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Holmston Primary School 2010 Holmston Road, Ayr, KA7 3BB 01292 264938
Holmston Primary School
2010
Holmston Road, Ayr, KA7 3BB
01292 264938
Contents Page No.
SECTION A General School Information ......................................................... 1 1. Introduction by Head Teacher ............................................................ 1 2. Statement of School Aims and Values ............................................... 1 3. School Information .............................................................................. 3
• Name • Address • Telephone number • Email address • Denominational status • Accommodation and capacity • House structure • Nursery provision • Catchment map and area
4. School Staff ........................................................................................ 4 5. Management Team ............................................................................ 5 6. The School Year and School Hours ................................................... 5 7. Enrolment ........................................................................................... 6 SECTION B Teaching and Learning ................................................................. 7 1. Curriculum for Excellence………………………………………………..7 2. The Core Curriculum .......................................................................... 8 3. Extra Curricular Activities ................................................................. 10 4. Homework Policy .............................................................................. 10 5. Assessment and Reporting .............................................................. 11 6. Determined to Succeed .................................................................... 12 7. Additional Support Needs/Accessibility Strategy ............................. 12 8. Composite Classes ........................................................................... 13 9. Religious and Moral Education ......................................................... 14 10. Equal Opportunities and Inclusion .................................................... 14 11. Health and Well Being ...................................................................... 15 (including the school discipline policy) SECTION C Home / School / Community ....................................................... 16 1. Attendance ....................................................................................... 16 2. Transferring Educational Data about pupils ..................................... 17 3. School Uniform Policy ...................................................................... 18 4. Home School Links ........................................................................... 19 5. Choosing a school ............................................................................ 20 6. Transfer to Secondary School .......................................................... 20 7. Parent Council and Parent Forum .................................................... 20 8. Pupil Council ..................................................................................... 21 9. Parental Complaints Procedure ....................................................... 22
SECTION D Care and Welfare ......................................................................... 23 1. Child Protection ................................................................................ 23 2. Playground Supervision.................................................................... 23 3. School Meals and Free School Meal Information ............................ 23 4. Footwear and Clothing Grant Information ........................................ 24 5. Transport Guide to Parents .............................................................. 24 6. Insurance .......................................................................................... 25 7. Valuable Items .................................................................................. 25 8. Use of Mobile Phones ...................................................................... 26 9. Health and Medical Information ........................................................ 26 10. Data Protection Act ........................................................................... 28 11. Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 ................................... 28 12. Helpful addresses and websites ....................................................... 29
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SECTION A – General School Information 1. Introduction by Head Teacher At Holmston Primary School we aim to educate children for the 21st Century, by creating a positive school ethos which allows children to achieve their full potential by providing a curriculum reflecting national guidelines and initiatives while fostering enterprise, creativity and cultural awareness. The children should embrace the school values of honesty, respect, caring, fairness and responsibility. Holmston Primary, while situated in the town, has a reputation as a school based in its community and has been called “the village school in the town”. The children are encouraged to look after each other and all stages often work together on projects. There is a strong sense of community; and attainment and achievement are celebrated equally. The purpose of this handbook is to convey the education and pastoral care your child will receive at Holmston. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact the school, where staff would be happy to answer any questions. 2. Statement of School Aims and Values At Holmston the staff works with parents to teach pupils respect for themselves and for one another. The following are the values which have been identified by pupils and staff as being the ones which should direct the work of the whole school community:- The Council has set its six core values and these are:-
• Help for those who need it the most • Commitment to quality public services • Pride in the community • Service to others • Lifelong education • Partnership
Holmston’s Values are:-
• Honesty • Responsibility • Respect • Fairness • Caring
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Holmston Primary School’s aims are:-
1. We aim to create a positive school ethos that promotes inclusion and equality by:
• Helping every pupil benefit from education, with particular regard paid to pupils with additional support needs
• Ensuring relationships are based on mutual respect and understanding
• Creating a climate where pupils, staff and parents feel valued and proud of their school
2. We aim to provide a stimulating and enjoyable curriculum for our pupils that will:
• Equip pupils with the foundation skills, attitudes and expectations necessary to prosper in a changing society
• Encourage creativity and ambition • Cater for all needs and abilities • Foster creativity in education encouraging children to think
independently and experiment • Be delivered through quality teaching and a wide variety of learning
opportunities
3. We aim to continue to improve the standard of achievement and attainment within the school by:
• Promoting an ethos of achievement • Encouraging and supporting all pupils to work to the best of their
ability, achieving the highest possible standards of attainment • Raising standards of attainment in the core skills of numeracy and
literacy • Providing a high quality service with quality assurance and quality
improvement built in • Monitoring pupil attainment and achievement closely
4. We aim to assist our pupil’s personal and social development and to teach them the values and responsibilities of citizenship in a democratic society by:
• Teaching pupils respect for themselves and others • Encouraging pupils to take responsibility • Promoting social confidence
5. We aim to promote an effective partnership that links home, school and community by:
• Keeping parents fully informed by reports, newsletters and workshops
• Actively involving parents in their children’s education • Supporting the work of the Parent Council • Contributing to the work of the Community Schools initiative • Promoting Holmston Primary School as a healthy school • Promoting Holmston Primary School as an Eco-School
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6. We aim to develop an effective framework for learning by:
• Providing a quality programme of staff development and review • Supporting and encouraging the self-discipline of pupil • Striving to achieve an attractive, stimulating and safe school
environment that is conducive to teaching and learning and takes into account the different learning styles of our pupils
3. School Information Name Holmston Primary School Address Holmston Road,
Ayr KA7 3BB
Telephone Number 01292 264938 Email address [email protected] Denominational status Non-denominational. Accommodation and capacity Present roll 196
Capacity 216
House structure Belmont, Craigie, Castlehill and Greenan Nursery provision None in school - transition links with Wallacetown
