School Uniform
Colinton’s school colour is blue. We encourage all our pupils to wear uniform and believe that children should be proud to be part of our school. Physical education kit (shorts, white t–shirt and gym shoes) will be needed and while it may be kept in the classroom or carried to and from school, it should not be worn under school uniform. All clothing should be marked with the owner’s name. School sweatshirts, polo shirts, fleeces, ties, reading bags and gym bags can be purchased from the school office.
Football strips and supporters’ scarves should not be worn to school. Please keep fashion scarves, hair accessories and nail polish for weekend activities. Jewellery (particularly hoop earrings and anything of value) should not be worn to school as the school cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage of valuables.
Standards Of Behaviour
Learning how to behave is part of the education process and this involves parents and teachers working together towards a common goal. We expect high standards of behaviour but if any problems arise, school staff will contact parents immediately. Parents are encouraged to come into school to discuss these concerns with the appropriate member of the teaching staff or the Head Teacher. Parent/teacher consultation meetings provide an additional opportunity for discussion of a pupils’ behaviour as well as academic progress. Parental co–operation in all aspects of behaviour is of the utmost importance. Any serious breaches of discipline such as bullying, reckless behaviour or vandalism are reported to the Headteacher and dealt with by her in the first instance. A whole school emphasis on agreed behaviour provides consistency in approach, no matter where a child should find him/herself. Many methods are used to reinforce good behaviour, with children from P3-P7 awarded vouchers for:-
- a tidy tray
- a good piece of work
- well presented work
- working to capacity
- citizenship
These vouchers are exchanged for bronze, silver, gold certificates then medals and special awards. These arepresented to the children at assembly.
Racist And Discriminatory Incidents
In line with City policy, any such incidents are taken extremely seriously and will be recorded and reported to the Council.
Pupil Council
Our Primary 3 to Primary 7 Pupil Council is made up of two representatives from each class. The Pupil Council meets with a member of teaching staff to look at school activities, air pupils’ views; discuss school improvements and issues affecting everyone.
Room To Grow & Room To Be
Looking Into The Garden
In order to support our pupils we have created two nurture areas, our ‘Room to Grow’ and ‘Room to be’. These areas focus on promoting our pupils social, emotional and academic education by acting as a vehicle to enable a smoother transition into the school and community and enable our pupils to support one another.The ‘Room to Grow’ garden provides our pupils with areas to play and explore and to learn about wildlife and sustainability. It gives them a place to sit and chat to friends or show off their performance skills on the stage. They have the opportunity to carry out science investigations and enjoy the hands–on experience of learning outdoors and so much more. The ‘Room to Be’ provides a space which can be used by individual pupils, groups or families who need some ‘timeout’ to play, reflect or relax. It is a lovely, quiet space with a mix of different toys, games and activities.
Looking Towards The School
The Playground
Playground: Primary 5 and Primary 6
We encourage traditional playground activities and the playground has been marked out, for various games. As well as the ‘Room to Grow’ pupils can also use the playing field adjacent to the school in the spring and summer months. As an Eco– school, we pride ourselves in helping to maintain an eco-friendly local environment.
Lunches
School lunches – both hot and cold– are available every school day and should be paid for on each Monday for the week. Children who stay in school for lunch are not permitted to leave school during the lunch break. Children who go home for lunch must be signed back into school on their return. A sign–out sheet is situated inside the Administrator’s office.
The School Dinner Hall
Fruit
All children in Primary 1 and Primary 2 receive three pieces of fruit free of charge each week – Tuesday to Thursday. Children who receive pre–paid school meals will receive fruit free of charge on a Tuesday and Wednesday. The pupils run a Healthy Snacks tuck shop, Monday to Thursday at breaktime. Prices range from 15p to 35p.
Milk
Parents have the opportunity of buying milk for their children each term. Further details are available from the school office.
Birthdays
Pupils have their birthday celebrated at our weekly sing along. Because of pupil allergies, we ask that parents don’t send cakes, sweets, etc. on a child’s birthday as each class celebrates these occasions in its own way.
School Records
School records of home addresses, places of work, emergency contacts, telephone numbers etc. must be kept up–to–date and the school should be notified immediately of any change. This confidential information is vital in case of illness or accidents in the school. The importance of keeping these records up to date cannot be overstated. If an emergency does arise, or if a child feels very poorly, it is crucial that time is not wasted in trying to track down parents who may be needed urgently. This delay can be extremely distressing for the pupil concerned.
Emergencies
In the event of a major emergency such as fire, structural damage or a heating failure, it may be necessary to evacuate the school. In this event, children will be sent home if we know there are parents present. There is a parent cascade system set up to contact parents by text if such an emergency arises. Please make sure ourAdministrator has your most up to date contact information. Otherwise, the children will be looked after in a safe place until parents can be contacted.
Attendance
As a parent you are legally responsible for making sure that your child attends school regularly. If a child does not attend school regularly, the Headteacher will approach the family in the first instance to discuss the problem. However, if the problem persists, then the school may ask an Education Welfare Officer to become involved.
Absences
If your child is absent from school through ill–health please contact the school before 9.30 am to let the class teacher know. If no contact has been made then the school will phone home to find out the reason for absence. A letter should also be brought by the child when he or she returns to school. Requests for leave of absence such as dental appointments or holidays should be sent to the Class Teacher. If a child is leaving school early, it is essential for safety reasons that he or she is collected from the school office by the parent.
Holidays
We do not encourage holidays to be taken during term time, unless in exceptional circumstances, as pupils will miss valuable teaching time. If you need to request a holiday during term time, please write to the Headteacher who will decide if it is authorised or unauthorised, depending on the reason and number of days’ holiday requested. Requests for holidays of more than two weeks cannot be authorised by the headteacher and will need to be put in writing to Council Headquarters to be authorised by the Director of Children and Families Department.
Getting To School On Time
It is important that your child gets to school for the start of the school day. Children who are late often become distressed and their late arrival upsets the child who may miss valuable teaching time. A welfare officer will be referred to for persistent offenders. If parents know they are going to be late collecting their child, please inform the school as soon as possible to avoid any upset. Any pupils not collected will wait at the school office until an adult comes.
Medical Care
If your child falls ill or is injured during play, we will contact you to make you aware of the accident and, if it is felt appropriate, we will ask you to collect him or her from the school. If you cannot be contacted and the Headteacher considers the case to be serious, your child will be taken straight to the Royal Sick Children’s Hospital. If your child has received First Aid at school he/she will be given a letter detailing what happened.
Nuts
Due to allergies suffered by some of our pupils, nuts can not be brought into school. Parents are also asked to help by making sure they do not send food containing nuts to school and by discouraging children from sharing food. We would also ask you not to send in birthday cakes or sweets on ’special days’ for the same reason.
After School Club
We share an after school club with two other nearby schools. A member of staff from the after school club comes to the school at the end of the day to collect the children from Colinton and walk them to their facility. Parents/carers then collect their children from the club. It operates from school closing time to 5.30pm Monday to Friday. For further information, please contact our school office.
Extra–Curricular Activities
Colinton School offers opportunities for after – school clubs. If you would like any information on these activities,please check the school website or contact the school for further details.
