ST. THOMAS R. C. PRIMARY SCHOOL · - 1 - St. Thomas R.C. Primary School and Nursery is located in...

ST. THOMAS R. C. PRIMARY SCHOOL

HANDBOOK 2015

Date of Publication - December 2014

CONTENTS

Welcome to Our School 1

Opening Times 2

Catchment Area 2

Charter for Catholic Schools in Scotland 3

Admission to School 4

Telephone Information Line 4

Absence & Attendance 4

Family Holidays during Term Time 4

Emergency Snow Storm Warnings 5

Practical Information – School Uniform 5

Clothing Grants 6

P.E. Kit 6

Jewellery 6

School Meals 6

Free School Meals 6

Transport 7

Health and Safety 7

Parents and the School 8

Information for Parents and Carers 8

‘Getting It Right For Every Child’ 8

School Information 9

School Success over the Year 9

Parent Forum & Parent Council 9

Ethos 10

Discipline Policy (including Promoting Positive Behaviour & Management of Bullying) 10

Race Relations Act and Disability Discrimination 12

Curriculum for Excellence 13

Nursery 17

Primary 17

Religious Education in Roman Catholic Schools 18

Personal Learning Planning & Homework 18

Assessment 19

Additional Support Needs 19

Extra Curricular Activities 20

Transfer to Secondary 20

Conclusion 20

Term Dates & Holidays for Session 2014/2015 21

St. Thomas’ School Life – Photos 22

Appendix A – Moray Council Links 24

Appendix B – School Strategic Improvement Plan 2014-15 31

Appendix C – Standards & Quality Report For Parents & Carers 2013/14 34

Appendix D – Scottish Catholic Education Service

Religious Observance in the Catholic School 38

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St. Thomas R.C. Primary School and Nursery is located in the town of Keith. We are a

four-teacher primary school with 80 pupils and we also have a 20 place nursery class

operating 5 morning sessions. The school is built on the site of the original school

building beside St. Thomas Roman Catholic Church. Although we are a Catholic school,

we have and welcome children from other faith communities and none.

The classes are organised each year to take account of the numbers of children within

each group and stage. Currently the classes are organised as follows: Pr. 1-3, Pr. 4-5 &

Pr. 6-7. We like the positive benefits that a small school brings particularly the family

atmosphere, the responsibility that the older children have for the younger ones and the

shared working that is possible in mixed classes and groups.

The purpose of this booklet is to provide you with helpful information about our school,

so that home, school and the wider community can work together to foster the happiness

and all-round development of every child who forms part of our school family.

The school produces a monthly newsletter which can be accessed via the school website

or in paper copy from the school office. At the start of the new session the newsletter will

contain a list of holiday dates along with the names and roles of all staff in the school.

We are happy to welcome new pupils and their families. Anyone considering placing their

child at St Thomas’ Primary School should telephone the school office, or call at the

school reception to request an appointment to visit the school. You will be shown around

the school and have an opportunity to meet staff.

Parents are welcome in the school at anytime and all staff are available to meet parents

during the course of the week. Sadly, due to teaching commitments, this cannot be done

on a drop-in basis. We would ask you to make an appointment with the class teacher or

at school office. If issues remain unresolved then an appointment can be made with Mr

Farrell (Head Teacher).

Every school in Moray has CCTV cameras as part of the school security system. All

council employees have Photo ID badges. All visitors are required to sign in and out of

the school. All adults including parents should report to the school office, if seeking an

appointment or wishing to pass on information to staff or children. We would ask you to

respect these procedures in the interests of safety of all concerned. Please do not use

either child entrances unless directed by a member of staff to do so.

The information contained in this booklet is correct at the time of publication but changes

could occur during the school session and we will inform you of any changes when they

arise.

Head Teacher – Mr Gerard Farrell

St. Thomas R. C. Primary School,

Chapel Street,

Keith.

AB55 5AL

Telephone: 01542 882256

Fax: 01542 886841

e-mail: [email protected]

school website: www.stthomasrcprimary.wordpress,com

school information line: Phone 0870 054 9999 then press 031510

mailto:[email protected]

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OPENING TIMES

Nursery: Currently this is from 8.50-12.00.

Primary: P1-3 sessions run from 9.00 – 2.45 and P4-7 sessions are from 9.00 – 3.15.

P1-3 normally have break from 10.15-10.30 and P4-7 have it from 10.30-10.45. Twice

weekly they have joint breaks.

P1-7 have lunch from 12.30 – 1.30

CATCHMENT AREA

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ADMISSION TO SCHOOL - Enrolment & Induction

The 1981 Education (Scotland) Act gives parents rights in choosing the school at which

they wish their child to be educated. Information can be obtained from the Head

Teacher.

Each year during the 3rd week of January parents are requested to REGISTER their child

for education AT THEIR LOCAL PRIMARY SCHOOL. At the same time as registering,

parents can ENROL their child for a place in their local school or receive information

about making a request for a place in another school of their choice.

Parents should bring the child’s birth certificate with them at the time of

registration.

Once we have all the information about the children who will be joining Primary 1, we will

send out an invitation for parents and children to come into school for a chance to meet

staff and other children who will be in their class.

TELEPHONE INFORMATION LINE

This service is available to all schools in Moray. Parents may call to find out important

information about the school. You can also leave a non-urgent message for staff

especially useful if you want to notify us that your child will be absent for any reason.

The service is checked each morning and regularly through the day. It is also used

during the winter months for stormy weather details - you will hear a school closure if

required. Moray Firth Radio will also read out a list of schools which are closed.

Information will also be available on The Moray Council Website – School Closures (see

Appendix A at the rear of this handbook).

Remember to keep this number handy - 0870 054 9999 then our code 031510.

ABSENCE AND ATTENDANCE

If your child is unable to attend school, please notify us directly by telephone or by

leaving a message on the School Information Line (see above). Arrangements to notify

the school of absences should be made as soon as possible. Failure to notify us of an

absence will be treated as an “unexplained/unauthorised absence”.

All children are expected to be on the premises in time for school to begin at 9.00 a.m.

Please ensure that your child is here on time. Lateness causes disruption of the school

routine for other pupils as well as the child who is late, resulting in a loss of learning and

teaching time. This can amount to a considerable time over the course of the school

year.

Our electronic management system will automatically alert us to high absence or

lateness levels and we will contact you by letter to discuss these.

FAMILY HOLIDAYS DURING TERM TIME

Advice from the Scottish Government is that holidays taken during the school session,

other than in exceptional circumstances, should be considered as unauthorised absences.

Parents need to inform the school about such holidays, and each case will be considered

on its merits.

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EMERGENCY SNOWSTORM WARNINGS

Extract adapted from letter sent to parents “Safety of Children in Snowstorms”

Each year before the onset of winter, we revise and inform parents of arrangements for

the safety of pupils in snowstorms. The arrangements are as in previous years for the

following three possibilities:

1. If snow conditions are severe locally in the morning, you should keep pupils at home

if you think they would be at risk by setting out for school.

2. If conditions during the school day demand it, parents/emergency contacts will be

informed and asked to collect the children.

3. If transport cannot safely leave Keith, pupils will be kept in Keith unless individually

fetched by parents. For this emergency you are asked to name a relative or friend in

Keith to whose home the children may go.

Please impress upon the children that in a very bad snowstorm, or in a suddenly

developing blizzard, they should on no account set out to walk home from school, or their

bus stop, unless in the company of a responsible adult who will see them to their own

door. They MUST NOT leave a stranded bus or car except in the company of an adult.

“Head Teachers have total discretion as to the closure of schools when they

anticipate storm conditions which would put children at risk.”

Should a Head Teacher close a school before 9.00am, the closure will be broadcast on

Moray Firth Radio 102.8 FM during the early morning.

Information about school closures can also be found at www.moray.gov.uk which is the

address of The Moray Council website then follow the links to under the school closures.

A message will also be left on the Telephone Information Line. The number to

call is 0870 054 9999: then the code for St. Thomas' - 031510

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

SCHOOL UNIFORM

All pupils are encouraged to wear school uniform. This consists of maroon coloured

sweatshirt with school logo (V-neck, round neck and cardigan styles available), white

polo shirt or T-shirt with grey, navy or black trousers or skirts. School ties are available

in school.

Soft shoes for indoor wear are essential during winter months. We would prefer the

indoor shoes to be the plimsoll type. These are suitable for ordinary use and for indoor

P.E. lessons. Trainers whilst suitable for P.E. should not be the normal footwear for the

rest of the school day, normally black school shoes should be worn unless for medical

reasons this is impossible.

Parents are asked NOT to send pupils to school in denim jeans, skirts or jackets, in

football shirts, or in clothes with pop-music or other similar motifs. We believe that the

wearing of school uniform brings great benefits to the school, children and families.

