Dear colleagues,

Thanks for your contribution to another mainly positive week. The high participation rates in inter-house, clubs and activities is striking as can be seen from the photos and videos.  This has a massive positive impact on our ethos, so thank you for your part in leading and supporting these activities.  They help young people build skills, feel a sense of belonging and find their thing. #buildingfuturestogether

Assessment Matters

There has been rich discussion at team meetings around the school regarding assessment in the BGE.  This will be picked up at the Leadership Team meeting on Monday where we will be reviewing our system.  

We can be drawn to think about learning teaching and assessment as separate things but they are absolutely linked. It is important that we are clear about:

• how learning is planned 

• how learning is pitched (to a range of levels)

• how learning is assessed (1 piece or a range of evidence)

• how assessment is moderated

• what do we do with the info we get through assessment? (learners/teachers/leaders)

School Improvement Matters

Based on school data, observations, views and using HGIOS4 and HGIOURS,  the whole school priorities have been agreed and put together.  Here is a link to the 2024-25 SIP.  It can be found in the Balfron Staff Google drive - 2024-25 School Improvement folder.

The next stage is for teams to use evidence, reflecting whole school priorities and own data to agree their plan.  It would be useful to link this to the PRD process which will be going on now.  TIPS and PRDs should be complete by the end of September.

Behaviour Matters

Here is a link to the first 4 weeks of behaviour data:

1. Data overview by year group 

It is great to see excellence, repsonsibility & good work being recognised.

2. Individual Pupil Data 

Any learner with 5 or more demerits in the 4 week period has been highlighted for intervention.  FCLs/PTsPS are likely to have already acted.  However, if not please speak with the young person about this and any emerging patterns. In some cases it would be helpful to liaise with parents/carers to discuss improvement requirements.

Mobile phone policy review - what next?

As you know, we are reviewing our policy.  Thanks to those of you who contributed to the staff survey.  21 responses with helpful comments have been collected.  Here's a summary in brief:

• 12 respondents frequently have to ask pupils to put phones away

• 5 respondents occasionally have to ask pupils to put phones away

• 3 respondents rarely have to ask pupils to put phones away

• 1 respondent has said never

• 10 staff would welcome a complete ban

• 11 would prefer to stay with current policy

If you would like to add your view, follow this link.

This week I will meet with Head Prefects to hear the pupil view collected through the pupil council meetings.  A group of parents are delivering a presentation to the parent council on Tuesday highlighting what they see as the dangers of mobile phone use.  A link to their presentation is below.

Thank you for your help with supervision.  I am keen that we keep young people not attending clubs or the library on the ground floor or outside.

Thank you all for your support, hard work and professionalism.  Have a great week. 

Elaine