Mini Prospectus
August 2018
FINTRY PRIMARY SCHOOL
Mini-Prospectus
Dear Parent/Carer
It is very important to us that your child feels secure in school and makes steady progress throughout his or her time with us. To enable this to happen, home and school need to work together. When your child is enrolled at school, you are given a detailed handbook outlining our curriculum and organisation and newsletters are issued during the course of each session. Our Parents’ Evenings and Open Days are also designed to foster a shared understanding and commitment between us. At the beginning of a new session, we hope that you will find this summary of the key features of our school organisation helpful.
Yours sincerely
Barbara Smith
Head Teacher
Working Together – Parent and Teacher
Although we try to meet the individual needs of every pupil, we cannot succeed without your help. We depend on you to ensure that attendance is regular, children arrive on time each morning with homework completed and with gym kit when needed. We value this contribution very highly. We want your child to get as much as possible from school life and, in life, to become the best that he or she can be. Let us be ambitious for every child.
Visiting the School
While we always want you to feel welcome in the school, you will appreciate that we have a busy working day and also that the heightened concerns about school security means that some restrictions are necessary. Please telephone for an appointment if you wish to discuss anything, there is usually a member of the management team available to speak to you. On arrival, you will be asked to report to the school office. You should not go directly to the classroom or try to speak to the teacher when the class are there as teachers are responsible for all pupils and cannot give you their full attention if they are trying to ensure safety in the classroom. Better to go to the office and arrange an appointment when both parties can give full attention to the concern. In the interests of safety for all, parents/carers should not confront pupils in the playground but should bring concerns to the attention of school staff who will endeavour to sort any issues out.
Clothing
Wearing uniform helps children develop a positive attitude to their school and can save you from being pressurised to buy the latest fashions. Please make sure your child has suitable school clothes and wears them every day. School-wear can be ordered from the school office. A waterproof jacket in their bag is useful as we are committed to outdoor learning and have occasions to take classes outside for lessons and/or intervals in inclement weather.
PE kit of black shorts, white tee-shirt and gym shoes is also needed. Please make sure these are in the school bag on gym days or we would prefer they were left in school on the child’s peg. Outdoor shoes are not allowed in the gym hall so please don’t regard trainers as general purpose footwear. Dundee City Council Policy states no jewellery should be worn in the gym. Taping ear-rings is not acceptable as accidents can still happen where the ear-rings can be pulled out and indeed are more frequent due to a larger are to get caught/pulled.
We strongly recommend putting your child’s name on all belongings as children are often forgetful and can be careless. Do give a firm “no” please about wearing things like new watches or leather jackets to school. If we have to advise your child along these lines on any occasion, please support us. It is not advisable to bring valuable belongings to school
Behaviour
We expect pupils to be polite, honest, obedient and respectful, Staff and Parents have a large part to play through leading by example. Children must avoid harming others or themselves. They should realise that wearing our uniform is the same as bearing our school’s reputation. In class, they must work to the best of their ability. Children who don’t are not just wasting their own opportunities but are holding the whole class back.
We take it that by placing your child in our school you are expressing your support for these values, and that you will help us to uphold them. Children are aware of School Rules and we ask you to encourage them to work within them. Problems can sometimes arise. When they do, we make every effort to deal fairly with each individual child and it is vital for your child that we should discuss any difficulties on a basis of mutual trust and respect.
If you suspect your child is being bullied, or is involved in bullying, please contact us immediately. We shall try to deal with such issues sensitively, in the belief that no parent wishes his or her child to be bullied or be a bully. Rough play often leads to fights and gives perfect cover for bullying. It is therefore prohibited.
Homework
To encourage good work habits, please check about homework each evening. There should always be something to do – reading at least.
A Homework diary will be issued to each child at the beginning of the session. Children can record their homework in the diary along with any other information. Please use this as a means of communicating with the class teacher.
If a punishment exercise is issued, you will be expected to sign it so that we know you are aware of it.
