Castlehill Primary School

SCHOOL POLICIES AND PRACTICAL INFORMATION

 

 

Health Care

 

You can contact your school health staff at:

Children and Families Health Team
Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership
Health Centre
Stewart Road
Ralston Road
PA28 6AL
TEL: 01586 865813

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Administration of Medicines

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Many pupils will, at some time in their school careers, need to take medication.  For the vast majority this will be a short-term requirement, with pupils simply finishing a course of medication which has been prescribed for them by their family doctor.  Wherever possible, parents/carers are requested to ask for GP prescriptions which can be administered outwith the school day, i.e. in the morning and evening.

 

However, pupils may have medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes which may require long-term support and, if their conditions are not properly managed by taking regular medication in school, their access to education could be limited.  In addition, some children have conditions which may require occasional staff intervention, e.g. severe allergic conditions such as anaphylaxis.  Pupils with such conditions are regarded as having health care needs but, notwithstanding these, the vast majority of children with such needs are able to attend school regularly and, with some support from the school staff, are able to take part in most normal school activities.

 

In any of these circumstances parents/carers (or young people themselves if they are over the age of 16) should discuss the matter with school staff and agree the arrangements which will be made to provide support for the pupil.  A written request form must be completed in advance when any medication is to be administered or taken in school.

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Skin Protection

Your child’s skin may be affected by exposure to the sun, especially over the lunchtime period and other outdoor activities. It is a good idea for your child to wear a sun hat. If they have one, please put it in their school bag.

You should ensure your child has sunblock applied prior to arriving at school in periods of hot weather and if you wish them to have further applications at lunchtime then you should send in sun-cream/block and we can help your child apply it.

Face painting is occasionally carried out within schools. Parents will be informed when this activity is being planned.
 

 

Transport

 

Transport to and from school is available for pupils who live more than:-

 

• 2 miles away from their catchment Primary School

• 3 miles away from their catchment Secondary School

 

Pupils may still be required to walk to a school transport pick up point.  Primary school pupils will not be required to walk more than two miles and secondary pupils will not be required to walk more than three miles from their home to the pick-up point.

 

Pupils will not be picked up or dropped off at any point other than the designated location without written authorisation from a parent or carer.

 

Please visit the Argyll and Bute Council website for further information on school transport.

 

Exceptional Requests

Consideration will be given in exceptional circumstances for school transportation where your child attends their catchment school but would not normally be entitled to transport.

 

Where parents/carers believe that there may be grounds for an exceptional transport request, an application form should be completed and submitted to the Integrated Transport Section.  Applications will then be referred for further assessment as appropriate.

 

Exceptional transport requests can be made when:-

 

• Your child has been recommended on health grounds by a designated medical officer.

 

• Your child has requirements based on educational grounds / additional educational needs.

 

• Your child has to walk a route which, after an assessment, is considered to be unsafe for children even when accompanied by a responsible adult.

 

Application forms are available from the school office or you may apply on-line on the Council website.

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Free Bus Travel Scheme

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A national new free bus travel scheme for children and young people aged from 5 to under 22 came into effect at the end of January 2022.  Further information can found on the Transport Scotland website.  Parents can apply online or request an application form from the school office. 

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Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

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EMA is a weekly payment of £30, paid fortnightly in arrears, for eligible students aged 16 to 19 who are continuing in post-compulsory education.  The allowance is means-tested based on household income and is payable fortnightly in arrears during term time.  Payments will be made direct to the student’s own bank account.

 

Further information and full eligibility criteria can be found here or by emailing ema@argyll-bute.gov.uk  or telephoning 01369 708548.                               

 

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Insurance

 

The Authority insures against its legal liability for:-

a) accidental personal injury and,
b) accidental damage to property not belonging to the school or Council.

This means that if an injury is sustained or personal property is damaged/broken/lost due to negligence or omission on the part of the school or its staff, claim costs will be met by the Council’s public liability policy. There is no automatic right to compensation. It is the responsibility of the person making the claim to prove that the Council has been negligent in their actions leading to the loss.

