Tag Archives: A Welcome From The Head Teacher

Welcome from the Head Teacher

Dear Parents,

The staff and I would like to welcome all parents and their children, particularly those who are new to the school. We hope that this handbook will offer an introduction to our school and a general overview of the  education your child will be getting at school.

We do value the contribution parents make to support their children’s education and we look forward to working in partnership with all of you during your child’s time here.

The purpose of the School Handbook is to provide parents with some basic information about the school and to provide a point of reference for many of the common questions that arise throughout the school year.

We welcome all our parents into the school and are happy to meet with you to discuss any issues or concerns you may have regarding your child. We hope that your child will be happy during their time in Bernera School and similarly we hope that you will be keen to actively join in with the school community during that time also.

Along with my staff, I look forward to meeting with you at various points throughout the course of the year.

If you have any questions, or would like any further information on any aspect of this handbook or the education of your child, please do not hesitate to contact me.

To make our handbook easy to use, we have divided the information up into five different sections.

SECTION ONE – PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This section provides you with some background information on our school.  It deals with the practical aspects of your child’s attendance at our school.  It provides details on such things as:

¨ the school day and school year

¨ how to contact the school if your child is ill

¨ travelling to and from school

¨ school meals

¨ financial assistance with school clothing, transport and school meals

¨ school closures in an emergency or unexpectedly for any reason

¨ general supervision available for your child in the morning and at lunch time

¨ wet weather details

¨ how the school communicates with parents

¨ how to complain if you are not happy about something

¨ an overview of school policies.

SECTION TWO – PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN THE SCHOOL

This section contains information about how parents can be involved in supporting learning at home as part of a home – school partnership.

You can also find out more about the ethos of the school, what our values are and our aspirations for our  pupils including how we celebrate pupil success, links we have with partner organisations and the wider local, national and international community.

Lastly, it includes information on our Parent Council, how to contact them and how parents can get involved in the life and work of the school.

SECTION THREE – SCHOOL CURRICULUM

This section describes how the curriculum is planned and delivered in the school including the range of subjects and subjects your child will be learning.  It also includes information on how pupils develop skills for learning, life and work including literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing in and out of the classroom.

As well as giving you information about the statutory curriculum requirements we have included details on sports and outdoor activities available to pupils and the range of facilities available within the school.

Details of how parents will be informed about sensitive aspects of learning e.g. relationships, sexual health,  parenthood and drugs awareness are included as well as information about religious education and observance and arrangements for parents who wish to exercise their right to withdraw their child.

This handbook also tells you how we will report on your child’s progress and what written reports may be sent out to parents.

SECTION FOUR – SUPPORT FOR PUPILS

This section gives information about how pupils’ additional support needs will be identified and addressed and the types of specialist services provided within our school.  This handbook also explains who to contact for more information if you think your child has additional support needs.

This section also gives information about transition – from primary school to secondary school – what the  arrangements are and contact details of the secondary high school to which our pupils normally transfer.  There are also details about making a placing request to another school.

SECTION FIVE – SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

This section gives you an overview of the main achievements of the school within the last twelve months and performance information relating to literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing.

While Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is happy to provide this information, we do have some reservations that the publication of raw statistics, without any kind of informed qualification, can be misleading to the reader.  In particular, they should not be construed as offering an indication of the quality of education provided in any of our schools.

We have also shown where you can get further information about our plans for the next three years to improve our performance and how the school will involve parents in that improvement.

We hope you find all of the information helpful and self explanatory.  If you have any queries about any of the information contained in this handbook, or indeed about any aspect of our school, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

I would like to make it clear that all information contained within this School Handbook was considered to be correct at the time of publication in December 2013.  It may be that if you are viewing this Handbook at a later date that some information may have changed and that some inaccuracies are included. If you are in any doubt about the veracity of information contained within the Handbook, please do not hesitate to contact the school to speak to myself or a member of my staff who will be happy to provide you with up-to-date and accurate information

Your sincerely

Kirsteen J. Maclean

Head Teacher

Bernera School