Prestonpans Primary School

School Handbook

June 2013

Prestonpans Primary SchoolPreston RoadPrestonpansEast LothianEH32 9ENTel: 01875 810950Fax:01875 814083

Email:prestonpans.ps@prestonpansprimary.elcschool.org.uk

Website: http://edubuzz.org/blogs/prestonpansprimary/

Dear Parents and Carers

The staff at Prestonpans Primary School would like to extend a very warm welcome to you and your family and look forward to a happy and productive partnership. We hope that your child will feel secure and happy here and that the time they spend at Primary School will provide the kinds of experiences and opportunities which will enable them to be become confident lifelong learners.

The purpose of this handbook is to tell you about our school and I hope that you find it to be informative and helpful. Should you require further information please do not hesitate to contact me.

Jacqui MackinnonHead Teacher

School Handbook Contents

School Information page 3

School Personnel page 51

School Ethos page 6

Parents as Partners page 7

Community Involvement page 11

Positive Behaviour page 12

The Curriculum page 17

Assessment and Reporting page 22

Transition page 23

Support for Pupils page 24

School Policies and Practical Information page 26

Session Dates page 28

School Menu page 29

SCHOOL INFORMATION

Prestonpans Primary School, Preston Road, Prestonpans, East Lothian EH32 9ENPhone: 01875 810950 Head Teacher: Vacancy

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Prestonpans Primary School was opened in 1973. It is situated between the A198 Edinburgh to North Berwick Road and Preston Road, directly opposite the Railway Station. It is a non-denominational, co-educational school for P4 to P7 pupils. Our feeder Infant School is Prestonpans Infant School and our P7 pupils move onto Preston Lodge High School. Our school is a single storey building set in large grounds with tar macadam and grassed playing areas.

Projected RollAt present we have 263 pupils at this school.

Year Group RollsPrimary 4 Primary 5 Primary 6 Primary 759 56 70 78

School HoursMonday to Thursday Friday8.55am to 10.40am 8.55 to 10.40am10.40am to 11.00am (Break of 20 minutes) 10.40am to 11.00am (Break of 20 minutes)11.00am to 12.30pm 11.00an to 12.35pm12.30pm to 1.20pm (Break of 50 minutes)1.20pm – 3.30pm

All pupils will finish for their lunch break at 12.30pm. They will then be called in for lunch using a rota system.

Road Crossing PatrolCrossing Guides are stationed at: Preston Road and West Loan Children should use these crossing places and obey the Guides at all timesCrossing Patrol: 8.20-9.00 am; 11.40-1.30 pm and 2.35-4.00 pm

Playground

Playground FacilitiesThe school has a number of grassed areas and playground areas. Pupils have access to the grassed areas when weather and conditions permit. There are a number of painted games on the playground areas as well as a wonderful trim trail. Each year group has a designated area in the playground to play in.

Playground SupervisionWhen pupils are at school, the responsibility for their safety rests with the Council, and the Head Teacher and Staff undertake this responsibility on behalf of the Council. This means that reasonable steps should be taken to prevent any pupils suffering injury and to ensure that accidents or difficulties can be reported to a responsible adult and appropriate action taken.

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We have a rota for Classroom Assistants to ensure an adult is in each playground area during morning interval and lunch interval.

BikesThere are facilities for children to bring their bikes to school. However we insist that children wear a helmet to ride their bikes to school and provide their own padlock for security. The school cannot be responsible for lost or damaged bikes.

Road SafetyFor the safety of all children please do not park or stop to drop off on the yellow zigzag lines at the school entrance. Please ensure that your child crosses the road into school with the School Crossing Patrol Guide or at the Lights by the swimming pool.

SCHOOL PERSONNELSession 2013 - 2014

Head Teacher VacancyDepute Head Teacher Mrs Janet ScottPrincipal Teacher Support for Learning Ms Lorraine SevestrePrincipal Teacher Mrs Kirsty ParkinSchool Chaplain Reverend Dr Charlie Cameron

Class TeachersPrimary 4S Mrs Yvonne ScottPrimary 4P Mrs Jane PetersonPrimary 4V vacancy P5P5P6P6 To be confirmedP7P7P7

Additional Support for Learning TeamPrincipal Teacher Mrs Lorraine SevestreTeacher Mrs Mary BeattieSupport for Learning Assistant Mrs Alison StewartClassroom Assistants Mrs Margaret Cormack

Mrs Janice ParkMiss Eilidh McLuckieMrs Kimberley White

SpecialistsPE Mrs Fiona SellwoodMusic Mrs Elaine RobertsPiano Mrs Maxine WilsonClarinet Mrs Alison LoneskieGuitar Mr Chris DayChanter Mr Lee MooreDrumming Mr Simon Grant

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Administrative Assistant Mrs Fay ZajmaClerical Assistant Ms Jane TimmsSchool Auxiliary Mrs Pauline WilsonJanitor Mr Michael CurranCatering Staff Supervisor; Vacancy

Mrs Elna Jones; Mrs Yvonne Redpath; Mrs Linda Duncan

Place2Be Staff Mrs Magi Mitchell, School Project Manager; Volunteer Counsellors: to be confirmed

Cleaning Staff Mrs Kim Harker, Supervisor; Mrs Mary Cunningham; Mrs Jessie Pollock; Mrs Anne White; Ms Kathleen Harker; Mr John Gallagher.

