1 Cauldeen Primary SchoolHandbook We hope you will find this handbook useful and look forward to welcoming both you and your child to Cauldeen Primary School.
2 Content 3 Welcome 4-6 About Cauldeen General informationOur Building and Catchment New Parents 7-8 School Ethos Aims School Improvement Plan Celebrations and Behaviour 9-15 The School Day Term Times Breakfast and Afterschool Clubs Snack and Lunch Attendance School Uniform Early School Closure 16-18 The Curriculum Cauldeen Curriculum Early Years Assessment and Reporting 19-24 25 Support for Pupils Complaints and Requests Additional Support Needs Getting it Right for Every Child Equal Opportunity Health and Safety Moving onto Secondary
3 Welcome On behalf of the children and staff I would like to warmly welcome you to Cauldeen Primary School. We are a school that likes to celebrate success – at every level. The life of the school is driven by enthusiasm and a desire to achieve. We aim to bring learning alive, making it exciting and stimulating. We want to give our children a desire for learning that continues with them throughout their future school experiences and lives. Our key aim is to raise aspirations and expectations for all of our children. An essential ingredient for this to happen is teamwork. We view education as a joint venture, involving everyone – children, parents, staff and the wider community. We hope that we will be able to depend on your co-operation and support in this partnership, so that together we can support your children to develop. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Angela Downie Headteacher
4 General Information Address Mackay Road Inverness IV2 4HZTelephone Twitter @CauldeenPrimary Facebook Cauldeen Primary School Number of pupils: 157 (Dec 2016) Headteacher: Mrs. A Downie Deputy Head: Mrs. J Macleod Teaching Staff: P Miss. M Chapman and Mrs. L Morrison P Mrs. M Hay P Mrs. C McLaughlin P Mrs. M Walker P Mrs. G MacLennan and Miss. C Morrison P6/7J Miss. E Jack P6/7C Miss. S Cumming
5 Our building and catchmentCauldeen Primary School is a primary school catering for pupils from the ages of three to twelve years. Children come to Cauldeen Primary School from parts of Slackbuie, Drummond, Culduthel, Lochardil, Castle Heather and Hilton areas of Inverness. Cauldeen Primary School was opened in 1968 with an initial roll of We are equipped with spacious classrooms, a recently upgraded Early Stages Department, a stage, a large double court gymnasium and a library resource area. The school has four classroom that supports pupils in the Early Years who have additional support needs. The school is set in pleasant grounds giving an excellent environment for outdoor learning. The classes in Cauldeen Primary School are organised in year groups Nursery to Primary 7. There are experienced staff members allocated to each class, with an excellent adult to pupil ratio throughout the school.
6 New Parents Parents wishing to enrol theirchildren in Cauldeen Primary School should telephone the school and make an appointment with the Head Teacher. It is necessary for all new Nursery and Primary One entrants that a birth certificate is seen on enrolment. Our website and Twitter will keep you up to date with what is happening at the school. Each Thursday the Cauldeen Weekly Newsletter is published. Parents wishing to discuss their child’s progress are very welcome. Parents are asked to make an appointment via the school office. There are also parent consultation evenings when parents have time to discuss their child’s progress with the class teacher. Other events take place during the year at which parents are encouraged to attend and participate, i.e. parent workshops, concerts, sports day, prize giving and closing services.
7 Aims We are a school community in which behaviour is based upon mutual respect and consideration for others. The teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and work. We believe that all members of the school have the following BASIC RIGHTS. The right to feel happy and safe The right to be heard The right to be shown respect The right to learn and teach School Improvement Plan Please visit the school Website for the current plan.
8 Celebration and BehaviourWe celebrate success at all levels at Cauldeen Primary School. This is through a structured system, with a weekly Friday Celebration Assembly. Weekly Awards are given for all areas of the curriculum and for achievements out of school. The teaching staff also reward excellent behaviour around the school through the children receiving a Golden Leaf. The children are in teams and collect points for their teams. Children in the early stages are encouraged to develop an enjoyment of school life in all its aspects. We endeavour to make the transition from Nursery to the school day as pleasant and easy as possible. This encourages a positive attitude to school. New entrants feel secure and become willing to explore new activities and this encourages them to work with others. This leads to an awareness and co—operative attitude in the classroom.