Parents/carers may wish to consider their own insurance arrangements in terms of appropriate extensions to their household insurance or arranging their own separate covers

 

 

Music Services

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The school is well supported by a range of musical instructors.  Music tuition is currently available for Piping/Chanter, Drumming, Brass and Woodwind instruments from P6 upwards.

 

 

Parental Access to Records

 

The School Pupil Records (Scotland) Regulations 1990

Details of the regulations and process for obtaining information specific to pupils are available by contacting the school directly. See management circular 3.11  https://www.argyllbute.gov.uk/education-circulars

 

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Subject Access Requests

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GDPR legislation includes the right to request information we hold about you.  If you wish to receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you, this is known as a Subject Access Request.  Further information and a Subject Access Request form may be accessed via: https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/data-protection 

 

 

Child Protection

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Given on-going public concern on the subject of child abuse, and recent changes in the law, schools are now required to report if they think any child may have come to harm as a consequence of possible abuse.

 

A member of staff in each school has been appointed to be responsible for Child Protection matters and special training has been given to these people.  Should you wish further advice about Child Protection and the safety of children, please feel free to contact the school.

 

The school has good liaison contact with the School Medical Officers, Social Workers, and the Police, any or all of whom may become involved if abuse is suspected.

 

Please see www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/abcpc for more information on child protection.

 

 

Weapons Incidents in Educational Establishments

 

A joint protocol has been agreed between Police Scotland, Argyll and Bute Council and West Dunbartonshire Council for dealing with any weapons incidents in schools.  It is therefore important to make parents aware of rules and expectations in relation to weapons and the response to allegations of weapons possession.  Weapons must in no circumstances be brought to school and pupils will be encouraged to share any knowledge of weapons with teaching staff.

 

The purpose of the protocol is to maximise the safety of children and young people and to safeguard the welfare of all persons involved in any weapons-related incident, including any alleged perpetrator, through an effective multi-agency response.  All incidents involving weapons at any educational establishment where a person under the age of 18 is educated, and any incident involving a child less than 18 years being in possession of a weapon, will trigger the operational response summarised below.  Every incident will be thoroughly investigated and recorded.

 

• In response to an incident involving possession, or suspected possession, of a weapon in an educational establishment, the Senior Management Team will react with a proportionate response.  Police Scotland will be contacted immediately and will coordinate any emergency response. In the event of a serious incident, appropriate medical attention will be sought and designated First Aiders at the establishment will treat those affected as far as their training and experience allows, provided it is safe to do so.  The emotional needs of those involved in, or witnessing, the incident will also be considered. 

 

• If any person who is a pupil or a student in an educational establishment in Argyll and Bute is found in possession of a weapon out-with an educational establishment, Police Scotland will alert the authority of the incident.

 

• No release to the media regarding a weapons-related incident will be made without consultation with the Communications departments of both Police Scotland and Argyll and Bute Council.

 

Please contact the school if you require a copy of the full weapons protocol document, which includes a summary of police powers and duties of search in relation to weapons. Please note that unless parents/guardians contact the school to indicate a concern, they are giving their implied consent to the policy. 

 

 

Acceptable Use of Personal Internet Enabled Devices / Using the Internet, Email and Glow 

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All children and young people will have access to various forms of technology and will use the internet, email (secondary pupils) and Glow. When accessing the Internet in school pupils must abide by the following rules:

All users should:

• access Internet pages which are directly related to the current task as identified by the member of staff in charge;

• save/download information related to the current task as identified by the member of staff in charge;

• report instances of misuse to the member of staff in charge;

• report suspicious sites or emails to the member of staff in charge;

• choose a strong password – preferably a phrase that you can easily remember;

• ‘logout’ at the end of each Internet or Glow session;

• treat all equipment and other users with respect.

Users should not:

• tell anyone their login ID or password;

• use portable storage devices brought from out with the school;

• attempt to circumvent the IT security systems and antivirus;

• send illegal or defamatory material, receive illegal material or material which is offensive or defamatory without informing the member of staff in charge;

• read emails intended for others;

• create rude or abusive emails about other people.