SCHOOL ETHOS

We Aim To Be The Best We Can Be

Prestonpans Primary School’s Vision is to provide a happy, caring and stimulating environment where children recognise and achieve their fullest potential, so they can make the best contribution to Society. At the heart of the Vision will be the provision of the highest quality learning and teaching.

To achieve this at Prestonpans we ensure:

Pupils are confident individuals,Responsible citizens,Effective contributors,Successful learners.Teaching and learning is our main purpose,Opportunities arise for personal achievement,New challenges engage and motivate pupils,Promotion of the health and wellbeing of the school community,Achievement is recognised, shared and celebrated,Numeracy, literacy and other curricular skills continue to be developedSharing of information about learning with the whole school community

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PARENTS AS PARTNERS

Parent Council and Parent ForumThe Scottish Parliament has passed a law called the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 to encourage and support more parents to become involved in their children’s education.

The main aims of the Act are to: help parents become more involved with their child’s education and learning welcome parents as active participants in the life of the school provide easier ways for parents to express their views and wishes

To help achieve these aims, all parents will automatically be members of the Parent Forum at their child’s school and will be entitled to have a say in what happens at the school. As a member of the Parent Forum parents will have a say in selecting the Parent council (the representative body) to work on behalf of all parents in school.

The role of the Parent Council is to: support the work of the school gather and representing parents' views to the Head Teacher, Education

Authority and HMIE promote contact between the school, parents, pupils and the local community be involvement in the appointment of senior school staff help with fundraising activities

The new Parent council will be recognised in law from August 2007. For more information on the Parental Involvement Act or find out about parents as partner in their children’s learning, please contact the school or Val McIntyre at the Department of Education and Children’s Services on 01620 827228 orvmcintyre@eastlothian.gov.uk or visit the Parentzone website onwww.parentzonescotland.gov.uk or East Lothian Council website onwww.eastlothian.gov.uk

The following office bearers were elected for the next two years:

Chairperson - Carol QuinnTreasurer - Derek BrownMembers – Colin Yorkston

FundraisingOne of the main fundraising events organised by the Parent Council is the annual Fair. All monies raised are

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used to buy a variety of resources for the school such as gym mats, library books, playground equipment… It is a most enjoyable morning for families and friends to meet and it also gives an opportunity for other members of the community to be part of our school.

Book FairParents/Carers have the opportunity to purchase books for their child during parents’ evening. There is a variety of books on display and the school is able to increase the supply of books for the school library using the money which has been raised.

Home Learning

Purpose of Home learning help parents/carers to be involved with their children’s learning give opportunities for parents/carers to share and enjoy learning experiences

with their children give children the opportunity to practise skills which have been taught at school extend and consolidate work done in the classroom help prepare children for the future by being responsible and organised train pupils in planning and organising their time develop good habits and self-discipline

Home Learning ActivitiesReading is a skill and, as with every skill, it requires practice. Therefore, it is expected that every child in school should be reading their AR book for 20 minutes every night. The approximate length of time spent on other Home Learning activities per night should be 20 minutes for children in P4 and P5, and 30 minutes for pupils P6 and P7. These times may vary a little depending on the tasks set. Tasks will generally be set on a Monday and should be returned by Thursday, enabling you to ensure that Home Learning can be planned to fit in with life at home.

Possible Home Learning Tasks spelling maths related activities researching topics, e.g. Fairtrade, WW11, Farming, Italy technology: making models…

Home Learning should be related to class work and should be set at a level appropriate to your child’s ability. There may be times when your child is unable to complete an activity because they are finding it too difficult or it is taking too long to complete. Rather than having children struggling at home in these circumstances, we would encourage you to stop your child from completing the work and send in a note to the class teacher explaining the situation.

If homework is causing you and/or your child stress or anxiety, please contact us immediately and we will arrange an appointment to discuss this with you.

For more advice on how best to support your child a useful site is:

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/parentzone/index.asp

Illness and Accident

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If a child becomes ill or has an accident at school, you will be contacted and informed of this, but, if this is not possible, the child will be taken to a doctor or hospital to receive the necessary medical care. It is essential, therefore, that you keep us informed of any medical conditions or requirements pertaining to your child, and give us an emergency contact number. It is important that your emergency contact is more than likely contactable. At the start of each school year we issue a new form to update information. If you change your mobile phone, or any other details on the form, please inform the school immediately. Forms are available from the office or on the website.

