This week, Her Majesty’s Inspectors from Education Scotland spent three days with us at Heathery Knowe Primary School and Nursery Class. During the visit the team observed in classes, worked with focus groups of children to assess literacy and numeracy and looked at examples of pupils work. They also met with pupils, staff, partners and parents to assess the strengths of the school and priorities for improvement.<\/p>\n
It was a very busy few days and one that was welcomed by the staff team as we work together to improve the experience for pupils at Heathery Knowe. An inspection report and summary of inspection findings will be published within the next 10 weeks. This will be used to plan the next steps in school improvement during the remainder of this session and the long term improvement plan for the next 3 years.<\/p>\n
Communication\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At the PTC meeting and over the course of this week I have met with a number of parents to discuss the ways that communication can be strengthened with families. Some parents have spoken with me about the use of Class Dojo however the discontinuation of its use is a South Lanarkshire Council decision in order to protect the data of our families. The next step is to explore the use of Parentmail as a method of emailing families with updates for those who prefer not use to Twitter. We will also explore the way that a closed website with access to a password protected class area could help share learning between home and school.\u00a0 I appreciate your patience with this as we try to put in place a system that strengthens communication.<\/p>\n Learning Through Play\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Alongside many schools in Scotland we are focusing on developing our curriculum to promote learning through play. Play promotes curiosity, independence and social skills and these are key skills for learning. I will attend a full day training event on Tuesday with a focus on Play. On Wednesday I have been invited to visit a primary school where play is part of the early level curriculum. Over the Spring and Summer term, we will continue to focus on the development of this and it will feature as part of the early level curriculum offered to Primary 1 learners in August 2019.<\/p>\n Homework\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Since August, we have been monitoring the ways in which homework is used to support learning. There is a wide variation across the school in terms of the amount of homework set, the activities included for homework and the time commitment for families to complete this.<\/p>\n Over the remainder of this school session, we will be working to review the homework policy and ensure there is a consistent approach to homework across stages of the school.<\/p>\n Working in partnership with parents is key to ensuring the effective review of this.\u00a0There will be a survey for all parents to complete over the next few weeks and an opportunity to be part of a parent focus group to share your views in the summer term.<\/p>\n Professional Learning\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This week teachers are attending a professional learning session with the Educational Psychologist, Rick Walsh. The focus of the session is strategies for working with learners who show unsettled behaviour in school. This contributes to the school development of strategies for Promoting Positive Relationships and Behaviour.<\/p>\n Electives<\/p>\n In October, we stopped electives while we prepared for Christmas and took time to evaluate the experience for children. Pupils are very keen for electives to return to the timetable and we plan for this to restart on Wednesday 20th February. Electives will take a masterclass approach with a focus on skills development through a wide range of activities.<\/p>\n What’s on next week?<\/span><\/p>\n Thank you for your continued support<\/p>\n Kind regards<\/p>\n Kirsty Duff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This week, Her Majesty’s Inspectors from Education Scotland spent three days with us at Heathery Knowe Primary School and Nursery Class. During the visit the team observed in classes, worked with focus groups of children to assess literacy and numeracy and looked at examples of pupils work. They also met with pupils, staff, partners and … <\/p>\n\n