Catrine Primary School Fourfields CATRINE KA5 6PS Telephone No: 01290 551436 Email: [email protected] School Blog: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/ea/catrinepsandecc/ Twitter: @catrineps School App: Catrine Primary School Denominational Non-Denominational Status: School Roll: Stages provided for are Primary 1 – Primary 7 Co-educational school with a roll of 121 pupils Further www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/schoolhandbooks Information: 1 Dear Parents/Carers, The school handbook is compiled to give you, as the parent of a pupil at our school, basic information regarding the school and what we can offer your child. We hope that the time your child spends in the school will be productive and enjoyable. Education involves cooperation between home and school and we would hope that you would wish to become involved in educational activities whenever possible. Our aim is to provide, in partnership with parent/carers, a well-balanced curriculum that will enable each child to reach their full potential, not only in the more formal aspects of education, but also in the many other activities which the school aims to provide. We hope to create in all children a positive attitude to learning, the ability to co-operate with others, to make reasonable moral judgements and to have a caring attitude to the community as well as fostering an appreciation of the world in which he/she lives. In addition, children have to be equipped with the skills required for a technological age and be prepared to take part in leisure activities. We hope that you find our handbook informative and interesting, and that it gives you an insight into the great work being done by our busy pupils and staff. Judith Govans Head Teacher 2 SECTION 1 – Our School Community As a school community, we focus regularly on our School Values of: Ambition Determination Fairness Honesty Respect Responsibility Teamwork At Catrine PS we appreciate our partnership with parents/carers and the wider Catrine community, and know that their support is vital in helping our pupils along their journey to reaching their full potential. Our learning establishments are at the centre of a vibrant and caring community, and we are always well supported by our parents/carers, the PS Parent Council, and the wider Catrine community. The school is a member of the Barony Campus Education Group, which brings together a wide range of services to benefit our young people. Our P7 pupils transfer to the Robert Burns Academy in the Barony Campus in Cumnock. We operate an Open Door Policy – please phone or pop in at any time if you wish to speak to someone about your child. Our Shared Vision – in Catrine Primary our shared vision is to provide a safe, happy and healthy environment for high quality learning, where every child is supported and guided in the development of their life skills, knowledge and self-esteem. We aim for excellence in everything we do, and we value and respect each other’s views. SECTION 2 - Transitions Early Childhood Centre to Primary 1 – normally, our transition visits for our new P1 pupils starts in February, with our pre-school children visiting P1 in both small and large groups every week. They attend Literacy and Numeracy mornings, and their P6 Buddies visit them both at the ECC and during their trips to P1. Pre-school parents/carers are invited to an informative session with the HT and P1 teacher, and then stay to enjoy a school dinner with 3 their child. Our P1 teacher works closely with our ECC staff, meeting regularly to share information about each child’s progress to ensure their best start when they move to P1. Transition from ECC to primary meetings are held before the child’s entry to P1 and include head teachers from the nursery and primary schools, educational psychologist, parents/carers and health visitor where appropriate. Primary 7 – S1 – transition continues with P7 visiting Robert Burns Academy for Curriculum for Excellence days, induction days and STEM events at Dumfries House. Academy staff visit over the course of the year to provide P7 with information regarding the secondary school and to get to know the children, speaking with staff at the same time. Primary 7 children also construct their profiles which are passed to the Academy with their parents/carers permission. Review/transition meetings for children with additional support needs are held at the end of P6 and in the Spring/Summer term of P7. These meetings include the child, child’s parent/carers, head teacher, class teacher, educational psychologist and guidance/support staff from Robert Burns Academy. Catrine Early Childhood Centre Robert Burns Academy 57 Newton Street Barony Campus CATRINE Auchinleck Road KA5 6RY CUMNOCK KA18 1RS 01290 551233 01290 427280 Support for children and young people and parents/carers Head Teacher: Mrs Judith Govans Depute Headteacher: