School Development Plan - Stranmillis · PDF file · 2011-05-13Our school...

Introduction

The main aim of this development plan is to provide Stranmillis with a central strategy to manage change, recognise our school’s achievements and provide an objective means for determining our school’s priorities.

This development plan aims to co-ordinate all aspects of school planning: curricular, financial, personnel, equipment and accommodation. Our school development plan also provides a framework through which resources may be allocated more effectively and roles and responsibilities identified and kept under review.

This development plan is a result of an internal audit carried out by the whole staff during the secondand third terms of 2010. This review involved the staff looking at the effectiveness of Stranmillis interms of the work of our pupils; identifying our school’s strengths and opportunities for furtherdevelopment and reviewing parental participation in the life of the school. All the staff have contributed to the production of this development plan and will contribute to its implementationand evaluation. This plan leads directly on from the last and will form the basis of the next.

A focus group of parents has also been constituted through the PTA to contribute to the planning process.

Given the ever changing nature of the educational landscape we face this plan is intended to beflexible and will almost certainly need to be adapted to meet unforeseen circumstances.

The school’s most recent inspection report (2006) identified many strengths of theschool which included:

• the ethos, including:

- the high quality of the relationships throughout the school;- the positive learning environment created by the teachers and the support staff;- the excellent behaviour of the children;- the strong sense of community within the school;- the commitment to inclusion and the celebration of diversity;- the range and quality of the extra-curricular activities provided for the children by the

teachers and parents;

• the quality of the provision for pastoral care;• the hardworking, committed and conscientious teachers;• the strong support provided by the parents;• the esteem in which the school is held by the parents;• the quality of much of the teaching;• the learning behaviour of the children;• the high standards achieved by the children;• the commitment to develop further the work of the school through INSET and contact

with others;

• the leadership provided by the Principal, the vice-principal and the co-ordinators.

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Laura McClintock - Transferor Representative - Chair

Gemma McCarron - Parent Representative - Vice-chair

Denise Magill - Parent Representative

Norman Halliday - Transferor Representative

Maureen Thatcher - Transferor Representative

Mary McCallister - Transferor Representative

Michael McGimpsey - BELB Representative

Carmel McKinney - BELB Representative

Avril Gordon - Teacher Representative

In attendance: Tom Stewart - Secretary to the Board

TEACHING STAFF

Principal: Mr Tom StewartVice-Principal: Mr Andrew ArmstrongFoundation Stage Co-ordinator: Mrs Deirdre HillKey Stage 1 Co-ordinator: Miss Carol RobinsonActing KS2 Co-ordinator: Mrs Avril Gordon

Nursery: Mrs Nicola Cruickshank P1 Mrs Deirdre Hill P1 Mrs Diana Kelly P2 (Mrs Lois Kane - Maternity Leave) Mrs Paula PattersonP2 (Mrs Joanne Moore – Career Break until 2012) Mrs Karen HamiltonP3 Miss Carol Robinson P3 Mrs Valerie WarkeP4 Mrs Jenny McKayP4 Miss Linda Buller P5 Mrs Rosemary ChambersP5 To Be AppointedP6 Mrs Avril Gordon P6 Mrs Lynn MortonP7 Mrs Michaela MenaryP7 Mr Andrew Armstrong

Special Needs Co-ordinator: Mrs Elaine CromieNursery Assistant Mrs Una Crozier

P1 Classroom Assistants: Mrs Kelly Hughes Mrs Joanne Bickerstaff

P2 Classroom Assistant: Mrs Paula Kirkwood Miss Barbara McDowell

P3 Classroom Assistant: Mrs Nadine Liberante Mrs Lisa Sterritt

P4 Classroom Assistant: Miss Carrie Gilmore Miss Catherine Bell

KS2 Classroom Assistant: Mr Aaron Stewart

General Assistants (Special Needs): Mrs Donna BarryMs Tracey Beare

Mrs Ruth Wilson Miss Karen McLaughlin Mrs Ruth Westerhuis

School Secretary: Mrs Lynn Herron

Building Supervisor: Mrs Brenda Lam

Cleaners: Mrs Janine CampbellMrs Hamida Azad

Supervisory Assistants: Mrs Donna Barry Mrs Janine Campbell

Mrs Brenda Lam Mrs Hamida Azad Mrs Ruth Westerhuis Mrs Kelly Hughes Mrs Joanne Bickerstaff

