Category Archives: news

General Information, Information from school, news

Attendance

Impact of Absences

Being absent from school reduces the number of lessons a pupil will attend for every subject. The tables below show the significant impact absences have on teaching and learning.

How many lessons will a pupil miss based on weekly absences?

Number of days absent per week Number of lessons missed per week Number of lessons missed per month
One day 7 28
Two days 14 56
Three days 21 84

 

How many lessons will a pupil miss a year based on monthly absences?

Number of days absent per month Number of lessons missed per academic year
Three days 231
Five days 385
Ten days 770

 

Arriving late to School

If a pupil arrives late to school in the morning or to class during the day, important events such as assemblies, teacher instructions and the handing out of resources can be missed.

The table below indicates how frequent late coming equates to a significant amount of missed teaching.

 

 

Minutes late per day

  

 

Approximate number of days teaching lost per year

  

 

Approximate number of lessons missed per year
Five minutes 3 19
Ten minutes 5 ½ 38
Fifteen minutes 8 57

 

 

Attendance percentage breakdown

75% attendance across 4 years results in a pupil missing one full teaching year by the end of fouth year.

90% attendance means that a pupil is absent from lessons for the equivalent of one-half day every week. Over five years, this is the equivalent of approximately one half of a school year.

An average attendance of 90% can significantly hinder future opportunities both within further education and the workforce. Every school day and every lesson is important, make them count!

news

Learning from Home

Learning from Home

Yesterday our staff met in school to plan for the online learning due to begin on the 11th January. As you know pupils will not return to school until at least 1st February. We have been asked by the Scottish Government to provide learning in school for pupils whose parent or parents have been classed as key workers. We have also been asked to provide places for pupils who may require additional support due to circumstances (vulnerable group). School Transport will run as normal  but may change as the lockdown goes on depending on demand.

To cut down on the amount of movement around the school and reduce the risk of spreading the virus we introduced a Red/Blue week timetable. There will be no Red/Blue timetable during this lockdown, this applies to the pupils working from home and the keyworker/vulnerable pupils attending school.

We do not intend at this time to have live online lessons, our experience from the last lockdown was that they were fraught with difficulty and it was much easier for pupils if staff uploaded Presentations and set weekly assignments.   Pupils should engage with their learning on a regular basis, obviously some sort of routine, e.g. a timetable that had been agreed within the family, would be best.

We expect that pupils will be always respectful when engaging with GLOW and TEAMS.

For those pupils whose circumstances mean that they are attending school they will be supported by staff to complete the work set by their subject teachers. In order for staff to prepare, deliver and provide feedback for online learning the supervision of pupils in school will be carried out on a rota basis. I tended to use the phrase, well known to parents across the world, “What do you think the teacher means by that?” when supervising Primary Pupils during the last lockdown.

Year group Assembly on Tuesday 12th January

We plan to have online assemblies on Tuesday morning for all year groups. Pupils will be invited on Tuesday morning to join their assembly through their Year group Team.  A message will appear on Tuesday morning in their Year group Team with a JOIN button, just click it when it is time for your Assembly.

Assembly Times

S5/6 1030

S4 1100

S3 1130

S2 1200

S1 1230

I hope you have had a good holiday. Similar to the last TEAMS Assemblies that we had in June 2020 pupils can post questions in the chat section and I will try to answer them at the end of my presentation.  All cameras and microphones should be turned off, this will help with the quality of the video feed from the school.

Online Resources

The following online resources are available and are highly recommended:

For all pupils BBC BiteSize, materials and resources

For S3 to S6 pupils

SCHOLAR courses, tutorials and resources

Bright Red course materials

E-Sgoil resources and live online lessons

You can find more information and resources on our ‘Learning at Home‘ page.

No Broadband Connection?

The Government website is promoting a scheme for pupils who do not have a fixed broadband connection : “Who can get help? This scheme is open to children and young people who:

  • don’t have access to a fixed broadband connection
  • cannot afford the additional data needed to access educational resources or social care services
  • have access to a mobile device that uses a participating network
  • are facing disruption to their face-to-face education, or have been advised not to attend school

Please click the link below for more details:

https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk/about-increasing-mobile-data

Can I remind parents, carers and pupils that we are here to help. If there is something bothering you or you are unsure about then please ask. No such thing as a daft question during a lockdown!

