serious disruption to the family home, causing temporary relocation.

Time off during term-time for the following reasons is not acceptable and will be recorded as an unauthorised absence:

 availability of cheap holidays or desired accommodation;  holidays which overlap with the beginning or end of term.

Clearly with no explanation from the parent or carer, the absence is unauthorised.

Regular attendance at school and good timekeeping are vital if a child or young person is to make progress at school. Regular latecoming will be noted on the class register and drawn to the parent’s/carer’s attention. The Headteacher will monitor attendance rates of all pupils. Where attendance is unsatisfactory, parents will be invited to discuss any difficulties with the school. If attendance does not improve then the Education Liaison Officer will become involved.

The Education Liaison Officer investigates unexplained absence, and the authority has the power to write to, interview or prosecute parents/carers, or to refer children and young people to the Reporter of the Children’s Panel, if necessary.

School and Community Links Thornwood Primary and Nursery Class play an important role in the local community. We are a member of the Hyndland Learning Community which includes, Hyndland Secondary School. Co-located within Thornwood Primary is Glasgow Dyslexia Support Service (G.D.S.S). The aim of our community is to work together with other agencies to raise attainment and achievement for all young people in this area.

School Discipline

We have within school a set of rules that we refer to as ‘The Golden Rules’. They are as follows:-  We listen carefully and follow instructions.  We look after our belongings and keep the classroom tidy.  We work quietly without disturbing our classmates.  We do our best at all times.  We show respect for others- treating them as we would like to be treated.  We always tell the truth.

We have an abridged set of these rules for the playground areas.  We listen carefully and follow instructions.  We look after our belongings and playground area and keep our play areas tidy.  We show respect for others, treating them as we would like to be treated.  We always tell the truth.

We have on a Friday afternoon, a Privilege Time sometimes referred to as Golden Time. During this, children have a free choice of activities that they like to do. All children who have followed the rules will receive maximum privilege time on a Friday.

If however they break a rule, time will be removed from their privilege time and normal class work will be done until it is time for them to join in with their privilege time. For each breach of a rule, a period of time will be removed. Time can be removed by any member of school staff who sees the rules being broken. However, children are positively encouraged to improve their behaviour and earn some time back. Parents/Carers will be notified if a child loses time. Continuous loss of time would result in a meeting being arranged with parents/carers and school staff to enable us to work together to improve the undesired behaviour. Breach of rules in the playground will result in time out of the playground and a written task to be done during this time out which would involve the child or young person reflecting on why they were losing time. Serious breach of discipline would result in early contact with parent/ carer to discuss the incident and resulting sanction.

The relationship between staff member and young person is similar to that between child and his/her own parents/carers, requiring mutual respect and consideration on both sides. The aim of school discipline is to promote positive behaviours of self-control, courtesy, care, mutual respect and consideration, in order to help create the most successful learning environment. Achieving this aim critically depends on the support of parents/carers. There will be times when teachers will have to remind pupils of the boundaries of acceptable behaviour. Continual and serious indiscipline will be recorded in the discipline log. If children are persistently in trouble, the Head Teacher will ask the parents/carers to support the school in trying to remedy the situation. Where persistent misconduct and indiscipline continues, pupils may require to be excluded from school.

School Dress Code Given that there is substantial parental/carer and public approval of a dress code, schools in this authority are encouraged to develop a school dress code. In encouraging a dress code policy account must be taken in any proposals to prevent any direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of race or gender. Any proposals will be the subject of widespread consultation with parents/carers and children and young people. Against this background it should be noted that it is the policy of the Education Children and Families Policy Development Committee to encourage schools to develop an appropriate dress code policy.

There are forms of dress which are unacceptable in school, such as items of clothing which:

 potentially, encourage faction (such as football colours);  could cause offence (such as anti-religious symbolism or political slogans);  could cause health & safety difficulties, such as loose fitting clothing, dangling earrings;  are made from flammable material, for example shell suits in practical classes;  could cause damage to flooring;  carry advertising, particularly for alcohol or tobacco; and  could be used to inflict damage on other children and young people or be used by others to do so. Under no circumstances will children and young people be deprived of any educational benefit as a result of not wearing clothing conforming to the school’s dress code policy.