Catchment map and area Details of the school's catchment area and street names are available for inspection at the school and parents can also access them on the Council's web site at www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk Catchment map and area (available from Resources Section, County Buildings
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4. School Staff
Name Designation
Mrs Heather Messner & Mrs Sarah Howlett Primary 1 Teachers
Miss Lorraine Park Primary 2 ProbationerTeacher
Miss Catriona Aitken Primary 3 Probationer Teacher
Mrs. Ruth Shanta Primary 4 Chartered Teacher
Miss Gaynor McKenzie Primary 5 Teacher
Miss Claire Paterson Primary 6 Teacher
Mrs. Shirley Hunter Primary 7 Teacher
Mrs Judith Wickman 0.8 Pupil Support Teacher
Mrs Jacqueline Risk RCCT and Probationer Cover
Mr. Sandy McGraten Music Specialist - brass
Ms. Lex Galbraith Music Specialist - violin
Mrs. Jean Hendry Music Specialist – cello
Ms Marion Fulton School Assistant
Mrs. Fiona McLaren School Assistant
Mrs. Noreen Parker School Assistant
Mrs. Nancy Rae School Assistant
Mrs Raldi Duffy Clerical Assistant
Mrs Sheryl Young Clerical Assistant
Miss Ainsley Simpson Clerical Assistant
Mr. Stanley King Janitor
Mrs Carol Ralph Kitchen Supervisor
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5. Management Team
Name Designation
Mrs Davina Hose Head Teacher
Mrs. Carol Kennedy Depute Head Teacher
Mrs. Pat McCall Principal Teacher
Mrs. Susan Whiteman Principal Teacher 6. The School Year and School Hours Open .......... 9.00am Interval .......... 10.45 am – 11.00 am Lunch .......... 12.30 pm - 1.15 pm Close .......... 3.00 pm
Primary 1 pupils dismiss at 12.30pm until Monday the 6th of September 2010
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SCHOOL HOLIDAYS 2010/2011
Mid Term
First Term
Teachers (In-service) Teachers (In-service)
Pupils Return
Local Holiday Local Holiday
Close
Teachers (In-service) CfE (In-service) Re-open (Pupils)
Close
Monday 16 August 2010 Tuesday 17 August 2010
Wednesday 18 August 2010
Friday 17 September 2010 Monday 20 September 2010
Friday 8 October 2010
Monday 18 October 2010 Tuesday 19 October 2010
Wednesday 20 October 2010 Wednesday 22 December 2010
Mid Term Second Term
Re-open
Close Local Holiday
Holiday Teachers (In-service)
Re-open (Pupils)
Close
Thursday 6 January 2011
Thursday 10 February 2011 Friday 11 February 2011
Monday 14 February 2011 Tuesday 15 February 2011
Wednesday 16 February 2011
Friday 1 April 2011
Third Term
Re-open
Holiday (Good Friday) Holiday
May Day
Teachers (In-service)
Local Holiday Local Holiday
Close
Monday 18 April 2011
Friday 22 April 2011 Monday 25 April 2011
Monday 2 May 2011
Thursday 26 May 2011
Friday 27 May 2011 Monday 30 May 2011
Thursday 30 June 2011
Session
2011/2012
Teachers (In-service) Teachers (In-service)
Pupils Return
Tuesday 16 August 2011 Wednesday 17 August 2011 Thursday 18 August 2011
7. Enrolment In South Ayrshire the dates and times for enrolment are selected by the Education Authority and published in the local press. Enrolment dates are also displayed in all local nurseries. Prospective parents and their children are welcome to visit the school, have a look around and have an informal chat about any aspect of school life. At all other times please telephone the school prior to a visit in order to arrange a mutually convenient time to meet with the Head Teacher.
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SECTION B – Teaching and Learning 1. Curriculum for Excellence
Curriculum for Excellence is now being introduced across Scotland for all 3-18 year olds – wherever they learn. It aims to raise standards, prepare our children for a future they do not yet know and equip them for jobs of tomorrow in a fast changing world. Curriculum for Excellence enables professionals to teach subjects creatively, to work together across the school and with other schools, to share best practice and explore learning together. Glow, Scotland’s unique, world-leading, online network supports learners and teachers in this and plans are already in place for parents across the country to have access to Glow. Teachers and practitioners will share information to plan a child’s ‘learning journey’ from 3-18, helping their progression from nursery to primary, primary to secondary and beyond, ensuring the change is smooth. They’ll ensure children continue to work at a pace they can cope with and with challenge they can thrive on. Curriculum for Excellence balances the importance of knowledge and skills. Every child is entitled to a broad and deep general education, whatever their level and ability. Every single teacher and practitioner will be responsible for literacy and numeracy – the language and numbers skills that unlock other subjects and are vital to everyday life. It develops skills for learning, life and work to help young people go on to further study, secure work and navigate life. It brings real life into the classroom, making learning relevant and helps young people apply lessons to their life beyond the classroom. It links knowledge in one subject area to another helping children understand the world and make connections. It develops skills so that children can think for themselves, make sound judgements, challenge, enquire and find solutions. There will be new ways of assessing progress and ensuring children achieve their potential. There will be new qualifications for literacy and numeracy and from 2012/13, new National 4 and 5 qualifications from 2013/14. Our well regarded Access, Highers and Advanced Highers will be updated to take account of and support the new approaches to learning and teaching. There’s personal support to help young people fulfil their potential and make the most of their opportunities with additional support wherever that’s needed. There will be a new emphasis by all staff on looking after our children’s health and wellbeing – to ensure that the school is a place where children feel safe and secure. Ultimately, Curriculum for Excellence aims is to improve our children’s life chances, to nurture successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors, and responsible citizens, building on Scotland’s reputation for great education.
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2. The Core Curriculum At Holmston we fully embrace the Curriculum for Excellence. Our aim is to educate pupils to be successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. To facilitate this, our curriculum allows children to be creative and responsible by encouraging both independent learning and team work, using a co-operative learning approach. As children have different learning styles we ensure pupils are given different learning opportunities, while teachers use a variety of teaching styles. There is a strong emphasis on active learning throughout the curriculum. Reading Reading underpins all learning. For this reason we put a strong emphasis on the teaching and learning of reading. Our aim is to teach reading skills and to establish a love of reading. At Holmston the reading programme we use is “Literacy Land”, which is a reading programme made up of four main components: Story Street, Streetwise, Genre Range and the Info Trail. The programme includes a wide range of texts – stories, information books, letters, poetry, plays, comics and traditional tales. The programme combines phonics and word recognition. The Literacy Land programme is very structured and links the four areas of language: talking, listening, reading and writing. All classes have class libraries to encourage reading for enjoyment. Writing At Holmston we aim to develop the pupils’ skills in all types of writing. Handwriting is taught using the New Nelson methodology, while the higher order skills of writing composition are taught using various strategies, including the Write to the Top programme which involves the children learning about vocabulary, connectives, openers and punctuation – VCOP – then using these skills in story writing on Big Writing Day. Children have many opportunities to write in all areas of the curriculum. Children are encouraged to write independently from the earliest stages. The teaching of spelling is given a high priority across all stages. Literacy is taught across the whole curriculum, allowing the children to practise their skills of listening, talking, reading, functional, personal and imaginative writing. Language is covered across the curriculum and is purposeful e.g. reporting on experiments in science, note taking for topic work, conveying information for various audiences in the school website and work displayed in the school. Numeracy and Mathematics The Heinemann Mathematics programme of work forms the core of mathematics teaching in the school. This course offers continuous and structured development through stages of attainment. This is supplemented by Maths in Action, which gives added breadth and depth to the core resource. Active learning, contextual experiences and Edpax interactive flipcharts are integrated into this programme to enhance the pupils learning and increase motivation and pupil participation. To enable more direct teaching, pupils across Primaries 4 – 5 and Primaries 6 – 7 are “set” in maths groups and pupil support teacher and principal teachers join class teachers in teaching mathematics and numeracy.