Mrs Nadine Liberante

School Crossing Patrol: Mr David Wilson

Our partner school in America

Team Structure

Safeguarding – Tom Stewart (Chair), Valerie Warke (Designated Teacher Child Protection), Linda Buller (Deputy Designated Teacher Child Protection), Elaine Cromie (SENCO), Laura McClintock (Chair of Governors), Gemma McCarron (Governor with Special Responsibility for Child Protection)

Leadership - Tom Stewart (Chair), Deirdre Hill, Carol Robinson, Avril Gordon, Andy Armstrong, Valerie Warke

The World Around Us – Andy Armstrong (Chair), Deirdre Hill, Elaine Cromie, Lynn Morton, Jenny McKay, Paula Patterson

PDMU – Valerie Warke (Chair), Diana Kelly, Linda Buller, Avril Gordon, Nichola Cruickshank, Karen Hamilton

Language & Literacy – Avril Gordon (Chair), Deirdre Hill, ValerieWarke, Rosemary Chambers, ANO

Maths & Numeracy – Lynn Morton (Chair), LoisKane, Diana Kelly, Michaela Menary, Carol Robinson

The Arts – Carol Robinson (Joint Chair), Michaela Menary (Joint Chair), Karen Hamilton, Lois Kane, Jenny McKay

PE – Linda Buller (Chair), Paula Patterson, Rosemary Chambers, ANO

Skills* – Tom Stewart (Chair), Andy Armstrong, Avril Gordon, Lynn Morton

Learning* – Tom Stewart, Andy Armstrong, Deirdre Hill, Avril Gordon, Carol Robinson

* These teams to complete their tasks in the Autumn Term 2010, be stood down and their responsibilities subsumed by the Leadership Team

Our School

Stranmillis is a co-educational, controlled primary school which has been serving South Belfast since 1902. We are a unique school community drawing our children from home backgrounds that are rich

and diverse in their cultural, ethnic, social and religious origins. Such diversity adds enormously to our school and helps provide our children with a stimulating and challenging environment in which to develop and flourish. There are, for example, some twenty different ‘home’ languages spoken here, representing a wide range of nationalities and ethnic groups. The school received the ‘International School Award’ from the British Council for the third time in 2010 and remains open to developing links with schools and organisations within the UK and Ireland, as well as other countries.

Presently there are 460 children from just over 300 families attending our school. We have 14 classes in P1 – 7 and a morning and afternoon Nursery class. The average class size is 29.1. Children attending Stranmillis are in the 3 to 11 age range. The building comprises 2 storeys, with 12 classrooms, a library, 2 tutorial rooms, 2 offices, a music room, an assembly hall and a staff room, together with staff and pupil toilet suites on both storeys. There are 2 large outside classrooms located in the lower playground. There is a large playground, on two levels, as well as a limited grass area, which is used in dry weather. The Nursery Unit consists of a classroom, ‘story / quiet room’, kitchen and toilet facilities, and separate play area.

Stranmillis has a very strong Parent Teachers’ Association (PTA) that adds enormously to the life of the school. All parents are automatically members of the PTA and are encouraged to play an active part in it. The PTA makes a much valued and needed financial contribution to the school, which enables us to provide opportunities and resources for our children. Given the ongoing financial constraints which the school is forced to operate under, the school could not have provided these resources without the PTA’s assistance. In addition to a range of family fund-raising events, the PTA organises a number of extra-curricular activities. Art, badminton, computers, guitar, gymnastics, French, short tennis and swimming clubs are all in operation at present. These are in addition to choir, strings, brass, football, netball and rugby clubs, which teachers take after school.

A Breakfast Club operates daily in school from 8:10 am - 8.40 am and an after-school and holiday club called Kidz-Time runs each day from 2.00 pm – 6.00 pm. Kidz-Time is organised through parents and is a commercial undertaking.