Parents/Carers receiving Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance (Income-Based), Working Tax credit (with a total annual income of less than £15, 050*), Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit will normally be entitled to monetary grants for footwear and clothing for their child. Approval of any requests for such grants made by parents/carers in different circumstances is at the discretion of the Executive Director of Education. Information and application forms may be obtained from schools and from Grants Section at Education Services headquarters. Glasgow City Council is concerned at the level of claims being received regarding the loss of childrens’ and young peoples’ clothing and/or personal belongings. Parents/Carers are asked to assist in this area by ensuring that valuable items and unnecessarily expensive items of clothing are not brought to school. Parents/Carers should note that the authority does not carry insurance to cover the loss of such items and any claims submitted are likely to be met only where the authority can be shown to have been negligent.

Please ensure you put your child’s name on all items of clothing.

Thornwood Primary School Dress Code At Thornwood, we strongly encourage the wearing of school dress code. Encouraging our pupils to be smart and easily identified as pupils of Thornwood Primary encourages them to feel part of the school community and contributes positively to the school ethos and school security. We are eager to promote high standards in all aspects of school life and wish the school’s dress code to reflect this

Thornwood Primary Dress Code consists of:  white polo shirt with school logo  white school shirt/school tie  navy sweatshirt with school logo  grey trousers  grey skirt/pinafore  navy cardigan or jumper Also available to order:  navy fleece with school logo  Thornwood badges for blazers

PE Kit To ensure that pupils benefit fully from gym lessons they should have shorts, t-shirt and a pair of black slip on sandshoes for PE. Gym bags should be left in school between lessons and taken home at the end of each term so that garments can be washed. Please write names on all items of clothing.

Jewellery should not be worn on gym days for health and safety reasons. The school cannot be held responsible for jewellery which goes missing or is lost on gym days.

Healthy Eating Thornwood Primary is a Health Promoting School and our aim is to equip pupils to make healthy choices in life.

Children have access to water at school. There are also many healthy choices available as part of the daily school breakfast and lunch services.

School Meals School Meals are run by CORDIA in our Fuel Zone cafeteria. Menus vary on a fortnightly basis. We offer a halal and/or vegetarian choice. Healthy eating is a priority at lunchtime. Meals are served from 12.30 - 1.15 pm. Pupils wishing to buy a meal need to bring money with them every day. This should be kept in a purse or wallet and used to pay on receipt of their meal.

Children and young people may bring a packed lunch, which will be eaten in the lunchroom or outside in good weather if pupil chooses to do so (P3-7). In accordance with Health and Safety regulations hot food purchased out with the school cannot be brought into the school grounds or building.

Free milk is available to all children in the dining hall during the lunch period. If a pupil requires a special diet then the parent should inform the Head Teacher who will advise on procedures.

Children and young people of parents/carers receiving Income Support, income-based Job Seekers Allowance, Working Tax Credit (where income is less than £6,420), Child Tax Credit only (where income is less than £15, 860*) and income –related Employment and Support Allowance are entitled to a free midday meal. Information and application forms for free school meals may be obtained from schools and from Grants Section at Education Services headquarters.

It is in the interest of schools and parents/carers to maximise the numbers of pupils entitled to free school meals as those schools with a high level of pupils registered for free school meals attract additional funding benefits for the school overall. All parents/carers eligible for free school meals for their children are therefore encouraged to register their entitlement thus assisting the school in gaining additional support. Application forms can be obtained from the Grants Section at Education Services headquarters. * Income amount effective from 1 April 2011 and may be changed by the Department for Work and Pensions

Transport i. General The Education Authority has a policy of providing free transport to all primary children and young people who live more than 1.2 miles from their local school by the recognised shortest walking route. This policy is more generous than the law requires. This means that the provision of transport could be reviewed at any time. Parents/Carers who consider they are eligible should obtain an application form from the school or Education Services. These forms should be completed and returned before the end of February for Thornwood Primary School, Glasgow School Handbook Page 34 Thornwood Primary School those children and young people beginning school in August to enable the appropriate arrangements to be made.