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From Primary 3 onwards “tables” practice is a daily occurrence, as is mental maths where pupils are encouraged to develop and use mental strategies. The Scottish Executive Curriculum for Excellence outcomes and experiences will be followed. Modern Language In Primaries 6 and 7 French is taught one hour a week. The cluster programme is followed. Emphasis is placed on interactive work using French is Fun 1 and 2. A wide range of resources are used including Metro and Francais, Francais. Social Studies Through social studies, children learn about the world around them and develop the understanding, skills and attitudes necessary to interpret it. Children are encouraged to learn in a variety of ways; through explanation, enquiry, activity and discussion. They will also learn in a variety of settings within and beyond the classroom. Social studies also provide a context for, and bring relevance to learning in all other areas of the curriculum. Equally, skills and understanding, acquired in other curricular areas are applied within social studies and enable the children to study and understand the world around them more effectively. Children are taught to develop skills in researching, recording, planning, collecting and providing information and evaluating their experiences. Sciences The science provision within the school was recently reviewed and a progressive programme, incorporating active learning and providing depth of understanding, in line with the outcomes and experiences of a Curriculum for Excellence was developed. Technologies At Holmston the Information and Computer Technologies programme encourages the development of skills to enable pupils to interact effectively with the environment. Our ICT programme provides skills progression through the early, first and second stages. ICT is integrated into the curriculum. Digital, stills and video cameras are used to enhance learning and for recording evidence for assessment purposes. There is a well equipped computer base and every class has an interactive whiteboard, additional laptop/ PC, digital stills camera and scanner. Health and Well Being Health and Well Being as a curricular area consists of personal and social development, understanding of health, physical education and physical activity. Whilst integrating Health and Well Being across all curricular areas, some aspects will be taught through focussed programmes. South Ayrshire Health Programme, Your Body Matters and Borders PE are used throughout the school, providing a comprehensive and progressive programme. Children are encouraged to be active at break times. After school clubs are provided to enable children to take part in various activities. Expressive arts
• Music There is a progressive development of musical skills, knowledge and understanding. The children enjoy regular music making activities with a wide variety of available instruments. Peripatetic specialist teachers undertake individual tuition in violin, cello, bass and brass. All pupils in primaries 6 and
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7 can join the music club, where they prepare for performances throughout the year, both in school and at various venues in the community.
• Art
Borders Art Programme is used throughout the school and work from these lessons form the basis of assessment in pupils’ progress. Opportunities for art work are available throughout the curriculum. Topic related and seasonal art is also covered.
• Drama
South Ayrshire Council Programme of study is used throughout all stages. This provides a whole school programme with structure, continuity and progression. The main resource for this is the South Ayrshire Drama Pack. Children will also have drama opportunities linked with language work, RE and social studies. The Curriculum for Excellence outcomes should all be covered.
3. Extra Curricular Activities There are extra- curricular activities most days. These take place from 3.00pm – 4.00pm. Classes are mainly run by staff members with the help of some parents and partners in education. Most after school classes are offered to pupils in Primary 5 – P7, although we endeavour to organise some activities throughout the year suitable for our junior classes. The extra-curricular classes available at present are:-
• Football • Netball • Dancercise • Music club • Gardening club • Shark watch – marine biology club • Smoothie club
There is also an afterschool club (on a Tuesday afternoon from 3.00pm – 4.00pm) run by a church youth group – Hiz Kidz. After school care is provided by a self-funding, charitable organisation, run by a voluntary management committee of parents. Fees are £6 per session and the club is operational Monday – Friday. An information pack can be obtained from either Isabel or Jenni – telephone number 07535 111860. 4. Homework Policy Homework is set to further practise work covered in class and the skills being taught in school. Homework will be set on a regular basis throughout the school. Time spent on homework should range from 15 minutes for younger children to 30 minutes for older children. Some teachers prefer to set homework for the whole week to allow for children attending activities outside school such as cubs, brownies and dancing. This allows the child to organise their time.
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All pupils have homework diaries. These should be signed nightly by parents. The pupils in Primary 4 – 7 have homework diaries/ personal planners. These enable pupils to discuss and note wider achievements and activities and there is an opportunity for pupils to think about and evaluate their learning. A copy of the homework policy is included in the class handbook which is issued at the beginning of the year. Information on the whole school policy on homework will be available as part of our series of parental information leaflets and can be obtained from the school. 5. Assessment and Reporting The curriculum, the knowledge, skills and attitudes that the school sets out to teach, are the core of assessment. It provides the touchstones against which the progress of individuals and classes can be measured. Teachers will assess pupils’ progress and attainment in terms of the assessment outcomes specified in Curriculum for Excellence Assessment and recording. Teachers will use a variety of approaches to obtain information about pupils’ success and progress. These approaches include a range of day to day classroom observations and interactions with pupils. Also important are the assessment tasks used by the teacher to check the attainment of particular aims or targets and information obtained from pupils’ responses to National Assessments and standardised tests. The National Assessment will no longer be in use from August 2010. Up to date information on assessment can be obtained from the school. As part of Curriculum for Excellence we will no longer use the 5-14 levels A – E Level Stage Early The pre-school years and Primary 1 or later for some First To the end of Primary 4, but earlier or later for some Second To the end of Primary 7, but earlier or later for some Third and Fourth Senior 1 to Senior 3, but earlier for some. The fourth level
broadly equates to SCQF level 4 Senior Phase Senior 4 to Senior 6 and college or other means of study
At Holmston the progress of each child is recorded in an evidence file. Teacher and pupil work together to select examples of successful progress made throughout the session. Pupils should reflect on their own work and compare their performance against agreed criteria. During October and March / April parents are given an opportunity to meet formally with teachers to discuss their child’s progress. At least two weeks’ notice is given for each meeting. At Holmston we also have open afternoons each term, where parents can come to the school and see the work going on in the classroom. This is an informal day and parents can talk to class teachers, pupil support teacher and members of the management team if they wish. Holmston has an open door policy where parents can come in and discuss matters involving their child. If a parent would prefer to see a particular person they should contact the school where a suitable time to call will be arranged.
