Welcome to Kirkinner Primary School
December 2020 Information at a Glance School Information School Day School Address School starts 9.00 a.m. Kirkinner Primary School Morning interval 10.45 – 11.00 a.m. Main Street, Kirkinner, Newton Stewart. DG8 9AL Lunch 12.30- 1.15 p.m. Email [email protected] Day ends 3.00p.m. Parent Council Chair Mrs J Marr Head Teacher Mrs J Blakeman Communicating With Home School Roll 17 Parents are welcome to visit the school to discuss any matter concerning their child’s/children’s attendance Gaelic is not currently taught at school. Please contact the school to arrange a Teaching Staff Mrs L McShane convenient time, if possible, after 3.00p.m. We can be contacted via email, telephone or Groupcall. Auxiliary Staff Parental Involvement information: Clerical Assistant Mrs H McCornick http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/schools Catering Manager Mrs J Patterson https://www.parentclub.scot/ Facilities Assistant Mrs J Patterson Parentzone Scotland: https://education.gov.scot/parentzone
School term dates can be found at: http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/article/15239/ School-term-and-holiday-dates Welcome from the Head Teacher School Aims, Values and Ethos Dear Parent / Carer Our vision at Kirkinner Primary is We would like to welcome you and your children to ’Big or small we can do it all’ Kirkinner Primary School. As we are a small school we value everyone within the This Handbook gives you some information about our school community. We aim to develop links with people school and how we work and we hope this will be of in the community and use local facilities and places to help in settling your children quickly and happily into enhance pupil learning. We hope our pupils will also be the routine of school life. a credit to their community. Values we have in school At Kirkinner Primary we look on learning as a shared will help pupils flourish in school and in the community. process between school and home to provide a caring Our values are: learning environment for your children. Honesty, Kindness, Enthusiasm, Individuality We hope the handbook will answer most if not all of the questions you might have about Kirkinner School and if there is any further information or advice you Contact Us require please do not hesitate to contact the School. The school welcomes suggestions and enquiries from parents and carers. Links to National and Authority action plans and aspirations are below. If you need to find out something http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/media/20367/ We can be contacted by e-mail, telephone, group call Education-Annual-Plan/pdf/Dumfries_and_ text messages or face to face. Where it is not possible Galloway_Annual_Education_Plan_2018.pdf to resolve enquiries straight away, we will make arrangements to follow up as necessary with the most https://www.gov.scot/publications/2018-national- appropriate member of staff. improvement-framework-improvement-plan/ pages/1/ If you have a comment or concern https://news.gov.scot/speeches-and-briefings/ A comment might be some brief feedback about how scotlands-education-reforms we have handled a situation or delivered a service. It is Yours sincerely best to pass a comment straight to the school so that we can take any necessary action. Mrs Jennifer Blakeman Partnership Headteacher If you are not happy with the response you receive or a decision that has been made, you can Ask us to Look Again. You can do this by contacting [email protected]. At this point an Officer will contact you and discuss the issue and share directly with you the outcome of this work.
Remember you can also access Dumfries & Galloway Have Your Say at http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/ article/17349/Have-your-say How the School Works Celebrate Success There are many ways in which we celebrate the success Class Organisation of pupils: Kirkinner Primary currently has one class — P1-7 taught • annual Prizegiving ceremony by Mrs McShane the Principal Teacher and • success assemblies ( capability certificates, great work There is no Playground Supervision due to the small awards, sporting achievements ) numbers, however staff are available at all times. • great work wall in corridor Positive Behaviour and Celebrating Success • concerts, church services, entertaining,
The atmosphere within the school is all important in • pupil recording of achievements creating a happy and caring environment. We try to • achievement wall help children develop positive and responsible attitudes • use of local press, church magazine etc to showcase and hope our rules reflect this. pupil work During session 20/21 we will be reviewing our positive behaviour policy along with our anti-bullying policy School uniform which will be renamed our ‘Respect for All policy’. All Dumfries and Galloway schools have a dress code which encourages pupils to dress in a way appropriate We have agreed 3 new school rules which are: to attendance at school. www.dumgal.gov.uk • Respectful The wearing of school uniform is encouraged at • Ready Kirkinner Primary and we are fortunate that our parents support this. The school colours are purple, gold • Safe and bottle green. Grey or black trousers/skirts with Throughout 20/21 we will be working on consequences, polo shirts and sweatshirts bearing the school logo are supports and models of appropriate behaviours. recommended for everyday wear. For formal occasions grey trousers/skirts with white shirts/blouses and school tie is preferred. T-shirts are also available for use during P.E. and games lessons. Please put names on all items of clothing as this saves time finding owners of lost property.
The school usually has a supply of new and second-hand uniform. Current prices are available from the School Office.
School ties are presented to new entrants at our Summer Service.
Anyone eligible for a clothing grant should contact the School Office or the Head Teacher.
