CURRICULUM

Curriculum for Excellence has been introduced to raise standards of learning and teaching for all 3 to 18 year olds. It aims to help prepare children and young people with the knowledge and skills they need in a fast changing world.

Curriculum Levels

The table below is a general guide to the five curriculum levels with progression to qualifications. The framework is designed to be flexible to permit careful planning for those with additional support needs, including those who have a learning difficulty and those who are particularly able or talented.

Level/Stage

Early

The pre-school years and P1, or later for some.

First

To the end of P4, but earlier or later for some.

Second

To the end of P7, but earlier or later for some.

Third and Fourth

S1 to S3, but earlier for some.

Senior Phase

S4 to S6, and college or other means of study.

Assessment

The curriculum is no longer only defined by what goes on in the classroom but now involves everything that is planned in school and out of school to allow young people to learn. This aims to raise standards of achievement, improve learning experiences and develop skills for learning, life and work.

For further information please visit Parentzone https://education.gov.scot/parentzone/learning-in-scotland/assessment-and-achievement/

Scottish National Standardised Assessments

Each year, assessments are carried out in P1, P4 and P7. More information about these can be found in this Sway. Please click here.

RELIGIOUS AND MORAL EDUCATION

Religious and moral education includes learning about Christianity and other world religions, and supports the development of beliefs and values.

Religious Education makes an important contribution to the curriculum in helping pupils gain knowledge and understanding of different religions to reflect the school community and Scotland at large. Religious and Moral Education (RME) is taught in Mearns with these broad aims in mind and reflects Council and National policies as set out by the Education (Scotland) Act 1980.

RME is taught by class teachers and includes input from the school chaplains and people of different faiths. Ministers from Mearns Parish Church, Mearnskirk and Mearns Baptist Church work with pupils. Included in our RME programme is the study of Christianity and other world religions. This encourages harmony, appreciation and consideration for the beliefs of others. While studying RME, classes may make visits to local churches and other sacred buildings. In addition to Christmas and Easter, the school also celebrates the Chinese New Year, Eid, Diwali and Hannukah.

Whole school assemblies and departmental assemblies take place regularly and are conducted by pupils and staff. Many parents attend our assemblies. It is recognised that the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 allows parents to withdraw their children from any religious instruction and observance and parents wishing to do so should contact the Head Teacher to allow any arrangements to be made.

Parents from ethnic minority religious communities may request that their children be permitted to be absent from school in order to celebrate recognised religious events. Appropriate requests will be granted on not more than three days in any one school session and the pupil noted as an authorised absentee in the register.

ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING

This is an integral part of teaching and learning and pupils are continuously assessed in an informal way as part of the daily class routine. Assessment is for Learning (AifL) strategies are used and formative assessment supports learning, informing pupils of how they can improve their work. Pupils are also involved in discussions about their learning and have their own class blogs. At other times, Standardised Tests may be used to help teachers assess pupil progress, identify strengths and diagnose any barriers to learning. Results of Standardised Testing are shared with parents in the Summer Report. Pupils in P1, 4 and 7 also take part in the Scottish National Standardised Assessments.

Parent / teacher meetings are held twice yearly. During these meetings teachers will report children’s progress with regards to CfE levels and parents have the opportunity to discuss this and to view their child’s work. Parents are welcome to discuss their child’s progress at other times. Those wishing to do so should contact the school to arrange a mutually suitable appointment.

All parents will receive a written report in June of each school year. This will indicate pupils’ progress in all areas of the curriculum and their CfE level.

NURSERY ASSESSMENT

Staff are constantly monitoring the progress of each child and sharing information with parents throughout the year.

• our assessment procedures take into account the child’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive development.

• our procedures account for the diversity of young children’s development and previous experiences.

• our assessment is a continuous process, carried out by observing, listening and questioning during the course of the child’s normal activities.

• our assessment involves all staff, parents and the child.

• our assessment emphasises the child’s own progress rather than their position in relation to other children.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN

We work to meet the needs of all pupils, providing extra support for pupils who will benefit from this, either for a short time or for an extended period. We also aim to challenge more able pupils providing extension work, challenging tasks or activities identified as appropriate to their needs.

The Education Authority has renewed duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2009.

Enquire – the Scottish Advice Service for Additional Support for Learning

Operated by Children in Scotland, Enquire offers independent, confidential advice and information on additional support for learning through:

• A telephone helpline – 0845 123 2303

• An email enquiry service – info@enquire.org.uk

• An online enquiry service

• Website – www.enquire.org.uk

In Mearns Primary we ensure that children are provided with work that is appropriate to their stage and development and tracking meetings are held at the beginning of each term. Targets may be achieved through class, group and individual teaching approaches enabling children to succeed. However, pupils may, at some point in their school life, experience a learning difficulty or barrier to learning of some sort. This could be due to ill health, separations, divorce or bereavement.

Class teachers are responsible for teaching all the children in their class and further support is provided by Support for Learning teachers, a Bilingual Support Worker, Pupil Support Assistants and members of the management team. Within our team we have expertise in a variety of specific learning needs and strategies to support these. This support may take the form of direct tuition, advice to the class teacher, provision of appropriate materials and practical help within the classroom. We also have in place several groups to support children’s learning, addressing identified needs and barriers to learning. Denise Donnelly, DHT is the school’s Support for Learning Coordinator. The school continues to have excellent relations with the health, Psychological Services and Social Work and other agencies. A Joint Support Team consisting of the Educational Psychologist, School Nurse, school based Social Worker, DHT, HT and other agencies or persons identified as appropriate (Campus Police Officers/ Outreach Support Teacher) meet monthly to discuss individual pupils. Regular meetings are held with Educational Psychologists to discuss progress in the identified area of support.

When children are experiencing specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, parents will be invited to the school to discuss progress and explore ways in which further support may be given. Parents are encouraged to contact the school if they feel their child’s needs are not being met, or could be addressed more appropriately.

We will be happy to give advice and information on specific learning difficulties. There may already be strategies in place to help deal with any problems that teachers have identified. However, if not, assessments may be carried out to establish the nature and severity of the problem your son or daughter is facing. These may involve specialist help and advice from an Educational Psychologist. The school policy is to keep you and your child fully informed of the results of these assessments.

As part of the drive to raise attainment and to ensure that each child’s needs are met, the school organises screening and intervention procedures. This involves completion of assessments by every child, use of various assessment tools including standardised test results and analysis of results. Thereafter, each child’s curriculum is reviewed in discussion with the Class Teacher, Depute Head Teacher and Head Teacher, especially for language and mathematics. Appropriate action and next steps are agreed. Implementation of the agreed action points takes place in the classroom over the remaining session, during which progress is reviewed and further action agreed. Identifying and addressing needs in this focused way ensures that all children are supported at crucial stages throughout the school and that their progress is monitored closely by teaching, support and management staff.

These approaches ensure we comply with The Education (Additional Support for Learning)(Scotland) Act 2009.

THE TREEHOUSE

We have established The Learning Centre in Mearns to support identified pupils. It offers them a secure base with focused, small group support for part of the week where they can develop skills necessary for good learning. Pupils spend the rest of the week in their own class and our ultimate aim is that they will be able to return to class full time. The focused support will usually last for a maximum of 4 terms and seeks to improve children’s ability to engage in learning. Several members of staff have received training to support pupils in The Learning Centre. Short term support groups are also often held in The Learning Centre.