AttendanceRegular attendance and punctuality are essential to a child’s progress in school.

AbsenceIf your child is not going to be in school, for whatever reason, please telephone the school before 10.00 am. If we have not had an absence explained we will make a phone call to parents to find a reason for the absence. If the school is unable to contact you then the Attendance Officer will be notified.

PunctualityThe importance of punctuality should also be noted. We ask that parents/carers ensure that children reach school in good time to enter when the bell rings at 8.55am. While we understand that occasional emergencies arise, persistent late entry disrupts the class work. It also causes difficulties for the latecomer in catching up with the day’s programme and valuable time for the other pupils is wasted while the teacher explains again the day’s programme.

Holidays During Term TimeParents are requested not to take children on holiday during term time. Attendance at school and attainment are closely linked and it is important that your child’s learning is not disrupted unnecessarily. Holiday absence will, in accordance with East Lothian Policy, be deemed as unauthorised except in particular circumstances

Emergency Closure of SchoolParents will be notified in advance of any planned early closure. In cases of emergency or unplanned closure the school will notify the local radio station to warn parents of the closure. Parents will also be contacted by text detailing closure details. No child will be sent home without either parental permission by phone or from their emergency contact. It is important that you provide the school with up to date information on persons to be contacted in an emergency. Mobile phone numbers can change frequently, so please ensure that you always keep these numbers updated.

Medication in SchoolIf your child requires medication regularly for an ongoing condition or periodically you must complete a Medication Consent Form. These can be obtained from the office or downloaded from the website.

If your child has specific needs and requires an adult to administer their medication please contact the school so that a care plan can be put in place and training can be organised for the staff involved. All members of staff who have agreed to be trained in the administration of specific drugs to pupils suffering from all epileptic seizure or a severe allergic reaction and who are required to apply specific drugs to those pupils will be covered by East Lothian Council’s Public Liability Policy.8

Medical CareThe school has access to East Lothian Council’s School Health Service. Parents can access the services of the School Nurse, School Doctor, and Speech and Language Therapist by contacting the school for more information. These professional may also be involved with children who have Additional Support Needs.

EnrolmentIf you wish to enrol your child at our school, please call in to the office to see Mrs Fay Zajma, our Administrative Assistant. Mrs Zajma will make an appointment for you to meet Mrs Jacqui Mackinnon, Head Teacher, or Mrs Janet Scott, Depute Head Teacher, who will be delighted to take you round the school and give you the necessary information

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Every second year, Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade visit to share their knowledge and expertise on Fire Safety.

We have established links with Castlepark Bowling Club to allow our pupils to experience some

In 2012 our school achieved Fairtrade Status . There is a Fairtrade committee and they run the Fairtrade tuckshop and the Fairtrade hot chocolates during the winter months. We have links with the Fairtrade shop in Prestonpans.

Library

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We have close links with Prestonpans Library and have worked with the librarian Erica for many years. Erica has ensured that the books in the library are AR levelled to help children find appropriate reading material.

Mercat Gait Centre – P4 swimmingPrimary 4 children will receive swimming lessons in small groups. It is important to ensure that children receive the correct instruction and so we ask parents to inform us if their child is a confident swimmer with an ability to swim lengths of the pool, a weak or non swimmer, or someone who can just swim a little. This allows us to differentiate the groups and the instruction is far more effective. After the course of lessons children will be offered a further set of lessons in curriculum time, a set of lessons in a local pool or 10 free swims at any of the East Lothian pools.

POSITIVE BEHAVIOURWe promote positive behaviour in school and our Positive Behaviour Policy reflects this. A complete copy of the policy is available from the school or can be downloaded from the website. Here are the key points in summary:

School RulesOur three school rules are:

We do as we are askedFor teachers to teach, and learners to learn effectively and safely, pupils must follow directions from all staff first time and without argument.

We use appropriate school language: no put downs, teasing or bad languageAll pupils have the right to feel safe and valued and to learn in an environment, which is supportive and positive.

We keep hands, feet and objects to ourselvesFor pupils and staff to feel safe they need to know that they are protected from violence and that property (both personal and school) is protected from theft or damage and not used inappropriately.

Rewarding BehaviourEvery class runs Golden Time once a week. This is an opportunity for pupils to self select a variety of activities as a reward for consistently following the School Rules, working hard and demonstrating good behaviour throughout the week. Golden time is managed and monitored in class by the following Consequence Ladder:

Verbal Warning

Chill out Zone

Warning

Loss of 5 minutes Golden Time/Class Teacher Reflection Sheet Issued

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Warning

Management Intervention/Management Reflection Sheet IssuedLose further 5 minutes Golden Time

20 minute detention at Morning Break

Teachers also use a variety of individual strategies and systems in class to further promote positive behaviour, excellent work and outstanding effort.