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6. Determined to Succeed Everyone involved in a young persons’ development should be aiming to realise their full potential so that they can become the best they can be in work and life. Determined to Succeed puts young people at the centre, ensuring that they have the chance to experience and participate in enterprise, not just as a one off activity but as part of the way they learn. Determined to Succeed is about being:
• Creative • Innovative • Enterprising
Thus ensuring that our young people are better prepared to face the challenges ahead in a rapidly changing world. The priority for schools now is to have DtS embedded within CfE ensuring all 4 strands are addressed. The strands are:
• Enterprising Learning and Teaching • Entrepreneurial Learning • Work Based Learning • Careers Education
7. Additional Support Needs/Accessibility Strategy Additional Support Needs All children and young people need support to help them benefit from education. The main sources of support are school staff who, through good practice, are able to meet a diverse range of needs. With good teaching, and the provision of an appropriately differentiated curriculum, most children and young people are able to benefit from education without the provision of any additional support. However, any child or young person could, at some time in their school career, need something additional to, or different from, the support given generally to most other children of the same age in order to help them overcome a barrier to their learning and benefit from school education. These children and young people have additional support needs and they are entitled to additional support for learning to help them learn and achieve their potential. The school works within South Ayrshire Council’s staged intervention framework to identify and meet the needs of pupils with additional support needs.
• Stage 1 Intervention is when a class teacher registers concern about some aspect of a child’s learning to the pupil support coordinator.
• Stage 2 Intervention is when the child is then given extra support from the pupil support teacher, DHT or principal teacher.
• Stage 3 intervention is when the educational psychologist or other agencies become involved with the child.
Parents are kept informed at all times of the child’s progression through the intervention system through letters, meetings and reviews. Pupils who are found to be having barriers to learning are identified and given appropriate help within the
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classroom. Pupils with specific difficulties may be referred to the educational psychologist. Parents will be informed if any such action is proposed. It is the policy of Holmston to ensure that all children have the opportunity to access an education suited to their needs and abilities and we endeavour at all times to provide a suitable and appropriate learning environment. Accessibility Strategy The school has a duty to ensure that all our pupils have equal access to the curriculum, supported as appropriate to their individual needs. This covers not only the content of lessons and teaching strategies but also minor adaptations to the physical environment of our building to address the needs of pupils with physical and sensory impairment, including the relocation of classes to the ground floor where feasible. We also need to ensure that parents who have a disability have equal access to information about their children. This will involve, for example, relocating the venue for parents meetings to facilitate physical access; provision of an interpreter for deaf people; agreeing a phone contact system to provide feedback for parents. There is wheelchair access and disabled toilet facilities at Holmston Primary. Parents requiring extra support as a result of language difficulties such as not understanding or speaking English will be supported. 8. Composite Classes Primary schools have pupils at seven broad year stages, primary 1 to primary 7. A year stage is defined as a group of pupils entering primary education at a common date. Composite classes are those where children of more than one-year stage are grouped together to form a class. Schools are staffed to agreed standards based on the total number of pupils within the school regardless of the numbers of pupils at each year stage. This means that the head teachers are required to take management decisions to organise classes to make best use of available staff, resources and space. Balancing up the various factors involves both educational and organisational considerations. Selection of pupils to classes including composite classes: In the formation of new classes full account must be taken of existing successful groupings of pupils. Schools should use language and/or mathematics groups as the baseline for decisions as to which class children are allocated. Within this broad guideline a language and/or mathematics working group could be defined as: “A number of pupils of broadly the same attainment who have shown the capacity of working well as a learning group”. Normally such classes will be formed before the start of a new school year so that all involved know that class structures exist for the new school session. In certain circumstances class restructuring may have to take place during the summer break or after a school session has started. However such cases will be very exceptional. Parents will be informed at the earliest opportunity of likely re-classification of classes to allow appropriate discussions to take place. Further information is available at the school.
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9. Religious and Moral Education Religious and Moral Education with Personal and Social Development and Health are undertaken in accordance with national guidelines. Religious education is taught throughout the school. The aim of RE is to help pupils to explore and understand religion as it is found in the local community and in the wider world. Pupils will become familiar with Christianity and other major world religions – Judaism, Hinduism and Islam. Pupils will learn what other people believe, how they worship and celebrate and how religion affects their everyday life. Religious observance is held at regular intervals and reflects South Ayrshire’s policy. The purpose of religious observance is to celebrate important occasions in the life of the school and community. Any parents wishing further information should contact the Head Teacher. There are weekly assemblies for pupils. The Rev. David Gemmell calls at school and participates in assemblies once a month. Easter and Christmas assemblies are held in the Auld Kirk and parents and friends are welcome to attend these services. The Christian faith is upheld in the school. Hymns, Carols, Christian songs, Bible stories etc are an integral part of the curriculum. Any parent who wishes, has the right to withdraw his/her child from religious education. The head teacher must be notified of any such request and where possible a meeting with the parents will be arranged in order to make appropriate provision for pupils withdrawn from religious education or observance. Parents from religions other than Christianity may request that their children be permitted to be absent from school in order to celebrate recognised religious events. Only written requests detailing the proposed arrangements will be considered. Appropriate requests will be granted on not more than three occasions (days) in any one school session and the pupil noted as an authorised absentee in the register. 10. Equal Opportunities and Inclusion Equal opportunities are a basic human right. They encompass valuing everyone regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs, disabilities and socio- economic background. In this school we believe that all children should be encouraged to achieve their full potential. We will do this by
• Providing equality of opportunity • Instilling respect and tolerance of others • Celebrating
Our Inclusion squad of Primary 6 and 7 pupils are elected to raise awareness of and tackle barriers to inclusion within our school. The Squad hold regular meetings bringing pupil views to management. In the past they have had an awareness raising evening for parents, demonstrating some of the difficulties faced by pupils with a disability. Games have been purchased which encourage and support inclusion in the playground.
It is the policy of the school to provide a variety of curricular activities, ensuring that pupils have equal opportunities in all academic, practical and social areas.
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11. Health and Well Being (including the school discipline policy)
It is our aim at Holmston Primary, to provide a happy and secure environment for our pupils. For this to happen, pupils need to be aware of the school rules and behaviour policy. Our school rules Our rules were decided by the pupils. Each class decided on what they thought should be our rules and then each class’ suggestions were taken to a whole school assembly where it was decided to have four classroom and four playground rules.
• Keep hands feet and unkind words to yourself
Our classroom rules
• Do as asked first time • Do not interrupt when others are talking • If you take it out, put it back
• Keep hands, feet, objects and unkind words to yourself
Our playground rules
• Do as asked first time • Use the toilet facilities properly • When told, tidy playthings away and line up quietly.
