RATIONALE
At Lainshaw we recognise the important role parents and carers have in supporting their child’s education. An important feature of this partnership is ensuring, as a school, we provide regular information on the progress of your child. This will enable parents and carers to be kept informed of the work their child is undertaking, as well being aware of the strengths children possess and next steps in their education. Clear communication from the school, from the school also enables parents/carers to support the work of the school.
NATIONAL GUIDANCE
The national guidance provided to schools on assessment and reporting can be found in Building the Curriculum 5 and the National Framework published in September 2015. These can be downloaded from the Education Scotland web site. (www.education.gov.scot)
LOCAL GUIDANCE
East Ayrshire Council provide a framework for Planning, Assessment, Moderation and Reporting. This document is available on request from the HT. As part of this framework, East Ayrshire Council provide a format for formal reporting on children’s progress, which has been adapted following consultation with the school community. This can be found at the end of this document, along with an explanation of CFE levels.
ASSESSMENT
Children at Lainshaw are assessed on an ongoing basis using a variety of methods. They include formal assessments taken at the end of a planned programme of work or informal assessments at different points during a planned programme of work. Examples of some of the assessment methods used are; jotter work, oral questioning, end of programme tests, teacher observations, homework assignments, co-operative group tasks and individual projects.
Teachers keep ongoing records of the information gained from these assessments and use them to judge the levels of attainment of individual pupils against an agreed standard. These assessment records are used when teachers are preparing the oral summary of learning provided at our parent/carer evenings (Learner Conversations) and our written reports issued in the summer term each year.
Like all schools in Scotland, the Scottish National Standardised Assessments will be used in P1, 4, & 7 at points throughout the session to affirm teacher judgement.
REPORTING METHODS
In accordance with national guidance, we are developing our reporting procedures to take the emphasis away from a single annual written report. We use a number of different reporting procedures across the school session. This will result in increased opportunities for parents/carers to be provided with regular feedback on their child’s education and wellbeing. Parents/carers should expect a short and concise annual summary of progress in May. We reduced the size of the annual written report, following consultation with parents/carers who preferred more time allocated to face to face contact with their child’s class teacher.
Learner Conversation meetings take place in November and March each session. The November meeting will be face to face and will give you the opportunity to visit the school to see your child’s learning environment as well as have an appointment with the teacher. Following the response from parents/carers on the positives of parent/carer phone calls, which we used last session as a result of COVID restrictions, the March meeting will take the form of a phone call. Parents/carers will be allocated a five minute appointment with their child’s class teacher. Prior to these meetings, the pupil and parents/carers will be provided with the opportunity to contribute to the agenda for the meeting by completing and returning a pupil/parent response sheet.
In term 2 Snap Shot Jotters will be sent home for P4, 5 and 6. These will contain a variety of examples of work for parents/carers to discuss with your children. It will showcase a ‘typical’ week of learning for your child. Within the Jotters, there will be opportunity for parents and carers to comment on their child’s work.
LEARNING JOURNALS
Feedback from the school community has been very positive following the trial of Learning Journals in P1 last year. As a result, we have extended the use of this platform to P2, 3 and 7 in term 1 and 2. Learning Journals provide a regular opportunity for you to engage with your child’s learning and will replace Snap Shot jotters for these year groups. Snap Shot jotters will remain in place for P4, 5 and 6 until Learning Journals are introduced for these year groups in January 2023.
HOW WILL LAINSHAW COMMUNICATE WITH YOU?
- School/ECC App
The App is the central method of communication; the log in details are shared with all new parents/carers and is constantly promoted.
The App provides a link to the School and ECC Handbook which contains lots of practical information about Lainshaw, and is particularly relevant for new parents/carers.
The App will be used to share News and Updates, Events, School Meal Menus The Documents section contains; Handbook, Anti-Bullying Policy, Improvement Priorities for the year.
The school office will issue Microsoft Forms via the App to ask for consent for activities such as after school clubs and school trips.
- Head Teacher Newsletter & Feedback Request (Termly)
HT Termly Newsletter for parents issued 1 x a term, issued on the App for all parents/carers in the school and ECC.
HT will issue a termly Microsoft Form on the App to gather parent/carer views. This information will be used to inform the Strategic Annual School and ECC Improvement Priorities.
- Parent Council
Regular Parent Council (PC) meetings are held, where issues can be raised through the chair. The HT, or a delegate, always attend as council representatives. All local councillors are invited by the HT to every meeting. The PC chair John Semple can be contacted through their Facebook page or emailed directly using lainshawpc@gmail.com
PC meeting minutes are shared on the App after every meeting with the whole school community and provide an important regular update for all parents/carers
- Curriculum Newsletters
Issued termly by class teachers and are designed to inform you of the planned learning that will take place that term across all curricular areas. This information should enable you to be involved/engaged in your child’s learning by knowing what they will be learning and how you can support/engage with your child around their learning.
- Letters (via School bags)
Our aim is to be a paperless school, however, on occasion a paper copy of a letter/consent form will require to be sent home.
An email list is held by the office staff of parents/carers who do not live at the child’s main address, to ensure both parents/carers receive information timeously. If a parent/carer no longer lives at the child’s main address they should contact the school office to request their email is added to this contact list.
How do I communicate with Lainshaw?
- General Enquiries
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Generic Lainshaw email |
ealainshawPS@eastayrshire.org.uk |
Clerical staff check the generic Lainshaw email address daily and will forward to the appropriate member of the SMT. |
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Telephone |
01560483653
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- Specific Contacts for the Senior Management Team (SMT)
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Area
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Contact Name |
Email Address/ Telephone Number |
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All ECC Queries |
Kimberly Lennox |
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P1 to P3 |
Jennifer Martin |
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P4 to P7 |
Eileen Speirs |
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For other issues especially those that are sensitive or confidential in nature you can contact Mr Johnstone directly: |
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Head Teacher |
Jason Johnstone |
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- How will my correspondence be dealt with?
If you wish to raise a concern regarding your child’s learning, a situation that has taken place in school or to share important information about your child that may impact them in school, please direct your call or email to the DHT responsible for your child’s year group in the first instance. If you feel that the outcome of this correspondence is not satisfactory, then you should direct your concern to the HT. All emails which form a parental concern or complaint will be responded to within 48hrs, or acknowledged within 48 hrs if further investigation is required where extra time is required. Parents should be informed by receipt of a holding email, where further time is required. This role will fall to DHTs and HT, or the Senior Clerical Team acting on our behalf.
If letters/emails are received by other members of the team, for example, if a child gives their teacher a note from their parent/carer, these will be passed to the Senior Management Team (SMT), as soon as possible, generally this would be on the day of receipt.
If a response can’t be given within reasonable time as agreed above then the SMT member will pass this to another colleague within the SMT.
Guidance on the East Ayrshire Complaints Policy is available from the Head Teacher.
The following appendices have been provided to give further information on levels within a Curriculum for Excellence, the Annual Written Pupil Report and a Calendar of the events which are scheduled for this session.