Uniform should not be seen as an extension of fashion – this makes more economic

sense for you and removes a source of friction from the children. We hope that you will

support us in our efforts.

http://www.moray.gov.uk/

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CLOTHING GRANTS

Some households may be entitled to clothing grants. Please refer to Appendix A for

access to information and application forms. Application forms are also available from

the school.

P.E. KIT

Children will have at least 2 hours of P.E. time each week. They should wear loose fitting

shorts, a T-shirt and gym shoes. Children should have clothes to change into after P.E.

lessons. For hygiene reasons wearing P. E. kit afterwards is not acceptable.

All school clothes should be marked with the child’s name. This will save further

expense when items are mislaid or lost. Gym shoes should be checked regularly to

ensure that they are fitting properly.

JEWELLERY

Pupils should not wear jewellery to school as it could cause them an injury during

various school activities. They will be asked to remove or cover up anything which could

cause harm to themselves or others. The school will not take responsibility for jewellery

that is lost or damaged.

SCHOOL MEALS

Over the past few years, schools across the country have been part of the Hungry for

Success programme. Our dining hall is bright and cheerful, decorated with our

Scottish/Pakistani Art work and there is music played to create a relaxed atmosphere.

As part of our health and wellbeing we are trying to encourage children to choose

healthier options at lunch and at playtimes. Our school meals are made from the finest

ingredients and fresh local produce. They are nutritious, healthy and balanced. They are

high quality and provide excellent value for money. We are very fortunate to have our

meals cooked on premises at the school canteen.

Meals cost £2.00 each or £20.00 for a book of 10 tickets available from the canteen. It

would be helpful if children could bring the correct money when paying for tickets which

should be paid in advance. The facility to pay by cheque has proved popular and again

we would encourage this method of payment. Cheques should be made payable to “The

Moray Council”.

If you prefer to provide your child with a packed lunch, these can also be eaten in the

canteen. We would encourage you to make these as healthy as you can and to avoid

sweets, chocolate and fizzy drinks.

FREE SCHOOL MEALS

If you think your household income may mean your child is eligible for free school

lunches, then refer to Appendix A to access information from The Moray Council.

Applications forms are also available from the school office.

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Our Children’s Supervisor and Auxiliaries are on duty throughout lunchtime and will insist

on good table manners at all times. It is important that the children realise that good

behaviour in the dining hall and the playground is vital to the health and wellbeing of

everyone. Auxiliaries will attend to any minor scrapes or bumps whilst the Children’s

Supervisor or Mrs Nicol will look after any more serious accidents that may occur.

Chewing gum is not allowed in school, this applies to children and adults.

TRANSPORT

The Education Committee has agreed with recommendations made by the Director of

Education & Social Care in respect of zones for Roman Catholic primary schools within

the Moray area. Transport is granted to Roman Catholic children who are zoned and live

more than two miles from school. Children who are not Catholic are deemed by the

Education Authority to have gone “out of zone” so sadly free transport is unavailable for

them. All primary and secondary pupils who live more than 2 miles from their school will

be provided with free transport if that is their local catchment school. Door-to-door

transport is not guaranteed. In certain instances, children may be required to walk up to

2 miles as appropriate. If you are eligible for transport, please refer to Appendix A for

information on to request an application form or request an application form at the

school office. Transport may also be provided for medical and safety reasons. If you feel

you would qualify for this, please speak to Mr Farrell.

Good behaviour is expected of all pupils who travel on school transport. Should any

child's behaviour become unacceptable his/her Season Ticket could be withdrawn. This is

to ensure the safety of all who travel on the bus.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

At the beginning of each year we will send out Annual Data Check forms which we need

to keep our information on each child up-to-date. However it is vital that we are

informed of any changes of address, telephone numbers or emergency contact person as

soon as possible.

An accident record book is kept for any accidents which occur during the school day. A

copy of the accident sheet completed will be sent home with your child for your

information. Parents will be contacted should the accident be serious or should the child

become unwell during the course of the day.

If a child is sick during the course of the day we will send him/her home as soon as

possible. The child should not return to school until 48 hours have elapsed since the last

occurrence. This should prevent any viral infections spreading to other members of the

school community. This is at the discretion of the Head Teacher who will know if this is

an isolated case or part of a larger outbreak. If you are unsure when your child should

return to school please contact the school office.

Fire Drill is held every term. There are fire notices in every room. The main assembly

point is at the back wall of the playground.

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We encourage the children to walk or cycle (if they have passed their Bikeability Level 2)

to school. If bringing children to school by car please drop them off at the school gate

but please do not park on the road markings or use the car park entrance to drop off

children either by car or on foot. Children should not be in the car park at any time.

A member of staff will be on duty in the playground from 8.45 a.m. For reasons of

Health and Safety, children should not be on the premises before this time.

PARENTS AND THE SCHOOL

We encourage parents to be actively involved in their child’s education and to support us

in maintaining the high standards set by the school. Parents, teachers and friends of the

school share their interests and expertise with children through a variety of extra-

curricular activities such as in our Friday afternoon activity club. All volunteers that work

unsupervised with the children require to be PVG checked. Class teachers may also ask

parents to help with excursions, management of an activity in the class or support in

other aspects of the child’s development at school.

For more information on Parental Involvement please refer to Appendix A.

Special arrangements are made with the parents of new entrants to help with enrolment

and settling in of both child and parent.

Arrangements are made twice in the year for parents to meet with the class teachers to

discuss their child’s progress. An annual report is issued prior to the second Parents'

Evening. These Parent Evenings are usually held in October and April.

Reports are currently being changed in line with the expectations of the Curriculum for

Excellence. Parents will be kept up-to-date on developments.

INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

A series of leaflets has been produced by Education & Social Care for parents and carers.

These leaflets are available from the school or the Moray Council Internet site. The

“Information for Parents and Carers” leaflet is available in other languages. A “Notes for

Parents and Carers” booklet in PDF format is also available. Please see Appendix A at the

rear of this handbook for information on links to The Moray Council’s internet site web

pages.

‘GETTING IT RIGHT FOR EVERY CHILD’

‘Getting It Right For Every Child’ or GIRFEC is a Scottish Government Initiative. It places

the welfare of every child at the heart of all that we do. To help us to reflect on and

guide our practice, we use 8 indicators commonly known as SHANARRI – this stands for

Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible and Included. It is

the responsibility of all adults to ensure each child’s welfare. The role of the Named

Person is an integral part of this initiative, and is embedded within the universal services

of Health and Education and is a single point of contact for every child or young person.

The role of Named Person supports and promotes partnership with parents and facilitates

early intervention when a child’s needs are identified. The Named Person for a child is

dependant upon age. For Nursery children the named Person would be their Health

Visitor and for Primary School children the Named Person would be the Head Teacher

which of-course is Mr Farrell.

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SCHOOL INFORMATION

School Improvement Plan (Appendix B) for 2014-15 and the annual Standards and

Quality Report for 2013-14 are attached (Appendix C). These are also available from the

school office along with range of information leaflets and parent guides to the curriculum.

If you wish further information, please do not hesitate to contact the school personally or

by telephone.

SCHOOL SUCCESS OVER THE YEAR

Full details of the school’s successes and achievements are available in ‘Standards and

Quality Report’ – St. Thomas R.C. Primary School (refer to Appendix C). More recent

successes include:

Many top 3 finishers in the A.S.G. Cross Country event

Annual fundraising for S.C.I.A.F. MISSION and Apostleship of the Sea.

Achieving Silver Level in the Primary Science Quality Mark

Gaining our 3rd International School Award

Working towards our 4th Eco School Award

See pages 22-24 for photos!

PARENT FORUM & PARENT COUNCIL

All parents and carers are automatically members of the Parent Forum. Each year,

representatives of the forum are elected to the Parent Council at the Annual General

Meeting held in September. This is an official body with its own Constitution and is made

up of members from the staff and local community as well parent reps.

Current Members – 2014/15

Patricia Winchester P6 Chairperson

Joan Eastwood P4 Treasurer

Lesley Nicol P4

Brenda McAskie P4

Seonaid Clark P3 & P6

Pauliina Johnston P3

Emma McIntosh Nursery

Cora Wade Nursery, P1 & P2

Keith Gray Co-opted member (Church)

Isla Wilson Staff member/Minutes Secretary

Gerard Farrell Advisor to the Council

If you have anything you wished to have raised please speak to one of the members.

You are welcome to attend any meeting of the Council although confidential matters

would be limited to Council members only.

The Parent Council represents the voice of the parents and is responsible for working

with the Head Teacher to promote the work of the school, to develop closer parental

involvement and to organise social and fund-raising events during the year. For more

information on Parental Involvement (refer to Appendix A) at the rear of this handbook.