Applications may be submitted at any time throughout the year but may be subject to delay whilst arrangements are made. The appropriate officer has discretion in special circumstances to grant permission for children and young people to travel in transport provided by the authority, where spare spaces are available and no additional costs are incurred.

The authority has an Exceptional Circumstances policy relating to e.g. homelessness, parental/carer disability, etc. Details are available from the school. There is also a procedure to request transport on medical grounds. The school can advise on procedures.

ii. Pick-up Points Where free transport is provided it may be necessary for children and young people to walk a certain distance to the vehicle pick-up point. Walking distance in total including the distance from home to the pick-up point and from the drop-off point to the school in any one direction will not exceed the authority’s limits (see above paragraph). It is the parent’s/carer’s responsibility to ensure that their child or young person arrives at the pick-up point in time. It is also the parent’s/carer’s responsibility to ensure the child or young person behaves in a safe and acceptable manner while boarding, travelling in and alighting from the vehicle. Misbehaviour could result in your child losing the right to free transport. iii. Placing Requests The education authority does not provide transport for those children and young people in receipt of a placing request other than in individual exceptional circumstances and where appropriate legislation applies.

Medical & Health Care On enrolment to Thornwood Primary parent/carer consent will be sought to allow medical staff’s routine inspection of aspects of children’s health.

Please inform the school of any medical conditions that affect your child or young person. If a child or young person requires any form of medication during the school day at any time then please contact the Headteacher who will discuss this with you. If medicine is able to be administered in school then an Administration of Medicine Form must be completed. A parent/carer must give written consent in order for medication to be Thornwood Primary School, Glasgow School Handbook Page 35 Thornwood Primary School administered in school. Medication cannot be administered in school without parental consent. When a child takes ill in school and has to be sent home, parents/carers will be contacted to arrange to collect them. Parents/Carers should ensure that the school has a contact number for them in addition to the name and number of an emergency contact. Our school nurse Lesley McCombe will offer health checks as detailed in the table below.

Check Time Vision P1+P7 and at other times if there is a concern Height P1 and at other times if required Health Interview P7

The school nurse also assists us from time to time with input to our health and wellbeing education programme. The school dentist visits annually to check P1 and P7. No treatment is given, but where treatment is required, it is drawn to the attention of parents. P1 and P2 pupils can take part in daily tooth brushing which is organised by the school.

Information in Emergencies We make every effort to maintain a full educational service, but on some occasions circumstances arise which lead to disruption. Schools may be affected by, for example, severe weather, temporary interruption of transport, power failures or difficulties of fuel supply. In such cases we will do all we can to let you know about the details of closure or re-opening. We shall keep you informed by using letters, notices in local shops and community centres, announcements in local places of worship and announcements in the press and on local radio.

Transfer from Primary School to Secondary School Children are normally transferred between the ages of 11.5 and 12.5, so that they will have the opportunity to complete at least four years of Secondary Education. Parents and carers will be informed of the School arrangements no later than December of the year preceding the date of transfer at the start of the new session.

Pupils will normally transfer to: HYNDLAND SECONDARY SCHOOL 9 Lauderdale Gardens Glasgow G12 9RQ Telephone: 0141 582 0130

Data Protection Act 1998 Information on children and young people, parents and carers is stored on a computer system and may be used for teaching, registration, assessment and other administrative duties. This information is protected by the Data Protection Act 1998 and may only be disclosed in accordance with the Codes of Practice. For further information please contact the school.

The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 enables any person to obtain information from Scottish public authorities. The Act applies to all Scottish public authorities including: Scottish Government and its agencies; Scottish Parliament; Local Authorities; NHS Scotland; universities and further education colleges; and the police.

Public authorities have to allow access to the following information:  The provision, cost and standard of its service;  Factual information on decision making;  The reasons for decisions made by it The legal right of access includes all types of ‘recorded’ information of any data held by the Scottish public authorities. From 1 January 2005, any person who makes a request for information must be provided with it, subject to certain conditions. Further information is provided on the Glasgow City Council web-site: www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/yourcouncil/freedomofinformation Internet facilities are provided at all Glasgow City Council Public Libraries and Real Learning Centres.