House SystemShortly after starting school your child will be put in a school house. The four Houses are Bankton (red), Drummore (blue), Inchview (green) and Mercat (yellow). As part of our positive behaviour strategy, the children are awarded house points for such things as lining up sensibly, holding door, moving quietly in school and many other ‘responsible citizen’ actions. The points are displayed on the House Board outside the gym hall. The winning house gets extra playtime on a Wednesday, sit on benches at Assembly and is first for lunch. At the end of the year, the points are added up and the ‘Angie Davie’ Cup is awarded to the winning House Captain.

ConcernsIf staff are concerned about unusual or persistent behaviour it is likely that they will contact parents directly to arrange a meeting to discuss concerns. If you have any concerns regarding your child’s behaviour contact the school through the office to make an appointment to meet with the class teacher or a member of the Management Team.

ExclusionsIn exceptional circumstances it may be necessary to exclude children from school for a few days to allow a cooling off period as a result of inappropriate behaviour. A copy of the Council’s policy (Circular 2/99) on exclusion is available from the school office.

BullyingAll incidents of bullying have to be dealt with. It is important therefore that school and home work together to support each other. Physical bullying is often easier to detect than the other forms, e.g. verbal abuse, repeated harassment, silent intimidation, etc. All suspected incidents of bullying should be reported immediately to any adult working in school.

The school has an Anti-Bullying policy as part of East Lothian Council’s policy and procedures. Incidents of bullying are recorded as part of that policy.Further information on how we deal with this issue can be sought from our Anti-bullying co-ordinator, The Head Teacher. A.B.E.L. (Anti Bullying East Lothian) also provide support to the school when required. A.B.E.L. can be contacted directly.

School Dress Code

The following guidelines will be helpful to you when equipping your child for school:The school colours are black, white and red. Our school uniform is supplied by Patricia Bewsey Designs and is available all year round for our school sweatshirts, hooded tops, polo shirts, storm jackets and waterproof fleece jackets. All garments can be

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purchased in black or red, however, polo shirts also come in white. These should be worn with matching black or grey formal skirts or trousers. Order forms are available from school or you can contact Patricia Bewsey direct on 01620 850788. Her website address is: info@patriciabewseydesigns.co.uk. Please note that sample sizes are held in school.

We promote the wearing of our dress code as it helps to build up a sense of identity, pride and belonging within the school. It also helps to cut down on individual differences between children and may help to reduce the sort of bullying brought about by children not wearing the current designer labels! The wearing of any labelled clothing or football colours is not permitted. In the interests of safety, jewellery is restricted to stud earrings and watches only. Children should not arrive in school wearing make up and nail varnish. We also require pupils to provide a pair of indoor shoes to wear around school daily, gym shoes or trainers. (Gym shoes (Size 13 up to size 5) price £2.50 can be purchased in school.)

PE KitIn the interest of personal hygiene and to encourage responsibility, children must have full PE kit; t-shirt, shorts and gym shoes or trainers. All garments should be clearly marked for identification. We are reinforcing this expectation by implementing the following system: First time without full PE kit leads to a verbal warning, second time leads to a break detention. PE kit should be kept in school at all times and will be sent home at holidays for a wash.

School Clothing Grants

Could you get help to pay for school clothing?School clothing grants are payments made by the Council to help parents and carers to ensure that their child has proper clothing for school (e.g. uniform and sports kit).

How do you get a school clothing grant?East Lothian Council only provides school clothing grants to parents or carers who are receiving either:

Income Support Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance Employment and Support Allowance (income related)

Parents or carers receiving other benefits (e.g. Child Tax Credit or Working Families Tax Credit) aren't eligible for clothing grants unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Exceptional circumstances

In exceptional circumstances, where you're experiencing severe financial hardship but aren't receiving Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance, an officer from Inclusion and Equality will assess your situation.

If you're applying for a clothing grant under exceptional circumstances it would be helpful if you could provide as much financial information with your application form as possible. This should include:

bank statements 12

all benefit documents mortgage or rent documents savings books

Assistance with provision of clothing and footwearThe Council operates a scheme of provision to ensure that a pupil is sufficiently and suitably clad to take full advantage of the education provided. Families in receipt of Income Support or Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance will qualify for such a scheme. Other cases will be determined according to the personal circumstances of the family. Parents who wish to apply for the scheme should complete an application form, which is available from this school or from the Education & Community Services Department, Pupil Support Division, Council Buildings, Haddington, EH41 3HA.