Such a range of provision, in addition to the Chinese School on a Sunday afternoon and several adult classes in the evening and at weekends, complete a comprehensive ‘extended school’ day and community service.

Our vision for Stranmillis: ‘a quality education in a caring environment’We believe that all the members of our school community are unique and special individuals. Our school will nurture all these individuals in their life-long journey to achieve their full and unique potential. The members of our school community will be empowered to take ownership of their role as citizens of the local and global communities. We will celebrate our self-worth, appreciate our individual talents and achievements and strive to understand and empathise with others. We will embrace diversity and individual difference and demonstrate, through our daily practice and procedures, respect for all. We will all accept our responsibility to ensuring that our vision is transparent in all that we do.

Our Aim:All children have a right to a broad, balanced and relevant education which provides continuity and progression and takes individual differences into account. Work in school will be designed to meet the requirements of the Primary Curriculum (NI).

In our school we will:• cater for the needs of individual children of both sexes from all ethnic and social groups,

including the most able and those who are experiencing learning difficulties;• facilitate children's acquisition of knowledge, skills and qualities which will help them to

develop intellectually, emotionally, socially, physically, morally and aesthetically, so that they may become independent, responsible, useful, thinking, confident and considerate members of the community;

• create and maintain an exciting and stimulating learning environment;• ensure that each child's education has continuity and progression;• ensure that there is a match between the child and the tasks he/she is asked to perform• provide an appropriate curricular balance amongst the competing and sometimes conflicting

aims of education;• recognise the crucial role which parents play in their children's education and make every effort

to encourage parental involvement in the educational process;

• treat everyone in a dignified way;• ensure that the health and well-being of staff is a priority.

In our school children should:• learn to be adaptable, how to solve problems in a variety of situations, how to work

independently and as members of a team;• be developing the ability to make reasoned judgements and choices, based on interpretation and

evaluation of relevant information from a variety of sources;• be happy, cheerful and well balanced;• be enthusiastic and eager to put their best into all activities;• begin acquiring a set of moral values, e.g. honesty, sincerity, personal responsibility; on which to

base their own behaviour;• be expected to behave in a dignified and acceptable way and learn to become responsible for

their actions;• care for and take pride in their school;• be developing tolerance, respect and appreciation of the feelings and capabilities of others in an

unbiased way;• be developing non-sexist and non-racist attitudes;• know how to think and solve problems mathematically in a variety of situations using concepts

of number, measurement, shape and space, and handling data;• be able to listen and read for a variety of purposes and be able to convey their meaning

accurately and appropriately through speech and writing for a variety of purposes;• be developing an enquiring mind and scientific approach to problems;

Our partner school in China

• have an opportunity to solve problems using technological skills;• be capable of communicating their knowledge and feelings through various art forms including

art/craft, music, drama and be acquiring appropriate techniques which will enable them to develop their inventiveness and creativity;

• be confident and competent in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT);• know about the local environment and the national heritage and be aware of other times and

places and recognise links among family, local, national and international events;• have some knowledge of the beliefs of the major world religions;• be developing agility, physical co-ordination and confidence in and through movement;• know how to apply the basic principles of health, hygiene and safety.

Stranmillis Primary SchoolBenchmarking: 2009/10

all data refers to end of Key Stage results from the 2008/09 year and is expressed in %