School Security and Safety Communication between parents and school is vital and we always seek to encourage this and to make parents and carers feel welcome, however, Glasgow City Council has clear guidelines on welfare and security and the use of Secure Entry Systems and general aspects of school security. Within these guidelines we carried out a review that has made it clear that the following has to be adhered to:  Where possible parent/carer appointments should be made in advance by contacting the school office either by telephone (0141 334 4271) or letter to the Head Teacher (Ms Lynn Ballantyne)  If an issue is urgent and requires immediate attention, to avoid disrupting your child’s class lessons you firstly press the buzzer at the main entrance and then must sign in the visitor’s book before going directly to the school office. If the teacher needs to be contacted it will be done via the school office.

 Parents/Carers should only ever enter the school building via the main security entrance unless accompanied by a member of staff.  Parents/carers must wait outside school building for primary school pupils to be dismissed unless arranged otherwise with the head of establishment.

This is standard procedure throughout all Glasgow schools and is in the best interest of pupils, parents/carers and staff. Your support and cooperation in this important matter is much appreciated.

Supervision of Playgrounds An adult presence is provided in playgrounds at break times in terms of the Schools (Safety and Supervision of Pupils) (Scotland) Regulations, 1990.

Comments and Complaints If you have a comment or complaint, please approach the Head of Establishment in the first instance. If the Head of Establishment does not resolve the issue to your satisfaction, you should contact our Customer Liaison Unit who will:

 Take a totally neutral stance in investigating your complaint;  Acknowledge receipt of your complaint within five working days;  Give a full written response within a further 10 working days, unless another timescale has been agreed.

The Customer Liaison Unit can be contacted by phone or e-mail: Phone 0141 287 5384 E-mail [email protected] Customer Liaison Unit, Education Services, Glasgow City Council, Wheatley House, 25 Cochrane Street, Merchant City ,GLASGOW G1 1HL

Please note in line with recommendations issued by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, all establishments, during the course of a formal complaints investigation, must:  Ensure that all statements made as part of the investigation are dated and include, wherever possible, dates of events recounted within the statements  Ensure that written records which form part of the investigation are retained for an appropriate period of time  Give consideration to the inclusion of this within procedures outlined in the relevant section of the schools’ Pastoral Care Policy

Child Safety/Child Protection Policy

MANAGEMENT CIRCULAR No 57 Glasgow City Council, Education Services CHILD SAFETY / CHILD PROTECTION POLICY Insert For School Handbooks and Public Display All educational establishments and services must take positive steps to help children protect themselves by ensuring that programmes of health and personal safety are central to the curriculum and should have in place a curriculum that ensures that children have a clear understanding of the difference between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour on the part of another person, no matter who.

As with other areas of the curriculum, you will be kept informed of the health and personal safety programme for your child’s establishment.

Educational establishments and services must create and maintain a positive ethos and climate which actively promotes child welfare and a safe environment by:

 ensuring that children are respected and listened to

 ensuring that programmes of health and personal safety are central to the curriculum

 ensuring that staff are aware of child protection issues and procedures

 establishing and maintaining close working relationships and arrangements with all other agencies to make sure that professionals collaborate effectively in protecting children

Should any member of staff have concerns regarding the welfare or safety of any child they must report these concerns to the Head of Establishment or the person deputising for the head of establishment. He/She after judging that there may be grounds for concern regarding the welfare or safety of any child must then immediately advise the duty Senior Social Worker at the local Social Work Services area office of the circumstances.

INFORMATION FOR PARENTS 2011 PRIMARY SCHOOLS

School: Thornwood Primary School & Nursery Class Id No.: 260 - 8430322

Budgeted Running Costs For Financial Year 2011-2012 School Roll at September 2010 181 Total School Running Costs at April 2011 (£) 796,918 Cost per Pupil (£) 4,403

Key to symbols: The symbol ## indicates that the data are not available.