The Lunch Break
Wet weather presents particular problems at lunchtime as we only have limited supervision and facilities. If your child goes home for lunch then they should come back as close to 1.15pm as possible. We conducted a survey regarding pupils going to shops at lunchtime and the majority of respondents noted that pupils should be asked to remain in school over lunchtime and not be allowed to the shops until the last term of P7 where they can begin to ready themselves for secondary school. We shall endeavour to encourage all pupils to remain in school for lunch where they are safe and can participate in lunchtime activities and would ask for your support with this.
School Meals
All P1 – P3 pupils are entitled to free lunch. If you have an older child who is on the list for free meals, please note the expiry date carefully and, if you are eligible, please re-apply in good time. The meals service is strictly audited and we are not allowed to give a free meal to any child not on the authorised list.
If possible, pupils who pay for meals are encouraged to pay for the week’s meals in advance, Parent Pay the online system for payment has proved very popular if you require information please ask at the office.
We are trying to promote healthy eating in school and ask that you would help us by providing you child with a healthy play piece, a piece of fruit or energy bar is sufficient with a non-fizzy drink. Water is available to all children in school. The children don’t have long to eat their play pieces so please don’t give them too much.
Healthy Eating Tuck Shop
We are a health promoting school and like to promote healthy snacks and healthy lunches. All children have the opportunity to visit the healthy eating tuck shop each day. Tayside Contracts provide the tuck shop and sell a range of fruit and fruit juices and yoghurts.
Attendance
Regular attendance and punctuality are essential for satisfactory progress. If a child does not have a note when returning after absence it must be regarded as unauthorised and will be entered in the child’s school record as such. New guidelines instruct the school to follow up absences daily if there has been no contact from home. In some cases, this may result in a home visit from the School Community Support Service. Please make sure that haircuts and new shoes are seen to after school or on Saturday. Taking holiday leave in term time is not encouraged and will be entered as unauthorised unless accompanied by an employer’s letter.
Medical Appointments
Please send your child to school with a note to inform us of the details and arrange for an adult to collect the child. For safety reasons, we are very reluctant to release unescorted pupils during the school day.
Medication
If medication requires to be administered during the school day, parents need to complete a form in advance. These forms can be obtained from school. Medication should be handed in to the school by the parent and not given to the child to hand over. School can only administer medication dispensed by a pharmacy bearing the child’s name and doseage to be given.
Adults in playground
If you are bringing your child to school, please leave them at the school gate and encourage them to make their way to the lines. Likewise, if you are collecting your child at lunchtime or the end of the day, please wait at the gate for them or outside the pod. This helps us to monitor school security and also encourages your child to be independent.
Transport
Parents who bring their children by car should not drop them off at the gate as this will cause an obstruction and endanger other children. Please park away from school and walk with your child to the playground. The crossing patrollers have a duty to note the number of any car which is driven without due care and details will be passed to the police. For reasons of safety, the staff car park is out of bounds to pupils and should therefore not be used for taking a short cut when dropping off or picking up children as this will only confuse them.
Pets in the Playground
We would also remind you that dogs are not allowed on Council premises no matter how small or cute they are. We have some pupils with major phobias about dogs/cats so please as a courtesy to them leave the pets at home or at the school gate.
Smoking
Smoking is not permitted on any Council property including schools and playgrounds.
Mobile Phones and Electronic Devices
Due to a number of issues across the City and to implement Dundee City Council’s Policy we would ask that children do not bring mobile phones into school. If a phone is brought into school it must be switched off during the school day and kept in a school bag or handed into the school office for safe keeping. Should parents need to make contact with their child during the school day then a call can simply be placed with the office staff who will be happy to pass the message on.
Similarly the use of DSs and other electronic games are not encouraged in school and we would ask that they are not brought in unless they have been identified as an aid to learning.
I’m sure you will appreciate new telephones and other electronic devices have the facility to not simply make and receive calls and text messages but many can access the internet and social networking sites. Many devices also have the facility to take photographs. We take seriously parents who ask that their children’s images are not displayed for educational purposes so we cannot ignore the possibilities of phones and other devices which can give pupils the opportunities to do this. I’m sure you will support us in our quest to keep all children safe.
We should like to thank you for taking the time to read and consider these various matters. We look forward to, and will greatly appreciate, your support
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