Our assertive Discipline procedures
• If a child misbehaves in class they are given a non-verbal warning in the first instance.
• If it continues a verbal warning is given and noted on the Behaviour Record Sheet.
• After the 3rd warning pupils will be given a time away from their group, this will have been decided by the class when going over the procedures.
• If the misbehaviour continues the child will be removed from the class for an arranged time and work with a member of the management team.
• At this point children will phone home and explain to their parents why they have been removed from class.
Children who have difficulty managing their behaviour are given support from class teachers, school assistants, pupil support teacher and pupil support co-ordinator. If behaviour becomes extreme we will call in help from our partner agencies such as psychological services and home link. At every stage in the proceedings parents will be kept informed and are welcome at any time in school to work alongside staff or offer information at support meetings.
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SECTION C – HOME / SCHOOL / COMMUNITY 1. Attendance Section 30 of the 1980 Education Act lays a duty on every parent of a child of ‘school age’ to ensure that their child attends school regularly. Attendance must be recorded twice a day, morning and afternoon. Regulation 7 of The Education (Scotland and Placing Information) (Scotland) Amendment etc Regulations 1993 requires each child’s absence from school to be recorded in the school register as authorised: e.g. approved by the authority, or unauthorised; e.g. unexplained by the parent (truancy) or excluded from school. FAMILY HOLIDAY NOT AUTHORISED BY THE SCHOOL The majority of family holidays taken during term time will be categorised as unauthorised absence. However, it is acceptable under exceptional circumstances for schools to authorise a family holiday during term time. Such circumstances may include:
• A family holiday judged to be important to the well-being and cohesion of the family following serious or terminal illness, bereavement or other traumatic events
• Where a parent’s employment is of a nature where school holiday leave cannot be accommodated (eg. armed services or emergency services)
A family holiday classified under the ‘authorised absence’ category should not include such reasons as:
• The availability of cheap holidays • The availability of desired accommodation • Poor weather experienced during school holidays • Holidays which overlap the beginning or end of term • Parental difficulty obtaining leave (with local judgement applied in cases
where evidence is provided by the employer that it cannot accommodate leave during school holidays without serious consequences)
EXTENDED LEAVE WITH PARENTAL CONSENT Where most family holidays will be recorded as unauthorised absence (see below), extended leave with parental consent will not be considered the same as a family holiday. Extended leave with parental consent will be recorded separately outside the figures for attendance and absence, and include circumstances such as:
• Extended overseas educational trips not organised by the school • Short-term parental placement abroad • Family returning to its country of origin (to care for a relative, or for cultural
reasons) • Leave in relation to the children of travelling families
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ADVICE TO PARENTS Schools will now follow-up all instances of pupil non-attendance in order to accurately record the reason for absence using the above coding system. At Holmston as part of our Child Protection policy if we have no contact from home as to why a child is absent from school the clerical staff will call home to ascertain the reason for the absence. It would be beneficial if parents could contact the school between 8.30 and 9.30am to inform us of the reason for the pupil’s absence. At the end of the absence a note should be sent in which is dated and states the reason for absence. This will form part of our record. Where no information is provided absences will be considered to be unexplained and therefore regarded as unauthorised. Parents’ co-operation in this would be greatly appreciated. 2. Transferring Educational Data About Pupils
The Scottish Government and its partners collect and use information about pupils to help to improve education across Scotland. This note explains why we need this information, how we use it and what we do to protect the information supplied to us.
Why do we need your data? In order to make the best decisions about how to improve our education service, Scottish Government, education authorities and other partners such as the SQA and Careers Scotland need accurate, up-to-date data about our pupils. We are keen to help all our pupils do well in all aspects of school life and achieve better examination results. Accurate and up-to-date data allows us to:
• plan and deliver better policies for the benefit of all pupils, • plan and deliver better policies for the benefit of specific groups of pupils, • better understand some of the factors which influence pupil attainment and
achievement, • share good practice, • target resources better.
Data policy Information about pupils’ education is collected in partnership between the Scottish Government and Local Authorities through the ScotXed programme which aims to help schools and Local Authorities by supporting efficient collection, processing and dissemination of statistical information. The Scottish Government then provides analysis of the data to support research, planning, management and monitoring of education services as well as to produce National Statistics publications. Education data within Scottish Government is managed effectively by secure systems and is exploited as a valuable corporate resource, subject to confidentiality restraints. As part of its data policy, Scottish Government will not publish or make publicly available any information that allows individual pupils to be identified, nor will data be used by Scottish Government to take any actions in respect of individuals. Data is held securely and no information on individual pupils can or would be made publicly available by Scottish Government. The individual data collected by Scottish Government is used for statistical and research purposes only.
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Your data protection rights The collection, transfer, processing and sharing of ScotXed data is done in accordance with the Data Protection Act (1998). We also comply with the National Statistics Code of Practice requirements and other legislation related to safeguarding the confidentiality of data. The Data Protection Act gives you the right to know how we will use your data. This note can give only a brief description of how we use data. Fuller details of each individual ScotXed survey, including the purpose of each and the published data, can be found on the ScotXed website (www.scotxed.net).
Scottish Government works with a range of partners including HM Inspectorate of Education, Careers Scotland and the SQA. On occasion, we will make individual data available to partners and also academic institutions and organisations to carry out research and statistical analysis. In addition, we will provide our partners with information they need in order to fulfil their official responsibilities. Any sharing of data will be done under the strict control of Scottish Government, which will ensure that no individual level data will be made public as a result of the data sharing and that these data will not be used to take any actions in respect of an individual. Decisions on the sharing of data will be taken in consultation with relevant colleagues and individuals within and outwith Scottish Government.
Concerns If you have any concerns about the ScotXed data collections you can email the Senior Statistician, Peter Whitehouse, at [email protected] or write to The ScotXed Support Office, Area 1B, Victoria Quay, Leith, EH6 6QQ. Alternative versions of this page are available, on request from the ScotXed Support Office, in other languages, audio tape, Braille and large print.