9 The School Day Term TimeThe school day begins at 9.00 for all primary classes. Break is between am and am Primary 1-3 have lunch in the hall between and and then are outside to play until 1.15. Primary 4-7 have lunch in the hall between and are then outside to play until 1.15 The afternoon learning is between 1.15 pm – 3.00 pm Term Time Autumn term 15 August October 2017 Winter term 23 October 2017– 22 December 2017 Spring term 8 January 2018– 28 March 2018 Mid term break – 19 and 20 February 2018 Summer term begins – 16 April June 2018 In-service days 14 August 2017 21 September 2017 22 September 2017 21 February 2018 4 June 2018
10 Breakfast and AfterschoolWe run a Breakfast Club from 8 until 9 every morning and an Afterschool Club from 3 until 6. The registration pack must be completed prior to children using the childcare service, and is available from the school office. Booking forms are available at the school office. Bookings should be made as early as possible and always 48 hours in advance. In emergencies bookings may be accepted less than 48 hours in advance but it may not be possible to accommodate booking requests at short notice. Cancellations must be made at least 48 hours in advance otherwise the full fee will be charged.
11 Clubs The school organises an annual concert for parents and the community. Regular football practices take place after school. Our Active Sports Co-ordinator organises a variety of after school activities. The school also enters swimming, running, hockey, basketball and football teams for certain Competitions, and an athletics team represents Cauldeen at the Inter-School Sports competing against other schools. Parents are encouraged to assist with extra curricular activities, and the school would welcome any parent who wishes to give time and expertise to running an activity such as sports teams, drama club, chess club after school. All adults helping to support school organised activities have been police checked and approved. Educational Visits of many kinds are arranged both locally and further afield. This includes the opportunity to visit other areas of Scotland and Europe.
12 Snack and Lunch time During break times the Canteen is available for the pupils to purchase snacks and drinks in P4-P7. Younger children are asked to bring in a healthy snack. The school operates a no chocolate or sweets policy. Excellent, nutritious, healthy meals are prepared fresh each day on the school premises by our staff, giving the pupils a choice of main courses in the two course meal provided. Weekly menus are available on our website. Those taking school meals need to pay the total amount on the Monday morning for the week. Application Forms for free school meals are available from the school office or the Area Education Office. Facilities are available for pupils to eat packed lunches in school. On warm and sunny days there is a picnic area available for the children. The canteen also has facilities for children to eat their packed lunches. It should be noted, however, that glass bottles and cans are not permitted in school under The Highland Council's safety regulations.
13 Attendance Good attendance is vital if pupils are to achieve their full potential. If a pupil is absent from school, a parent or guardian should phone the school on the first day of absence. When returning to school the parent or guardian must give written reason for the time absent. If a pupil needs to leave during the school day for an appointment etc., pupils need to bring with them a note from their parent or guardian. Pupils must report to the school reception and ‘sign out’, if returning the same day, they must report again to the reception and sign in. Where at all possible, medical and dental appointments should be made out with school hours. If pupils fall ill during the day, parents are contacted for them to collect their child, therefore it is essential that we have up to date day time contact numbers and emergency contact numbers for all pupils. Schools are required to keep an attendance register by law. We have a responsibility for the care and welfare of all pupils during the school day therefore need to know the whereabouts of absent pupils.
14 School Uniform Cauldeen Primary School encourages the wearing of school uniform. The uniforms consists of:- Crested Polo shirt Crested sweatshirts & fleeces Grey/Navy V-neck pullover/cardigan Grey/Navy Skirt/Trousers (not jeans) White shirt/blouse School Tie Suitable outdoor and indoor footwear A warm jacket or coat when it is cold The children will also require a small bag for their Physical Education (PE) kit. This will consist of:- White T-shirt Black Shorts Gym Shoes. During PE long hair will need to be tied back and earring are not permitted for safety reasons. All clothing should be clearly marked with the child’s name.
15 Early School Closures It is usually possible to give advanced warning to parents of early closing. In some circumstances (e.g. power failure or extreme weather conditions) this may not be possible. Our first priority is always the safety of the children, and no child is sent knowingly to an empty house. During adverse weather conditions parents are advised to listen to local radio stations who issue news regarding weather and traffic conditions, school closures. To enquire about school closures parents should telephone the school for information on There will also be updates on the school website and social media.
16 Cauldeen Curriculum There are eight main areas in the Curriculum for Excellence. Languages, Mathematics and Health and Wellbeing serve as core subjects with Expressive Arts, Social Studies, Religious and Moral Education, Sciences and Technologies. Embedded within all areas is information and communication technology. Pupils’ ideas on what they want to learn, how they want to learn and what they will create from their new knowledge and skills form the basis for planning by teaching staff. In this way pupils take ownership of their learning, are better motivated and find that learning is fun. Integrating the curriculum is where many of the above subjects combine to lead to quality learning through realistic and meaningful study of a topic. The curriculum is constantly evolving to make it exciting and to include the children’s interests. Please look at the school website to find details of the learning opportunities for your child.
