Tong Primary School
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Standards and Quality Report Tong
Primary School Tong School serves the villages of Milkinghill, Aird Tong and Tong. The pupils, on leaving Primary attend either Back Secondary School or The Nicolson Institute. This session 3 of the Primary Seven pupils will transfer to Back Secondary School and 1 will transfer to The Nicolson Institute. At the beginning of the session the school roll of 52 pupils was divided into three composite classes: Primary One and Two, Primary Three and Four and Primary Five, Six and Seven. During 2004/05 staffing was 3.0 full time equivalent teachers. The staff consisting of the Head Teacher who was class committed for three days and two other members of staff. In addition the school had 0.88 compliment of staff providing, music, art, support for learning and PE. A chanter tutor provided tuition to a small group of pupils in Primary six and seven. The school secretary was committed to giving support to teachers within the classroom for 15 hours a week She spent 20 hours on secretarial duties. A classroom assistant worked in the P5, 6 and 7 classes for 10 hours. The crossing patrol attendant was given the additional duties of playground and dining room supervisor. The School Board met regularly, discussed a wide range of issues as well as helping to raise funds for the school.
At Tong Primary School we aim to:- To further these the Development Plan for 2004/05 concentrated on the following. PROJECT 1 N.P. – 1 Q1 – 3.5 L.I.O. – 1.1 Aim Formative Assessment Targets Criteria for success Implementation Strategies Timescale August 2004 – June 2005 – June 2006 (into next plan). Resources Staff in Tong School. Staff in Tolsta School Tutor input Time Inservice days (centre based). CPD – Formative Assessment training (school based). Materials Resources (books, CD Rom). Some resources bought by the schools and some provided by course trainers. Cost £750.00. Evaluation Quality of teaching. Quality of pupils’ learning. Provision of resources. Effectiveness of staff training. Course quality in terms of ‘value for money’. PROJECT 2 N.P. – 2.3L.I.O. – 2.3.1. Aim To investigate the possibility of siting a small wind turbine to the rear of the school, which would power the school and polytunnel. Criteria for success Implementation strategies Timescale 2003 – 2006 Resources Human Financial Materials As deemed necessary Cost To be allocated Evaluation Cost effective resource provided. Reduction in heating and lighting. Children’s awareness of alternative sources of energy is heightened. PROJECT 3 Q1 – 6.3 N.P. – 2 L.I.O. – 2 Aim The re-organisation of Teaching and Learning Resources. Targets To re-organise the teaching and learning resources for easy access. Criteria for success Implementation Strategies Timescale August 2004 – June 2005 Resources Teaching and Ancillary staff Computer – used for cataloguing. Time Tuesday afternoon Materials Computer Cost Ink Cartridge Paper Evaluation Accessibility to materials. Database of all resources. PROJECT 4 N.P. – 4.1 L.I.O. – 4.1.1 Q1 Aim To work towards gaining the Eco-school green flag award. Criteria for success Implementation Strategies Timescale 2003 – 2005 Resources Human Time Materials Video Eco-schools handbook Cost Travel costs to attend meetings Evaluation Children, staff and parents awareness of the eco-school initiative is highlighted. Self evaluation will be carried out by pupils. PROJECT 5 N.P. – 2 L.O. – 2.4 Q.1 Aim To work towards achieving Health Promoting Schools Award. Criteria for success Implementation Strategies Timescale August 2003 – June 2006 Resources Human Materials As deemed necessary Cost Evaluation Increase in awareness of health promotion issues with school and home and the wider community. During session 2004/2005 most development plan targets were either achieved in full or substantial progress made.
How do we know? – The Evidence Staff plan the work of the year together. They meet at the beginning of each term and plan together, ensuring that all areas of the curriculum are given appropriate breadth and balance. This ensures that the Head Teacher is fully aware of the curriculum being provided and the resources used at each stage. The staff have a planning and assessment folder which they regularly maintain. It is available for the Head Teacher to monitor on a termly basis. The teachers keep a daily diary into which they write all the work to be carried out in a day. The teachers monitor and assess the work of the children on a daily basis, giving oral and or written feedback as appropriate. The Head Teacher monitors the work of the classes by visiting each class and sampling childrens’ jotters. As our school is small; daily discussions can take place during lunch and interval break. Each member of staff is fully aware of the learning and teaching situation in each class, as the staff have open and honest discussions. This is one benefit we have in being a small school. The children sit the National Assessments at a time when they are deemed "ready" by the class teacher. The assessments are retained in the pupils progress report file. The school set targets for reading, writing and mathematics which should be achieved by June 2005. Cognitive Ability Testing is carried out with pupils in Primary 5 and Primary seven. During the session 2003/2004, a questionnaire was given out to parents, pupils and staff. It was based on the HMIE questionnaire. The information received from that, together with the quality indicators from How Good is our School, views from the School Board, input from outside agencies, Pupil Council, etc are used to review and practice and identify areas requiring further development. As a staff we meet regularly to monitor the pace of the development plan implementation and in February the whole staff review progress and devise the targets for the coming session. All staff have had a review meeting with their line manager. Targets have been agreed and our staff development needs have been identified. School Policies are reviewed on a cyclical basis. CURRICULUM The School curriculum covers all areas recommended in the national guidelines and is broad and balanced. Timetabling has been allocated in line with the 5-14 guidelines with the flexibility allocation being assigned to language and mathematics. Pupils are motivated and achieve good results. High standards are set by the staff. Pupils in Primaries six and seven are taught French. Good opportunities for PSD are afforded to the pupils though the School’s Assembly programme. Next Steps Key Area 2 - Standards of attainment ATTAINMENT A variety of assessment strategies are used to gather evidence of pupil attainment. Assessment records are kept for each child in each curriculum area. Evidence of attainment is recorded on the pupil’s progress report and is retained in the pupil file together with the current national assessment papers. Level of attainment achieved by pupils, at each stage, at June 2004 are as follows:- All targets set for 2004 in Maths and Reading have been achieved.