Take care,

John Robertson

Headteacher

Calderhead High School

 

news

St Andrew’s Hospice Coffee Morning

St Andrews Hospice LogoThe Calderhead Captain and Prefects team organised a coffee morning for staff on Friday, 27 November. They raised £233.80 for St Andrew’s Hospice. The Hospice provides specialist palliative care to people living with life-limiting illnesses, and their loved ones and carers too.

It was a slightly different event this year with Covid 19  restrictions in place but staff nonetheless enjoyed their sandwiches and cakes!

Well done to Matthew and the team for organising the coffee morning.

 

news, outdoor, sport

Children in Need 2020

Rounders 2020UPDATE: Well done to Calderhead High School’s  Captains and Prefects team who raised £671.01 for Children in Need!

They organised a dress down day and Rounders Festival for BBC Children in Need on Friday, 13th November. Staff and pupils  braved the inclement Shotts weather to play spirited games of rounders in their year groups and a great time was had by all. Well done to everyone who organised and participated in the fundraising activities.

Parents and carers can help the fundraising effort by donating at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/calderheadhsprefectteam

 

General Information, news

Parent’s Guide to Microsoft Teams

Following on from feedback received from our Connectivity survey, we have created a guide for parents and carers in accessing Microsoft Teams. Please click on image below.

This platform is widely used by school staff to provide work, set homework, share resources and communicate with pupils. We hope that you can take some time to access the guide and support your son/daughter in accessing Teams from home.

Microsoft Teams Logo
Teams info
news

Children in Need 2020

Our Children in Need fundraising will be different this year. As the current restrictions do not allow us to have assemblies, we cannot do our usual talent show. However, Calderhead High School’s  Captain and Prefect Team  have arranged an outdoor Rounders Festival  on Friday, 13th November 2020. Pupils will be asked to pay £1 to participate.

This will also be a ‘Come as Yourself’ dress down day for all pupils and staff, who will be asked to donate £1 if possible.

They have also set up a ‘Just Giving’ page and  would appreciate it if you would help them raise as much money as possible to support Children in Need.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/calderheadhsprefectteam

Information from school, news

COVID 19 Safety Measures in place in Calderhead High School

Latest update: the Scottish Government has announced that from Monday, 2nd November 2020 all senior  pupils (S4-S6) are required to wear face coverings in classrooms as well as corridors and communal areas.

Our number one priority remains that pupils are safe when they attend Calderhead High School. Since we returned in August, we have put extra measures in place to keep our community safe. As we return to school after a holiday weekend, I thought I would share with you what these measures are. I have no doubt that before June 2021 we will have added to this list. We are all aware that the three main causes of transmission of this Coronavirus is touching an infected surface and transferring this to our mouths, nose or eyes (Hand Hygiene and cleaning surfaces) or by breathing in droplets from an infected person (2m distance and face covering) or by ingesting tiny infected particles in the air (good ventilation and being outside)

Can I ask for your support in reminding pupils to wear a face covering on school transport, to wear a face covering on entry to school, in social areas and in corridors. To socialise with their friends outside prior to the start of the school day, at interval and at lunchtime. Also, that pupils should stay at least 2m away from staff and they should wash or sanitise their hands frequently throughout the day.

If you have any concerns about your child can I encourage you to contact their Principal Teacher of Pupil Support who will offer not only a sympathetic ear, but great advice gathered from years of experience.

Changes we have made this term

  1. Risk Assessment carried out prior to opening in August and reviewed on a regular basis.

  2. Face Masks are provided to staff and pupils if you do not have a face covering.

  3. Face coverings are required on school transport.

  4. Drivers of school transport are required to wear face coverings

  5. Hand sanitiser dispensing units at each entrance to the school

  6. Automatic Hand sanitiser dispensing units at entrance and exit of all corridors on all floors.

  7. Double periods introduced to reduce number of classes pupils are in each day.

  8. Double periods introduced to reduce the change overs from 18 to 3 per week.

  9. All pupils facing in the same direction in each class.

  10. S5 and S6 pupils seated within their own year group in each class.

  11. No Senior Pupils travelling to other schools or college for courses, e.g. Advanced Higher, Foundation Apprenticeship, Highers, National 5, Vocational Courses.

