Parents & Carers Information Booklet 2020-21 CONTENTS Vision, Values and Aims ................................................................... 1 Quick Contact List ........................................................................... 2 About Our School ............................................................................. 3 School Staff ...................................................................................... 5 Managing Covid-19 in School .......................................................... 6 Keeping You Informed ..................................................................... 7 School Organisation ......................................................................... 8 School Calendar ................................................................................. 9 Being Absent ...................................................................................... 10 Daily Checklist ................................................................................... 10 Play and School Clubs ....................................................................... 14 Curriculum........................................................................................... 15 Religious Observance & Learning .................................................. 18 Working with Parents and Carers ................................................. 19 Pupil Council ........................................................................................ 21 Additional Learning Needs ............................................................. 22 Behaviour Management .................................................................... 23 Enrolment and Transition ............................................................... 24 Travel to School ................................................................................ 25 Safety at School ............................................................................... 26 Medical Matters ............................................................................... 27 Educational Excursion Policy .......................................................... 28 School Improvement and Planning ................................................ 29 School Policy Documents ................................................................. 29 Complaints & Compliments .............................................................. 30 Plan of the School ............................................................................ 31 VISION, VALUES AND AIMS Dounby Community School Vision, values and aims We value: happiness, health and respect; questioning, creativity and perseverance; friendliness, fairness and good manners. Together, as a community of pupils, parents, staff and residents of the three parishes of Birsay, Harray and Sandwick we aim to: 1. Be the best that we can be. 2. Aspire to develop as: Successful learners Confident individuals Responsible citizens Effective contributors 3. Achieve widely, attain highly and be happy and healthy. 1 QUICK CONTACT LIST SCHOOL: Tel: (01856) 771234 email: [email protected] HEADTEACHER: Tel: (01856) 771234 email: [email protected] SCHOOL WEBSITE: http://www.orkney.co/dounbycs/ SCHOOL BLOG: http://dounbycommunityschool.blogspot.co.uk/ FACEBOOK PAGE: http://facebook.com/dounbycommunityschool PINTEREST BOARDS: https://www.pinterest.com/dounby/ If contacting school staff by email please would parents use, [email protected] except if you wish to contact the headteacher directly, [email protected] , thank you. If your child is unwell please phone or e-mail the school and telephone your child’s conveyor. CONVEYOR Home Telephone Mobile Ronnie Ballantyne (01856) 721 386 0776 324 0948 Billy Hay (01856) 841 722 0776 982 8534 Wendy Kirkness (01856) 841 724 0795 839 9410 Katrina Muir (01856) 761 608 Kristan Petrie (01856) 771 297 0773 659 6344 Pam Rendall 0774 558 6461 Derry Sinclair (01856) 771 708 0774 530 5073 Marion Leask (01856) 721 247 0755 569 5255 (Arthur Spence) Stewart Spence (01856) 721 301 0751 670 1151 (Ann Spence) PARENT GROUP (Parent Council): Gavin Barr (Co-Chair) Tel: (01856) 721 273 email: [email protected] Sarah Scarth (Co-Chair) Tel: (01856) 771 259 email: [email protected] Geraldine Ferguson (Clerk) Tel: (01856) 771 839 email: [email protected] SCHOOL NURSE: Tel: (01856) 888 262 email: [email protected] DOCTOR’S SURGERY: Tel: (01856) 771 209 STROMNESS ACADEMY: Tel: (01856) 850 660 email: [email protected] 2 ABOUT OUR SCHOOL This booklet is intended to help you know more about your child’s school. We hope that many of your questions may be answered within its pages but we would encourage you to contact us by telephone, email