Mrs Roberta Schendel Teachers P1 Mrs Jill Ferguson/Mrs Erin Cook P2 Mrs Laura McKenna P3 Miss Jennifer Edmund P4 Miss Jacqueline McLean P5/6 Mrs Fiona McCaig P6/7 Miss Cheryl Burleigh Senior Clerical Assistant Mrs Mary McDicken Classroom Assistants Mrs Lorna Watt, Mrs Rhona Goudie Janitor Mr Stuart McCreath Cleaning Supervisor Miss Helen Hall East Ayrshire Support Team Mrs Chloe Bell 4 Brass Instructor Mr Gary Williams School Chaplain Rev. Steve Clipston Additional Support Needs Teacher and/or parents/carers may highlight any concerns about a child to the head teacher who would then arrange an initial meeting to discuss their progress in learning. A Child’s Plan would usually be created at this point with a date for review. Review meetings are an opportunity for all people, including the child, to discuss progress and plan the next steps. The teachers will work with appropriate third sector agencies to ensure the needs of the children are being met e.g., speech and language therapist, school nurse, educational psychologist, EAST team, bi-lingual support, and hearing impairment team. Our Depute Headteacher, Mrs Schendel, is our ASN Coordinator. SECTION 3 - The School Day and Year SCHOOL HOURS Please note we currently have staggered start and finish times due to our COVID-19 arrangements Morning 9.00am/9.10am Morning Interval 10.30 am – 10.45 am Lunch Break 12.15 pm - 1.00 pm Afternoon 1.00 pm – 3.00pm/3.10pm Attendance and Timekeeping – Reporting and absence It is essential that accurate home and emergency contact details are kept up to date, so we would ask you to ensure that the school/early childhood office has the relevant contact details for you; we would also ask you to inform the office in writing, immediately, of any change (this can include mobile phone contact details). The absence procedure adopted reinforces the need for parents and carers to make contact with the school, by telephone or in person, before 9.15am on the morning of any absence, to inform the school of the reason for non-attendance. Please be aware that if the school has not heard from you it is liable to make contact with you when your child is absent. Parents/carers of pupils should provide a letter to explain any absence. 5 Promoting Positive Behaviour Our Primary school aims to promote positive behaviour and relationships based upon tolerance and respect. Every child is unique in terms of their talents, interests and personality and we seek to nurture these important areas of your child’s development in a positive manner. Positive behaviour is a vital part of school life. It is one of the elements which make up a school’s ethos. Good discipline helps overall school effectiveness by providing a good learning and teaching environment, is central to the organisation of school life and central to the children’s well-being. Positive behaviour raises teacher and pupil morale, making school an enjoyable and interesting place to be. It contributes to school effectiveness in general and is an important pre-condition for pupils’ level of attainment. Positive behaviour is part of the personal and social development of pupils and is necessary for pupils’ safety and well-being. Our aims are as follows: to create an atmosphere conducive to teaching and learning to create a school ethos which reflects an atmosphere and understanding that all pupils are cared for and valued by all, as persons in their own right (regardless of home background, gender, disability, colour or ethnicity) to help each child develop self-discipline and an appreciation of the rights and needs of others to sustain whole school strategies for the structured use of praise and rewards to encourage parental involvement in supporting the promotion of positive behaviour at all levels. Our aim is that each child should be taught to accept responsibility for their own behaviour, and to show consideration for others. To achieve this, careful compassionate guidance is necessary. At the beginning of the school year each class and teacher decide on their own class charter by negotiating and agreeing on acceptable and unacceptable behaviours. These are encouraged, recorded and monitored by the teacher and the children through the use of “Class Dojo” – a web-based behaviour management application. “Dojo” awards are given when agreed targets are met. 6 We use a Restorative Approach when dealing with children’s disagreements and arguments. This enables the people involved to talk through the issues, and most importantly, work together to decide on a suitable outcome that allows them to move on safely. The co-operation of parents/carers is essential to encourage the child’s self-discipline and sense of honesty, fair play and mutual respect. The relationship between pupils and teachers is similar to that between the child and their own parents/carers, requiring mutual consideration and respect on both sides.