Muirtown Primary School King Brude Road Inverness IV3 8LU E-mail - [email protected] [email protected] Website - www.muirtownps.wordpress.com Tel: - 01463 239537 Dear Parents/Carers On behalf of all the staff, I am delighted to welcome you to Muirtown Primary and hope that you and your child will have a long and happy association with us on their learning journey through school. We strive to create a happy, stimulating and caring environment that will enable your child to reach their full potential, offering a rich variety of learning experiences across the curriculum. At Muirtown Primary, we are proud to work as a TEAM, where together everyone achieves more. The staff are an enthusiastic and committed team who work together to bring excitement, challenge and fun to learning. We also believe that a strong and supportive partnership between home and school is essential to the health and well-being of our children. Therefore, if, at any time, you have any suggestions or wish to discuss something about your child`s education or well-being, please do not hesitate to contact us through our school office. We hope that this handbook (which is updated annually) will be informative and useful to you and your family in settling into the school environment. However, if you have any suggestions or queries about any information in the handbook, please feel free to contact us. The information in this handbook is correct at the time of printing, but may change over the course of the session as the school continues to develop and grow. We look forward to working in partnership with you and your family. Yours sincerely, Rita McDaid Head Teacher 1 LIST OF CONTENTS Page Forward 1 List of contents 2 School Vision and Aims 3 Description of the school 4 Staff 5 School day 6 School term dates 6 School uniform 7 Break-time snack/drinks 7 School meals 8 Visitors to the school 9 Communication between parents and school 9 Parents/Guardians/Carers as partners 9 Parent Council 10 Attendance 10 Emergency Contacts 11 Children at intervals 11 Enrolment 11 Placing Requests 11 First Aid, Sickness and Accidents 12 Speech and Language Therapy 12 Administration of Medicines 12 Promoting Positive Behaviour 13 Anti-Bullying Strategy 13 School Houses 14 Pupil Council 15 Homework 16 School Book Clubs 16 School Photographer 16 Educational Visits/Excursions 16 Fire Precautions 16 Emergency Planning 16 Complaints Procedure 17 School Improvement Priorities and Standard and Quality Report 18 Curriculum Language and Literacy 18 Mathematics/Numeracy 19 Health and Wellbeing 20 Social Studies 20 Sciences 20 Technologies 21 Expressive Arts 21 Religious and Moral Education 21 Enterprise Education 21 Early Stages 22 Assessment and Reporting 22 Additional Support Needs 22 School Policies 24 Inclusion and Equality 24 Equal Opportunities and Anti-Racist Policy 24 Child Protection 24 Extra-Curricular Activities 24 Secondary Education 25 Sports and Outdoor Facilities 25 Road Safety 25 Community Activities 26 Transferring Educational Data about Pupils Adverse Weather Guidelines and 0800 Telephone Information Service 2 Our Vision Our vision is for the whole school community to work together to provide the highest quality learning experiences for all children, enabling them to attain and achieve their full potential. Our School Aims Provide equal opportunities and inclusion strategies to foster the all-round development of every child, whilst working in positive partnership with our community partners. Encourage and enhance parents’ involvement in the partnership between home and school, to help children reach their full potential. Offer all pupils a wide range of challenging, progressive and relevant learning experiences within a safe supportive and nurturing environment which allows them to become independent learners, whilst developing skills for life, learning and work. Foster citizenship in pupils and raise their awareness of their roles and responsibilities, not only in the community but in the wider world. Ensure that school staff members work within a professional environment where they can become leaders of learning and take advantage of opportunities for further training and development in order to enhance teaching and learning, ensuring that we offer the highest quality learning experiences for all our pupils. 3 Muirtown Primary Muirtown Primary School is situated in a residential area on the north-west side of Inverness overlooking the Moray Firth. The roll at present is approximately 220, comprising of 9 classes from Primary 1 – 7 and just over 60 in the Nursery. Phase I of the building, which opened in 1976, is of semi-open plan design and comprises classroom areas, dining, medical and administrative facilities and a gymnasium which incorporates a tea-bar for community use. Phase II of the building opened in August 1980. The Nursery Class and four P1 – P3 classes are located in Phase I and the remaining five P4 - P7 classes occupy Phase II of the building along with a Library, Art/Science Room. To ensure that all children have access to a full range of learning