- 10 -

ETHOS

Our school ethos is based on a climate of openness within which everything we do mirrors

the Gospel values of trust, respect, tolerance, honesty and forgiveness. Christian values

permeate the school. We aim to provide a happy, well-disciplined atmosphere within the

school. As part of this we have a clear policy on discipline and expectations of all

members of the school community, staff, pupils and parents.

DISCIPLINE POLICY

The need for a clear discipline policy is obvious to everyone concerned with the school.

Good discipline is essential for the smooth running of the establishment as well as the

health and well-being of all.

Our policy considers the 3 areas of discipline; ways of promoting positive behaviour

throughout the school; and sanctions necessary when things go wrong.

Areas of Discipline

Discipline relating to ourselves. Everyone is expected to:

attend school regularly

be punctual

work hard and try their best

bring all the equipment necessary to be able to take full part in all activities

Discipline relating to others. Everyone is expected to:

show respect towards others

speak to others in a civil manner - swearing and verbal abuse is unacceptable

treat others with kindness – physical abuse is unacceptable

Discipline related to property and the environment. Everyone is expected to:

look after all personal property, others’ property and school property – vandalism is

unacceptable

show care and respect for all living plants and creatures within the school and its

environment

Promoting Positive Behaviour

The children were asked to devise a set of Golden Rules, which they thought to be

important with regards to how they would like to be treated and how they should treat

others in and around the school. I have produced them here, as I believe they sum up

our ideas very well.

Do be polite. Don’t all talk at once.

Do listen. Don’t interrupt.

Do be honest. Don’t lie or cheat.

Do be a friend. Don’t call people names.

Do be gentle. Don’t hurt anyone.

Do share. Don’t leave people out.

Do look after property. Don’t waste or damage.

Do work hard. Don’t waste time.

Do try your best. Don’t let yourself down.

We believe that the best way to encourage children to give of their best is by setting a

good example for them and to show that we value and appreciate them. We encourage

them to have good self-esteem and a healthy belief in what they can achieve and are

capable of. We encourage children and parents to share with us if they are anxious

- 11 -

about anything in school. We want every child to be happy here and also to proud to be

a pupil of this school.

House System

To foster co-operation and friendly competition, the children are divided into 3 Houses

each named after a saint with Scottish connections namely St. Andrew, St. John Ogilvie

and St. Margaret. House points are awarded to the children for good work, consideration

of others, helpfulness, good behaviour and initiative. These are collected and totalled to

give a winning house for the week. We also reward good citizenship and care of the

environment.

We hold competitions and activities throughout the year and the children work in House

and mixed-age groups on a regular basis.

Sanctions

Children are expected to follow the school rules but sadly, there will be times when they

break them. Having done so, they must also accept the consequences for breaking

them. Minor infringements will be dealt with by loss of house points, privileges or break

times. Damage to school property or damage or loss of books etc. will result in a request

for payment to repair or replace such items.

However, more serious matters will be dealt with in the following way.

verbal warning for persistent misbehaviour

report to Head Teacher after second verbal warning

parents contacted after third warning

parents asked to come to discuss behaviour and agree future conditions

Head Teacher will consider formal steps which could result in exclusion.

Thankfully, in our school, this procedure very rarely has to be invoked. I hope that with

the continued co-operation between home and school that this will continue to be the

case.

You should also note that any incidents involving violence, dangerous weapons,

drugs or alcohol are reported immediately to Educational & Social Care, and the

Police may also be involved.

Anti-bullying policy (extract)

As a school we are totally opposed to bullying and do our utmost to prevent it happening

and stop it whenever it does occur.

What is bullying?

Staff, pupils and parents need to have a clear understanding of what bullying is. Bullying

can take many forms as defined here:-

Physical pushing, kicking, pinching and any other forms of aggressive or

violent behaviour, including threats and extortion.

Verbal name calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, persistent teasing

Emotional excluding the child from company and play, tormenting by

threatening gestures, ridicule and humiliation.

Racist Racial taunts (including fun being made of accents of speech),

graffiti, gestures.

Sexual unwanted physical contact or abusive comments, comments on

physical development of a pupil.

Bullying by proxy where individuals or groups intimidate or influence others to carry out

bullying on a third party.

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Anti-bullying measures within St. Thomas’

Prevention is always better than cure. Therefore the school takes the following steps to

minimise the occurrence of bullying.

1. Supervision of children

Class teachers have a duty to be vigilant with a class watching out for signs of any

bullying. Pupils are supervised going to and from the classroom at break times. All

support staff are expected to keep a watchful eye in the playground and social areas,

reporting any incidents of suspected bullying to the Class or Head Teacher. Any staff

members may note incidents and concerns in the Pupil Concern Log Sheets.

Primary 6/7 pupils act as buddies to the very young pupils but we encourage all children

to show concern and look out for each other.

We encourage the building of positive relationships through play and the children have

opportunities to take part in a variety of games in the playground.

2. Education

Within the context of RCRE, children are given regular reinforcement that bullying

behaviour is not acceptable. Showing a Christian commitment by living the way Jesus

asked us to, is positively reinforced. Acts of kindness and tolerance shown by pupils are

regularly praised.

‘The Police Box‘ is a resource which is available to the whole school and deals with a

numbers topics including section on bullying. Use is made of this and other resources as

well as the services of the Police Liaison Officer to support teachers in class. These can

be used within the context of the R.C.R.E. programme when looking at relationships or

within cross-curricular links through Health & Wellbeing.

3. Exclusive groups

As a school community we discourage children from forming specific groups which

exclude other children. This can cause children to feel left out and can create friction

between individuals which could lead to bullying.

Schools procedures for incidents of bullying Our first step is to encourage children to tell of bullying incidents.

Pupils should feel they can approach an adult in the school and expect their problem

to be taken seriously. The Home School Link Worker is also available on a regular

basis if children want to share their worries or concerns.

What do parents do?

Parents are encouraged to inform the school if they have any concerns about bullying

behaviour.

What do staff do?

Depending on the seriousness of the incident the class teacher will make a decision as

to whether to deal with it herself or pass it on to the Head Teacher.

Copies of this policy are available in the school.

RACE RELATIONS ACT AND DISIBILITY DISCRIMINATION

Please refer to Appendix A at the rear of this handbook for further information.

- 13 -

CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE

Curriculum for Excellence (often shortened to CfE) is the curriculum in Scotland which

applies to all children and young people aged 3-18, wherever they are learning. It aims

to raise achievement for all, enabling young people to develop the skills, knowledge and

understanding they need to succeed in learning, life and work. 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. All children and young people have an entitlement to

a provision of an excellent education so that they develop skills for learning, life and

work.

CfE is not a 'one size fits all' curriculum. It provides greater personalisation and choice

so that learning is more challenging, enjoyable and relevant to each child’s needs,

strengths and interests. CfE 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 will support

learners and teachers in this and there are plans already in place for parents across the

country to have access to Glow in due time.

A factfile about the ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ for parents/carers which provides a more

comprehensive overview of CfE (and an explanation of the terms used) is available from

the office. You can also access further information about the curriculum and supporting

your child on:

http://www.LTScotland.org.uk/Parentzone

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

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

CfE 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.

Curriculum Levels

These describe the progression in learning and development of children and young

people from age 3-18 years. In brief, these are:

Early Level - pre-school through to end of Primary 1.

First Level - through to the end of Primary 4.

Second Level - through to the end of Primary 7.

Third and Fourth Levels - Secondary 1 - 3.

Senior Phase - Secondary 4 - 6.

As a very general guide, children are expected to be at Second Level, and beginning to

learn and develop at Third Level, as they make the transition from Primary into

Secondary Education.

Children and young people progress through these levels at their own pace; and naturally

some do so more quickly, or a little later than expected, dependant on individual

circumstances and needs.

Experiences and Outcomes (Es and Os)

Each learning experience will provide the opportunity for children to learn a number of

outcomes throughout a range of curriculum areas. We use detailed planning to deliver

inter-disciplinary learning opportunities using interesting topics e.g. The Vikings, WWII,

http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/Parentzone

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

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

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Minibeasts, etc. Not only do children learn more about the topic, but they are

continuously developing their literacy, numeracy and team working skills.

The ability to transfer knowledge and skills over a wide range of learning experiences

from the different curriculum areas is desired.

Key areas of Education

Literacy across learning,

Numeracy across learning and

Health and Wellbeing across learning

Experience - describes the learning activity taking place.

Outcome - describes what the learning will achieve. E.g. Knowledge, understanding,

skills, awareness and attitudes.