Want more information? Further details about ScotXed are available on the ScotXed website, www.scotxed.net., which contains a section on ‘frequently asked questions’ at
https://www.scotxed.net/ScotXed%20Website%20FAQ/ScotXed%20Website%20FAQ.aspx
3. School Uniform Policy Given that there is a substantial parental and public approval of uniform, schools in South Ayrshire are free to encourage the wearing of school uniform. In encouraging the wearing of uniform, account must be taken in any proposals to prevent any direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of race or gender. Any proposals will be the subject of widespread consultation with parents and pupils. Against this background it should be noted that it is the policy of the Children and Community Committee not to insist on pupils wearing uniform or having specialist items of clothing as a prerequisite to their attending and engaging in all of the activities of the curriculum. There are forms of dress, which are unacceptable in school, such as items of clothing which:-
• potentially, encourage faction (such as football colours);
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• could cause offence (such as anti-religious symbolism or political slogans);
• could cause health and safety difficulties, such as loose fitting clothing, dangling earrings, are made from flammable material for example shell suits, in practical classes;
• could cause damage to flooring; • carry advertising, particularly for alcohol or tobacco; and could be used to
inflict damage on other pupils or be used by others to do so. At Holmston Primary School, the school uniform consists of
• A white polo shirt • A green sweatshirt with school badge • Black or grey trousers or skirt / tunic
In summer girls can wear a green checked school dress. Other acceptable items available are
• Green cardigan • White shirt • School tie • Blazer
It is our intention to standardise the school uniform and would aim for pupils to wear white polo shirt and green sweatshirt. White polo shirts and trousers/ skirts/ tunics can be bought from any store, while ties, blazers and cardigans can be purchased from the National Schoolwear shop in Dalblair Road, Ayr. Please note certain forms of dress are unacceptable such as
• Football strips or colours • Anything which could cause health or safety difficulties such as dangling
earrings
Please note jewellery is not encouraged as this could be lost or become a risk at PE. If a child must keep stud earrings in, then these will be taped over. 4. Home School Links Parents are actively encouraged to be involved with a variety of activities both within and outwith the school. At the beginning of each session parents are invited to indicate their availability for helping with educational trips and/ or as class helpers. The Parent Council has recently been set up and will take forward issues involving the education of your child. This meets at least once a term or when required. The PTA at Holmston is very active and meets regularly and involves parents in many activities. Parents from all classes will be invited to parent information evenings throughout the term. Parents of Primary 1 pupils will be invited to a series of meetings as part of the infant induction. Formal Parents’ meetings are held twice a year, when parents have the opportunity to discuss their child’s progress with the class teacher. Parents who may wish to discuss any matter relating to their child out with parents’ evening should call in or contact the school. If they would prefer a meeting with a particular person they should contact the Head Teacher who will arrange a suitable time to meet. There may be occasions when class teachers feel the need to contact parents with regard
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to their child’s progress, behaviour, welfare etc. Contact of this nature is made either by telephone or by way of standard school forms indicating time, date and reason for the requested meeting. A reply slip is attached enabling parents to indicate acceptance or otherwise of the appointment. 5. Choosing a school Under the placing request arrangements parents have the right to choose a school other than the catchment school for their area. This is known as a placing request and application forms can be obtained from the school office or Children and Community, County Buildings, Wellington Square, Ayr KA7 1DR, telephone 01292 612268. Unfortunately it is not possible to guarantee that a placing request will be successful but parents will have the right of appeal should it be unsuccessful. Full details of the placing request arrangements are contained in the application form. You should be aware that if you decide to make a placing request your child would no longer be automatically considered for a place in their catchment school. 6. Transfer to Secondary School Pupils are normally transferred between the ages of 11 ½ and 12 ½ so that they will have the opportunity to complete at least four years of secondary education. Parents will be informed of the school arrangements no later than December of the year preceding the date of transfer at the start of the new session. Pupils from Holmston Primary usually transfer to Belmont Academy 8 Nursery Road Ayr KA7 3SN Telephone number 01292 281733 / 281734 7. Parent Council and Parent Forum The Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 has brought into being a new way of working with parents by modernising and strengthening the framework for supporting parental involvement in school. The new law is concerned with improving parents’ involvement in their child’s education and in the life of the school and has led to the establishment of Parent Forums and Parent Councils in primary, secondary, special and nursery school. Every parent with a child at school is automatically a member of the school Parent Forum. The Parent Council is a representative group composed of parents, head teacher, and co-opted members. The Parent Council has a range of functions which fall broadly within the following areas:
• supporting the school in its work with pupils
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• representing the view of parents
• promoting contact between the school, parents, pupils, providers of nursery education and the community
• reporting to the Parent Forum
PARENT COUNCIL A new Parent Council has been formed. The Council meet regularly to discuss issues concerning Holmston Primary and its pupils. The constitution is available from the school. Office Bearers are
• Chair – Tommy Ingram (01292-288420) • Vice Chair - Carol Lambie (07974 027004) • Secretary - Pip Mackay (01292-880799)
PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION Holmston Primary also has a very active Parent Association. This meets regularly and is the main fund raising source in the school. The Parent Association also organise discos and the annual fete. All parents are welcome to the meetings or to come along and help out at events. Office Bearers are
• Chair - Ronald Kingisepp • Secretary – Sharon Caldwell • Treasurer – Sheila Kingisepp
8. Pupil Council Consultation with pupils about their views on their school environment and their learning is increasingly accepted in our school. Giving young people a “voice” as partners in the process of school improvement, leads to more effective learning organisations. Pupil Councils is one means of ensuring that young people develop positive attitudes and an opportunity to take part in “real life” decision making within their own school setting. At Holmston our pupil council is made up of pupils from Primary 3 – 7. They meet regularly with the Depute Head Teacher and contribute to the running of the school. They report back to the pupils via assemblies, newsletter, notices and class visits.
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9. Parental Complaints Procedure If you have any comments or complaints please approach the Head Teacher in the first instance. If the Head Teacher does not resolve the issue to your satisfaction, you should write to the Executive Director of Children and Community, County Buildings, Wellington Square, AYR, KA7 1DR We are always anxious to maintain and improve our service. If you have any suggestions to make about the service, please contact the head of establishment in the first instance. If you feel your complaint has not been satisfactorily resolved with the Head Teacher, please contact the Executive Director of Children and Community, County Buildings, Wellington Square, AYR, KA7 1DR
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SECTION D – CARE AND WELFARE 1. Child Protection School staff provides support to children and young people in their daily work and have a vital role to help protect them from harm. School staff helps keep children and young people safe and well by:
• Helping them learn about their personal safety • Being a trusted adult who children and young people may turn to for help,
and who will take them seriously • Identifying when children and young people may need help • Understanding the steps that must be taken when there are concerns for
children’s and young people’s safety and well-being. The school has a Child Protection Co-ordinator who will co-ordinate the school’s response to concerns for children and young people’s safety and wellbeing. The Authority has a designated officer for Child Protection who will ensure schools work effectively to keep children safe and well. If you have any concerns about the safety and wellbeing of a child or young person, including a ‘gut feeling’, talk about this to the Head Teacher, who is the school’s Child Protection Co-ordinator or another member of staff. 2. Playground Supervision An adult presence is provided in playgrounds at breaktimes in terms of the Schools (Safety and Supervision of Pupils) (Scotland) Regulations, 1990. 3. School Meals and Free School Meal Information Holmston operates a Cash Cafeteria meals system where pupils bring cash on a daily basis and purchase food in the dining hall. As there are no “set prices” for meals it is sometimes difficult for school meals staff to check that a young child is buying what his/her parents may wish him/her to buy. To overcome this problem, with younger children, we ask parents to enclose a note stating their requirements along with the exact money in a purse/wallet, which is handed to the school meals staff. Obviously as the children move towards the middle and upper primary stages they become adept at the task. Children are helped and supervised in the dining hall by Mrs Hose and a school assistant. A list of the range of items for sale will be issued to all parents. Choices may include sandwiches, hot rolls, baked potatoes and home baking. Each day different choices of hot meals and desserts will be available. If and when prices increase notification will be sent home with the children. South Ayrshire set menus can be accessed on the council website. Tables are available in the dining hall for pupils who wish to bring a packed lunch.
