Liff Primary School Handbook 2019/2020

This document is available in alternative formats, on request (Please contact the school office)

Contents

CONTACT DETAILS ...... 3

VISITS OF PROSPECTIVE PARENTS ...... 4

SCHOOL UNIFORM ...... 5

PARENTAL CONCERNS ...... 5

THE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE...... 6

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT ...... 6

BECOMING INVOLVED IN SCHOOL ...... 6

SCHOOL ETHOS ...... 8

SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY LINKS ...... 10

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT ...... 10

CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENT ...... 10

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ...... 11

PUPIL COUNCIL ...... 11

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES ...... 11

THE PUPILS AND PARENTS VOICE ...... 12

THE CURRICULUM AT SCHOOL, LOCAL AND NATIONAL LEVEL ...... 13

LIAISON WITH SECONDARY SCHOOL ...... 13

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT (School Specific) ...... 13

MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS ...... 13

IMPROVING STANDARDS ...... 14

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN ...... 15

HEALTH CARE ...... 15

USEFUL LINKS AND CONTACT DETAILS ...... 16

ANGUS COUNCIL WEBSITE ...... 16

OTHER WEBSITES ...... 16

CONTACT DETAILS

School Name Liff Primary School and Nursery

Address Liff, Angus, DD3 5NJ

Telephone Number 01382 768109

Website Currently under construction

Email Address

Head Teacher’s name Katie Milne

Class Stages Early Learning Centre, P1, P2/3, P3/4, P5/6 and P6/7

Present Roll 122 including nursery

School times;

- Starts: 9am

- Morning Interval: 10.30am – 10.50am

- Lunch: 12.30pm – 1.30pm

- P1/2 Lunch: 12.20pm – 1.30pm

- School finishes: 3.20pm

Nursery times;

- Morning session; 8.45am – 11.55am

- Afternoon session; 12.20pm – 3.30pm

Organisation of the School and Nursery

Main Entrance Library

Mrs Katie Milne Headteacher

Mrs Gillian Dailly Mrs Helen Appleyard P2/3 (23)

Mrs Moira McCreadie Clerical/SPSA Mrs Gilly Conaghan P3/4 (22)

Mrs Laura O’Rourke Mrs Elizabeth Ancell Mrs Alene Hill P5/6 (24) P6/7 (19)

Miss Karen Clarkson, Gym and EYP Dinner Hall MRs Helen McIntosh, EYP Evelyn White Miss Holly Clark, SEYP Bev Morton Catering staff Nursery AM- 10; PM - 10

Mrs Sharon Stewart Mrs Donna Abbott (Class P1 (14) Teacher) Mr Stephen Gobbons (Kodaly) Mrs Isabel Melvin, SPSA Miss Julie Cleave (Music) Mrs Caroline Winter, SPSA Mrs Pam Fletcher (PE) Mrs Maureen Dey, Cleaner Miss Karen Harper (Strings) Mr Stephen McGurn Janitor Miss Jo Whaite (Active Schools)

VISITS OF PROSPECTIVE PARENTS

Choosing a school: a guide for parents (Scottish Government)

Parents and children considering enrolling at Liff are welcome to visit the school at any time, and should contact the Head Teacher through the school office. A visit will be arranged to see around the school, meet staff and visit classes, providing a valuable opportunity to share information in both directions.

SCHOOL UNIFORM

Red sweatshirt, jumper or cardigan – no hoodies or brand logo sweatshirts Grey skirt, pinafore, trousers or shorts – black is not Liff uniform Red gingham school summer dress or tartan pinafore - optional Red polo shirt, white blouse or white shirt & tie – tie not compulsory Black school shoes or boots – no trainers Appropriate hair accessories – no ‘jojo’ bows School fleece and waterproof fleece jackets are available online but not compulsory

Liff school uniform (with logo) can be ordered online from School Trends, but is not compulsory: www.schooltrendsonline.com/schools/LiffPrimarySchoolDD25NJ

Jewellery should not be worn to school, with the exception of stud earrings. Please note earrings must be removed for PE. Surgical tape may be used where children are not able to remove their own earrings.

PE kit At the beginning of each term children must bring in PE kit in a gym bag, consisting of: black shorts white t-shirt socks gym shoes or indoor trainers Please note – pull-on gym shoes are preferable. Velcro fastening straps on gym shoes quickly get fluffy, lose their fastening ‘grip’ and need replaced for safety.

We are a ‘Daily Mile’ school – outdoor trainers need to be kept in school at all times.

Gym bags and PE kit are available online from School Trends, but are not compulsory.