Curriculum for Excellence is all about bringing real life into the classroom and taking

lessons beyond it. Learning and teaching will still focus on subjects and knowledge in

addition to developing skills and understanding. The following website page has more

information on other subjects and knowledge covered by the curriculum:

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

The Seven Principles - The Eight Curriculum Areas –

All learning must take account of

these principles:

Challenge and Enjoyment

Breadth

Progression

Depth

Personalisation and Choice

Coherence

Relevance

This is to ensure children’s

development is useful and

meaningful.

containing a range of subjects:

Expressive Arts

Art, Drama, Music and Dance

Health & Wellbeing

Personal, social and emotional health. Also P.E.

Literacy and English

Communicating with others. Reading, Writing and

Modern Languages

Numeracy and Mathematics

Number work, Problem Solving

Roman Catholic Religious Education

Religions, values and beliefs.

Sciences

Understanding our planet

Social Studies

Scotland and the World; past, present and future.

Technologies

Food, Design and Computing.

LITERACY & ENGLISH

The skills required for communication are fundamental to the curriculum and to the

needs of our society. The best teaching and learning results from the integration of the

four elements of the language curriculum.

Listening & Talking: Children need to be taught to listen well, especially to the opinions

of others if they are to fit in socially. We help children to increase their concentration

span. We aim to encourage good articulation skills so that the children have the ability

and confidence to express appropriately their ideas, opinions, questions and answers in

any situation or company.

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

- 15 -

Reading: The ability to read is one of the basic requirements of an education for life.

There is a high emphasis placed on developing good reading and comprehension skills.

Children will have exposure to a wide variety of reading materials.

Writing - The conventions of written language – punctuation, spelling, handwriting – are

best taught from the children’s own work so that the mistakes they make become the

teaching points. It is also important for children to produce written work that is relevant,

effective, functional and imaginative. This will come through theme work in the class and

will be from first hand, imagined or created experiences.

Modern Languages

We aim to offer French to senior pupils and with taster sessions in other languages such

as Gaelic and Mandarin offered at other stages. Mandarin is supported by a visiting

Chinese Teacher from the Confucius Hub.

NUMERACY & MATHEMATICS

Mathematics is about solving problems not just ‘doing sums’. The ability to calculate

quickly is essential. Children need to develop a high level of competence in addition,

subtraction, multiplication and division so that they can apply these skills in real life

situations.

We teach the practical activities necessary for children to fully understand computation

first. Children need to practice orally and in written form to ensure that they can access

mathematical facts quickly and accurately. Mental maths is given a high priority in our

school.

EXPRESSIVE ARTS

Art and Design Drama Music Dance

Through expressive arts we allow children to explore, express and create aesthetically in

ways that are satisfying to the individual.

We encourage children to achieve high standards by displaying work around the school

and by holding public performances, which allow the children to demonstrate their skills,

abilities and talents.

We have a P.E. specialist teacher who teaches on a weekly basis. In Music, we have the

services of instrumental instructors in strings, woodwind, recorder and brass.

TECHNOLOGIES

Learning in the technologies enables children and young people to be informed, skilled,

thoughtful, adaptable and enterprising citizens. The technologies framework has been

organised to offer opportunities for personalisation and choice using diverse contexts for

learning. These are:

• Technological development in society

• ICT to enhance learning

• Business

• Computing science

• Food and textiles

• Craft, design, engineering and graphic

- 16 -

SCIENCE & SOCIAL SUBJECTS

These areas are often taught within cross-curricular topics. They lend themselves to

using interdisciplinary methods. However not all aspects can be covered this way so at

times discrete lessons in these subjects will be undertaken.

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Learning in health and wellbeing ensures that children and young people develop the

knowledge and understanding, skills, capabilities and attributes which they need for

mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing now and in the future. Learning through

health and wellbeing enables children and young people to:

Make informed decisions in order to improve their mental, emotional, social and

physical wellbeing

experience challenge and enjoyment

experience positive aspects of healthy living and activity for themselves

apply their mental, emotional, social and physical skills to pursue a healthy

lifestyle

make a successful move to the next stage of education or work

establish a pattern of health and wellbeing which will be sustained into adult life,

and which will help to promote the next generation of healthy children.

VARIED LEARNING METHODS

There are a variety of ways in which learning opportunities may be presented to children.

The CfE represents a different approach to learning in schools intended to help learners

develop skills, knowledge and understanding in more depth.

PERSONALISATION, CHOICE AND ACHIEVEMENT

Planning of learning contexts and methods may be personalised according to an

individual's learning and development priorities. Thus, there may be different

expectations of learning achieved for different children.

It is not only the academic achievements of children that are recognised. We celebrate a

range of achievements reached by children in and out of the school community e.g.

Progress in personal development, participation in events, extra-curricular and personal

interest activities.

Examples of how children will learn differently are:

Using technologies

Find, research, communicate, create and present.

Active Learning

Being actively engaged in the learning task, whether mentally or physically

Cooperative Learning

Encouraging thinking and talking together to discuss ideas and solve

problems. Learning from each other.

Interdisciplinary Learning

Using links between different areas of learning to develop, reinforce and

deepen understanding.

Outdoor Learning Making use of the outdoor environment and surrounding community.

- 17 -

SKILLS

The CfE emphasises the development of skills for learning, life and work. These are wide

ranging and include:

Higher order skills - thinking about complex issues, problem solving, analysis

and evaluation and creativity.

Critical thinking skills - making judgements and decisions, communicating, co-

operating with others, self organisation.

Important themes are Enterprise, Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development which

are well developed and underpin much of the work done in our school. Pupils can also

become involved in a variety of initiatives and there are several voluntary extra-

curricular activities which are available to them at different times of the year. E.g.

gardening club, creative card making and a variety of sports.

NURSERY

We aim to provide a secure and stimulating environment, in which the children can

develop at their own pace. Through a variety of fun educational activities & experiences,

we aim to cater for the all-round development of each child. All activities are based on

the Pre-5 curriculum document “A curriculum for children, 3 to 5” and the Curriculum for

Excellence.

Each curricular area is covered through active learning with a mixture of own choice and

structured group activities. Most activities cover more than one area. We work together

with parents as partners to provide the best opportunities for the children.

Snack is provided for the children each day and there is a charge of £2.00 for the 5

sessions to cover this. This should be paid on the first session of each week, or at the

beginning of each term.

PRIMARY

We aim to build on the excellent work begun in the Nursery and our early years class

works closely with them to produce a seamless transition in their learning and their

development. We try to be innovative and look for opportunities to develop children's

skills and knowledge using activities which are creative and exciting. Active learning

methods are important to help them to best understand what they are learning and to be

able to apply this knowledge. Through the use of Critical Skills, where pupils work in

groups and take on job roles to present to the rest of the class, and Assessment is for

Learning techniques, children are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning

and to become part of the shared leadership in the school. These skills are developed as

the children progress through the school and on to secondary school.

As we increase our understanding of the new Curriculum for Excellence and develop new

aspects of it, we expect that it will enable all our young people to become even more

aware of how to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens

and effective contributors. Children get the opportunity to choose an activity club to join

and these are currently held on Monday afternoons.

We will continue to build on our strengths in ICT, Enterprise and Expressive Arts

especially Music. Our International links are continually developing. Having recently

completed a very successful Comenius partnership with 5 other countries in Europe -

Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland and Romania and we are applying for a second Erasmus

Plus Project with even more European partners. We have established a new link with a

school in Uganda and have worked with Elgin High School to develop it. We continue

- 18 -

our old relationships with the Lahore Lyceum in Pakistan, Scoil Choilum in Ireland and

Plaue School in Germany. We especially enjoy sharing our work and supporting other

schools in their international education and global citizenship. We have just gained our

third British Council International School Award.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Religious Education is a vital element of every child’s development. All children should

be aware of the significance of and role that religion plays in peoples’ lives and in society

as a whole. Moral education will be developed so that each child will be encouraged to

develop as a mature and responsible member of society, capable of making decisions

based on knowledge of their own self and the effect of their actions upon others. All

Catholic Schools in Scotland follow the syllabus called "This is Our Faith". Our approach

isn't simply confined to R.E. lessons but permeates the whole life of the school.

We look to develop a close working relationship between home, school and parish. Our

chaplain Fr. Max McKeown has regular contact with the children. Fr. Colin Stewart from

Elgin is the Bishop’s representative for education and will lead the weekly assembly from

time to time. In addition, one of the Sisters from Elgin volunteers in the school on a

fortnightly basis. As a Catholic school we expect all members of the school community to

support the ethos of the school as outlined in the Charter on Page 5.

Religious Observance

Morning and afternoon sessions are opened and closed with a prayer. We have a weekly

assembly which has a religious input and a fortnightly school Mass which normally takes

place in the Church. As a Catholic school, we celebrate the major feasts in the Christian

calendar. Whilst you have the right to withdraw your child from Religious Observance,

we would expect that having chosen to send your child to our school, you are committing

to the whole life of the school. For more information on this issue please see Appendix D

attached. If you have any questions about this, please contact Mr. Farrell.

