Ratho Primary School SCHOOL HANDBOOK Session 2017/2018 CONTENTS PAGE NUMBER SUBJECT 3 FOREWORD FROM COMMUNITIES AND FAMILIES 4 HEADTEACHER’S WELCOME Information on Ratho Primary School 5 ABOUT THE SCHOOL 6 SCHOOL AIMS AND VALUES/ THE SCHOOL DAY 7 STAFFING 8 SCHOOL BUILDING AND GROUNDS/BREAKFAST CLUB/ AFTER SCHOOL CLUB 9 SCHOOL UNIFORM/ ASSISTANCE WITH SCHOOL CLOTHES 10 SCHOOL MEALS AND MILK PROVISION / ENROLEMENT/ SCHOOL POLICIES 11 ATTENDANCE AND ABSENCE 12 WET WEATHER ARRANGEMENTS/ UNEXPECTED CLOSURES/SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE 14 MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION / HEADLICE/ HEALTH AND SAFETY Parental Involvement at Ratho Primary School 15 ETHOS/ PROMOTING POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR 16 ANTI-BULLYING POLICY/ RATHO SCHOOL VOICE/ RATHO ACTION GROUP Curriculum 17 CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE/ LITERACY AND LANGUAGE (INC 1 + 2 MODERN LANGUAGES) 18 NUMERACY AND MATHS/ SOCIAL STUDIES AND SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGIES 19 RELIGIOUS AND MORAL EDUCATION/ EXPRESSIVE ARTS/ HEALTH AND WELLBEING 17 ASSESSMENT/ REPORTING 18 ACTIVE SCHOOLS How We Support Your Child 19 SUPPORT FOR LEARNING/ GETTING IT RIGHT FOR EVERY CHILD/ PROTECTING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE 20 PASTORAL SUPPORT/ TRANSITIONS 21 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT/ RAISING ATTAINMENT/ COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE 22 SCHOOL SESSION DATES 2016-2017 23 USEFUL WEBSITES 24 SCHOOL UNIFORM ORDER FORM 2 A Foreword from the Director of Communities and Families Session 2017-18 Dear Parents, This brochure contains a range of information about your child’s school which will be of interest to you and your child. It offers an insight into the life and ethos of the school and also offers advice and assistance which you may find helpful in supporting and getting involved in your child’s education. We are committed to working closely with parents as equal partners in your child's education, in the life of your child's school and in city-wide developments in education. Parental involvement in the decision making process and in performance monitoring are an integral part of school life. We look forward to developing that partnership with your support. I am pleased to introduce this brochure for session 2017 -18 and hope that it will provide you with the information you need concerning your child’s school. If you have any queries regarding the contents of the brochure, please contact the Head Teacher of your child’s school in the first instance who will be happy to offer any clarification you may need. Alistair Gaw Alistair Gaw Executive Director of Communities and Families City of Edinburgh Council 3 A Welcome from the Head Teacher Dear Parents/ Carers, Welcome to the Ratho Primary School handbook- we are delighted to be sharing this information about our school with you. This handbook aims to offer an overview of the school and the education your child will receive with us. The school is non-denominational and caters for the village of Ratho, from Nursery to Primary 7. Currently we have around 240 children on our school roll and 60 in our nursery. Classes are arranged by age. At present there are 11 classes (including the nursery class). At Ratho Primary we pride ourselves on constantly striving to provide the best possible education for your child. Our committed staff work hard to present exciting and engaging learning experiences and we aim for the highest levels of achievement for every child. We hope that the information contained in this handbook is clear and self-explanatory, however, should you require more information or further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact either myself, our Depute Head Teacher Mr Welander, or Mrs Dixon our School Administrator. We look forward to getting to know you and your family, Best Wishes, Rachel Lytollis Rachel Lytollis Head Teacher. Ratho Primary School 4 CONTACT DETAILS Head Teacher Miss Rachel Lytollis Address: 1 School Wynd, Ratho, Edinburgh, EH28 8TT Tel no: 0131 333 1293 Website: www.ratho.edin.sch.uk Twitter: @Ratho_Primary Email: [email protected] USEFUL NUMBERS City of Edinburgh Council Communities and Families: 0131 469 3000 Grants, Awards and Placements: 0131 469 3038 Advice and Conciliation: 0131 469 3233 Clothing/Free Meals: 0131 469 3471 After School Club: 07763 029 897 ABOUT THE SCHOOL Stages of Education Provided for Nursery – Primary 7 Present Roll Nursery- 60 Pupils (30 am, 30pm) P1-P7- 242 Pupils Denominational Status Non-Denominational Gaelic Medium Provision None 5 Information on Ratho Primary School SCHOOL AIMS AND VALUES A Curious, Creative Community Here at Ratho Primary, we aim to create a community of learners and families who are motivated to learn, are curious about the world around them and tackle challenges creatively and confidently. In our school we value- Respect Honesty Being Caring Responsibility