Attendance And Absence For School Year 2010/2011 Stage P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P1-7 Total Number of Possible Attendances( 9067 9811 9161 7666 10511 9163 9026 64405 Pupil Half Days) Percentage Authorised 7 7.1 5.9 6.3 7.8 6 4.8 6.4 Absences Percentage Unauthorised ## ## ## ## ## ## ## ## Absences

Key to Symbols: Asterisks (**) have been inserted instead of figures for some schools and categories:  Counts and percentages based on data for more than 0 but fewer than 5 pupils, because they could be misleading or lead to the identification of individuals.  In other cases, it is not possible for the school to have any data for the category, for example, cases where the relevant year group roll figure is zero. The symbol (##) indicates that the school has recently opened or merged with another school and this information is not available.

Minimising Overall Absence Absence recorded Absence recorded (2009/2010) (2010/2011) Average number of Average number of half days absence half days absence per pupil per pupil Absence 27 24.6

Where schools have 9 openings per week, please note that all local authority and national figures are based on 10 openings per week, and so are not directly comparable.

Key to Symbols: The symbol (##) indicates that the data are not available or comparable with other years.

Education Authority: Glasgow City

Budgeted Running Costs For Financial Year 2011-2012 School Roll at September 2010 35,946 Total School Running Costs at April 2011 (£) 138,912,685 Cost per Pupil (£) 3,864

Attendance And Absence For School Year 2010/2011 Stage P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P1-7 Total 1962545 1940702 1857485 1797617 1837033 1892033 1854508 13141923 Number of Possible Attendance s(Pupil Half Days) Percentage 5.4 5.2 5.2 5.1 5 5.2 5.2 5.2 Authorised Absences Percentage 2.1 2 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.2 Unauthoris ed Absences

Key to symbols: Asterisks (**) have been inserted instead of figures for some schools and categories:  Counts and percentages based on data for more than 0 but fewer than 5 pupils, because they could be misleading or lead to the identification of individuals.  In other cases, it is not possible for the school to have any data for the category, for example, cases where the relevant year group roll figure is zero. The symbol (##) indicates that the school has recently opened or merged with another school and this information is not available.

Minimising Overall Absence Absence recorded Absence recorded (2009/2010) (2010/2011) Average number of Average number of half days absence half days absence per pupil per pupil Absence 26.5 28.1

Key to symbols: The symbol (##) indicates that the data are not available or comparable with other years.

National Data

Budgeted Running Costs For Financial Year 2011-2012 School Roll at September 2010 364,284 Total School Running Costs at April 2011 (£) 1,490,002,771 Cost per Pupil (£) 4,090

Attendance And Absence For School Year 2010/2011 Stage P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P1-7 Total 189513 19116971 18672816 18136151 18404407 18748517 19075039 13110520 Number of 08 9 Possible Attendance (Pupil Half Days) Percentage 4.2 4.1 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.9 4 Authorised Absences Percentage 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.2 Unauthoris ed Absences

Key to symbols: Asterisks (**) have been inserted instead of figures for some schools and categories:  Counts and percentages based on data for more than 0 but fewer than 5 pupils, because they could be misleading or lead to the identification of individuals.  In other cases, it is not possible for the school to have any data for the category, for example, cases where the relevant year group roll figure is zero. The symbol (##) indicates that the school has recently opened or merged with another school and this information is not available.

Minimising Overall Absence Absence recorded Absence recorded (2009/2010) (2010/2011) Average number of Average number of half days absence half days absence per pupil per pupil Absence 19.4 19.8

Key to symbols: The symbol (##) indicates that the data are not available or comparable with other years.

Addresses and Contacts

Executive Director of Education- Maureen McKenna

EDUCATION SERVICES Glasgow City Council Wheatley House 25 Cochrane Street Merchant City Glasgow G1 1HL

LOCAL COUNCILLOR Councillor Kenny McLean Councillor Aileen Colleran City Chambers George Square Glasgow G2 1DU

GLASGOW LIFE: LETTING SECTION 0141 302 2814/2815

Although this information is correct at time of printing, there could be changes affecting any of the matters dealt with in the document:

(a) before the commencement or during the course of the school year in question. (b) in relation to subsequent school years.

Thornwood Primary School, Glasgow School Handbook Page 43