Dear Parents/ Carers,

On the 19th, 20th and 21st of May, our school received an Learning Visit from the Local Authority Education Team. The purpose of this visit is to support the school with the self-evaluation process and identify strengths and next steps. Please find below the findings from the visit:

Overall Strength

· The school demonstrates strong, supportive relationships rooted in mutual respect, care, and positive partnerships, contributing to a nurturing and inclusive learning environment for all learners.

· The school is at the heart of its community, making a positive contribution to local life while effectively utilising community facilities and partnerships to enrich learners’ experiences. The school is well regarded within the community and promotes strong, collaborative relationships with stakeholders.

· Children are respectful and responsible and are supportive towards each other. Their politeness and respect for others reflect the school’s current values and positive ethos.

· The school demonstrates highly effective communication at all levels, fostering positive and collaborative relationships with learners, staff, parents, partners, and the wider community. Clear and consistent communication supports a shared understanding of the school’s values, priorities, and improvement agenda.

· Very effective attendance procedures are consistently implemented across the primary school, with the process being ably led and closely monitored by the Principal Teacher, resulting in stronger engagement and improving pupil attendance.

· The school has strong, well-embedded structures and processes in place, and these should continue to be regularly reviewed to ensure ongoing effectiveness and continuous improvement.

· It is recognised that staff support one another’s wellbeing, contributing to a positive and caring working environment.

· The headteacher demonstrates strong, highly effective leadership, which is widely recognised and valued by all stakeholders.

· There is clear evidence across the school of the effective implementation of Meta Skills, supporting learners to develop transferable skills for learning, life, and work.

Areas for Consideration

The areas for consideration build on evidence observed during the visit. There is no implication that the areas for consideration are not already being considered or actioned but may benefit from being strengthened or consistent across the school.

· The school should consider refreshing its vision, values, and aims to ensure they remain relevant, inclusive, and reflective of the school community. This process should engage stakeholders and align with current educational priorities, supporting a shared sense of purpose and direction for continuous improvement.

· The school should refresh and further embed its Rights Respecting Schools approach to ensure all pupils are fully aware of their rights and feel empowered to exercise them. There should also be a clearer understanding and explicit connection to the Rights Respecting Schools initiative to strengthen consistency and impact across the school community.

Required Actions

· The school should review its current forward planning approaches, including the use of East Ayrshire Progression Planners, to ensure they incorporate meaningful pupil enquiry, support responsive learning and teaching, and provide regular opportunities to monitor and review progression across the curriculum.

· The school should review its current “Excellent Lesson” model, in consultation with all stakeholders, to ensure a shared and agreed approach that promotes consistency in high-quality learning and teaching. This approach should maintain flexibility to meet learners’ needs, support meaningful pupil-led learning experiences, strengthen pedagogical understanding, and ensure effective assessment and progression in learning.

· The leadership team should regularly review remits to ensure alignment with educational priorities and the school improvement plan, with a clear focus on improving outcomes for learners and driving improvement at all levels. Remits should balance strategic and operational responsibilities, provide clarity of roles and accountability, and be evaluated for impact, while supporting staff leadership development, distributed leadership, and whole-school capacity building.

To strengthen readiness for future inspections and scrutiny, the school should ensure that evidence and presentations consistently use evaluative language, clearly demonstrating the measurable impact of actions, approaches, and improvement processes on outcomes for learners. Self-evaluation should be evidence-informed, reflective, and focused on identifying strengths, areas for development, and next steps for sustained improvement.

Dear Parents/ Carers,

On the 9^th/10^th of October, our school received an Learning Visit from the Local Authority Education Team. The purpose of this visit is to support the school with the self-evaluation process and identify strengths and next steps. Please find below the findings from the visit.

Strengths

• The SLT lead a strong strategic vision for improvement and are clear on the schools next steps for progression moving forward.
• The staff show a clear commitment to delivering quality learning and teaching.
• Staff use self-evaluation processes very well to support continuous improvement and maximise outcomes for children.
• Self-evaluation and closing the feedback loop underpins effective processes and approaches to improvement.
• There is a strong consistent collaborative approach to improvement throughout the school and all staff actively led and are supported to develop their leadership roles.
• The school has strong strategic systems, with clear processes, which are embedded and regularly evaluated.
• Positive relationships between families, pupils and staff are evident throughout the school community.
• Children and staff are very proud of their school, and work well together and enact the school values in everyday life.
• The work of the Home Link Worker has been identified as an area of strength in supporting families, early intervention and ensuring families are aware of, and get what they need thus impacting positively on children.
• There are significant strengths in the health and wellbeing, equity and inclusion which are benefitting the school and the local community.

