It seems a long time since we closed the physical building of Heathery Knowe Primary School and Nursery Class and moved to a virtual learning environment. The children have shown resilience and flexibility during this time and we are very proud of them. I would like to extend thanks to parents and staff for supporting the learners. It is through the commitment of parents and staff that our school community continues to thrive.
Update for Scottish Schools
The Scottish Government chairs the COVID 19 Education Recovery Group for Scotland. This is where all Covid 19 related issues regarding Scottish education are discussed and National recommendations are made. If you are interested in reading the minutes of these meetings, please use the following link:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/covid-19-education-recovery-group-april-2020/
Transition into Primary 1
We are continuing to plan for new pupils joining us when the school reopens and look forward to welcoming them to Heathery Knowe. We cannot run the transition programmes planned but we are adapting the transition to support learners coming into Primary 1.
- A new Twitter account will be added for parents specifically focusing on the transition into school. We are currently waiting for SLC to sign off the new account before we can start tweeting.
- Miss Houldsworth is developing a powerpoint presentation for new pupils to share photos and information regarding the school.
- Once placing requests are finalised, classes will be organised and Primary 1 teachers will start to make contact with new pupils and their families.
- The Nursery staff are working towards celebrating each leaver’s time in nursery.
Transition from Primary 7 into Secondary Education
The transition process is well underway for all Primary 7 pupils moving on to Secondary Education.
- Calderglen High and Duncanrig Secondary School have both created video presentations from new S1 pupils and these are shared on the twitter feed
- Transition meetings and planning for individual children has continued using online meetings
- Once the outcome of placing requests are finalised, secondary schools will start to make up class groups
- Primary 7 teachers are working towards celebrating each leaver’s time in school. South Lanarkshire Council have issued guidance that stipulates schools cannot organise events for pupils to come to school to collect leaving gifts (ties, teeshirts, year books etc) at this time.
Transition within Heathery Knowe Primary School
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. This year we need to respond to advice at National and Local Authority level regarding children’s safe return to school and this is likely to influence school organisation.
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.
- The identification of teachers taking Primary 1 classes is always shared earlier so that transition planning and induction processes can take place.
- 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
Thank you for your continued support. I hope all Heathery Knowe families are safe and well.
Kind regards
Kirsty Duff
