Moray Council Information for Parents and Carers

Review the link for information and guidance on educational matters for parents and carers.

http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_39857.html

Seafield Primary and Nursery Policies and Procedures

Additional Needs Support

There are 2 teachers to support children who have additional support needs.

Support is provided to individuals and groups of children within classes for a variety of reasons. It may be for a specific learning difficulty, a behavioural need, a medical need or for a child with particular abilities.

The Council has a policy of integrating children with Additional Support Needs into mainstream schools wherever possible and this is fully supported by Seafield. Where these children may have needs which the school cannot cater for within its current staffing and resources it can request additional advice, manpower, expertise and resources from the Authority through such bodies as the Educational Psychology Service. The school maintains close links and utilises the services of these and other supportive services.

Anti-Bullying

The pupils, parents and staff of Seafield School assert that it is the right of every child to attend school without fear of physical or verbal abuse, threats or intimidation.

The aims of this policy are to provide a guideline for all children, their parents and staff as to acceptable standards of behaviour and ways to achieve that, to provide a safe and happy environment for all children and to foster an attitude of consideration for others within the school community.

To achieve these aims it is vital that all concerned – children, parents and teachers accept their responsibility and acknowledge that bullying can not be defeated and standards of behaviour improved unless there is close co-operation and partnership between home and school.

Before going on to itemise the specific provisions of the policy that will achieve its aims I think it is vital that a definition of bullying is given. I would regard bullying as any form of violent or aggressive behaviour, either verbal or physical (and whether intentional or not) which could place another person in a state of fear, alarm, distress or worry.

The following measures will be adhered to in order to achieve the aims of the policy.

Behaviour

The school is a community which exists to promote the education of all its pupils.

Everyone has to abide by certain basic rules and standards of behaviour if the work of the school is to go successfully ahead.

Pupil and Authority

The rules and regulations of school are drawn up to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the school community and to protect the pupil’s right to learn. A pupil should carry out all reasonable instructions given by a member of school staff. Pupils have the reasons for each of these rules explained to them.

Pupil and Work

In order to benefit from what the school has to offer a pupil should be punctual for all activities and should not be absent from school or any timetabled activity without reasonable cause. The pupil should give attention to the work assigned in class, for preparation at home, or in other study time. All pupils should develop the habit of careful concentration on the tasks which are set by members of staff, whether oral, written or practical. It is important for pupils to have with them and use sensibly the books, equipment, materials and clothing which are appropriate for the work to be undertaken.

Pupil and Teacher

All pupils should accept that teachers are attempting to help the individual and the class to learn. The pupils will be treated with courtesy and should respond with courtesy. Teachers have a right to expect co-operation.

Pupil and Pupil

Pupils should behave towards each other in the same way they would like to be treated by other people.

Pupil and Property

Pupils must take care of all books, equipment, buildings and open spaces provided for them so that everyone obtains continuing benefit from their use. Other people and their property are to be respected. Whether property is private or public, the same degree of care must be taken.

Pupil and Public

The behaviour of pupils outside school should reflect the same habits of courtesy and consideration for others which are expected in school.

In Seafield this guidance is explained to pupils in the following terms:-

1. Learning to be a useful Member of Society

The school rules have been framed to foster the child’s respect for himself and to develop consideration for others and the property of others.

They are similar to those operating in every good home and may be grouped as follows:-

a) Learning Self Control

tell the truth (no matter how bad things seem)
settle your arguments without fighting or calling names
choose your friends carefully
walk away from gangs and wrong-doing
tell your parents or your teacher if you are in any sort of difficulty or trouble
treat others as you wish them to treat you
if bullied or hit tell a teacher or supervisor. Do not take the law into your own hands.

b) Keeping safe

walk in the corridors and on the stairs
put litter in a bin
stay in the playground at break (and at lunch time if you have school meals)
do not throw stones.

c) Care of property

have your name on your personal property
treat school and school equipment as if they belong to you and your parents (they do indeed since they are paid for by Income Tax and Council Tax)
leave your bicycle at home unless you have a licence.

Pupils are given encouragement and praise for effort and fair dealing; minor misdemeanours are dealt with fairly and with understanding; but impertinence, lying, stealing and bullying will neither be overlooked nor condoned.

The right of all pupils to learn and to profit from their school days must be upheld.

Sanctions

If all forms of positive encouragement towards acceptable social behaviour fail, sanctions will be employed.

Parents are always informed if the school is concerned by a child’s difficulty in achieving acceptable behaviour.

The Head Teacher is readily available to see parents by appointment.