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There are three sittings in the dining hall for dinners and packed lunches. INFANT CLASSES FIRST SITTING From 12.30 REST OF SCHOOL – ROTA From 12.45 Parents of pupils who require special diets should contact the Head Teacher. Children of parents receiving income support are entitled to a free midday meal. Information and application forms for free school meals may be obtained from schools, area offices and from the Educational Services, County Buildings, Ayr. The School Clerical Assistant distributes free Meals Tickets to pupils on the first day of the school week. Children of parents receiving Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based) Child Tax Credit only (where income is less than £16040*) and child tax credit and working tax credit (where income is less than £6420*) are entitled to a free midday meal. Information and application forms for free school meals may be obtained from schools and from Children and Community, County Buildings, Wellington Square, Ayr KA7 1DR , telephone 01292 612268. *These values are revised annually 4. Footwear and Clothing Grant Information Pupils whose parents or guardians are in receipt of either Income Support/Income Based Pension Credit, Income based Jobseekers Allowance, Child Tax Credit only or Support under part VI of the immigration and asylum Act 1999 may be entitled to a Footwear and Clothing Grant and a Free School Meal. Pupils whose parents or guardians are in receipt of Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit and/or Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit may be entitled to the Clothing Grant only. Information and application forms may be obtained from schools, Area Offices and from Children and Community, County Buildings, Wellington Square, Ayr KA7 1DR 5. Transport Guide to Parents In law it is the parents’ responsibility to ensure that the children attend school and make suitable travel arrangements for them. However where children attend and live more than a specified walking distance from their catchment school the Council will assist with school travel by making available free school transport for all or part of the journey. South Ayrshire Council has a policy of providing free transport to all primary pupils who live more than two miles from their local school by the recognised shortest walking route. This policy is more generous than the law requires. This means that the provision of transport could be reviewed at any time. Parents who consider they are eligible should obtain an application form from the school or Children and Community, County Buildings, Wellington Square, Ayr KA7 1DR. These forms should
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be completed and returned before the end of February for those pupils beginning school in August to enable the appropriate arrangements to be made. Applications may be submitted at any time throughout the year but may be subject to delay whilst arrangements are made. The appropriate officer has discretion in special circumstances to grant permission for pupils to travel in transport provided by the authority, where spare places are available and no additional costs are incurred. The authority has an Exceptional Circumstance policy relating to e.g. Homelessness, parental disability etc. Details are available from the school. There is also a procedure to request transport on medical grounds. The school can advise on procedures. Where free transport is provided it may be necessary for pupils to walk a certain distance to the vehicle pick up point. Walking distance in total including the distance from home to the pick-up point and from the drop-off point to the school in any one direction will not exceed the authority’s limit (see above paragraph). It is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that their child arrives at the pick-up point in time. It is also the parent’s responsibility to ensure the child behaves in a safe and acceptable manner while boarding, travelling in and alighting from the vehicles. Misbehaviour could result in your child losing the right to free transport. The education authority does not provide transport for those pupils in receipt of a placing request other than in individual exceptional circumstances where appropriate legislation applies. Privileged Seats Pupils who are not entitled to free school transport may on occasion apply for a privileged seat. A privileged seat is where there is a vacant seat on a dedicated school contract. Parents can make an application for a privileged seat by submitting a letter to South Ayrshire Council, Department of Children and Community, County Buildings, Ayr KA7 1DR at any time during the year. Parents should note that privileged seats are not available on local service contracts and are allocated during October. Privileged seats can be withdrawn if an entitled pupil requires transport and cease at the end of each school session. Any information on transport appropriate to the school should also be included 6. Insurance South Ayrshire Council holds Public Liability, Employers’ Liability and Officials Indemnity Insurance. In addition, South Ayrshire Council has an on-site and off-site activities insurance policy. Further information regarding insurance and an appropriate claim form can be obtained from the school or Children and Community, County Buildings, Wellington Square, Ayr KA7 1DR, telephone 01292 612264. 7. Valuable Items The Council is concerned at the level of claims being received regarding the loss of pupils’ clothing and/or personal belongings. Parents are asked to assist in this area by ensuring that valuable items and unnecessary expensive items of clothing are not
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brought to school. Parents should note that the Council does not carry insurance to cover loss of such items and any claims submitted are likely to be met only where the Council can be shown to have been negligent. 8. Use of Mobile Phones At Holmston pupils are not allowed to use mobile phones within school hours. They may bring mobile phones to school to contact parents at the end of the school day, but the phone must remain switched off in their school bag during the school day. If a child is using a mobile phone this will be confiscated and held at the school office until the end of the day when it can be collected. If a child needs to contact home they can use the landline phone in the school office at any time. 9. Health and Medical Information Children in Primary 1 are offered a medical examination which parents are requested to attend. An Audio Technician checks hearing in Primary 1. Primary 7 pupils have eyes, ears, height, weight and colour vision tested and a medical is offered on a selection basis. The nurse comes into the school regularly for screening procedures, mainly for the children in P1, P3 and P7. Health education is undertaken on a regular basis, fitting in with Health topics. When children take ill during the day we try to contact parents to come and take them home. If both parents are working we contact one of the friends or relations named on the Emergency Contact forms. If no contact is made the child remains in school. In the case of accidents it may be necessary to get children to hospital quickly for treatment. Parents will be informed in case a signature is required for an operation. Members of staff cannot administer medicines, inhalers etc. to children. Parents or Guardians are invited to come into the school during the day to give their children medicines or alternatively they can complete an “Administration of Medicine” form, available from the school office, giving permission for a member of staff to administer the said medication. Pupils should not be given medicines/tablets to bring to school for self-administration. This is in case tablets/medicines accidentally fall into the hands of younger children. Parents should inform the school office of change of address, change of emergency contacts and any allergies or special medical requirements which may affect their child’s well being. The school Dentist visits the school periodically. Information concerning forthcoming visits is sent to parents before the dentist arrives at the school. Health Promotion and Nutrition In March 2007, the Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007 was passed by the Scottish Government. There are two main components to the Act. Firstly, it requires local authorities and schools to ensure that any food and drink provided within the school setting complies with the nutritional requirements
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specified by Scottish ministers in regulations; and secondly, the Act places health promotion at the centre of a school’s activities, thus supporting the ethos of Curriculum for Excellence. It is important that the nutritional guidance set out in the Regulations is read as a whole. Individual nutrient or food and drink standards should not be taken out of the context of the whole package or of the duty under the Act for all schools to be health promoting schools. The nutritional guidance considers food that is provided as part of the school lunch (or any other meal that is provided by the school) and also food and drinks that are provided outwith the school lunch. Further guidance can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/222395/0059811.pdf
NHS Ayrshire & Arran Oral Health Promotion Initiatives in Nursery and Primary Schools
NHS Ayrshire & Arran is implementing two oral health programmes - Childsmile and the National Dental Inspection Programme (NDIP) in local schools. Childsmile: The Childsmile programme’s aim is to improve the dental health of children in Scotland and it is funded by the Scottish Government. It will be rolled out to all schools in Scotland during the next few years. Childsmile has 3 main elements:
1. A core toothbrushing programme – free oral health packs containing a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste are given out to children at nursery school and in primary 1 on entry to primary school. In Ayrshire & Arran, daily supervised toothbrushing takes place in all nursery schools and many primary schools. During their first year of life, all babies are given an oral health pack and a drinking cup to encourage healthy weaning by swapping bottle for cup as soon as baby is able to drink from a cup. Water and milk are recommended as safe drinks for teeth for all children.
