Balmullo Primary School follows the Curriculum for Excellence, a national framework which is providing our children with learning experiences and opportunities to prepare them for learning, life and work in a changing world. Children learn actively in eight different curricular areas following a curriculum designed by each school to reflect their particular needs and circumstances.

 Click here to access national advice for parents.

All schools follow the same principles in designing the curriculum, aimed at ensuring that children have the experiences and opportunities to become:

• Successful Learners
• Confident Individuals
• Effective Contributors
• Responsible Citizens

Literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing are addressed throughout the curriculum and children’s wider achievements are fully recognised and celebrated, reflecting the value given to wider learning and children’s experiences out of school.

Children are fully consulted throughout their learning and in decisions about what they learn and how they learn it. There are opportunities throughout the school year for parents to receive information and be consulted upon the curriculum children are following, particularly in relation to more sensitive aspects of learning.

Religious and moral education is a core subject for all pupils attending primary and secondary schools in Scotland. Schools also provide opportunities for religious observance in order to promote the spiritual development of the school community. Parents can choose to withdraw their children from participation in religious education or religious observance. Parents wishing to do this should contact the headteacher. The school will make arrangements for pupils to participate in a suitable alternative activity.

Further information about the curriculum is available on the school website, and more general information regarding Curriculum for Excellence can be found at Parentzone, a national resource developed by Education Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.

During the school year a variety of After School Clubs run which children are encouraged to attend.

We encourage our pupils to be actively engaged in school life and children have the opportunity to be involved and express their opinions through a variety of forums; Parent Council (Infant, Junior and Senior) Eco group, charitable events, Open Afternoons for parents and carers.

School improvement

Our Standards and Quality Report and School Improvement Plan Priorities are shared with all stakeholders. Copies of these documents are available on our school websites or at www.fife.gov.uk/schools-statutory-information.

Instrumental instruction

Children who show musical promise may qualify for instrumental instruction. The types of instrument offered by Fife Education and Children’s Services are violin, viola, cello, double bass, clarsach, woodwind, brass, piano/keyboard, bass guitar, guitar, percussion, chanter and pipe band drumming. The type of instrument available differs from school to school and generally only one type will be available to children in a school.

More information about the music service is available at www.fife.gov.uk/musicservice

Please tell the Headteacher if you do not wish your child to be considered for instrumental instruction.

Assessment is a vital part of learning and teaching at all stages of a learners’ education journey through the Broad General Education (BGE) Nursery to S3 and in the Senior Phase S4-S6. It should be an ongoing process and involve the learner making decisions about their next steps. This takes two forms, assessment that happens at the end of a block of learning that checks how much a child has understood (summative) and assessment that is continuous (formative).

Summative Assessment

This is used to check how successful the learner has been at the transferring skills taught across all areas of the curriculum. It is one way of gathering evidence for reporting to parents or measuring learners progress and achievement. This supports the teacher to make professional judgements about a learners’ progress when used alongside evidence gathered from formative assessment. Standardised assessments are also used when appropriate to gather evidence on their progress in comparison to a cross section of children of a similar age.

Formative Assessment

This supports our learners to know what they are learning, how they will recognise if the learning has taken place and what steps they can take to bridge the gap between what they know and need to learn by this process. Teachers are skilled in using a variety of techniques to formatively assess their learners progress and take this into consideration when making professional judgements about successes and next steps for each learner.

Assessment evidence allows teaching staff to track the progress learners are making and to adapt their practice appropriately. This assessment evidence is then used to support learners who require additional support for learning or for those who require additional challenge in learning. It is important that evidence gathered through assessment be used to improve learning and teaching in our school. We are committed to involving learners and their parents in learning and to report on progress they are making.

In the Senior Phase (S4 – 6) continuous assessment is supplemented by formal examinations, at some levels, and practical tests/investigations. Much of the work of National Qualification courses is internally assessed by the school itself and forms part of the final award. In addition to Unit Assessments for National Qualifications, Preliminary Examinations take place in National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses. These give all learners the chance to practice sitting a formal examination which matches the ‘real thing’ closely and it also gives them a formal diet of examinations which mirror the experience of final exams in April to June each year.

Reporting

It is very important to keep you informed of your child’s progress at school. This allows you to have an understanding of your child’s strengths and next steps in learning. Reporting takes many forms and is used to both give feedback on achievements and next steps and to create an agenda for discussion between learners and their peers, their teacher and with parents at formal parent meetings. When reporting on a learners’ progress this should be positive, specific, supportive and give a clear overview of learning progress. Feedback will be provided for parents at parents’ meetings and in formal written reports. Formal written reports will be based on the various ways in which we report formally and informally throughout the school year. Reports provide an overall summary of progress, achievements and next steps in learning in line with Curriculum for Excellence.

Schools formally report to parents through our Parent Teacher interviews twice a year in November and March. A written report is provided in June each year.

Feedback

Pupils will receive feedback from their teachers in a number of ways. Teachers and pupils will engage in learning conversations on a daily basis as they discuss experiences and achievements. Pupils may also receive feedback in the form of written comment in their jotters from their teacher and/or from peers. Feedback will be constructive, telling the pupil what they have done well and what they should do next to continue improvement. We encourage pupils to take note of feedback and to act on it.