Sanctions which may be used include:-

a) debarment from a school team or activity

b) detention

c) the setting of a piece of extra work to be completed outwith school time

d) exclusion from school

The school will suggest the involvement of the Child Guidance Service in some cases. Experience has shown intervention by this service to be most helpful to school staff and parents alike.

Child Protection Policy

School Child Protection Co-ordinator
This the Head Teacher, Miss Snodgrass. Any issues of child protection, care and welfare can be discussed with the class teacher or with the Head Teacher directly. Any concerns over these issues would be brought to the Head Teacher’s attention by the class teacher.
The Moray Council is guided by the North East of Scotland Child Protection Committee in Child Protection matters. The following statement applies to all Moray schools:

“It is the duty of the Moray Council and all its staff to ensure, as far as possible, that all children are protected from the danger of child abuse in all its forms:
Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual abuse, Neglect.
Where school staff have concerns about a pupil which suggests the possibility of abuse, then these concerns will be discussed with a member of the Social Work Department to determine what, if any, actions needs to be taken. Under these circumstances, parents will not normally be consulted first.”

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Head Lice Policy

Summary of Policy

1. This revision supercedes all previous policies.

2. The rotational treatment policy previously advised is unenforceable and no longer recommended.

3. Treatment (2 applications of lotions 7 days apart) should only be applied if live lice are detected.

4. All close contacts should be advised to check their hair but not to treat unless live lice are found.

5. If treatment fails and live lice persist a GP/Health Visitor/Pharmacist should be consulted for advice regarding alternative treatment. (N.B. nits are empty egg cases and will remain after the lice are dead.)

6. Treatment does not prevent re-infection.

7. Regular wet combing should be encouraged, both for diagnosis and for removal of nits and dead lice after treatment.

8. Grampian Health Board does not endorse alternative products (e.g. herbal treatments, louse repellants).

Prevention

Anti-lice treatments do NOT prevent infection.
Children should have a brush and comb and be taught to use them. Children and adults should brush or comb their hair twice a day. This may help prevent any infection becoming established.

Diagnosis

Parents should watch for early signs of infection (black dust on the pillow) and use a detector comb if ever they suspect head lice and whenever they are warned of a possible contact.
When washing the hair the sink plug should be inserted so that the water can be checked for any lice that may have been washed off.
Parents should use a detector comb on wet hair each week to check for lice. Combing may be helped by the presence of hair conditioner applied to the wet hair and combed through thoroughly. Wet combing may also remove newly hatched lice before they are sexually mature and able to lay eggs, thus reducing the extent of the infection.

Contact Tracing

Contact tracing is the family’s responsibility. All close contacts should be informed. The aim is to warn everyone who may have caught the lice from the infected person and to detect the source of the infection – frequently a symptomless adult carrier.

Schools

Transmission of lice within the classroom is relatively rare. When it does occur, it is usually from a “best friend”. At any one time, most schools will have a few children who have active infection with head lice (0% to 5%).

Schools are encouraged to follow the protocol on the management of head lice. Educational information should be provided to parents and children on a regular basis, preferably as part of a package dealing with other issues. The topic of head lice should be incorporated into the school health education curriculum at all ages.

If the school is informed of head lice by a parent, the school should NOT routinely send out an “alert letter” to other parents. This leads to an inflated perception of prevalence, to unnecessary, inappropriate, or ineffective action and to a great deal of unwarranted anxiety and distress. It also leads to the misuse and/or overuse of treatment.

However, there may be occasions when it becomes more beneficial to inform parents (e.g. repeated re-infection within a class) and the Head Teacher should follow the protocol in such cases. The School Nurse should be informed in confidence of all cases of head lice infection. If there is a persistent problem in a school then a combined approach involving School Nurse, Health Visitor, parents and school staff should be employed.

The child need not be excluded from school before the end of the school day (except in extreme circumstances) and should return to school after the first treatment has been applied. Only in rare cases should statutory measures need to be taken. (See section on legal issues).

PLAYGROUPS/NURSERIES

Transmission of lice within playgroups and nurseries is relatively rare. When it does occur, it is usually from a “best friend”.
Playgroups/nurseries are encouraged to follow the protocol on the management of head lice. Educational information should be provided to parents and children on a regular basis, preferably as part of a package dealing with other issues and the topic of head lice should be incorporated into health education at all ages.

If the playgroup/nursery is informed of head lice by a parent, the staff should NOT routinely send out an “alert letter” to other parents. This leads to an inflated perception of prevalence, to unnecessary, inappropriate, or ineffective action

However, there may be occasions when it becomes more beneficial to inform parents and the Head of the playgroup/nursery should follow the protocol in such cases.