Food in School

School MealsWe offer a choice of hot lunches. The cost is £1.90. Children can pay daily or pay for the whole week on a Monday. The weekly menus have been developed to give a balanced, healthy choice of meals for your child. There are 2 weekly menus, which rotate and there are seasonal options on these. Menu attached.

Lunches Ready Reckoner

1 day’s lunch £1.902 day’s lunch £3.803 day’s lunch £5.704 day’s lunch £7.605 day’s lunch £9.50

Children who prefer a packed lunch may do so and will eat their lunches alongside children having a school lunch. Due to the fact that we often have anaphylactic pupils, for their sake, we must ensure that this school is a NUT FREE ZONE. Although nuts may not be a problem to your child, contact with nuts could have severe consequences to others. DO NOT SEND ANY PRODUCT CONTAINING NUTS TO SCHOOL.

If you wish your child to leave school at lunchtime for any reason they must be given written permission on a daily basis. This is essential for Fire Procedures so we can account for all children at all times. The child’s safety becomes the responsibility of the parents/carers for the entire lunch break when they are out of school.

Free School Meals and Milk

Under the Council Committee for Education policy, children in attendance at schools under the management of the Council are entitled to free school meals if their parents are in receipt of Income Support or Income-Based Jobseekers Allowance or Child Tax Credit (but NOT Working Tax Credit) with an annual income of less than £15,860or Child Tax Credit AND Working Tax Credit with an annual income less than £6,420 from the Department of Social Security. No other children are eligible for free meals. Further information and an application form can be obtained from the school or from Pupil Support, Department of Education and Community Services, Council Buildings, Haddington, EH41 3HA.13

Snacks & DrinksThe school operates a tuck shop at playtime selling a variety of healthy options: Fruit juice, Oatcakes and Cheese and fruit.

We encourage children to bring a healthy snack for playtime. Children have access to water throughout the day at school therefore to support our Healthy Schools Initiative we would ask that children only bring water, fruit juice, diluting juice or milk to drink in school. Milk can also be purchased from the school. It will be available to all children in primary education at favourable prices (17p at the present time), payable termly or yearly.

The charge to parents for school milk is reduced by the School Milk Subsidy received by East Lothian Council from the European Community.

Free MilkFree milk will be available to all children in nursery education and to children of primary school age in primary schools and special schools if their parents are in receipt of the benefits listed above, under Free School Meals.

Water BottlesResearch clearly proves that children perform much better in their academic studies if they have a well hydrated brain. We would ask all parents to send a bottle of water to school each day. Refillable water bottles require to be washed each night and so will not be kept in school. There are water fountains throughout the school where children can refill their bottles during the day.

THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM – BE AT THE HEART OF YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING

The curriculum we use in the school is called ‘A Curriculum for Excellence’. It is about bringing life to learning and learning to life. The curriculum aims to ensure that all children and young people in Scotland develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they will need if they are to flourish in life, learning and work, now and in the future

The purpose of the curriculum is summarised in the four capacities - to enable each child or young person to be a successful learner, a confident individual, a responsible citizen and an effective contributor.

The attributes and capabilities of the four capacities are outlined below:

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Successful Learners with: enthusiasm and motivation for learning determination to reach high standards of

achievement openness to new thinking and ideasand able to: use literacy, communication and numeracy

skills use technology for learning think creatively and independently learn independently and as part of a group make reasoned evaluations link and apply different kinds of learning in

new situations

Confident individuals with: self respect a sense of physical, mental and emotional

well being secure values and beliefs ambitionand able to: relate to others and manage themselves pursue a healthy and active lifestyle be self-aware develop and communicate their own

beliefs and view of the world

Responsible citizens with: respect for others commitment to participate responsibly

in political, economic, social and cultural life

and be able to: develop knowledge and understanding

of the world and Scotland’s place in it understand different beliefs and cultures make informed choices and decisions evaluate environmental, scientific and

technologies issues develop informed, ethical views of

complex issues

Effective contributors with an enterprising attitude resilience self-reliance and able to: communicate in different ways and in

different settings work in partnership and in teams take the initiate and lead apply critical thinking in new contexts create and develop solve problems

To support these four capacities our school curriculum will encompass the 7 Principles for Curriculum Design:

Challenge and Enjoyment Breadth Progression Depth Personalisation and Choice Coherence Relevance

These Principles for Curriculum Design are delivered thorough outcomes and experiences in the following curricular areas. Some examples of learning opportunities are given.

Expressive ArtsArt and Design, Dance, Drama and Music are the four organisers for Expressive Arts. All aspects of learning in expressive arts include opportunities to present and

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perform, e.g. our annual Christmas Show. Music is taught by our visiting specialist, Mrs Elaine Roberts. There are also opportunities for children to receive instrumental tuition in one of the following instruments: Guitar, Piano and Clarinet from P5 onwards and Chanter and Drumming from P6.