End of Key Stage One

School results for English Level 2 Level 3 Total

36.84 59.65 96.49

N. Ireland Summary 53.48 41.49 94.97

KS1 EnglishLevel 2 & above

Lower Quartile

LQ

MedianM

Upper Quartile

UQ

95th Percentile Stranmillis

Free School Meals(0 – 9.99%) 93.8 100 100 100 LQ – M

School Size(211 – 499 pupils) 92.5 96.6 100 100 M - UQ

KS1 EnglishLevel 3

Lower Quartile

LQ

MedianM

Upper Quartile

UQ


Free School Meals(0 – 9.99%) 33.3 46.7 61.5 83.3 UQ – 95th

School Size(211 – 499 pupils) 32.6 41.1 53.3 74.3 UQ – 95th

School results for Maths Level 2 Level 3 Total

19.30 77.19 96.49


KS1 MathsLevel 2 & above

Lower Quartile

LQ

MedianM

Upper Quartile

UQ


Free School Meals(0 – 9.99%) 95.0 100 100 100 LQ - M

School Size(211 – 499 pupils) 93.3 97.0 100 100 M - UQ

KS1 MathsLevel 3

Lower Quartile

LQ

MedianM

Upper Quartile

UQ




Stranmillis Primary SchoolBenchmarking: 2009-10

all data refers to end of Key Stage results from the 2009-09 year and is expressed in %

End of Key Stage Two

School results for English Level 4 Level 5 Total

45.00 50.00 95.00


KS2 EnglishLevel 4 & above

Lower Quartile

LQ

MedianM

Upper Quartile

UQ


Free School Meals(0 – 9.99%) 80.4 89.3 97.4 100 M - UQ

School Size(211 – 499 pupils) 72.7 82.1 88.5 95.8 95th

KS2 EnglishLevel 5

Lower Quartile

LQ

MedianM

Upper Quartile

UQ


Free School Meals(0 – 9.99%) 18.3 30.8 44.8 68.0 95th


School results for Maths Level 4 Level 5 Total

23.33 73.33 96.63

N. Ireland Average 39.14 41.31 80.45

KS2 MathsLevel 4 & above

Lower Quartile

LQ

MedianM

Upper Quartile

UQ


Free School Meals(0 – 9.99%) 83.3 90.9 100 100 M - UQ


KS2 MathsLevel 5

Lower Quartile

LQ

MedianM

Upper Quartile

UQ




The Effective Use of Performance Data within the Context of Every School a Good School “Self-evaluation leading to sustained self-improvement is at the core of the new school improvement policy. Schools should engage in a rigorous and reflective process, informed by the effective use of performance and other data, to identify those aspects of school life which are successful or excellent and those where improvement is required.”Every School a Good School – a policy for school improvement. Department of Education– 30 April 2009

In Stranmillis we believe that effectively using data is a process which considers three questions:• What information do we collect?• What does the information tell us?• What are we going to do about it?

In Stranmillis we use data at the:-Whole School Level to:

• Track progress of school by recording Key Stage results in English and Mathematics year by yearKS1: % achieving Level 2+ and Level 3KS2: % achieving level 4+ and Level 5

• Identify areas for improvement by considering results in different Attainment Targets• Compare schools’ Key Stage results with other schools with similar FSME

(Benchmarking)

Year Group/Class Level to:• Track progress as pupils move through schoolRecord average Standardised Score for class or Year Group (e.g. InCAS, PIM, PIE etc)Track this score as group moves through the school• Identify areas for improvementAnalyse data from InCAS’ Age Comparison ChartsAnalyse data from PIM, PIE using Class Record Sheet

Our partner school in England

Individual Pupil Level to:• Track progress of individual pupils as they move through schoolTrack pupils’ individual Standardised Scores year by year (e.g. InCAS, PiM, PiE etc)Compare scores to evaluate progress made• Identify underachieving pupilsNote where progress is inconsistent across range of dataE.g. compare NRIT with PiM / PiE standardised scores• To identify areas for improvementAnalyse InCAS, PiM and PiE data for individual pupils

English Targets and Results School Year: 2008/09

KS 1 TARGET JUNE 2009 OUTCOME

Level 2 and above 100% 96%

Level 3 60% 60%

KS 2 - -


Level 5 50% 50%

Mathematics Targets and Results School Year: 2008/09

KS 1 TARGET JUNE 2009 OUTCOME


Level 3 75% 77%

KS 2 - -


Level 5 70% 73%

English Targets School Year: 2010/11

KS 1 TARGET

Level 2 and above 100%

Level 3 75%

KS 2 -


Level 5 70%

Mathematics Targets School Year: 2010/11

KS 1 TARGET


Level 3 75%

KS 2 -


Level 5 70%

The Governors are responsible for the overall management of the school and this encompasses:

o The control of the delegated budget;o The appointment and oversight of staff;o The admissions policy;o The oversight of the curriculum.