experiences, classes are grouped as far as possible according to stages, within teaching areas, thereby providing the flexibility required to organise and instruct in the many varied activities from which the children learn. Nursery classes sit opposite Primary 1 enabling children to have a smooth transition between the rooms. Muirtown Primary School is an equal opportunities school, opposing all forms of prejudice and discrimination. We promote an understanding and respect for our pupil`s cultural identity and beliefs There are well established links with the local community and surrounding area, with a variety of activities run after school, including Multi-sports, Highland Dancing, Rainbows and Brownies. Miss Anne Gunn, Parish Assistant at Kinmylies Church is a frequent visitor to the school, running Scripture Union groups at lunchtime and delivering RME in classes and at assemblies throughout the session. Instruction is provided in Chanter and Strings. Muirtown Primary is within the Area School Group of Charleston Academy. We ensure that all pupils have a smooth transition to the Secondary by working closely with support staff at Charleston Academy during their last year at Primary. 4 STAFF Head Teacher Mrs Rita McDaid Depute Head Teacher/SfL Mrs Karen McCabe Principal Teacher Mrs Chi Meldrum Early Years Practitioners Mrs Abel, Mrs Fraser, Mrs MacIver, Miss MacKay, Miss MacRae, Mrs Strathearn, Miss Sweeney Primary 1 Miss Passmore Primary 1/2 Mrs More Primary 2 Miss MacLeod Primary 3 Miss McKay Primary 4 Miss Fuller Primary 5 Miss Whyte Primary 6M Miss MacInnes Primary 6W Miss Williams Primary 7 Mrs Meldrum Class Contact/ Management Cover Mrs Juszczak/Miss Knowles/ Mrs Treasure VISITING SPECIALISTS Strings Instruction Mr Hay Chanter Instruction Mrs McBain Music Teacher Mrs Owen Active Schools Coordinators Dagmar Borrowman, Susan Blackwood ANCILLARY STAFF FMA Mr Melrose Clerical Assistant Mrs A Maclean, Mrs Abbott Pupil Support Assistants Mrs MacIntosh, Ms Buchan, Miss Fraser Mrs McCann, Mrs MacRae, Mrs Szczodra, Miss Moffat Cook Mrs Gillies Kitchen Assistants Ms. Smeaton Mrs Stoddart Mrs Sanderson Mrs Divers Ms Gowans Cleaning Staff Mrs Dick Mrs Dyce Mr Tate Crossing Patrollers Mrs Edwards - King Brude Road Mrs Howieson - Scorguie Road School Chaplain Team Anne Gunn- Parish Assistant 5 SCHOOL DAY School Times are as follows: Nursery Class 8.15am – 3.15pm following the flexible model P1 – P3 9.00am – 12.00pm 1.15pm – 3.00pm P4 – P7 9.00am – 12.30pm 1.15pm – 3.00pm Morning break 10.30 – 10.45am It is essential that children arrive at school to begin at the appropriate times but not before 8.45am when playground supervision starts. SCHOOL TERM DATES 2018 – 2019 Term 1 School opens Tuesday 21 August 2018 closes Friday 12 October 2018 Term 2 School opens Monday 29 October 2018 closes Friday 21 December 2018 Term 3 School opens Monday 7 January 2019 closes Friday 5 April 2019 Term 4 School opens Tuesday 23 April 2019 closes Thursday 4 July 2019 In-Service Days Monday 20 August 2018 Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 September 2018 Wednesday 20 February 2019 Monday 3 June 2019 Mid-term break Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 February 2019 May Day Holiday Monday 6 May 2019 6 SCHOOL UNIFORM In Muirtown Primary all children are expected to wear school uniform. This not only prevents discrimination but helps the children to identify with and feel proud of their school. The uniform consists of Sweat Shirts, Polo Shirts and grey or black trouser or skirts. Fleeces are also available. School uniform can be purchased from :- School-wear Made Easy, Unit 4/5, 57 Harbour Road, telephone number 222022. Or tesco.com/ues In Nursery the sweatshirts worn are red. In primary 1 – 6 the sweatshirts and fleeces worn are royal blue. In primary 7 the sweatshirts and fleeces worn are black. Polo shirts are white and all garments have the school logo ( a plain white polo is acceptable) As these items are identical parents are asked to ensure all clothing is clearly marked with the child’s name. Children should bring soft shoes suitable for wearing to gym and these will be worn at all times inside the building. Shorts and t-shirts must be brought for gym days. Football strips should not be worn in school. A clothing allowance is available on an annual basis to those parents receiving any one of the following: Income Support Income-based Job Seekers Allowance Any income related element of Employment and Support Allowance Child Tax Credit, but NOT in receipt of Working Tax Credit, and an income below £16,105 (as assessed by the Inland Revenue) Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit, and an income below £6,420 (as assessed by the Inland Revenue) If you are an asylum seeker receiving support under part VI of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999 Universal Credit where the monthly earned income does not exceed £610 BREAK-TIME SNACK / DRINKS In our attempt to maintain “Health Promoting School” status, we expect most pupils to eat fresh or dried fruit or have a carton of juice/ water at break time.