Please ensure that all clothing is clearly labelled with your child’s name, to help us save time and reduce the volume of lost property.

PARENTAL CONCERNS

We strongly encourage parents to contact the school as soon as they have any cause for concern about any aspect of their child’s learning or school life. We actively promote an open door policy, and recognise the high value of working in partnership with our parents.

We would prefer to deal with parental concerns as early as possible to prevent them from growing into significant issues. Parents are welcome to contact their child’s class teacher, or to discuss any issue with Mrs Milne (HT).

We will listen to your concern and work together with you to agree a way forward. A further telephone call or meeting will be arranged to follow up the initial conversation and ensure matters have been resolved satisfactorily.

THE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

Angus Council complaints procedure

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

BECOMING INVOLVED IN SCHOOL

At Liff we value the important part parents play in their children’s education. We see partnership with parents as way to enhance children’s achievements and promote better school ethos and communication.

We create many opportunities for Parental Involvement:

• P1-3 reading support, 9-9.30am on days that suit you – we have a fantastic team of parent/carer helpers who come in to class regularly, and we are ALWAYS looking for more volunteers. • running or assisting with extra-curricular activities – lunch & after school clubs • helping nursery and on nursery trips • mental maths activities in small groups • developing and managing the school library • art/craft activities • sharing knowledge and expertise in some aspect of the curriculum, e.g. topic talk, history, science, health • practical activities in science, maths, social subjects, health education (e.g. first aid) or technology • reading stories to groups of children, playing reading/phonics games • supervising board games • supporting educational visits/trips • road safety – Cycle Training • class or school trips • gardening and maintaining our grounds • Supporting pupil led groups e.g Fairtrade, Eco-Committee • Fundraising events • Class trips • Extra-curricular activities e.g. coaching, sports

These opportunities may be within the school day or at other times including after school and weekends.

If you wish to be a regular parent helper, PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) checks have to be completed. Please discuss this with staff.

Learning Conferences

All parents are invited to attend a Learning Conference, for a 10 minute meeting with their child and their teacher. At these meetings you will hear from your child, supported by the teacher, about their learning, progress and next steps. This is also an opportunity for parents to hear how they can support their child’s learning at home.

Seesaw Learning Profile

Across the school, children’s learning, progress and achievement is shared with parents/carers through Seesaw, a free educational app which can be downloaded to any device. You will see examples of your child’s learning across the curriculum, including teacher feedback, self-assessment and peer-assessment. Your child will be supported to use Seesaw to share with you where they are in their learning, where they are going and how they will get there. There will be a significant focus on our shared language of learning, the learning process, and your child talking about themself as a learner.

Homework

We are currently reviewing our homework policy.

PATPAL

Our open afternoons are in the form of PATPAL - Pupils as Teachers, Parents as Learners. These are valuable opportunities for you to see, hear and experience how and what children are learning in school.

Parental Involvement: For Liff Parents, by Liff Parents

SCHOOL ETHOS

Our whole school community is currently involved in reviewing our Vision, Values and Aims. However, in 2015, P1-7 children worked together in Citizenship Groups to develop our School Aims. We used the GIRFEC SHANARRI indicators as a framework to think about what we want to achieve as a school.

Our School Aims

Safe The school, our parents and the community will work together to protect us from harm. We will understand how to keep ourselves safe and will look after each other.

Healthy We will be physically and emotionally healthy, and will be helped at school and home to make healthy, safe choices.

Achieving Every child will be supported to be the best they can be. Our achievements

outside school will be shared, recognised and valued. We will be confident that we can learn, and able to use our learning skills in all areas of our lives.

Nurtured The school and our parents will work together to make sure we can grow, play and learn in a supportive, exciting environment.

Active We will have opportunities to take part in a wide range of activities, in school and in the community.

Respected The school, parents and children will listen to each other, and will work together to make decisions that affect us.

Responsible We will take an active role in our own learning, in the life of the school and in the local community. Parents will work in partnership with school to support our learning at home.

Included School and parents will work together to make sure every child is given the same opportunities to learn and to take part in the life of the school. We will celebrate diversity.

In 2015, P1-7 children worked together in Citizenship Groups to come up with a shared understanding of what we mean by ‘School Values’.

They went on to agree a set of core values for our school community.

CARE FAIRNESS RESPECT LOVE OF LEARNING COMPASSION HONESTY DIVERSITY SELF-BELIEF KINDNESS TRUST PERSEVERANCE FRIENDSHIP POSITIVE ATTITUDE

WORKING TOGETHER

We display our values on the circle of hands, using the SHANARRI colours to represent the inter-dependant relationship between our School Values and Aims.

SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY LINKS

Liff Primary School is an integral part of the Liff and Fowlis community. We value opportunities for children to develop skills and learn to be effective citizens through engaging with and supporting the work of the local community. They visit the local Foodbank to make donations and entertain the residents at a local nursing home with their stories and songs. The local minister and Lay Minister are regular visitors to school, and we visit the church for school community services and concerts. We have a fantastic partnership with Woodland Trust, and regularly use the local Backmuir Woods to enhance our outdoor learning opportunities. Partners such as Police, health services, local charities and Fire Service are regular visitors, and we work with members of the local community to maintain our school gardens. Organisations such as NSPCC, SSPCA and RNIB deliver assemblies and workshops in classes. Members of the local community are also invited into school to support learning in the classroom and projects. We take part in many fund raising charity events and in recent years have supported The British Heart Foundation, Oxfam, Christmas Box appeals, UNICEF, Poppy Scotland, Children in Need and Mary’s Meals. Children share their musical talents in the community, and participate in a wide range of sporting and cultural events within the Monifieth cluster and across Angus.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT

Angus Council anti-bullying policy

Positive behaviour and positive relationships are essential to effective learning. At Liff we aim to build positive relationships which provide an atmosphere of mutual respect and collective responsibility. We recognise that pupils, parents and staff all have an important part to play in producing and sustaining this positive ethos. Restorative practice is used across all stages. We continue to review, evaluate and improve our positive behaviour management, working with pupils and parents to ensure we are the best we can be.

Working Together, Ready to Learn

We want to celebrate the excellent behaviour we see across the school. Children are supported to understand the impact and consequences of inappropriate behaviour. Children are supported to reflect on what has happened, consider the impact on others, and identify what needs to happen to move forward positively.

CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENT

At Liff Primary we are very keen to encourage children to share their success and achievements with staff and other children in our school. Children bring news about their achievements outside school to be displayed on our celebrating success wall. During assembly time, children work in Liff Learning Groups. During this time, children work toghether on school improvement, we share succeses and celebrate those who have gone above and beyond. Children may be reward with a bottle top for their Liff Learning Group. Children in P7 will enjoy a Celebrating Success event in the final term.

Liff have lots of other ways to share and celebrate success and achievements in school. Classes have their own award or reward systems. We display lots of photographs,

certificates and Big Books of learning and achievements across the school. We have regular Citizenship assemblies where success and achievements are celebrated.

Parents are asked to share children’s achievements and learning outside school, and we regularly complete a LALA map – thinking about our ‘Learning Anytime, Learning Anywhere’.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

The following activities are examples of exta-curricular opportunities offered over recent years;

- Choir - Scottish Country Dancing - Dance Club - GLOW Family sports - Tennis in partnership with Dundee Tennis Club - Code Club - Digital Leaders - Eco-Committee - Gardening Club

PUPIL COUNCIL

There is an active Pupil Council at Liff school known as Little Liff Leaders. Their motto is, Little Leaders leading big things. It includes representatives from P3 – P7. The Pupil Council members are elected by their class peers at the beginning of session. They hold office for one year. Throughout the year they will meet regularly with the Head Teacher. They will be involved in taking forward school improvement priorities and addressing issues as they occur.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Children regularly experience learning in a variety of different contexts. Opportunities for

learning are identified not only in the classroom, but across the wider school, outdoor learning and learning outside school. Learning is planned to meet all children’s needs, and children will experience learning within class, ability, co-operative, social and cross- stage groups.

Visible Learning

We are a Visible Learning School where children can talk about their learning using our Liff Learning Legends and their Learning Powers (learner qualities).

THE PUPILS AND PARENTS VOICE

Personalisation and choice is one of the seven principles of curriculum design, and children at Liff regularly play an important role in planning contexts for learning, what they want to learn and how they will go about it. This is shared with parents through homework, Learning Logs on Seesaw, and displays and parents are often invited to support the learning by sharing their expertise or resources from home.

The Pupil Voice is an integral part of Visible Learning at Liff. Children are encouraged and supported to feed back to teachers about their experience of the learning process, how they feel about their learning and what they need from their teacher to help them learn.

Parents are asked to comment on children’s learning and progress on Seesaw at various points throughout the year. The Parent Voice is actively sought for feedback about all aspects of the school’s work and life through the Parent/Carer Council and at open afternoons and other events.