The day-to-day management of the school is the Principal’s responsibility and the Governors delegate the above functions to him.

Our partner school in Bulgaria

Financial PositionThe last 15 years have been turbulent ones for our budget as the formula funding arrangements did us no favours whatsoever. During this time we have, however, increased our enrolment by some 15% and this, coupled with the redundancy we were obliged to make in 2006, have been key to the school’s comparatively healthy present financial position.

2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10

TOTAL £930,426 £928,818 £973,257 £1,021,564 £1,036,047

Under/overspend -£108,707 -£51,445 -£20,222 £19,773 £7,419

11.68% 5.54% 2.18% 1.94% 0.72%overspend overspend overspend under spend under spend

Three Year Financial Plan 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13

VARIABLESteachers at April 15.40 15.40

teacher additions / (reductions)teachers at September 15.40 15.40 15.40

Sep-10 Sep-11 Sep-12

pupils 432.5 432 430

FINANCIAL PLANInitial Budget 1,208,588 1,206,333 1,201,948

split site

Total Budget 1,208,588 1,206,333 1,201,948

Expenditure (as per budget breakdown for 2010/2011) (1,157,421) (1,157,421) (1,157,421)

Total Expenditure (1,186,421) (1,186,421) 1,186,421

In year surplus/(deficit) 22,167 33,279 28,895

Surplus/(deficit) carried forward from previous year 7,419 29,586 62,865

Year end surplus/(deficit) 29,586 62,865 91,760

% surplus/(deficit) 2% 5% 8%

STRANMILLIS P.S. BUDGET 2010/2011

Code Title £1301 Part-time Teachers 23,6751313 Permanent Teachers 619,9851314 Temporary Teachers 50,000D102 E’er NI Teachers1401 E/Er N/I PT Teachers 1,897

1413 E/Er N/I Perm Teachers 50,6831414 E/ER N/I Temp Teachers 4,000D103 E’er Supn Teachers1501 E/Ers S/ann PT Teachers 3,2201513 E/Ers S/ann Perm Teachers 86,3811514 E/Ers S/ann Temp Teachers 7,000

Sub Total - Teacher Costs 846,841

1323 Nursery Assistants 20,0001324 Classroom Assistants 80,0001325 Auxiliary Staff 17,000 D105 E’er NI Auxiliary Staff1423 E/Ers N/I Nursery Assistants 1,200 1424 E/Ers N/I Classroom Assistants 5,0001425 E/Ers N/I Aux Staff 1,000D106 Supn Auxiliary Staff1523 E/Ers S/ann Nursery Assistants 2,600 1534 E/Ers S/ann Classroom Assistants 9,0001525 E/Ers S/ann Auxiliary Staff 2,200

Sub Total - Auxiliary Costs 138,000

1339 Caretaking Staff 25,0001340 Ancillary Staff 23,5001342 Supervisory Assistants 13,5001354 General Assistants 600D108 E’er NI Ancillary Staff1439 E/Ers N/I Cartaking Staff 1,7001440 E/Ers N/I Ancillary Staff 1,4001442 E/Ers N/I Supervisory Assistants 8001454 E/Ers N/I General Assistants 30D109 E’er Super Ancillary Staff1539 E/Ers S/ann Cartaking Staff 3,2001540 E/Ers S/ann Ancillary ST 1,5001542 E/Ers S/ann Supervisory Assistants 1,9001554 E/Ers S/ann General Assistants 0

Sub Total Ancillary Costs 73,130

Sub Total Salaries and Wages 1,028,971

1652 Electricity 6,5001655 Water 4,5001656 Toilet Requisites 3,0001657 Cleaning Materials (inc Bin Bag) 3,0001658 Natural Gas 9,000

Sub Total– Fuel etc. 26,000

1670 Bld/Plant Gen Response Maintenance 8,0001671 Bld/Plant Planned Maintenance 5,0001674 Bld/Plant Other Damage - Response 0

