All posts by Mrs Gordon

Communication

News

Communicating with Parents

Portmoak is a school that takes a great deal of pride in our family atmosphere and welcoming ethos. We do endeavour to be an open school and will get back to parents as quickly as possible, usually responding within 24 hours except for holidays and weekends, and certainly well within the Council minimum standards for customer service. We do appreciate that you put a great deal of trust in us looking after your children and that parents need to feel all concerns or requests, no matter how small, will be given attention in a timeous manner.

 

We use a wide range of methods to communicate with parents. As well as phone, text message and email, we also have a Headteacher’s newsletter monthly, which updates parents on what is going on in school. This contains opportunities for parents to get involved in the life of the school, for example through ‘Meet the Teacher’ open afternoons (Autumn), parent workshops, parents’ evenings (Autumn/Winter and Spring), class and special assemblies (throughout the year, relevant dates are in the newsletter) and special events such as Sports Day, coffee mornings or fundraising events. We recommend you add the school email to your safe senders list.

 

We use Seesaw to share children’s progress in learning with home, as well as for messages and announcements from the class teachers. School trips are signed up for and paid for through the ParentPay website, which also allows those not on free school lunches to pay for school dinners. We are a cash free school now, so all payments are to be made through ParentPay.

 

Throughout the year we host a ‘Parent Coffee and Catch Up’ in the school library. This is an informal chance to come along, meet with other parents and the Headteacher and generally just catch up. There are often representatives from the parent council there, as well as other members of staff on occasion.

 

We are delighted that all parents are now on our email circulation list, and on ParentPay, as this enables instant communication and takes away from the issue of children leaving notes in their school bags or trays. Parents are also encouraged to make use of the school website www.portmoakprimary.co.uk and to follow us on Twitter on @PortmoakPS. Please note that the text message service does not alert us to incoming messages, so unless we ask for a reply to a message, please use email, phone, or pop in to see us with a message.

 

 

Mobile Phones and Other Electronic Devices

 

We would ask that you encourage your child to leave all electronic items at home and do not allow them to bring them to school. This includes watches which are capable of taking photographs or making calls. Fitbits or similar smart watches may be worn if desired, but please note that no liability is taken by the school for loss or damage.

 

If you feel there is an occasion when your child requires access to a mobile phone at the end of the day (for example if they are going straight to a friend’s house) then they may hand their mobile phone into the office at 9.00am for safe keeping and can collect this at the end of the school day.

 

Rest assured that staff will continue to contact you in the usual manner if there is any concern about your child’s health or wellbeing during their time at school.

 

 

Noting concerns

News

We are committed to working with parents and are able to resolve matters quickly and effectively in the majority of cases.

If you have a concern about your child, please contact the Headteacher by phone, email or by making an appointment to come in. You can usually also speak to the Headteacher at 9am if your concern is of a relatively short nature. Parents are encouraged to share their concerns early so that they may be addressed at the earliest opportunity.

Class teachers are not available to see parents before 9am, but can be seen with an appointment after 3pm.  If you would like to see your child’s class teacher, please contact the school office to make an appointment.

Absence from school

News

If your child is going to be absent we would ask that you call and leave a message on the Absentee Line: 01577 867196. This is an answer phone which operates 24 hours a day. Please use this number rather than the main number unless you wish to discuss your child’s absence with the Headteacher.

Parents are also welcome to email the Headteacher to advise reasons for their child’s absence.

Further information on attendance policy:

Attendance

The law requires that parents ensure their children attend school regularly.  As part of the Perth & Kinross raising Achievement Strategy all schools are expected to closely monitor the attendance of all children and young people. Persistent poor attendance and time keeping is disruptive to the learning of the individual and the class.  It may also be an early warning of other difficulties for the child’s family.  If a child’s attendance rate falls below a predetermined figure, Headteachers have a duty to invoke procedures to follow up absenteeism.  This will start with a formal letter advising Parents/Carers of absence rate and offering any support, however continued absence may ultimately be escalated by means of referral to the Perth & Kinross Attendance Sub Committee.

It is important that, wherever possible, children should arrive on time, especially in the mornings when all the attendance and administration details are carried out.

Explanations for absences can also be given by speaking to a member of staff or writing a letter explaining the reason for the absence. When no explanation at all is received then the absence is recorded as unauthorised. Where the school has serious concerns about attendance, Attendance Management procedures will commence (see above). Holidays taken in term time are also classed as unauthorised and plans to take such time off school should be made in writing to the Headteacher.

If your child is going to be absent from school you must contact us before 9.30am, or we will contact you. Again, you may find it easier to leave a voicemail message or send an email before 9.00am, as we do appreciate that the office and phone line can be busy after 9.00am.

Uniform and Clothing

School Information

We strongly encourage all learners to wear school uniform and to identify themselves as part of our school community. It is our opinion that when learners wear school uniform, their behaviour, and therefore their learning, tends to be better. Portmoak parents have been consulted on the make up of our school uniform and on the supplier of our branded items.

Our preferred everyday items are:

  • White shirt, blouse or polo shirt or maroon polo shirt (with or without a tie).
  • Maroon jumper or cardigan with school logo.
  • Black or grey trousers, pinafores, school shorts or skirts.
  • Plain black leggings or joggers may also be worn if desired.
  • Fleece lined reversible jacket with school logo (optional).
  • Black shoes

Our preferred items (to be available daily) in gym bags are:

  • Black shorts
  • White T-shirt (with or without school logo)
  • Black “light” gym shoes with non-marking soles– not heavy “trainer” type
  • Outdoor trainers and tracksuits are recommended for outside gym.
  • For Health and Safety, no jewellery can be worn during P.E. sessions. Pupils who wear earrings will need to remove them or tape them up before taking part.
  • Spare socks and a hair bobble for those with long hair should also be included.

Please note that clothing with designer labels or advertising should not be worn.

Please mark all clothing with your child’s name with labels or permanent ink.

In Primary 1, 2 and 3, an overall should be provided to protect clothing during art and craft lessons.

In warmer weather, school dresses in a red or blue checked material are also acceptable.

We recognise that chain stores and supermarkets offer suitable, self-coloured school-uniform items, but we do also have Portmoak Primary School branded items including polo shirts, sweatshirts and jackets. These items are available on the Earth Uniform website by searching for Portmoak School Uniform or on the link below:

https://www.earthuniform.com/

 

Playground

All year groups have access to our extensive playground areas, although when P5-7 are playing football, the pitch is used for this. The top grass area, trim trail and slide are in daily use. The basketball court cannot hold all our pupils, and indeed can become too slippy for use in icy weather. This means that in winter time we must ask that children come to school suitably attired for playing on grass, which may be damp or muddy. A change of shoes (and socks) is a good idea for changing into during break and lunch time. You may also wish to provide a pair of tracksuit bottoms or waterproof trousers to wear over school clothes to stop them getting muddy.

School staff will remind pupils about getting changed for breaks, however I would ask that parents speak to their children about getting changed if appropriate. Please also ask your child to let their teacher or a member of support staff know if they have fallen and got very wet or muddy, so that this can be dealt with. Please rest assured that if your child is significantly wet and needs to have a complete change of clothes, we will contact you.

In snow and ice, daily decisions will be made in school on whether children can play outside on safety grounds, following risk assessment. Areas suitable for play will also be considered.

In heavy or persistent rain certain areas of the playground may be temporarily removed from use (e.g. the bottom pitch) or children may be kept in for break. Again, this will be a decision made on the day, depending on the conditions and safety concerns.