Health and wellbeingHealth and wellbeing focuses on mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing, planning for choices and changes, physical education, physical activity and sport, food and health, substance misuse and relationships, sexual health and parenthood. Regular physical activity is essential for good health and Mrs Fiona Sellwood, our visiting PE Specialist, and Miss

Angie Davie, Community Development Officer, plan activities to develop skills and improve aspects of fitness. The school now has its own kitchen and aims to develop the children’s knowledge and skills to make healthy food choices and establish lifelong healthy eating habits. Class teachers also deliver focussed programmes of work to develop the skills to support emotional and social wellbeing.

Literacy and EnglishLanguages are organised into the following areas: reading, writing, listening and talking. Children are given opportunities to engage with others in group and class discussions, learn collaboratively when problem solving, read for information from a variety of sources, creating written texts using appropriate vocabulary in a variety of curriculum areas. French is also provided

for all pupils in Primary 6 and Primary 7.

MathematicsNumber, Money and Measurement, Shape, Position and Movement and Information Handling are the three main organisers for Mathematics. Children from across the classes in P4 and P5 and P6 and P7 are set into ability groupings to allow children to experience success and to develop their confidence to take risks and ask questions. We aim to use maths to model real life situations and make connections with the life skills needed within the world of work.

Religious and Moral Education (RME)

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Learning about RME enables children to broaden their knowledge of Christianity and other World Religions whilst reflecting on their own beliefs and values. The school promotes values such as honesty, respect and compassion through programmes of work, school assemblies and expectations of behaviour. Reverend Dr Charlie Cameron also provides a chaplain service to

the school. Parents should note that they have a statutory right to withdraw their children from religious and moral education and from religious observance. If this is the case, parents should write to the Head Teacher who will arrange for pupils to be withdrawn and for alternative arrangements to be made.

Sciences

Planet Earth, Forces, Electricity and Waves, Biological Systems, Materials and Topical Science are the 5 main organisers for Science. Through learning in the sciences, our children are given the opportunity to engage in a wide range of collaborative, investigative tasks which deepen their knowledge and

understanding and develop skills such as presenting, analysing and interpreting data to draw conclusions.

Social studiesSocial Studies are structured under the 3 main organisers: People, Past Events and Societies; People, Place and Environment; People in Society, Economy and Business. As well as learning about Mary Queen of Scots, Farming, Debate and Democracy, etc from P4 through to P7, pupils will be provided with frequent opportunities to apply their developing skills in new

and more complex contexts.

Technologies

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The technologies framework has six organisers: technological developments in society; ICT to enhance learning; business; computing science; food and textiles; craft, design, engineering and graphics. Learning in the technologies will enable our children to be informed, skilled, thoughtful, adaptable and enterprising citizens. The development of these life skills are recognised as being important for success in the world of work.

All staff have a responsibility to develop, reinforce and extend learning in:

Health and Well Being Literacy Numeracy

Levels of Learning

Early The pre-school years and P1, or later for some

First To the end of P4, but earlier or later for some

Second To the end of P7, but earlier or later for some

Extra Curricular Activities

The school provides a range of after school clubs. These are run by staff and volunteers and change annually depending on staff and pupils’ interests. Parents are welcome to volunteer their services and expertise if they would like to consider offering an after school club.

If for any reason an After School Club needs to be cancelled it is important that parents have alternative arrangements in place for their children as this may take place at short notice. This should be indicated on your child’s After School Club consent form.

Every year there is a range of extra curricular activities offered to pupils. Each year group has at least one Outdoor Education Experience every year and many of the other activities are sport or environmental studies based. Pupils will be notified with consent forms and at times a small charge may be involved. It is important that these forms are returned to school otherwise children may not be able to attend.

Active Schools

Active Schools also run lots of physical activity clubs for all primary schools that feed into Preston Lodge High School. There are classes for boys and girls from P4 to P7 such as Bikeability, Funky Fitness, Junior Jog Scotland, Girls on the Go… If you are interested in any of the Active Schools Clubs please contact our cluster co-

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ordinator, Paul Lavery. Email: plavery@elcschool.org.uk or Telephone: 01875 810950 or 07976377956

Each March, Pupils in Primary 7 spend a residential week at Dalguise Centre, located north of Perth between Dunkeld and Pitlochry. The centre is owned by PGL, a company which has been running successful activity courses and holidays throughout the United Kingdom since 1957. Our children experience a wide range of activities such as archery, giant swing, Jacob’s Ladder… These activities are specifically designed to stimulate, educate and motivate. An information evening, run by Dalguise Staff takes place when the

children are in Primary 6 so that parents/carers have the opportunity to listen and ask questions. As the overall cost is approximately £240, we highly recommend payments to be made throughout the year.

ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING

At the beginning of each session, the school holds a curriculum evening to provide parents/carers with the opportunity to meet their child’s teacher and hear about the programmes of study for the year. On this occasion the Headteacher gives a presentation on Accelerated Reading and Mathematics.

Parent/Carer/Teacher consultations are held twice a year in October and February/March to discuss children’s progress. Parents/Carers will be given the opportunity, at a 10 minute interview, to discuss any issues that they feel are important. We encourage pupils to attend these meetings to allow them to express any personal concerns or to ask questions of their own. You are welcome to discuss your child’s progress at any time, and if you should wish to do this, please phone to make an appointment.All teachers carry out ongoing assessment on a regular basis and use these assessments to make judgements about next steps for your child. In Primary 5 and Primary 7 children will be tested in reading and mathematics (E-pips) and each year all year groups are tested in spelling.An annual written report will be provided on each pupil in June, giving details of your child’s attainment, effort and attitude in different areas of the curriculum. Communication

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Monthly newsletters will be issued and there will be curriculum evenings for specific events/topics e.g P7 Camp. A text service is used in school and it is important to always keep our records up to date with new numbers. Pupils are not allowed mobile phones in school.

TRANSITION

Links with Prestonpans Infant School and Preston Lodge High School

Prestonpans Infant School, West Loan, Prestonpans, EH32 9NX

Telephone: 01875 810028

Headteacher: Mrs Sheila Laing

Email: prestonpans.is@prestonpansinfant.elcschool.org.uk

Preston Lodge High School, Park View, Prestonpans, EH32 9QJ

Telephone: 01875 810060

Head Teacher: Mr Gavin Clark

Email:admin@prestonlodge.elcschool.org.uk

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We have established close links with both Prestonpans Infant School and our local High School Preston Lodge High School. Children from Prestonpans Infant School transfer to this school at the end of Primary 3 and we want to ensure that this move is as smooth as possible. Various transition events take place throughout the year, so that the children are familiar with the layout of the building, and are given the opportunity to meet our staff and pupils. Both Headteachers and Depute Headteachers meet regularly to discuss the Curriculum and to make sure we identify issues which might affect class groups and individual children. Most pupils at Prestonpans Prmary will continue their education at Preston Lodge High School. Again, we have procedures in place to make sure there is a smooth move from Primary 7 to S1. This takes the form of visits by Primary 7 classes to Preston Lodge, visits by Preston Lodge Guidance staff to the Primary, and discussions between those staff and our Primary 7 teachers. Children spend two days in the June of Primary 7 at Preston Lodge, following their first year timetable, which gives them an idea of what to expect.

SUPPORT FOR PUPILSAll East Lothian schools offer a range of support for children and young people with additional support needs. There are a number of additional services within the Authority that offer enhanced support to pupils with additional support needs.

What are additional support needs?The definition of additional support needs within the ASL Act is comprehensive and falls into four themes which may overlap:

the learning environment family circumstances disability or health social and emotional

The Council’s Policy document ‘Framework for Meeting Additional Support Needs’ provides a framework for full and effective inclusion of pupils with additional support needs. For full information use the link below.

http://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/downloads/file/3944/a_framework_for_meeting_additional_support_for_learning_needs

This framework responds to the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 and 2009. For full information use the link below. http://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/info/886/schools-additional_support_needs/635/additional_support_for_learning

If you have concerns about your child, Prestonpans Primary have the following procedure:1. Share your concerns with the class teacher, preferably in writing or phone the

school office to arrange a call back from the class teacher

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2. If the class teacher feels that further investigation is required, he/she will consult with the Principal Teacher, Support for Learning

3. Depending on the nature of the concern, various paths are possible, e.g. SfL teacher can advise the class teacher; SfL teacher may contact parents directly; Staged Assessment and Intervention (SAI) meeting may be arranged which would include regular review

4. Through the SAI process, possible outcomes through discussion with parents/carers and any professionals involved could be: creation of an Individual Action Plan (IAP); Individual Education Plan (IEP); referral to external agencies such as Integration Team, Child and Adolescent Health Team (CAMHS); Educational Psychologist.

Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC)

GIRFEC is a programme that aims to improve outcomes for all children and young people.It promotes a shared approach that:•builds solutions with and around children and families •enables children to get the help they need when they need it •involves working together to make things better

For full information use the link below.

http://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/info/543/services_and_advice_for_young_people/1140/

development_and_implementation_of_girfec_in_east_lothian

Child Protection

Edinburgh and the Lothians, including East Lothian, have reviewed and reissued the ‘Inter Agency Child Protection Guidelines’. The guidelines promote a high level of inter-agency co-operation when working with children who may be in need of protection.Training is available for all staff in East Lothian to ensure that their skill and commitment is used effectively in identifying and protecting children

who have been abused or may be at risk of abuse. The guidelines will further encourage the partnership that exists between Social Work, Education, Health and Police in East Lothian and will help towards a partnership with parents in carrying out our duties and responsibilities to East Lothian children and young people.