Jewellery is not encouraged and is best left for social occasions. Watches and stud earrings are quite safe and will be acceptable. School Transport Free school transport is available for some school children attending primary or secondary school if they live within the school catchment area and if they meet certain criteria. For more information and guidance visit http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/article/15245/Free- school-transport
Attendance It is your responsibility as parents to ensure that your child/children attend school regularly. For the safety of all children it is important for you to telephone the school office prior to/at the beginning of the absence. Absences School Clothing grants are recorded in class registers and frequent or irregular The award of clothing grants is to assist with the cost absences not supported by a reasonable excuse, will be of school clothing for families who are on a qualifying notified to parents and the matter may be referred to benefit or on low income. The current award is £134 the Opportunities for All Service. If possible please, try per child. Guidance and more information is available to make dental/medical appointments outwith school at http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/article/15246/School- hours. However, if this is not possible please inform us in clothing-grants writing or by telephone of the appointment and arrange to collect your child from class. School Meals More information: www.dumgal.gov.uk School Meals, Naturally D&G local provenance for a Absence from School sustainable future. Pupils who need to leave school during the school day Detailed information on school meals is available at ie doctor /dentist appointments, must be collected by a https://www.dumgal.gov.uk/schoolmenus named contact confirmed with the school office. They must also report to the school office on their return to Pre-ordering lunch school. All menus are nutritionally analysed, offering a fantastic choice and flexibility. Primary schools have introduced an advanced pre order system for lunch. Pre Curriculum for Excellence order forms are handed out to all pupils. Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is bringing learning to life in the way education is delivered for all 3-18year Special dietary requirements olds – in nursery, primary, secondary, at college, For food allergy and intolerances; medically prescribed workplace or community learning. It aims to raise diets; or diets for religious or cultural reasons specific standards, improve knowledge and develop skills, meals for children of different ethnic origin may be closing the gap between the lowest and highest catered for. Ask the school for a registration form or performers. Ultimately it aims to nurture children call 030 33 33 3000 and ask for Facilities Operations and young people as successful learners, confident (Catering) individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens. Free School Meals Free School Meals are provided for all pupils in Primary Broad General Education 1, 2 and 3. Younger children at nursery or older pupils Children and young people work their way through at primary may also be eligible for free school meals in Experiences and Outcomes in each of the five certain situations as well as those families on qualifying Curriculum Levels (Early, First, Second, Third, Fourth) benefits. and in each of the eight Curricular Areas. The five For more information on free school meal entitlement Curricular Levels span pre-school to the end of S3. visit http:// www.dumgal.gov.uk/schoolmeals or This is the Broad General Education. Pupils progress contact Education Support Services on 01387 260 493 at their own pace, working through the Experiences and Outcomes of the most appropriate level for them. Pupils will be supported in collecting evidence of their achievements, with a profile of these being produced in P7 and S3. Pupils will follow a 3-18 curriculum: Homework/Family Learning • Languages and Literacy (Listening, Talking, Reading, Although pupils don’t often like doing homework it Writing, French in P1-7) is generally agreed by parents and teachers that it is an essential part of the curriculum. Pupils should be • Mathematics and Numeracy encouraged to approach homework with a positive • Health and Well Being (including physical education) attitude to learning and achievement. We consider • Technologies (including computing) the setting of homework important for the following reasons- • Social Studies (people in the past, people and place, people in society) • To encourage pupils to develop the practice of independent study. • Sciences • To develop perseverance and self discipline. • Expressive Arts (Art and Design, Drama, Music, Dance) • To allow practice, where it is needed, of skills learned • Religious and Moral Education in the classroom. As we aim to excel in literacy and numeracy these are • To open up areas of study, use of materials and taught daily, both as standalone lessons and within sources of information that are not accessible in the other curricular areas, where children can apply their classroom. skills. At Kirkinner Primary we follow a 3 year rotational programme for other curricular areas. Often these • To involve parents and other adults in pupils’ work. can be linked together to create an interesting topic / At the beginning of each session, pupils will be given a context. homework diary which will be used to record homework Currently we have a P.E. specialist who delivers lessons as it is given out. Children should be aware of what they to all pupils once a week. are expected to achieve and understand the purpose of the homework task. They are responsible for completing homework tasks on time and in a satisfactory manner. . Home/School Partnership/Parental It is hoped that parents will check and sign the Involvement and Engagement Homework Diary regularly. If you find any aspect of homework puzzling please contact school Parent Council and Parent Forum Every parent who has a child at our school is a member How is my child doing? of the Parent Forum. The parent council is a group There will be several opportunities for you to discuss of parents who have chosen to represent the parent your child’s progress. This may be through informal forum. As a member of the Parent Forum, each parent discussion with the teacher or at Parents’ Nights/Learning can expect to: Conversations, formal reports or for some it may be • Receive information about the school and its through more formal, focussed meetings with other activities agencies.