Overall Feedback

• There is a strong pupil voice within the school and local community, which is clearly valued.
• It is very clear that the SLT understand the context of their school families and wider community and are proactive in supporting a diverse range of needs.
• Staff and pupils are very welcoming, friendly, polite, and are proud of their school.
• From discussions with the whole staff team during the visit it is clear that there is a shared understanding within regarding the strengths and areas for continuous improvement.
• Environments in both classrooms and shared areas have calm, purposeful and welcoming atmosphere. In classes, almost all pupils are engaged in the learning experiences and are able to articulate the purpose of their learning.
• Polite and well-mannered children who add to the positive ethos of the school.
• Positive relationships between pupils and staff are evident in and out of class.
• The school community has created a safe and nurturing environment in which children learn.
• There is a range of displays in the schools highlighting the different work going on. Children can talk well about these.
• Routines are well practiced and transitions are well managed within classes.
• Classroom displays showcase current learning journeys and generally have pupil work displayed.
• The staff praised strong leadership and strategic direction as a strength within the school.
• The staff appreciated the organisation of the SLT and feel part of a whole school team.
• Teaching staff are creating a nurturing, welcoming and positive ethos within their classrooms.
• Effective planning, which continues to evolve to meet the needs of all pupils.
• The opportunities for leadership, at all levels, promote the sense of ownership amongst staff and pupils. Professional Review & Development processes are well thought out and link whole school improvements with personal, professional goals in a successful manner.
• ASN policy and procedure is well structured and organised. The Head Teacher (ASN Lead) has also developed sound methods for tracking and monitoring pupil developments and the impact of interventions.
• The children know their school values and the vision for the school. This appears to be embedded across the whole school community.
• Pupils show an eagerness to engage in their learning.
• Children are happy and feel safe within the school.
• Pupils enjoy the opportunity to participate in decisions made regarding school improvement. There is a definite sense of pride amongst the pupils and also a recognition of their part in the whole school community.
• Pupils are familiar with the improvement groups across the school and these are shared in classes and assemblies.
• Pupils have an understanding of themselves as learners.
• Almost all lessons and activities were engaging and appropriately pitched.
• Appropriate pace and challenge was evident in almost all classes.
• High aspirations are evident throughout the whole school.
• Parents acknowledged that the school is keen to work in partnership with parents and carers.
• Parents praised the SLT team for the interventions and supports they offer children and their families when required.
• Parents were very happy with the current leadership and direction of the school.

Required Actions

• The Head Teacher and SLT will continue to further develop their curriculum, self- evaluation processes, leadership roles and responsibilities across the school to maximise ongoing improvements as identified in the school improvement plan

Please see details below for Swimming Lessons that the following classes will be participating in at New Cumnock Swimming Pool:

Monday: P2 and P2/3

Tuesday: P3 and P4

Wednesday: P5

Lessons will start the WB 30/5/22. Can all pupils please bring a swimming costume and a towel.

Please see below further information about Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood lessons that will be delivered this term.

Primary 1 Parent Leaflet

Primary 2-4 Parent Leaflet

Primary 5-7 Parent Leaflet

Due to the success of the community club in Term 1, we will be opening our playground to allow a new multi sport club for our P4-7 pupils to take place on Wednesdays 4pm-5pm (Starting 27th October). This will be organised and run by Active Schools.

If you would like to register your child visit the following website:

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/Newcumnock1/

Interested in Rugby?

Cumnock Rugby Club are looking to get YOU playing rugby, GIRL or BOY no matter your ability.

Training is on THURSDAY evenings at 6pm- 7pm at the new BARONY CAMPUS and MATCHES on SUNDAYS.

The things we work on developing and focus most on is:

• YOU having Fun – Your discipline and respect
• Your self- confidence – Making friends
• Your fitness – Your knowledge of the game
• Your teamwork – Your skills to play the game!

All coaches are qualified and PVG registered

So come along and give it a try!

Barnardo’s PATHS® Programme for Schools

Privacy Notice

 Dear parent / carer

Barnardo’s is working in partnership with your child’s school delivering The PATHS® Programme for Schools (UK Version).  Throughout their time at school, your child’s class will participate in PATHS® lessons which are delivered to meet the statutory guidelines for the Health and Wellbeing curriculum.  The PATHS® Programme aims to develop children’s social and emotional skills, and is delivered by class teachers as part of the school day.

To make sure the work we are delivering is being effective we collect a range of information.  This includes teacher and pupil surveys, training evaluation forms, feedback from parents, teachers, pupils and Headteachers.  This information is used to improve the service and may be shared with funders, your child’s school and used anonymously in reports or materials to describe the service.

This information will be used in broad statements such as;

• 89% of pupils stated that PATHS® has helped them understand their own emotions
• Teacher surveys highlight a 60% improvement in social and emotional competence

Barnardo’s is the controller of this information and as such is legally accountable for keeping your data secure, acting within the law and ensuring your rights are maintained.

As your child is participating in the PATHS® Programme they may be asked to complete an evaluation form.  Teachers will also be asked to randomly select a small number of children to complete surveys on.

In accordance with programme funding requirements the surveys / feedback are held for 5 years and then securely deleted.

If you would prefer that your child does not complete an evaluation form please let us know by contacting your child’s teacher.

Barnardo’s fully complies with the new GDPR legislation, and a full copy of Barnardo’s privacy notice (https://www.barnardos.org.uk/privacy-notice) is available should you wish to read it. You may also contact us using the details below should you have any questions or wish to see the information we hold.

 Barnardo’s Scotland Service Manager

Alison McIntyre

Unit 10,000, Academy Park

Gower Street,

Glasgow,

G51 1DR

Email Alison.mcintyre@barnardos.org.uk

Barnardo’s Data Protection Officer

Martine King

Barnardo’s

Tanners Lane

Barkingside

Ilford

Essex

IG6 1QG

Email dpo@barnardos.org.uk

As part of the communities flood prevention scheme, works will be taking place starting Monday 6th September in the access road at the back of the school. While this takes place, this area will be shut to the public.

The gate at the ECC lane will still be accessible during this time and will continue to be used by our P2-3 classes to enter/ exit the school.

Working in partnership with Active Schools, we will be opening our playground to allow a new multi sport club to take place on Wednesdays 4pm-5pm.  Please see detail above.

If you would like to register your child visit the following website:

https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/Newcumnock1/