PERSONAL LEARNING PLANNING & HOMEWORK

We try to set the highest standards for all our pupils. As part of the Assessment is for

Learning initiative, we involve the pupils as much as possible in setting their own

personal learning targets. These are shared and reviewed with the children on a regular

basis. Pupils and staff engage in discussions about their next steps in learning and

decide together what needs to be done to improve their learning. Children also keep

reflective logs to show their progress in learning. We expect that the improved standards

of educational attainment in our school especially in the core skills of literacy and

numeracy will be maintained.

Homework is recognised, in several recent studies, to be a vital part of education for

children. Homework provides an important link between home and school and gives

parents the chance to become involved in what the children are doing. We have found

that it is most successful when the child knows that you are interested in it so please

ask to see it, discuss what has been done and sign it. Please take advantage of this

opportunity to enhance your child's learning. We have a set policy which was agreed

after consultation with parents and pupils. More details of the type and frequency of

homework tasks can be found in it. Please ask at the school office for a copy.

Further information about this can be found in the Moray Council Notes for Parents &

Carers (see Appendix A) or you can get a copy from the school office.

- 19 -

ASSESSMENT

Assessment of learning and teaching will be on-going throughout the year. It is used to

help plan next steps as well as to inform parents of their child’s progress.

Formal and informal methods are used depending on the needs of the situation and child.

This can be achieved through discussion, questioning, written work, pupil self-

assessment, observation and examining finished products, as well as more formal

testing.

In addition, all schools in Moray carry out baseline assessments for all children starting in

P1, at end of P1 and then in P3 and P6. This year we are trialling these in all year

groups. If you have any queries about this contact Mr. Farrell.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT NEEDS

Children do not progress all at the same rate and provision is made within the school for

children who, for a variety of reasons, are experiencing any difficulties. When a child has

been identified as requiring additional support, parents will be notified and invited to

come in to school to discuss the matter with the class teacher and/or Additional Support

Needs teacher.

A programme of work may be started to help to overcome difficulties being experienced

by the child and this programme may involve a request for additional support. Some

children will have an IEP (Individualised Educational Programme) devised for them. This

will be drawn up by the ASN teacher in partnership with the class teacher and the child

where appropriate. The IEP will be shared with parents and will be monitored and

updated on a regular basis. Staff also work in partnership with other agencies such as

the Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychology and Early Years Education

Service among others.

The ASN teacher and support staff may work with an individual or a small group of

children either in the classroom or in ‘The Neuk’ for specific tasks. Some children may

only need additional help for a short period of time whereas others may have a longer

term requirement. Extra help can be provided for literacy, numeracy, personal, social

and emotional needs and/or behavioural needs.

Parents who have any concerns about their child’s progress should make an appointment

to discuss the matter with the class teacher in the first instance.

The Education (Additional Support for Learning)(Scotland) Act 2009 came into force on

14 November 2010. More information can be found on The Moray Council’s website

regarding this and the council’s provision for additional support needs in Moray. Please

refer to Appendix A for how to access this.

Information on GIRFEC (“Getting it Right for Every Child”) is available at:

http;//www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Young-People/gettingitright

- 20 -

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Pupil Council

Each year a Pupil Council is elected to represent the views of the pupils within the school.

Each year elects a pupil to represent them. There are regular meetings of the Pupil

Council and the children are responsible for keeping the minutes and informing the rest of

the school on decisions which have been reached.

Groups/Clubs

We have achieved our 3rd International School Award and we are working towards our 4th

Eco School Green Flag School Award. Children also take the lead as Junior Road Safety

Officers. We hold regular activity clubs where staff, parent and community volunteers

share their expertise with pupils. Clubs such as sewing, performance, Mandarin

language, arts and crafts, gardening to name but a few are enjoyed by the children.

These run for blocks of 3 or 4 weeks. These initiatives develop aspects of personalisation

and choice for our pupils.

Cross Country

Cross Country sessions are available to children from P4-7. They are usually held on

Tuesday lunchtimes for most of the year.

TRANSFER TO SECONDARY

Our children normally transfer to Keith Grammar School. We work together as part of

the Associated Schools Group based around K.G.S. During the year, the P7s will get

together for various events as part of the on-going transition process. This includes a

variety of sports events as well as opportunities to work with K.G.S. staff either in their

own class or at the Grammar. Pupils will meet with guidance staff and a member of the

senior management team from K.G.S. In June, P7 spend 3 days there and follow a

timetable similar to the one they will use after the summer. Parents will also have

opportunities to meet members of staff from the chosen secondary school. This process

helps to ease any anxieties the child may have about transferring to a new school. There

are enhanced transition opportunities scheduled for pupils who have additional needs

which need to be supported.

CONCLUSION

We hope that this booklet has been informative and that you have a clearer

understanding of what we are trying to achieve with the children who attend our school.

We feel that it is a privilege to be involved in such a close way with the education of our

youngsters and we value every child as an individual. We appreciate the advantage of

having smaller numbers which means we get to know everyone, pupils and parents alike.

- 21 -

TERM DATES & HOLIDAYS FOR SESSION 2014/2015

School term dates are available on the internet at The Moray Council’s website

http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_55829.html

AUTUMN

Term Begins

Term Ends

October Break

WINTER

Term Begins

In-Service Closures

Term Ends

Christmas Holiday

SPRING

Term Begins

Mid Term Holiday

Term Ends

Easter Holiday

SUMMER

Term Begins

May Day Holiday

In-Service Closures

Local Holiday

Term Ends

Session 2015/2016

Tuesday 19th August 2014

(Teachers only Monday 18th August 2014)

Friday 10th October 2014

Monday 13th – Friday 24th October 2014 inclusive

Monday 27th October 2014

Friday 14th, Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th November 2014

Friday 19th December 2014

Monday 22nd December 2014 – Friday 2nd January 2015

Monday 5th January 2015

Friday 13th February 2015 - Monday 16th February 2015

Friday 27th March 2015

Monday 30th March 2015 - Friday 10th April 2015

Monday 13th April 2015

Monday 4th May 2015

Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd May 2015

Monday 1st June 2015

Thursday 2nd July 2015

Tuesday 18th August 2015

(Teachers only Monday 17th August 2015)


22

ST. THOMAS’ SCHOOL LIFE

OUTDOOR

PROJECTS

23

ST. THOMAS’ SCHOOL LIFE

CREATIVE CURRICULUM

24

APPENDIX A

MORAY COUNCIL WEBSITE / The Moray Council http://www.moray.gov.uk/index.html

Contact: Education and Social Care

Address: The Moray Council, Council Office, High Street, Elgin IV30 1BX

Telephone: 01343 563374 Fax: 01343 563478

Email: [email protected]

Hours: 8.45am - 5.00pm Monday to Friday

Moray Council A-Z

Control and click to follow link for Information

Web page address:

A

Active Schools Tel: 01343 557145


Active Schools

sportscotland

http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_42597.html Link to Sport Scotland website

http://www.sportscotland.org.uk/

Adverse Weather Procedures Adverse Weather Procedures


Additional Support

Community Learning and Development

Inclusion and Support

Services



http://www.moray.gov.uk/index.html















25

Additional Support for Learning

Additional Support for Learning

Administration of Medicines

Central Support Services for

Children with Additional Support Needs

Educational Psychology

Service

For Moray's Children

Inclusion Files







Additional Support for Learning Act 2004

Additional Support for Learning Act 2004

http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_42567.html (including Publications, ASN Information leaflets and internet links)

After School Clubs After School Clubs

http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_services/page_44889.html

B

Bullying Bullying


C

Child Protection Child Protection


Child Care Child Care

http://www.moraychildcarepartnership.co.uk

Clothing Grant Clothing Grant


D

Data Protection Data Protection - Schools


Disability Discrimination Tel: 01343 563374

email: [email protected]

The Moray Inclusion Files www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_43019.html


























http://www.moraychildcarepartnership.co.uk/

http://www.moraychildcarepartnership.co.uk/








26

E

Education & Social Care – Educational Services

Responsible for:

Education and Social Care - Educational Services

Additional Support for

Learning

Community Learning & Development

Libraries & Information

Services

Museums

Pre-School Provision

Schools

Sports

Sports Facilities and Swimming Pools










Education & Social Care – Consultations, Strategies &

Policies (including performance &

statistics)

Consultations, Strategies and Policies

Educational Services Mission

and Aims


http://www.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file49040.pdf

Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs)

(including financial assistance, free meals and clothes grants)

Education Maintenance Allowances

Apply online

Grants and Bursaries

Financial Assistance for Parents and Carers

Leaflet



































https://secure.moray.gov.uk/formserver/EMA/ema201213.form








27

Free School Meals / Clothing Grants


Education Resources (including Instrumental

Instruction)