THE CURRICULUM AT SCHOOL, LOCAL AND NATIONAL LEVEL

Each session we open the doors at specific points of the school year, inviting parents to school for ‘Meet the Teacher’ and ‘PATPAL’ events. These provide informal opportunities to hear from teachers and children about what and how children are learning in school.

Information evenings for parents are held to share the latest curriculum developments. These are delivered by teachers and children together, allowing the children to describe and share their first-hand experience of the curriculum in school.

LIAISON WITH SECONDARY SCHOOL

The school maintains close links with Monifieth High School (http://www.monifiethhigh.angus.sch.uk/) and other Primary Schools within the Monifieth cluster. Teachers undertake training

and professional development work with colleagues across the cluster. This partnership working supports the professional development of staff, and helps ensure consistency of standards and expectations across the cluster schools. For the past two years Monifieth Cluster schools have all been involved in the Visible Learning programme, working together to build capacity and develop our learners as Visible Learners.

Children take part in a range of learning, sporting and cultural activities with cluster schools, including a very effective transition programme P7/S1.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT (School Specific)

Liff Primary was inspected by Education Scotland in November 2011. A copy of the inspection report is available from the school office.

Our Standards and Quality Report is shared with all parents annually, and illustrates our key strengths and areas for improvement across all aspects of learning and teaching, meeting the needs of the community, management and leadership. The Standards and Quality Report June 2019 is available on request from the school office.

MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS

Some examples of our 2018/19 achievements include;

• Seesaw has been used to document progress and achievements in all pupils’ learning and is beginning to focus more on what the children have been learning rather than what they have been doing

• The majority of children are able to talk about their understanding of the learning process and specific learner qualities

• Staff are using hot and cold task to measure children’s progress and beginning to use this data to inform the need for appropriate support, challenge and next steps. Progress meetings have taken place with ASN Teacher to ensure that support is based on SMART targets

• Staff have engaged in school and cluster moderation activities to develop their understanding of expected standards within the curriculum and progression through the curriculum

• The majority of children are making good use of digital technology to support their learning. This is very well supported by the Digital Leaders team within the school. One of our teachers leads learning in digital technology with staff and pupils

• Parents have attended and been welcomed at various events throughout the school year including Fairtrade Café, PATPAL afternoon and Sports Day and BBQ

• Visible Learning continues to be embedded in all aspects of school life. The majority of children can articulate their learning and link it to the Liff Learning Legends

IMPROVING STANDARDS

Our improvement journey this year has focused on developing a school community that;

1. Supports all aspects of children’s health and wellbeing 2. Develops our pupils are assessment capable learners 3. Understands what progression looks like and the standards we are aiming for with the right pace, support and challenge

We will achieve this by;

• Collaborative professional learning for all teachers at cluster and school levels, focusing on moderation (holistic assessment), digital learning and solo taxonomy • Structured opportunities for professional dialogue: o moderation o sharing professional reading o effective classroom practice • Teacher leadership roles in developing a relationships policy, Literacy and Health and Wellbeing progression and Visible Learning. Some teachers are also engaged in Tayside Regional Improvement Collaborative Improvement work • Make use of other agencies and the skills of our wider community to support progression in HWB from nursery to P1.

• Collaborative development of WAGOLLs (what a good one looks like) to develop a shared understanding of progression, standards and next steps. • Consistent use of pre & post assessment across the school (literacy & numeracy) to measure learner progress and as feedback on teacher impact • Increase the role of pupils and parents in decision making and engagement in a variety of meaningful opportunities. • Make links with our learning to the 4 Curriculum for Excellence Capacities and our Liff Learning Legends.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN

We are currently developing a 3 year plan which will achieve the following;

- A progressive Health and Wellbeing curriculum from nursery to primary 7 which will be supported by Emotion Works, Mindfulness and the Es and Os within Curriculum for Excellence

- Shared standards of learning, progress and achievement to ensure that teacher judgement is valid and reliable through robust moderation.

- School community involvement in developing our Vision, Values and Aims which will support a positive culture and ethos for all.

- Engagement of pupils and their families in learning at school, in the community and at home.

HEALTH CARE

You can contact your school health staff at: 01307 475274

USEFUL LINKS AND CONTACT DETAILS

Angus Council Angus House Orchardbank Business Park FORFAR DD8 1AN Tel: 03452 777 778 Email: [email protected]

ANGUS COUNCIL WEBSITE

Visit angus.gov.uk/schools for information that applies to schools across Angus on topics including:

• holidays

• meals

• school payments

• attendance and absence

• assessment and reporting

• transport

• drugs education

• religious and moral education

• transitions

OTHER WEBSITES

Find useful links to other websites at angus.gov.uk/linksforparents