Friendship Children are encouraged to uphold our values in everything they do and are reminded of them regularly at assemblies and house meetings. They also form the basis of our positive behaviour policy. In all that we do we work towards high standards of achievement for all learners in all aspects of school life. THE SCHOOL DAY Nursery Morning Session 8:30am- 11:30am Afternoon Session 12:30pm- 3:30pm Primary 1 and 2 Monday - Thursday 8.50am – 12.15pm 1.00pm – 2.40pm Friday 8.50am – 12.15pm Primary 3 - 7 Monday - Thursday 8.50am – 12.30pm 1.15pm – 3.15pm Friday 8.50am – 12.25pm There is a 15 minute break at 10.30am for all pupils in P1-P7. Pupils are supervised during break and lunchtime by our Pupil Support Assistants. Please be aware that parents/guardians are responsible for supervising their children before the school day begins and for meeting them after the school day ends. Therefore, please ensure that your child arrives at school as close to the start of the day as possible, and certainly not before 8.30am unless attending breakfast club. Parents are reminded that when dropping off/collecting children at school, they are to park in the designated car park, and are NOT to park in the disabled spaces directly outside the school. They should also be careful not to park at the pedestrian exit of the school as to cause an obstruction to the crossing patrols. This is for the safety of all pupils. Council parking attendants will be informed if these safety rules are ignored. 6 STAFFING SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM Head Teacher Miss Rachel Lytollis Depute Head Teacher Mr. Chris Welander Business Manager Mrs. Nicola Mowat Principal Teacher Mrs. Carol Nicolson Principal Teacher Mrs. Lynne Smith Support for Learning Teacher Mrs. Lesley Humphries TEACHING STAFF Class Teachers Mrs. Carol Nicolson (PT) Mrs. Gillian Brown Mrs. Sarah Hall Mrs. Kirsty Marshall Ms. Adela Mansur Mrs. Susan Tukalo Miss Amber Forrest Miss Alice McGhee Miss Emma Davis Miss Jennifer Sandeman Mrs. Lynne Smith (PT) Miss Hana Gordon Mr. Neil Rae Miss Heather Tumblety Violin Specialist Miss Kirsty Miller SUPPORT STAFF School Administrator Mrs. Claire Dixon Pupil Support Assistants Ms. Donna Mitchell Mrs. Cath Mitchell Mr. Steven Riley-Morrison Miss Elena Vergani Mrs. Sue Wallace Early Year Practitioners Miss. Rebecca Smail Mrs. Katrina Fitzpatrick Mrs. Stephanie Ritchie Nursery Modern Apprentice Miss Beth Gregor Service Support Officer Mr. Gordon MacKerricher Catering Assistants Mrs. Pam Main Mrs. Carol Reynolds Cleaners Mrs. Gena Mclellan Mrs. Margaret Erskine Mrs. Karen Temple School Nurse Mrs Anna Finn 7 Active Schools Co-ordinator Mr. Craig Newport THE SCHOOL BUILDING AND GROUNDS We are hugely proud of our school grounds and the learning opportunities they afford us. We are a campus with Ratho Community Centre and have a close working relationship with them. We are able to utilise some of the facilities of the community center during the school day and the school building is also used for a number of community groups during evenings and weekends. The main school building is single story. Opened in 1983, it houses our gym/dining hall, Head Teacher’s and Depute Head Teacher’s office, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Lab, Medical Room, Library, Support for Learning class and 6 class bays. Our Annexe building (The Canalside View) was opened in 2015 and contains 4 class bays (currently Primary 1, 2 and 2/3 classrooms). Our school nursery sits on the far side of the Community Centre. As well as the main nursery floor, there is the Nursery Teacher’s Office and substantial outdoor learning and play areas. Tended to by the nursery children and staff. We are lucky to have expansive grounds at Ratho Primary School. Our grounds include a MUGA (Multi-use Games Area) for playing football and netball/basketball, The Secret Garden which contains our outdoor classroom and allotments, extensive grass area and a woodland area which children can play in and take part in den building. We encourage play using ‘Loose Parts’ equipment such as tires, ropes and tarpaulins outside. We aim to utilise our local area and amenties to benefit our learners. For example, our school sits on the banks of the Union Canal and we integrate this into our curriculum in various ways. We are proud to be the heart of the Ratho community and are always striving to stenghten local links. BREAKFAST CLUB Our school breakfast club operates from 8am each morning and is staffed by our Pupil Support Assistants Cath and Donna Mitchell. Bookings can be made via ParentPay and the cost is £1.50 per day & £1 for siblings attending. Bookings can be made daily, weekly or up to 100 days in advance. AFTER SCHOOL CLUB The After School Club, ‘Little Flyers’, runs every day until 5.45pm. This is a privately run club – for more information please contact Pam Main initially on 07763 029 897. 8 SCHOOL UNIFORM We are proud that the vast majority of our pupils wear school uniform.