Education Resources

Instrumental Instruction



Educational Psychology Tel: 01343 550999


Educational Psychology Service

Learning and Education


http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_section/section_2027.html

Educational Trusts Educational Trusts


Exclusion Exclusion from School

Exclusion from School: Appeal Against Exclusion



F

Free School Meals Free School Meals


Free School Transport Free School Transport

School Transport



H

Home Education Teaching your child at home

Home Education: An Outline

Home Education: Withdrawing from School




I

Information for Parents Notes for Parents & Carers Booklet

http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_47236.html http://www.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file54203.pdf







































28

Information for Parents and Carers Leaflets


Instrumental Instruction

Instrumental instruction http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_53005.html

L Learning and Education -

Schools Schools

Frequently Asked Questions



P Parent Councils Parental Involvement

/Parent Councils


Placing Requests Placing Requests Placing Requests Guidance

Leaflet

Placing Requests PR1 Form

http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_49601.html http://www.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file69008.pdf


Pre-School Education (including early and deferred

entry to primary school)

Pre-School Education - funded places

Early Entry to School

Deferred Entry to Primary

School




Primary Schools

Primary Schools

































29

R

Race Equality

(Race Relations Act) Tel: 01343 563374

email: [email protected]

The Moray Inclusion File

www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_43019.html

S School Admissions

Pre-school admissions

Primary Schools

Secondary Schools

Schools Information

Admission to Primary School

Pre school admissions






School Attendance and Absence

School Attendance and Absence


School Catchment Areas School Catchment Areas http://webmap.moray.gov.uk/imf/imf.jsp?site=boundaries Online tool

School Closures School Closures

Information for Parents

http://schoolclosures.moray.gov.uk


School Information Line School Information Line


Schools – List by area (based on a Secondary school and its associated Primary schools)

Schools - List by ASG area http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_55590.html

School Meals School Meals

Information for Parents and Carers



















http://webmap.moray.gov.uk/imf/imf.jsp?site=boundaries

http://webmap.moray.gov.uk/imf/imf.jsp?site=boundaries

http://schoolclosures.moray.gov.uk/


http://schoolclosures.moray.gov.uk/











30

School Rolls School Roll Statistics


School Term and Holiday Dates

School Term and Holiday Dates


School Transport (Pupils) School Transport

Public Transport



School Travel School Travel Plans


Schools – Learning and Development

Curriculum for Excellence

Policy Formulation and Strategic Planning



Sensory Education Service Tel: 01343 557921


Moray Sensory Education Service


Structure of Primary Classes

Structure of Primary Classes http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_53022.html

T Travelling People Travelling People

Scottish Traveller Education

Programme


Link to website http://www.education.ed.ac.uk/step/
























http://www.education.ed.ac.uk/step/




31

APPENDIX B

ST. THOMAS R.C. P.S. – STRATEGIC IMPROVEMENT PLAN 2014-15

Vision, Values and Aims

Inspire: Provide a welcoming, caring atmosphere which fosters joy, creativity, enthusiasm for learning and teaching and a strong sense of health and well-being. Promote a school ethos based on a climate of openness within which everything we do mirrors the Gospel values of trust, respect, tolerance, honesty and forgiveness. Include: Give every child within our school, the confidence, attributes and capabilities to make valuable contributions to our society and encourage them to make informed choices. Develop the strengths of the school community by building links and partnerships between children, parents, staff, faith communities, other agencies and the wider

society including working with other cultures and exploring the international dimension.

Improve: Develop the Curriculum for Excellence which will enable all children to achieve their full potential by encouraging them to develop strong foundations of knowledge and understanding and become independent learners with appropriate life-long skills and self-discipline. Ensure the development of a “quality culture” within which the importance of self-evaluation, strategic planning and the effectiveness of leadership at all levels are implicit in the corporate life of the school.

Improvement Priority

Outcomes (what will change and be better for learners)

Main Actions Led By Time-scales

1 Curriculum To promote Health

and Wellbeing

across the curriculum ensuring progression and coverage across the school.

Learners will be able to make informed choices that impact positively on their own health and wellbeing.

Learners will be increasingly able to make links

between HWB and other curricular areas. Learners will experience greater opportunities to

be involved in planning, managing and participating in activities that have a focus on HWB.

Learners will have a better knowledge and understanding of healthy eating. They will have increased opportunities to apply this knowledge.

Learners will have a better knowledge and understanding of good dental health and hygiene.

Learners’ experiences will be enhanced with input

from health professionals. Learners will continue to grow with a positive

outlook on life and grow emotionally, with good mental health.

Joint planning involving all teaching staff.

Developing Health and Wellbeing policy and practice

to give consistency and shared understanding.

Shared planning with pupils, parents and other agencies.

Timetabling to give opportunities for practical food activities e.g. making snack.

Resource management including support staff appropriately deployed to support initiatives.

Pupil Council to be more involved in raising awareness of HWB across the school e.g. organising healthy tuck shop

Focus on teeth cleaning. Childsmile work extended to P4-5 class.

Develop ways of evaluating the impact of HWB inc

data collection Extend PATHS to P6-7 class

CT

HT

CT

HT

HT

HT Pupil Council

CT

HT

CT

Sep 14

Mar 15

Oct 14

Sep 14

Sep 14

Oct 14

Oct 14

May 15

Sep 14

32

To develop Maths &

Numeracy ensuring progression and coverage across the school.

Develop opportunities for Global/

Sustainability Eco Green Flag

2 Teaching for Effective Learning

To continue to enhance the quality of learning and teaching in R.E. ensuring that “This is Our Faith” is

developed and embedded. To introduce God’s Loving Plan

Learners will continue to make good progress in

Numeracy and Maths. Learners will be increasingly able to make links

between Maths and other areas. Learners will have more opportunities to be

involved in planning and participating in a variety of Maths activities

Learners will access to a range of resources to help them develop and apply mathematical skills.

Learners will learn from teachers and pupils from different countries and cultures.

Learners will share their learning and culture with

schools from across Europe and beyond. Learners will develop their language skills beyond

English Learners will develop leadership skills and have

increased opportunities to be involved in planning of eco activities.

Learners will learn to apply skills and knowledge into other curricular areas.

Learners will have an increased knowledge and

understanding of the Catholic faith.

Learners will have an increased knowledge and understanding of other Christian traditions and major world religions.

Learners will develop further their skills of reflection, discernment and critical thinking.

Learners will be aware of ways in which they are able to put their beliefs, values and attitudes into

action. They will be able to contribute more fully to the spiritual life of the school.

Joint planning involving all teaching staff.

Develop cross-curricular and IDL activities. Staff will engage with pupils when developing

learning blocks to allow for personalisation and choice.

Maths resources inc ICT will be re-organised and updated to allow for more active learning.

Successfully complete work to gain 3rd International School Award

Both host and visit schools through Erasmus+

programme Work with Confucius teacher Engage with 1+2 Language development Evidence range of activities undertaken to

successfully gain 4th Eco Green Flag Whole school and class activities to underline

importance of Eco issues.

Staff CPD focusing on own faith. Joint CPD with other RC schools re God’s Loving Plan

Introduction of God’s Loving Plan across the school. “This is Our Faith” guidance to be used consistently

across the school. Increase opportunities for joint planning around common themes such as Advent & Lent.

Raise staff awareness of further resources including SCES site.

Plan opportunities for children to work with the faith community.

Increase opportunities for children to be actively involved in the spiritual life of the school including assemblies, masses and leading prayer and worship.

CT

CT

CT

VN

CF

CF

CT

IW

HT

HT

CT

HT

CT

CT

Sep 14

Oct 14

Dec 14

Nov 14

Oct 14

Ongoing to

June 2016 Ongoing

Oct 14

Ongoing

Nov 14

Dec 14

Sep 14

Feb 15

Ongoing from

May 2015

33

3 Assessment for

Learning Continue to develop whole school approaches to assessment,

tracking and moderation. Curriculum Design

Learning and Teaching Supporting

Learners HGIOS 5.4 5.5 5 YP

Learners will have a better understanding of what

they are trying to learn and what is expected of them.

Learners will be appropriately challenged and supported enabling them to realise their potential. Attainment and achievement raised.

Learners will be increasingly able to reflect on their own work and will have a better understanding of how and what they need to do to improve.

Learners will be better prepared for next stages in

learning. There will be more effective curricular transitions.

Learners will be more active in their learning. They

will be more confident in applying their learning to new and unfamiliar situations.

Key staff will engage in CPD/ moderation activities

at ASG level. This will be cascaded to all school staff. Continue to develop 4 aspects -focus sharing of

learning intentions and clear success criteria. Agree on core assessment activities and how these

should be kept and analysed.