Three-year trends in reading, writing and mathematics
Next Steps Key Area 3 - Quality of Learning and Teaching LEARNING AND TEACHING The learning environment within the School is well organised, stimulating and challenging. The teaching is very good. A range of teaching approaches are used; individual, class and group. Teachers and pupils work well together. Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. They are frequently reminded to think about "why they are learning and who they are learning for". Homework is given daily. It is appropriately planned and linked to class work. All staff set high expectations of pupil behaviour and pupils respond well. Pupils work at an appropriate pace. They are well motivated, produce work of a very good standard and they are making good steady progress in their learning. Praise is used effectively throughout the school. National Testing is used appropriately throughout the school. The format for reporting to parents is in line with 5-14 guidelines and includes a space for parental feedback. Next Steps Key Area 4 - Support for Pupils Support for Pupils Staff are aware of the emotional, physical, social and pastoral needs of pupils and willingly give time to meet with parents. The needs of individual pupils are identified at an early stage and appropriate support is sought. The support for learning teacher works with pupils for two afternoons a week (3 hours 40 minutes). Priority is given to pupils with specific difficulties in order to maximise the time allocation. Pupils who are in receipt of support for learning are making good progress towards achieving the required levels. The school is actively involved in Promoting Positive Behaviour and provides many opportunities for pupils to be praised and their achievements recognised. At the weekly assembly pupils are presented with Head Teacher Awards. Pupils achievements are displayed in the foyer of the school. Personal and Social Skills have been developed across the curriculum. Skills of citizenship have been encouraged through assembly work, class work and participation in Enterprise activities. Pupils are given the opportunity to express their views through a suggestion box and the pupil council. Next Steps Key Area 5 - Ethos Ethos Very good relationships exist between all staff and between pupils and staff. Pupils are well behaved and polite. A warm and welcoming ethos pervades the school. The attendance figures are above the national average. The effective pupil council promotes consultation with pupils and involves all pupils in decision making. Equality and fairness infiltrate all aspects of school life. The monthly newsletter provides effective communication between home and school. The school contributes to a monthly community newspaper; making the life of the school known to a far wider audience. A full induction programme for pre-school (rising fives) is in place. This involves organised visits by the play leader and the new pupils to the infant class on a weekly basis in the summer term and four mornings in class during the month of June. The infant teacher visits the playgroup on a weekly basis in the summer term and works with the pupils. At present the pupil transfer procedure by Back Secondary School is being reviewed. The P7 pupils have an induction day in the receiving secondary schools in May or June each year. Good discipline exists within the school. The children are encouraged to respect one another and to respect school property. Good relationships exist between the associated primary (Tolsta), Back School and The Nicolson Institute. Homework clubs which encourage curricular work, sports and cultural activities exist three days a week. There are well developed links with the School Board. They meet regularly and are supportive of the school. Next Steps 9. Key Area 6 - Resources Resources The school was refurbished to a very high standard in 1999/2000. The accommodation and facilities are very good and are being well maintained. There is an active secure door entry system in place. Panic alarms have been issued to each member of staff. Access is suited to the needs of all users; with disabled access at the front of the building. The newly developed school garden and playground games all enhance the environs of the school. The school garden is open to the community and has been well utilised by the pupils and the public. Throughout the building, the pupils’ work is well displayed, helping to create a stimulating learning environment. The school has a very good range of up-to-date resources and available finance has been spent effectively. Resources are efficiently and effectively organised. All teaching staff members are experienced. They use their expertise and individual skills to ensure that the needs of all the pupils are met. Staff are encouraged to develop professionally and programmes are linked to the school’s development plan. Next Steps Key Area - Management, Leadership and Quality Assurance Management, leadership and quality assurance A questionnaire was circulated to parents, staff and pupils. The results of the questionnaire highlighted that: During session 2004/2005 the school had successfully implemented priorities within the development plan. The school staff regularly evaluate their own teaching and the childrens’ learning. They plan and evaluate the work of the school on a regular basis. Next Steps Other Achievements Achievements and Successes During session 2004/2005 pupils and staff took part in a variety of activities. Strengths of the school Priorities and Targets for the Coming Session Physical Environs of the School |