• Hear about what partnership with parents means in Helping the School our school There are many things which as a parent you can do to • Be invited to be involved in ways and times that suit support your child’s learning in school: www.dumgal. you gov.uk/article/17608/Parental-Involvement • Identify issues you want the parent council to work on with the school • Be asked your opinion by the parent council on issues relating to the school and education it provides • Work in partnership with staff • Enjoy taking part in school life in whatever way possible
More information is available at http://www.dumgal. gov.uk/article/17608/Parental-Involvement
More information and support for Parents/ Parent Councils is available at https://connect.scot/ Information on enrolment in school and catchment areas is available at http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/ article/15241/School-places Information regarding catchment areas can be found on the Council’s website by accessing “Find My Nearest”.
School Improvements In May/June of each year, the school publishes a Standards & Quality Report providing all stakeholders with a comprehensive summary of the school’s work and learners’ achievements over the last year. The first part of this report provides an overview of the school’s progress in addressing its key priorities, while the Support for All second part gives information about, for example, how well pupils are learning and achieving; how well the Support for Learners school is supporting children/young people to develop Dumfries and Galloway Council is committed to the and learn. In June, we publish a School Improvement well-being and educational development of all learners. Plan which outlines the key priorities for the school The process of inclusion requires all involved in the during the year ahead, following engagement with business of learning and teaching to demonstrate staff, pupils and parents. commitment, innovation and flexibility to ensure that all children and young people have access to quality Our Priorities 20/21 learning opportunities and experiences. 1. Recovery Curriculum
More information is available at https://www.dumgal. • Ensure that all pupils can access digital technology gov.uk/article/16163/Support-for-Learners to access and support learning in numeracy, literacy, Health & wellbeing both in school and at home. Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) • Provide pupils with an appropriate Health & You are the expert on your child and what you think Wellbeing programme of work to allow assessments matters. Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) means to guide staff in supporting children’s emotional and that the School will always seek to involve you, to listen mental wellbeing. to your opinions and take them seriously. • Continue to build on our assessments of literacy and More information is available at numeracy to ensure learning and teaching is relevant www.dumgal.gov.uk/girfec and appropriate for all our learners.
Child Protection 2. Curriculum All children have the right to be protected from harm, • Review our vision, values and aims including our abuse and neglect. The vision for all children and young curriculum rationale. people in Dumfries and Galloway is that they should be: safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected and responsible and included. Schools and front-line education and child care services will play an important role in ensuring all children and young people are safe and well. Further information can be found at http:// www.dumgal.gov.uk/article/16640/Support-for- children-and-families
Parents, carers and pupils have a key role in keeping the school community safe. We would therefore urge parents to share any information which would keep everyone safe, and to support and encourage their child(ren) to do the same.
Enrolment in Schools and Transitions • Create a Talking and Listening and Writing Health and Safety progressions which pupils and parents find useful. This alongside our developed Numeracy Progressions Emergency Procedures will assist pupils to understand where they are in If your child feels ill during the school day and we feel their learning and what their next steps are. They that he/she would be better at home, we will telephone will also help with the target setting process and you or your emergency contact. Minor accidents, e.g. ensure the pace and challenge is appropriate for all cuts, bruises, are dealt with by the school staff. Serious our learners. accidents are few, but should one occur your child will be immediately taken either to your doctor or • To implement personal Achievement Records for to hospital, if necessary, and you or your emergency pupils to record their skills development within skills contact will be notified. We cannot stress enough the for Life, Learning and Work. importance of supplying the school with the relevant 3. Learning and Teaching information we require in such a situation, i.e. your own home and work number and a telephone number • Continue to develop the use of Learner Capabilities of an emergency contact. Please remember that if with pupils assessing where they are using a Learner your child stays in more than one home setting contact Capability Rubric to monitor their progress. details should take account of this. • Staff to implement their knowledge and skillsets gained from their development work and training Severe Weather and School Closure sessions within literacy and numeracy last session to Arrangements enhance pupils learning. Headteachers are authorised to make an emergency closure when the state of the weather or any other • Develop Visible Learning further within the topic exceptional circumstance make it necessary in the of feedback. This will ensure that feedback to best interests of the pupils. In these circumstances pupils will be relevant, meaningful and will impact parents will be communicated with in a variety of ways positively on pupil attainment. including text messages/ phone calls and emergency contact arrangements. All school closures will be notified on the Council Website. http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/article/15240/ Emergency-school-closures
Data Protection Information on how the Council uses personal data is available at https://www.dumgal.gov.uk/ article/15129/Data-protection and https://www. dumgal.gov.uk/privacy
ICT in Schools For more information on ICT in school please see page 19 of the Education Authority Handbook
Use of the Internet, Social Networking Sites As part of the process of learning we allow our children supervised access to the Internet and e-mail. The authority runs its own filter system to ensure that young people are not at risk from exposure to inappropriate material. This filtering system is regularly being upgraded. We have a policy for use of the Internet and a contract for responsible use, which we ask parents and young people to sign up to. Safe Digital Learning and Social Media