Sub Total Maintenance of Building 13,000

1680 Gds Maint Gen - Response 10,0001681 Gds Maint - Journal T/fers 1,000

Sub Total – Maintenance of Grounds 11,000

1701 Books & Practice Materials 50,0001702 Equipment under £3000 1,0001710 Computer Equipment under £3000 1,000

Sub Total – Equipment & Books 52,000

1775 Travel and Subsistence Expenses 0

Sub Total Travel & Subsistence 0

1791 Hire of Other Vehicles 4,000

Sub Total Trans of Vehicle 4,000

1686 Furniture & Fittings 8,0001690 Repair/Maint - Furniture & Fit 1,0001740 Hire of Equipment 6501741 Licence Fees 6501742 Hire of Facilities 01744 Hire of Security Service 01745 Professional Fees 8001748 Repair/Maint - Equip 5001754 Contribution - Instrumental 6,500

1801 Advertising 1501802 Printing & Stationary 1,0001807 Photocopying Charges 1,0001804 Postages 2001805 Telephones 1,5001830 Sundry Expenses 5001831 Carry Forward Savings 7,4191832 Carry Forward Deficit 01833 HQ Admin Charges 01840 Subscriptions 0

Sub Total - Other Recurrent 15,031

1940 Other Income 0

Sub Total - Income 0

Total Rec: Excl Sal & Wages 128,450

GRAND TOTAL: REC & CAPITAL £1,179,002

Annual Budget 2010/2011 £1,208,588

Projected Budget £1,179,002

Projected ‘Savings’ £29,586

Another factor which has contributed to the present positive state of our finances has been the remarkable record of staff attendance, both teaching and non-teaching, with staff absence consistently running at below 2 days per person per year. Such high attendance levels may also be taken as an indicator of the high levels of staff morale and organisational health.

The last three years (since our last School Development Plan) have also seen a significant increase in the numbers of classroom assistants in school. The centrally funded ‘Making a Good Start’ initiative funds 30 hours classroom assistant time and this time was originally split between the two P1 classes.

In addition to this there has always been a Nursery Assistant post of 30 hours. 60 hours of support is therefore our baseline number.

Over the years we have increased this allocation up to the present level of 240 hours per week and we now have a full time assistant in each of the eight P1-4 classes. In addition to these general assistants we have six Learning Support Assistants providing an additional 180 hours of which 45 hours is funded through LMS.

In terms of staffing this has been the most significant development in recent years. All the assistants in the main school also participate in the lunchtime arrangements and this now means that all supervision of the 400+ children who remain on site is carried out by either teachers (who also all participate in lunchtime supervision) or their assistants. This is of huge benefit to the smooth operation of the school.

Since 2002 all the permanent classroom assistants have also been trained in the ‘Reading Partners’ scheme which is organised through the BELB and which is a valuable means of providing learning support throughout the school in the area of literacy. It also provides professional development opportunities for the assistants.

The significant increase in classroom and learning support assistants has also provided valuable staff development opportunities for teachers as they have all had to take on line management responsibilities for the additional adult/s in their classroom. This has been for many teachers a novel challenge and one which they have all risen to. Over the last number of years we have also developed a reputation for welcoming students who hope to take up places on BEd, Early Years or PGCE courses who work as classroom assistants on a voluntary basis. Presently we have 3 such students. Our teaching staff has been remarkably stable during the last few years with only one permanent appointment being made at the vice-principal level. Again, this adds to the consistency of approach and sense of community cohesion which characterises our school.

Enrolment

The BELB Long Term Enrolment (LTE) forecast a demographic decline of 28% in pupil numbers between 2006 and 2011. If we go further back then the demographic downturn in Belfast has much more severe and it is against this backdrop that our school’s enrolment pattern can be seen to be unique. As the graph shows since the mid 1990s our enrolment has increased by 15% and the school has over the past number of years operated at virtually full capacity. The pattern of application to both P1 and nursery can also be seen to be strong over the last number of years. Our school’s place in its community has indeed strengthened and we reflect its enormous diversity and richness. Presently there are 21 different home languages represented here and 10 different religions. If we were not the school of choice for the whole community then there would be significant implications for our enrolment and it is a great source of satisfaction for everyone in Stranmillis that we in fact are. During the last 15 years not one child has transferred to another BELB primary school which is a remarkable fact and indicator of parental satisfaction.

