The outcomes of placing requests into the school have now been shared with parents and we are delighted to be welcoming around 30 Primary One learners to school in August 2022. The staff are working together over the next few weeks to plan classes for all children in August 2022. The next placing request review takes place in during week beginning 23rd May and we are waiting for the outcome of these before we can finalise classes for next session.
Class Organisation
The teachers and leadership team are working together to organise classes for next session. There is often some anxiety about the process and questions about how we reach decisions about how a class group is made up. I anticipate class groups will be shared by 15th June. Please bear in mind that teachers move between stages and it would be helpful if you could discourage your children from assuming who their teacher(s) will be based on the stage they are teaching this year.
I would like to take this opportunity to provide an outline of the process at our school.
- The first step is always to review our school roll with South Lanarkshire Council. Colleagues at Headquarters advise us of the number of classes and teachers for the following session. This process takes place from January – May and often changes as new families move into or out of the area. This year it looks likely that there will be a number of composite classes with most year groups split across two or three classrooms. This is outwith the school’s control.
- The identification of teachers taking Primary 1 classes is always shared earlier so that visits to partner nurseries and induction processes can take place. Mrs MacOwan, Mrs Hughes and Miss Houldsworth will teach Primary 1 pupils next year.
- Our classes are organised initially using literacy working groups as a guide. Pupils who are attaining similar levels of literacy and working at a similar pace will progress as a group. This means pupils from two different classrooms may come together to form a group for the following year.
- We then consider how each class is made up using the size of the groups as a guide along with our knowledge of the pupils. Groups going into composite classes are not identified because children are not working at the expected levels. For example, if your child is a P3 pupil and placed in a composite P3/2 class, this is not because they are struggling with learning and require to revisit concepts taught in P2. Similarly, if you have a P2 pupil going into a P3/2 composite class, this is not because they require the challenge of the P3 curriculum.
- Finally, we consider the draft classes to ensure no pupils are separated from all of their friends or socially isolated. Current class teachers flag up any issues using their knowledge of pupils and social groups and small tweaks are made.
- Class lists are then finalised and shared.
This process takes place every year and we spend a lot of time ensuring that the class groups are organised to provide the best opportunities for learning and teaching at each stage. I trust that you recognise that the robust process means we have fully considered your child’s learning and social needs and made a professional decision about classes.
Further information is available using the following link:
https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/853/composite_classes
School Improvement
At this time of year, the school leadership team finalise the report of the school’s progress over the session in the form of a Standards and Quality Report. This informs next steps and priorities for improvement next session.
Please take the opportunity to contribute to this evaluation by completing the following questionnaire:
Parents of school pupils: https://forms.gle/Cq3Cinn4PQRgfGTU7
Parents of nursery pupils: https://forms.gle/6Zhthbeicki5JDYd7
Thank you for your continued support as we plan for next session.
Kind regards
Kirsty Duff