If there is a persistent problem in the playgroup/nursery then Health Visitors should be contacted for advice and support.

If a member of staff identifies an infected child, the child’s parents should be informed and advised about treatment, contact tracing and detection combing (see Appendix 1). If a member of staff suspects that a child is infected but requires confirmation, it may be necessary to contact the Health Visitor for advice. The child need not be excluded from playgroup/nursery before the end of the day (except in extreme circumstances), and should return after the first treatment has been applied.

Health and Safety Policy

Illness or Accident during School Hours

Minor cuts or bruises will normally be dealt with by school staff, most of whom are trained in First Aid. There will be occasions, however, when medical help will be required.

If at all possible, parents will be contacted before the child is given medical attention.

There will be occasions too, when a child becomes ill in school and will require to be taken home or to an adult designated by the parent. To meet such eventualities the school

Maintains family records
Parents are asked to notify the school immediately of any changes of telephone number so that it may be noted.
Issues “Emergency Address” slips to all families when they come to school and at the start of each session (for updating).
The “Emergency” address of an adult who will take charge of the child should the parents be unavailable for any reason is frequently used when children are sick, develop “flu” etc. Parents should explain the significance of the “Emergency” address to their children.
Requests that notification of any change of either parents’ place of work and work telephone number be given in writing to the school office immediately.
Requests immediate notification of any health hazard which may develop, e.g. diabetes.
No insurance cover is held by the Council to provide automatic compensation to pupils in the event of a personal accident or death. It is your responsibility as a parent to insure your child for personal accident or death if you feel this is appropriate.

The Council does hold third party liability insurance which indemnifies the Council for claims from third parties (e.g. parents of pupils) who have suffered injuries, illness, loss or damage arising from the negligence of the Council or its employees. However, if there is no negligence, no claim would be accepted by the Council.

This information is brought to your attention at this time in order that you may take whatever action you feel appropriate. We are also particularly anxious to avoid the potentially distressing situation of parents only becoming aware of the insurance position after an accident has occurred, however remote this possibility.

Medicines in School

A copy of the “Supporting Pupils with Medical Needs in Schools including The Administration of Medicines” guidance document is available at the school. This guidance is followed by school and requires parents to fill out a form requesting the school to administer medicine.

Whilst school staff have a general duty regarding health and safety it is NHS Grampian who have the legal responsibility regarding medical treatment of pupils. Generally, however, in Moray schools there will be staff who, with appropriate training, will be able to administer essential medication.

In line with policy agreed by the Senior Clinical Medical Officer, schools will only administer medicines with the written approval of a medical practitioner. Painkillers such as aspirin and paracetamol fall into this category and will, therefore, not be administered on pupil request.

Out of School Visits

We strongly believe that first hand experience greatly enriches a child’s educational experience so out of school visits are encouraged as part of the Environmental Studies programme particularly.

Moray Council policy is followed in organising visits. This involves informing parents, preparing a risk assessment and ensuring an adequate level of supervision.

Pupils are given definite instructions on how to move safely as a class or group when on a school excursion.

Pupils who disobey these instructions will be barred from similar outings since they endanger not only themselves but others.

Promoting Positive Behaviour

To encourage children to achieve the best they possibly can both academically and socially we have a system of merit stickers, cards, certificates and awards. These culminate in our annual prize giving where the top awards are the Dux Medal for academic excellence and the Citizenship award.

School Ethos

We try to make the school an open, friendly place which the children enjoy attending. We do this by valuing individuals and fostering mutual respect.

We encourage children to have a love of learning and to take a pride in achievement.

Children are encouraged to have a sense of ownership of their school through giving them responsibility, choice and a stake in decision making and thus a pride in their school and themselves.

Transport and Attendance

Most children live within walking distance of the school and as part of the transport plan children and parents are encouraged to walk to and from school.

However, all primary and secondary pupils who live more than 2 miles from their school will be provided with free transport to their local catchment school.

Door-to-door transport is not guaranteed.

In certain circumstances children may be required to walk up to 2 miles as appropriate.

Attendance

The Education (Scotland) Act, 1980 requires parents to ensure that their children attend school regularly and clearly this is in the children’s interest. If a child has to be absent from school for any reason, the school should be notified as early as possible by phone, and a note of explanation from the parent should be sent to school on the child’s return.

The Education Committee has decreed that unexplained absences should be reported to the Inclusion Manager who will take appropriate actions to ensure statutory requirements are met.

Website Privacy Policy

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Policy amendments
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