Regular meetings with CT and SFL to track and monitor pupil progress and ensure targeted support. Inter-agency meetings for most vulnerable pupils.

Staff to include assessment activities in core

planners.

Staff to engage with NAR materials.

CT

CT

HT

HT

CT

HT

Ongoing

Ongoing

Jan 15

Ongoing

Sep 15

Nov- 15

4. Managing Information

To develop more effective approaches to collecting, sharing and analysing data across the school.

Validated Self-Evaluation and Quality

Improvement Supporting Learners

HGIOS 8.4 5 YP

Learners will benefit from enhanced educational experiences and improved outcomes. Attainment

and achievement will be raised. Learners needs will be more accurately identified

and met. Learners will fulfil their potential. They will

experience a curriculum that is appropriate to their needs and provides both support and challenge

Establish a rigorous tracking system across the school inc PIPS/INCAS for all year groups

Ensure pupil profiling is used consistently. Work with ASG and Jenny Hanton.

Consider and plan how most vulnerable pupils are supported.

Consider and plan how most able pupils are challenged.

HT

CT

HT & SFL

June 15

June 15

Aug. 16

Key to abbreviations: HGIOS – How Good is Our School? C@C2 – Child at the Centre 2, JtE – Journey to Excellence 5YP – 5 Year Plan

34

APPENDIX C

St. Thomas R.C. Primary School, Keith

Standards and Quality Report For Parents & Carers

2013/2014

School website: http://stthomasrcprimary.wordpress.com

INTRODUCTION The Standards and Quality Report for Parents & Carers is a summary of our school’s achievements and areas for improvement for this current session (2013/14). It forms part of our School Improvement Plan (S.I.P.), which all schools produce for the year ahead (2014/15). A full copy of our S.I.P. can be found in school and is available on request. It is also published on our website. Our report sets out to answer 3 questions - How well do young people learn and achieve? How well does the school support young people to develop and learn? How well does the school improve the quality of its work? It is meant to give you clear, concise information about how the school is improving and how well our children are achieving. Some of this information you will already know from our monthly newsletters and the school website. Many of you have been part of the developments and have contributed to draft policies and given us important verbal and written feedback on issues. We also base our evidence on our annual parent and pupil surveys which are completed in January/February of each year, as well as our on-going self-evaluation processes. The Context of the School Keith is a semi-rural town of around 5000 including the surrounding district. Our school is located at the eastern side on the Cuthill – the highest point of the town. In 2013/14, we had 74 primary pupils and 20 nursery pupils on roll. The classes were organised to take account of the numbers of children within each group and stage. These were organised as follows: P1-3, P4-5 & P6-7. The P1-3 class had 2 two teachers team teaching. We like the positive benefits that a small school brings particularly the family atmosphere, the responsibility that the older children have for the younger ones and the shared working that is possible in mixed classes and age groups. The school operated close to capacity and we had requests from several families who wanted to take up spaces if they had been available. The original school opened in 1867 and was replaced by the present building which opened in 1970 next to St. Thomas R.C. Church. Although we are a Catholic school, we welcome families from other faith communities and none. As a Catholic school, our zone is in line with the parish boundary. Therefore, we serve a much larger geographical area than our neighbouring schools. Most of the children live in the town but almost 20% live in the surrounding areas and beyond, some more than 10 miles away. Approximately 85% of our children were placing requests. 19% of children received free school meals and around 30% received additional support. Families come from a range of socio-economic backgrounds. Housing stock is also a mix of private/local authority rental and owner occupied. The main employers in the town are the distilleries with some light industry related to the farming communities. Most of the rest are related to the service sector. Many parents travel to Elgin or other local towns for work or to Aberdeen especially for oil related jobs.

P4-5 visiting Loch Strathbeg learning lots outdoors to

bring back to the classroom!

http://stthomasrcprimary.wordpress.com/

35

How well do young people learn and achieve? The Nursery had another successful year. Parental satisfaction of the service was at a very high level borne out in the annual survey returns and regular interviews with parents. The Nursery ran at full capacity and is over-subscribed for the new session. Working in partnership with the school was a key strength with the transition programme and joint working with P1-3 and P6-7 buddies being notable mentions from pupils, parents and staff alike. Staff tailor the curriculum to fit the children’s needs and make extensive use of outdoor learning. Transition arrangements are strong with close co-operation and partnership working with other agencies to help new pupils coming into the Nursery and P1. Both parents and our school partners see this is as a key strength. Our teaching and support staff are well experienced, enthusiastic and work collaboratively. There is a high level of co-operation between the classes with many examples of shared learning across the stages e.g. Nursery – P6-7 buddies; P1-3 and P6-7 science buddies, Nursery/Infant Burns Supper; Commonwealth Games event planned and organised by our youngest children; Activity Clubs; whole school events such Advent RE lessons, Science Day; the celebration of the Chinese Moon Festival. The school was very successful in a number of Moray-wide and National events. All children from Nursery to P7 took part in the Moray Music Festival leading to a number of highly commended performances. Several children had individual success at this and at the local TMSA Festival. Several children competed at the regional Burns Federation Competition and one child went on to compete at the national competition. A large number of children represented the school at the Christmas Songs of Praise. The P6-7 class sang Christmas Carols at the local hospital and all took part in the school’s Carol Concert and our end of term prize-giving concert. P4-7 took part in the local Cross Country event and we had our highest ever entry for the Moray event. Many of these are regulars at our weekly lunchtime running club. Most pupils had entries in the local Keith Horticultural Flower Show, again with great success. Two classes took part in the Keith Horticultural Spring Show and one visited the Royal Northern Spring Show at Thainstone. A P6-7 team took part in the National Primary Schools Bridge Competition taking 3

rd place. For the second year running we

had the winner of the Ian Middleton Poetry Competition. Several seniors were involved in with the Continuous Improvement Team’s reviews of Additional Support Needs, After School Clubs and the Sustainable Education Review. The Pupil Council had a voice in our developments. It was responsible for the new play area and the introduction of Golden Time which the pupils are enjoying. We were members of the Moray Eco Forum - part of the Junior Climate Challenge Fund and three of our pupils made a very successful visit to the Scottish Parliament to present their work. The Parent Council do a great deal to support the work of the school. They organise fundraising events to pay for the transport for any school outings which the staff plan to support teaching and learning. They also contribute effectively in school developments. In addition, we have parent volunteers in the library, taking the running club, helping at activity clubs and as reading supporters in the upper stages. We extended our transition arrangements throughout the school. Last year we ran a pilot programme of 4 weekly slots in June when the children worked in their new classes. Staff found this very useful to gain personal knowledge of working with the children in addition to the normal transfer information. These all helped to enhance our learners’ experiences and were highly valued in our feedback from parents and pupils. In turn, they have led to improvements both in confidence and achievement for our pupils.

Allotment work – having designed layouts and worked out costs – the children then presented their findings to the Keith Allotment Committee.

P4-5 had great fun experimenting with how far they could make their cars go!

The whole school having fun at the St Andrew’s Day

celebrations!

Our homework challenges were a big hit. Lots of personalisation and choice!

36

How well does the school support young people to develop and learn? The Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) continued to play a major part in the development work of the school. Responses from our annual surveys and parental interviews showed that increasing personalisation and choice had a positive impact on our youngsters. This happened in a variety of ways including planning elements of study in topics or re-focusing homework into essential and optional tasks. We continued to engage pupils with their own learning and assessment. Children were given opportunities to lead learning within each class. We have continued to extend our links with other partners and outside agencies to support both individuals and the school as a whole. This is part of the ‘Getting It Right For Every Child’ (GIRFEC) agenda which pertains to all schools in Scotland. The International/Global dimension continued to underpin much of our work. During the course of this session we achieved our 3