17 Early Stage Children in the early stages are encouraged to develop an enjoyment of school life in all its aspects. We endeavour to make the transition from Nursery to the school day as pleasant and easy as possible. This encourages a positive attitude to school. New entrants feel secure and become willing to explore new activities and this encourages them to work with others. This leads to an awareness and co—operative attitude in the classroom. There is a broad-based curriculum in line with the Curriculum for Excellence in the early stages. The early year’s curriculum is developed and regularly reviewed in line with the Curriculum for excellence. The approach to much of the work tackled by the infant classes is of a practical nature using the best practice based on Early Intervention strategies. We help the children’s imagination through expressive arts. To broaden their horizons we make educational visits to local places connected to the children’s class and project work. Parents are encouraged to become involved particularly with visits, but are also encouraged to come and talk to staff if there are any problems and to become involved in the life of the school.
18 Assessment and ReportingAssessment of the pupil’s progress in all areas of the curriculum is mainly by observation of each child’s ongoing daily work. Assessment is also made by regular revisionary class tests of work completed in the classroom. Much of the testing is diagnostic to identify difficulties and adapt teaching programmes. At certain stages standardised attainment tests are given which gives an indication of how each child performs in relation to other children of the same age. Parents evenings are organised and reports issued. Parents and teachers may wish to come together at other times for discussion, should the need arise, and this is encouraged. Appointments should be made through the office. The views of parents on the progress of their children and the education provided in Cauldeen Primary School are always welcomed and encouraged. Assessment of pupils’ work is done by pupils themselves reflecting on their own work in the first instance. Teachers observe children working, talk with pupils, mark pupils’ classwork and set formal assessments.
19 Additional Support NeedsThe staff are encouraged to adapt their plans to take account of the individual needs of each child, but particularly the additional educational needs of the very able child, and the child who is encountering some difficulties in learning. Where necessary targets are set within Individualised Educational Programmes to meet these needs. Parents are fully involved in this process. The school is also committed to a multi disciplinary team approach to supporting each child. Children who encounter difficulties in learning or have English as an Additional Language are assisted by the class teacher, and, if necessary after consultation, by the support for learning staff. Our experienced additional support needs team, work closely with the child, class teacher and home. We work closely with many professional from out with the school to support our pupils needs. Reviews and consultation takes place on a regular basis and parents are consulted and kept informed throughout.
20 Getting It Right For Every ChildOur Nursery works closely with other agencies so that the resources and information we have will bring the most benefit to families. The aim is to ensure we have the right services for your child at the right time. If your child would benefit from help from other agencies you will usually be asked for permission so that relevant information can be shared. This enables staff to get a rounded picture of your child and means you won’t keep being asked for the same information by different people. From time to time incidents can occur within the school setting which cause concern. In terms of Highland Council practice, education staff have to report incidents to social work services. Norms of confidentiality are superseded by the councils protection guidelines. All agencies involved in child protection regard the welfare of children as paramount and this will be their priority.
21 Equal Opportunities The School is required to inform all parents that it conforms to the wishes of the Equal Opportunities Commission and would ask you to note the following. Cauldeen Primary School is an Equal Opportunities School. Access to all subjects will therefore be provided to pupils without reference to the gender or ethnic origin of the pupil. The school will ensure that each pupil regardless of his/her gender or ethnic origin should have an equal opportunity to pursue his/her subject choices, where subject choices are offered, free from gender or any other discrimination. The School: is opposed to all forms of prejudice and discrimination; provides equality of opportunity throughout its ethos and working practices; promotes understanding and respect for other people’s cultural identity and beliefs; aligns itself with the Education Service’s “Anti-racist and Multi-cultural Guidelines”.
22 Health & Safety Minor cuts and bruises are attended to by the staff. In the case of children becoming unwell in school the staff will in the first instance try and contact the parents. The emergency contact will then be contacted if the parents are unavailable. Please keep the school informed of any changes in emergency contact. The school nurse visit on a regular basis to provide a routine screening service on school entry, and give routine eye and hearing tests throughout your child's school career. Parents are invited to such screening and tests and can if they wish attend. It is important that parents inform the school of any medical condition which might put the pupil at risk or affect their educational progress. The confidential nature of this information will be respected.
23 Moving to Secondary SchoolOn completion of Primary 7 at Cauldeen Primary School, the majority of the pupils will continue their education at: Inverness Royal Academy Culduthel Road INVERNESS IV1 2AD Telephone No:
24 Complaints and RequestsIf a parent has any concerns they should contact their child’s Named Person in the first instance. This is the Headteacher at Cauldeen Primary School . The school staff will always endeavour to resolve issues by listening to parents and seeking solutions in partnership. Should a situation not be resolved, parents can contact the Headteacher. Please note that transport is not a school responsibility and any queries should be addressed to the Transport Development Officer, Highland Council, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5NX, or