2. An infant programme - this promotes oral health from birth. Parents of
newborn children may be referred to the programme by their Health Visitor. Dental Health Support Workers visit parents in their home to give information, oral health advice and to arrange regular visits to the local Childsmile Dental Practice.
3. A nursery and school programme - this provides preventive oral health
programmes for children aged 3 years and upwards. This programme started in 2007 and initially only involved a small number of schools. Each year more schools are being included in the programme. It targets children in nursery and primary schools, who will benefit from additional preventive care. This care will involve the application of fluoride varnish to children’s teeth by Childsmile Clinical Teams in the nursery and primary schools. The Childsmile Teams will also deliver oral health promotion messages and be supported by Dental Health Support Workers who will be attached to nursery and primary schools and be the main contact point for parents, teachers, other school staff and School Nurses.
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The National Dental Inspection Programme: Each year at school, all primary 1 and all primary 7 pupils will be offered a dental inspection in school, by a dentist. It is important that each child’s dental health is assessed so that the child and their parents can maintain dental health and take the necessary steps to remedy any problems that may have arisen. There is also a need to monitor children’s dental health at national and regional or local levels so that reliable dental health information is available for planning and evaluating initiatives directed towards improvements. The National Dental Inspection Programme fulfils both these functions by providing an essential source of information for keeping track of any changes in the dental health of Scottish children.
10. Data Protection Act Information on pupils and parents may be used for teaching, registration and assessment and other administrative duties. This information may be shared with the Health Board for statistical, operational and analysis purposes. The information is protected by the Data Protection Act 1998 (as amended) and may only be disclosed in accordance with the Code of Practice. For further information, please contact the school. 11. The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 enables any person to obtain information from Scottish public authorities. The Act applies to all Scottish public authorities; Scottish Executive and its agencies; Scottish Parliament; Local Authorities; NHS Scotland; Universities and further education colleges; and the Police. Public Authorities have to allow access to the following information:
• The provision, cost and standard of its service; • Factual information or decision-making; • The reason for decisions made by it.
The legal right to access includes all types of ‘records’ information of any data held by the Scottish public authorities. From 1st January 2005, any person who makes a request for information must be provided with it, subject to certain conditions.
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12. Helpful addresses and websites
Organisation Address Telephone Number
Children and Community South Ayrshire Council
County Buildings Ayr KA7 1DR
(01292) 612000
Area Office 43 Sandgate Ayr KA7 1BD (01292) 284988
Convenor of Educational Services
South Ayrshire Council County Buildings Ayr KA7 1DR
(01292) 612000
Local Councillors: Winfred Sloan,
Eddie Bulik Ian Douglas,
Mary Kilpatrick
South Ayrshire Council County Buildings Ayr KA7 1DR
(01292) 612000
Useful website addresses:- www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk www.ltscotland.org.uk/parentzone www.hmie.gov.uk www.nationalpriorities.gov.uk www.scotland.gov.uk
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INFORMATION FOR PARENTS 2009 PRIMARY SCHOOLS
School: Holmston Primary School Id No.: 370 - 8231524
Budgeted Running Costs For Financial Year 2009-2010 School Roll at September 2008 205 Total School Running Costs at April 2009 (£) 677,754 Cost per Pupil (£) 3,306
Key to symbols: The symbol ## indicates that the data are not available.
Attendance And Absence For School Year 2008/2009 Stage
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P1-7 Total Number of Possible Attendances(Pupil Half Days)
9,566 9,950 10,070 11,648 11,694 11,496 11,840 76,264
Percentage Authorised Absences
6.8 6.4 4 4.6 6.1 5.7 4.9 5.5
Percentage Unauthorised Absences
0.4 0.5 0.2 1.1 0.9 0.9 0.3 0.6
Key to Symbols: Asterisks (**) have been inserted instead of figures for some schools and categories:
• Counts and percentages based on data for more than 0 but fewer than 5 pupils, because they could be misleading or lead to the identification of individuals.
• In other cases, it is not possible for the school to have any data for the category, for example, cases where the relevant year group roll figure is zero.
The symbol (##) indicates that the school has recently opened or merged with another school and this information is not available.
Minimising Overall Absence Absence recorded
(2007/2008) Average number of half days absence
per pupil
Absence recorded (2008/2009)
Average number of half days absence
per pupil Absence 21.4 23.3
Where schools have 9 openings per week, please note that all local authority and national figures are based on 10 openings per week, and so are not directly comparable. Key to Symbols: The symbol (##) indicates that the data are not available or comparable with other years.
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HOLMSTON PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPIL ATTAINMENT LEVELS (2005-2009)
Although this information is correct at time of printing, there could be changes affecting any of the matters dealt with in the document:-
a) before the commencement or during the course of the school year in question:
b) in relation to subsequent school years.