Personal safety

• Never tell anyone you meet on the Internet your home address or your telephone number.

• Never tell anyone you meet on the Internet your school’s name or phone number, unless your teacher specifically gives you permission.

• Never send anyone your picture, credit card or bank details.

• Never give your password to anyone – even a best friend.

• Never arrange by email to meet anyone you don’t know in person.

• Never respond to nasty, suggestive or rude emails.

• Always tell a member of staff in charge if you see bad language or distasteful pictures while you are online.

• Always be yourself and do not pretend to be anyone or anything you are not.

• Always remember if someone makes you an offer that seems too good to be true, it probably is.

• Always delete attachments from strangers without opening them; they may contain viruses that can damage your machine.

• Never open an email if you are suspicious of its source or content – and report these to a member of staff.

• Never click on links in emails unless you are certain they are safe (hover over the link to see what it really connects to)
   

Please note:

Privacy of electronic mail (email) is guaranteed.  However, those who administer the system on behalf of the education service have access to all mail messages and have the right under legislation to investigate any user activities where suspicious use of the system is identified.

Glow
Glow is Scotland’s nationally available digital environment and can support learning across the whole curriculum. Glow is not just one place or platform, instead it offers a username and password that gives access to a number of different web services.

Funded by the Scottish Government and managed by Education Scotland, Glow provides a safe, online environment for educators, learners and parents to communicate and collaborate using services such as Glow Blogs, Microsoft Office 365, Google Workspace and Glow RM Unify Launch Pad.

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For further information please refer to Education Management Circular 1.18 - https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/education-circulars.      

 

 

General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

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Updated legislation introduced in May 2018 requires all businesses to protect and properly manage all customers’ privacy data – this includes Local Authorities. The main changes under GDPR are:

 

• GDPR gives people more rights to know how their personal data is being used.

• It gives them the right to be ‘forgotten’ and their personal data deleted if they wish.

• It enables people to see what personal data is being held about them and to make sure their personal data is correct.

• It gives increased importance for the protection of children

• It creates increased importance for not allowing people without permission to see or use others’ personal data

• If someone’s personal data has been used by people without permission, they have to be told what happened.

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The full detail of the new legislation can be found at www.ico.org.uk

A link to the general privacy notice for education can be found at www.argyllbute.gov.uk/privacy/education-general. This privacy notice outlines the information that we require to provide Education for Children and Young People, who we will share that information with, why we need the information, what we will do with the information and how long we will keep the information.

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General information:

Pupil’s work on display

Children’s work is often displayed in the classroom and school corridors. In addition, work is often displayed in other Council buildings as part of exhibitions. This may include their name.

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Short Visits
 

During the pupil’s school life, teachers may organise some activities which will take pupils out of school for up to an hour at short notice. These visits will be very local to the school (in general no greater than half a mile). Pupils will be supervised by their class teacher during these visits.

For any longer, pre-arranged school trips and all trips that require transport, official permission will be sought and Management Circular 3.25 will be adhered to - https://www.argyllbute.gov.uk/education-circulars.

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If you have any concerns regarding any of the above you should contact your school directly to discuss individual circumstances.

 

Emergency Closures
 

In the event of the school having to close due to an emergency, e.g. adverse weather conditions putting pupils at risk, heating failure, etc., the procedure is as follows: -

In the event of an emergency closure outwith school hours updated postings will be made on www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/service-disruptions. You can also keep up to date with the latest information by calling 01369 704000.

In case of an emergency, if effective arrangements are to be made, it is essential that the school has up-to-date information from parents/carers regarding such things as changes in employer, telephone number, new emergency contact, etc. Where possible, a text messaging system alerting parents/carers to arrangements will be used if mobile phone numbers have been submitted.

In whole school emergency situations, updated information will be posted on our own school website and/or www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/service-disruptions website or the use of text messaging may be utilised.

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Updated: 02/2023

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