It would of course be naive not to acknowledge the place that our academic record has in terms of making our school an attractive proposition for prospective parents. Undoubtedly the high academic achievement of our pupils is not only a testimony to the expertise of our teachers but is also a major consideration when it comes to parents making choices about their children’s future.

The pie chart shows the destinations of our P7 children over the lifetime of this Board and shows the percentage of pupils moving from Stranmillis to the grammar sector to be annually above 90% with nearly three quarters transferring to Methody, Victoria or RBAI.

With the exception of Malone Integrated College all our local schools are indeed grammar schools and so the pressure on families, who wish their children to stay within the South Belfast area, is very real. Again our school can be proud that we have enabled so many children to do just that. The current transfer debacle had the potential to add enormously to the stress upon children and their parents and our school handled the situation extremely well and we can be confident that the environment which we have created for our children will give them the best opportunity to achieve their potential in what is now an unregulated system. Our teachers deserve great praise for the professionalism and commitment they continue to show on a daily basis throughout what has been a very trying time for all primary schools.

The present uncertainty which faces our colleagues in the prep schools has also resulted in a significant increase in applications from that sector. This increased demand for places is unfortunately one which we are unable to meet as our overall enrolment number was reached in April 2010. This is the first time in the school’s 108 year history that this has happened.

Attendance

Over the last few years the BELB has provided schools with the number of days lost through staff absence in each school. Each year our school has lost fewer days per staff member than any other primary school in Belfast. On average staff (both teaching and non-teaching) are absent less than 2 days per year. This is a remarkable achievement and speaks volumes for staff commitment and morale generally.

Our pupil attendance is also strong and for the whole school in the last school year averaged 96.75%.

The School EstateDuring the last four years there have been considerable improvements to the school estate. These have included the refurbishment of the upstairs toilet blocks, internal painting of the whole school, the installation of lockers for all the P4-7 classes, the completion of the installation of interactive white boards in every classroom, the construction of an outside store for play equipment, the replacement of the bicycle storage area and the conversion of the library to incorporate a computer suite.

As the BELB is increasingly working under financial constraints in the run into ESA, the school has had to fund a number of maintenance projects which would normally have been BELB’s responsibility. Examples of these are the painting of some of the exterior of the building and the replacement and painting of school railings. Time will tell whether or not this is a sign of things to come. The school community is in good heart and our school continues to be a high achieving, popular and happy place for our children and our staff. We can look forward with confidence to the next three years covered by this new School Development Plan.

General School Targets for 2010-2011

• To gain the full International School Award from the British Council by successfully completing the third and final level portfolio.

• To engage an Early Years Facilitator (scheme to be reviewed in February 2011.)• To produce and implement a new policy for ‘The World Around Us’• To produce and implement a new policy for Literacy and Numeracy • To review the strategic and operational development of PDMU and The Arts• To re-negotiate staff roles and responsibilities.• To review existing staff structures including Team membership and purpose• To review the outside play provision.• To commission three sculptures for the school grounds.• To begin replacing the bottom playground perimeter fencing.• To replace the fencing around the west and north sides of the nursery.• To refurbish the nursery kitchen.• To refurbish the reception area.

Term Dates 2010/11

Autumn Term 2010

1 Sept School re-opens*25 – 29 Oct Half-term holiday (incl.)1 Nov Exceptional Closure (Parental Interviews)2 Nov School re-opens*22 Dec Term ends at 12.00 noon

Spring Term 2011

4 Jan School re-opens*11 Feb Exceptional Closure (Parental Interviews)14 – 15 Feb Half-term Holiday (incl.)17 & 18 March Exceptional Closure15 April Term ends at 12.00 noon

Summer Term 2011

3 May School re-opens*30 May Spring Bank Holiday31 May Exceptional Closure30 June Term ends at 12.00 noon

* Indicates a normal school day

ACTION PLANS

2010 / 2011

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