For full information use the link below.

http://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/downloads/file/4586/east_and_midlothian_cpc-vision_values_and_aims

Resolving DisputesThe council encourages an open, positive and constructive approach to resolving any additional support issues and aims to promote co-operation and avoid conflict and 22

most issues will be resolved at school level. Details of the Authority’s procedure are set out in the leaflet ‘Resolving Complaints’. Further arrangements are in place specifically for additional support needs issues. These include Mediation, Dispute Resolution and referral to a national tribunal and they are both explained in the leaflet ‘Resolving disputes about additional support needs’. Both leaflets are available from schools, or from the Inclusion and Equality Section in John Muir House.

SCHOOL POLICIES AND PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Website

The school website is an evolving project. There is general information about the school and contact details on the home page. Each class has a dedicated page and are responsible for their own updates.

Currently PC1 permission forms for trips and Change of Contact details are available to be downloaded. School menus, term dates and newsletters are also on the website. All documents are still available from the school office if you are unable to access the internet. The address for the school website is http://edubuzz.org/blogs/prestonpansprimary

Resolving ComplaintsMost complaints can and should be resolved locally. If you have cause for concern, the first person to contact will normally be the Head Teacher. A leaflet entitled 'Resolving Complaints’ can be obtained from:

Education and Children’s ServicesEast Lothian Council, John Muir House, Haddington EH41 3DYPhone: 01620 827 827 · e-mail: educationenquiries@eastlothian.gov.uk

If, after initial contacts, you remain dissatisfied, you can make a complaint in writing to The Manager, Pupil Support, Education & Community Services, East Lothian Council, Haddington, EH41 3HA.

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Useful telephone numbers

All based at Education & Children’s Services, John Muir House, Haddington, EH41 3HA

Executive Director (Services for People) Don Ledingham 01620 827596Head of Education Vacancy 01620 827572Head of Children’s Services Sharon Saunders 01620 827881Quality Improvement Manager Sheila Ainslie 01620 827572Principal Educational Psychologist Vacancy 01620 827587Business Manager Richard Parker 01620 827494Principal Behaviour Support Officer Fraser Parkinson 01620 827961Parental Involvement Act (Parent Forums/Councils) Val McIntyre 01620 827228Free School Meals and Clothing Grants, EMA’s Fiona Brown 01620 827415Pupil Placement, Home to School Transport PolicySchool Lets Frances McInnes 01620 827811Service Development Manager, Dev Team (Planning) Gill McMillan 01620 829910

All based at Randall House, MacmerryService Manager (Children’s Services) Marion Wood 01620 827881Integration Team Raymy Boyle 01620 829909Area Resources Education Department Celia Borland 01620 827930

Scottish Government Education Department Victoria Quay 0131 556 8400Edinburgh EH6 6QQ

Accuracy of InformationThe information included in this school handbook was accurate at the time we wrote it. However, it may

change as a result of changes in the number of pupils, staff and resources.November 2012

EAST LOTHIAN COUNCIL

DEPARTMENT OF SERVICES FOR PEOPLE - EDUCATION

SCHOOL SESSION DATES 2013-2014

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TERM 1

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INSERVICE DAY 1 Monday 19 August 2013INSERVICE DAY 2 Tuesday 20 August 2013Pupils Resume Wednesday 21 August 2013September Holiday staff & pupils break

Thursday 12 September 2013

September Holiday (schools closed for staff & pupils)

FridayMonday

13 September16 September

20132013

All Resume Tuesday 17 September 2013All Break (October break) Friday 11 October 2013October break Monday-Friday 14 – 18 October 2013INSERVICE DAY 3 Monday 21 October 2013Pupils Resume Tuesday 22 October 2013All Break (Christmas) Friday 20 December 2013

= 80 pupil days= 83 staff days

TERM 2All Resume Monday 6 January 2014Pupils break Friday 7 February 2014February break Monday – Friday 10 – 14 February 2014INSERVICE DAY 4 Monday 17 February 2014Pupils resume Tuesday 18 February 2014All break (Easter) Friday 4 April 2014Good FridayEaster Monday

Friday 17 April 2014Monday 21 April 2014

= 59 pupil days= 60 staff days

TERM 3All Resume Tuesday 22 April 2014May Holiday Monday 5 May 2014INSERVICE DAY 5 Tuesday 6 May 2014Pupils Resume Wednesday 7 May 2014Victoria Day Holiday Monday 19 May 2014All resume Tuesday 20 May 2014Term ends Friday 4 July 2014

= 51 pupil days= 52 staff days

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