rd International School Award. We hosted a German Assistant shared between

ourselves, Newmill PS and KGS. Children learned much about German culture, customs, language and sport especially handball. We continued to have input from the visiting Chinese teacher who worked in all classes and was supported by one of our parents who is of Chinese heritage. In the upper stages, we began a link with Uganda. These children also organised a Fairtrade Coffee Morning which included information sharing, music and drama for parents, parishioners and members of the wider community. This was a very successful event which was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone involved. Both parents and pupils are very positive about these experiences. We have a variety of e-twinning projects which are on-going and link in with our development of outdoor experiences. The work continues to have a significant impact on the children exposing them to lives of children across the globe; reflecting on similarities and differences; giving them a greater awareness of sustainability issues, providing a larger audience for their work; giving them an incentive to achieve high standard and leading to greater enjoyment. We extended outdoor and active learning opportunities as an approach to developing the curriculum to better meet learners’ needs. These activities ranged from making greater use of the school grounds for curricular work or the local amenities such as Tesco for a ‘Farm to Fork’ initiative, to using the local environment for forest walks or working in the allotments to grow vegetables used in the school kitchen or for our early years Burns Supper and designing and measuring raised beds for the allotments. We also extended further from the school to a local farm to plant a tree grown from seed and field trips to places such as Loch Strathbeg and Spey Bay. The PATHS programme went into the middle stages. Children became more aware of their emotional wellbeing and had a means to help them share their thoughts and feelings. This has led to fewer playground incidents and an increase in understanding of others’ emotional needs. This work has been enhanced by the Home School Link Worker who has worked very effectively with a number of individuals. In addition, using the expertise of others to deliver positive messages is highly valued: Childsmile. Grow Well Choices, Respect programme and Drug Awareness would be examples which enhanced pupils’ knowledge and understanding in Health and Wellbeing. We worked in partnership with the Church to develop our links, this included making use of the Church Hall for PE activities, we provided for games lines to be painted whilst the Church arranged for safety lights to be installed. This helped us to extend the range of activities, including an after school handball club run by our German Assistant as well as helping us to more easily meet the target of 2 hours of PE. Our ASN provision is one of our major strengths as highlighted in the recent ASN audit for Moray. The number of pupils with additional needs is around 30% which well exceeds the 20% figure quoted for both Moray and Scotland. Pupils commented that staff knew them well and were aware of their social and emotional needs and were encouraging in all classes. They felt staff listened to them and responded sensitively to their concerns. Differentiation and pace of learning was appropriate for most pupils although some would benefit from greater challenge through more demanding activities and more open ended questioning. This is already being addressed by staff. The Support for Learning teacher made a strong contribution to improving access to learning. Parents were confident that needs were identified early and that their children were supported appropriately. The school had good links with other services such as NHS, Educational Psychology and the HSLW. Transitions worked well and this impacted on their growing confidence and self-esteem. There are effective liaison and transition arrangements with Keith Grammar School including enhanced transition arrangements for the pupils with greatest needs.

A Night At the Opera?

No, just a visit from Scottish Opera, one of our ASG transition projects.

So just what have you been up to? ‘Joyning the Learning’ from Nursery to P3!

37

How well does the school improve the quality of its work? Self-evaluation procedures are well embedded in the life and work of the school. There is a continuous process of reflection on the work we have done and the improvements we try to make. We take the views of our school community seriously and gauge their opinions in a variety of ways: an annual survey of parents, pupils and staff; focus groups; feedback after events; Parent and Pupil Councils and regular meetings for teaching and support staff. The surveys show a high level of satisfaction with the school and any areas for improvement are highlighted in our regular school newsletters along with appropriate explanations or planned improvements. One of the areas highlighted was to improve parental involvement in their children’s work. We planned increased opportunities to address this through our well-established ‘joyning the learning’ events operating from Nursery to P1-3. Numbers attending these have increased and feedback is very positive. We have also encouraged parents to make use of websites that children can access both at home and at school IXL Maths, Manga High and Accelerated Reader Home Use being some examples. We also developed the use of homework challenges in some classes. These proved popular with most parents while almost all children were enthusiastic in sharing what they had learned. This in turn has had a positive impact on the learning and teaching in the classroom. Staff reported that pupil and parent engagement is increasing and the standard of work produced showed improvement. This will be extended to all classes next session. We have also increased moderation opportunities within the school and across the ASG including a joint in-service which St. Thomas’ led. In addition, we have embedded a programme of peer observations through reciprocal classroom visits focusing on improving learning opportunities and modelling shared learning. We are working more closely with the other Catholic schools in Moray to develop the RCRE curriculum and this will continue next session. Some new features of this were joint in-service days, using the expertise of the new community of Dominican Sisters from Elgin and a joint P6 outdoor experience to Tomintoul. We have also focussed on greater partner agency involvement to improve outcomes for identified children through GIRFEC and the LIAP (Local Integrated Assessment Planning) process. Our curricular links with departments from KGS continued to grow. This included PTs from PE and Maths joined us for our Commonwealth Games session, Spring Maths sessions and Science Day respectively. As part of the Moray-wide Regio project, we were visited by educationalists from Estonia learning about the Living Machine project and one of our staff visited Estonia to help develop the project there. We were also visited by Moray staff to learn about international/global work. Recently we had two Australian headteachers visit to see our work. This may result in some partnership working with their schools in the future. We enjoyed the sharing of ideas and how this helped us to reflect on our own practice. We expect to continue to seek ways of furthering this. We are keen to have external evaluation of our work. Through our work on the 4 Aspects of Pedagogy we took forward our major curriculum development area – Science. This was audited against the criteria to gain Silver Level of the Primary Science Quality Mark scheme. We also held regular discussions with pupils about science and its applications. Work identified included updating science resources, looking for science opportunities in topics and highlighting the role of science throughout the school. Staff, parents and pupils reported an increase in knowledge of and interest in science. We have external evidence of learners being provided with quality learning experiences: we await confirmation of gaining PSQM Silver Level and expect to gain accreditation for our 4

th EcoSchool Green Flag.

As a small school in a rural community we are aware of the importance of always seeking new avenues of opportunity for our pupils. We are keen to be seen as models of lifelong learning to encourage our children to do likewise and to know that all belong to a community which aspires to ‘Inspire, Include and Improve’ their life chances and those of others. We want to look outward and continue to reach out to others whether this is through our charity fundraising work, taking part in local and national competitions or sharing our work and friendship with others across the globe to help our children to be responsible citizens, effective contributors, successful learners and confident individuals.

Visiting Thainstone gave P6-7 plenty of food for thought!!

It’s amazing what you can see when you are out for a walk! Nursery and P1-3 on

their Forest Walk.

38

SCOTTISH CATHOLIC EDUCATION SERVICE APPENDIX D

RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE IN THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL

The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 imposes a statutory duty on local authorities to provide

“Religious Observance” in Scottish schools. This is defined in a national R.O. Review Group

report published in 2004 as comprising: "community acts which aim to promote the spiritual

development of all members of the school's community and express and celebrate the shared

values of the school community".

In a letter of guidance issued by the Scottish Government in February 2011, it is

acknowledged that Catholic schools take a distinctive approach to the provision of Religious

Observance:

Scottish Government Ministers welcome the tradition that, in Roman Catholic

denominational schools, Catholic Liturgy will largely shape the nature and frequency

of religious observance activities in the classroom and in the wider school community.

So, at times, children and young people will be invited to participate in, and

sometimes to lead, prayer and reflection in classrooms and at assemblies. At other

times, to honour particular occasions or feasts, chaplains will lead school communities

in the celebration of Mass and other forms of liturgical celebration.1

Catholic schools follow the customs and practices of the Church in order to nourish the

spirituality and faith of pupils and staff. Our Catholic tradition is enriched by ancient rites,

prayers and devotions which help young people to become aware of, and show reverence to,

the sacred presence of the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Guided by this tradition,

we celebrate various seasons and special feast days to honour God, Mary his Mother and the

Saints.

Pupils are invited to pray with their teachers at times in classrooms and assemblies, as well

as in liturgical services. Usually a classroom will display a Crucifix on the wall; in some

classrooms and other areas of the school, a sacred space will feature a copy of the Bible and

will be decorated with signs and symbols that reflect the changing seasons of the Church

Calendar Year i.e., Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Pentecost.

This regular practice of Prayer is complemented by religious services conducted, sometimes

as part of an Assembly, to mark special occasions – e.g. the distribution of Ashes on Ash

Wednesday, the seasons of Advent or Lent. To mark special Feast Days and Holy Days of

Obligation, Holy Mass will be celebrated by the school chaplain, with the school community, in

school buildings or in local parishes. Some pupils, at certain stages, may be able to

participate in retreats and pilgrimages to places of special significance within the Catholic

tradition.

While Religious Education is governed by separate Church guidance, it is complemented by

Religious Observance practices and, together, these experiences help pupils to develop their

understanding of the Catholic faith, to experience opportunities for spiritual growth and to

commit to beliefs, values and actions in a positive response to God’s invitation to faith.

In terms of pupil participation in R.O. Scottish Government guidance makes it clear that it

makes an important contribution to pupils' development and that it promotes the ethos of a

school by bringing pupils together and creating a sense of community. However, it also

makes clear that parents have the right to withdraw children from participation in religious

observance and that this right should always be made known to parents and their wishes

respected. The Scottish Government also recognises that:

Where a parent chooses a denominational school for their child's education, they

choose to opt in to the school's ethos and practice which is imbued with religious faith

and religious observance. In denominational schools, it is therefore more difficult to

extricate a pupil from all experiences which are influenced by the school’s faith

character.

1 Curriculum For Excellence - Provision of Religious Observance in Schools, Scottish Government, 17 February 2011

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