  12. No Senior Pupils travelling from other schools to Calderhead High School for courses.

  13. Perspex screens used in class when one to one staff help is often required.

  14. Perspex screens in place in canteen when ordering, collecting, and paying for food using cashless system.

  15. Pupils can pre-order and pay for food using Fusion App.

  16. No cash tills, money can be added to cards using the revaluating machines.

  17. Practical PE is outdoors only

  18. No changing rooms in use for PE.

  19. PE kit to be worn on the days when pupils have PE

  20. As well as in PE changes to the curriculum have been made in Music, Home Economics, Science

  21. Changes have been made to the delivery of lessons in all subjects.

  22. Desks wiped down at the end of each lesson

  23. Library books quarantined for 72 hours

  24. Face coverings to be worn in social areas.

  25. Face coverings to be worn in corridors

  26. From Monday 2nd November, all S4-S6 pupils are required to wear face coverings in classrooms as well as corridors and communal areas. Face coverings can also be worn in class by younger pupils if they so wish

  27. Pupils encouraged, if indoors, to sit with pupils from their year group at interval and lunch.

  28. 2nd S6 common room opened to allow for better distancing.

  29. S4 and S5 are now seated in the large space of the Assembly Hall to socialise in at Interval and Lunchtime.

  30. Pupils encouraged to go outside at Interval and Lunchtime

  31. S1 pupils can now leave the campus during Lunchtime.

  32. 2m distance between staff at all times.

  33. 2m distance between staff and pupils.

  34. Staff wearing face coverings in senior classes and when they deem necessary in the classroom.

  35. Pupils spaced out as much as possible in each class.

  36. Pupils encouraged regularly to wash hands using hot water and soap.

  37. Visitors limited to only those that are deemed essential to the school.

  38. Any visitor needs to wear a face covering and register their contact details.

  39. As key workers priority testing for staff or any member of their household if they show symptoms.

  40. Regular briefing updates from NLC.

  41. Headteacher on call 24/7 if there is a positive test.

  42. NLC protocols in place for dealing with a Positive Test, pupil or staff.

  43. Pupils encouraged to exit the building by nearest stairway and fire doors to prevent congestion.

  44. Pupils encouraged to make their way to class using the stairway nearest their classroom, prevent congestion

  45. S6 pupils to use “staff stairs” to make their way to class, to prevent congestion.

  46. 100 litres of extra hand sanitiser purchased and available in each classroom.

  47. Boxes of tissues deployed in each room.

  48. Electronic thermometer purchased to check for high temperatures.

  49. Isolation room and protocols set up.

  50. Our no shouting policy has been reinforced.

  51. We do not have permission for extracurricular clubs to take place.

  52. We are not permitted to offer in school study support.

  53. Day cleaner, whose remit is to minimise the risk of transmission

  54. Protocols for using PPE when dealing with first aid situations.

  55. Keep left signs have been deployed around the school

  56. Information Posters have been deployed around the school.

  57. Pupils have been encouraged not to share equipment, drinks and food.

  58. All equipment is sprayed and wiped down after use or left to soak as per regulations.

  59. S1 pupils leave class 5 mins early at interval, lunch and end of day to avoid congestion.

  60. Staff have been encouraged to ensure their rooms are well ventilated, with the door and windows open.

  61. Pupil homework, in most subjects, has moved to a digital platform to reduce the risk of transmission.

  62. No assemblies, this is for all year groups.

  63. No visiting speakers, e.g. Nil By Mouth, No Knives better Lives, Show Racism the Red Card

  64. Higher Modern Studies and History teachers making videos and putting resources on line to facilitate learning for pupils who cannot attend their classes.

  65. Video and online lessons for consortia pupils and Foundation Apprenticeships.

  66. No Parents’ Nights scheduled before Christmas.

  67. InterHouse sporting events postponed.

John Robertson

Headteacher

Calderhead High School