or in person if you need to know about something that is not included here. Our intention is to provide high quality learning opportunities for your child in an environment where they are safe, well cared for and happy. If you have any worries or concerns about what is happening at school for your child please do not hesitate to contact us. CONTACT US Address: Dounby Community School, Tel: 01856 771 234 Dounby, Fax: 01856 771 701 Orkney, email: [email protected] KW17 2JA Web page: http://www.orkney.co/dounbycs/ Dounby Community School Directions: Leave Kirkwall on the A965 and head west; or leave Stromness on the A965 and head east. At the junction with the A986 turn and head north, signposted Harray, Dounby and Birsay. The school is on the right as you enter Dounby before the village centre. Please park in the large car park beside the school. Dounby School and Community Centre was opened in 1976 to serve the parishes of Harray, Sandwick and Birsay. In response to demand, in 2000, a large hall was added and the community and school facilities were upgraded. Accommodation and amenities are provided within the buildings and grounds for community use and we are fortunate to be able to share these facilities. The school is classed as a non-denominational 3 primary school with nursery, however since August 2017 the nursery has a nursery manager on site and is managed by an officer at School Place in Kirkwall. The school facilities include class teaching areas, a nursery, a learning support base, a small hall with a stage, a music room, an art room, a computer room, a library and a kitchen/utility room. There is also an administration block comprising reception area, headteacher’s office, janitor’s room, medical room and staff room. The community facilities include a large sports hall with changing rooms and showers, a fitness suite, games room, multi-purpose community rooms and a cafeteria facility in the reception area. All facilities have access for the disabled. The school is able to offer internet access for meetings and clubs. The shared grounds include two pitches marked out for rugby and football. There is a play park, tennis court, tarred play areas and car parking area with bus drop off/pick up points. A plan of the Dounby School and Community Centre is included at the end of this booklet. Dounby Community School from the air. 4 SCHOOL STAFF HEADTEACHER: Alastair Forsyth TEACHING STAFF: Rachel Garson (Principal Teacher) Hazel McKinlay Rhona Black Nicola Moar Katherine Diaper Natalie Rendall (maternity leave) Lesley Harcus (Support for Learning) Eileen Sandison Juliane Hodkinson Charlene Shearer Freya Thomson SPECIALIST TEACHERS: Vacant (PE) Karen Shearer (Music) (maternity leave) Eilidh Harcus (Art) Vacant (Music) TEACHING SUPPORT STAFF: Mai Banks (Early Years Worker / Support for Learning Assistant) Parnell Inkster (Support for Learning Assistant) NON-TEACHING STAFF: Donald Foubister (Janitor) Kerry Flett (Auxiliary) Pam Rendall (Auxiliary) Pauline Morrice (Clerical Assistant) Linda Johnston (Clerical Assistant) Jean Copland (Head Cook) Lyn Groundwater (Assistant Cook) Moira Garson (Kitchen Assistant) Karen Chalmers (Kitchen Assistant) Karen Sinclair (Kitchen Assistant) Lorraine Campbell (Head Cleaner) Tina Lamont (Cleaner) INSTRUMENTAL INSTRUCTORS: Brian Jones (Brass) Karen Griffith (Strings) Adam Clarkson (Guitar) Eilidh Wilkinson (Percussion) 5 MANAGING COVID-19 IN SCHOOL At the time of writing, mid-June 2020 the school is closed to pupils and about to re- open again to staff so that we can prepare for the new school year. We are not sure what restrictions will be in place when we re-open but safety, understanding, wellbeing and inclusion will be the themes that we will keep foremost in our minds. Transition into school will be a sensitive process, children will respond in different ways. We intend to enable the transition by ensuring that familiar and trusted adults are available to children, that there is space to talk and that children understand that we are happy to spend time making them feel safe and comfortable. Children will not be ready to learn unless they are assured that school is a good, safe place to be. A range of safety measures will be in place, these will include a much higher standard of hygiene and sanitation, for example, we expect to have foot pedal bins throughout the school, a small measure but one that will help control any infection. We will be following the guidance from Orkney Islands Council and from the Scottish Government and we will be teaching the children directly about safety and hygiene. We understand that children may return to, or start school with a range of knowledge of Covid-19.