Lawthorn P.S. Parent Council AGM, Monday 15th September 2014 Welcome to Lawthorn Primary School Parent Council AGM. The Annual General Meeting is an excellent opportunity to allow us to reflect on the past year and for me to discuss what will be happening in our new school year, session 2014/15. I am grateful for the positive partnership we have between the school and the Parent Council. Most members of the Parent Council will report this evening but I warmly thank the Council and all parents/carers and their families for their hard work and superb contributions over the past year. The Head Teacher’s role is to encourage the partnership and involvement of our parents/carers and help support the Council on ways to help take the school forward. Lawthorn Primary School is held in high esteem in the authority and the community due to the high standards we have in the school and the level of commitment and care we give to the pupils to ensure that they may reach their full potential. Our school values are: RESPECT: We will show respect towards all individuals, their beliefs and opinions. HONESTY: We will be truthful at all times. DETERMINATION: We will give of our best in everything we do. FRIENDLINESS: We will be a welcoming, friendly community, showing care for each other. As the Head Teacher it is important to me that pupils and staff work together to try and create an environment with a welcoming and positive ethos for the parents/carers and visitors that come into our school. At Lawthorn Primary School we focus on GIRFEC (Getting It Right For Every Child). It is our duty to keep the children: SAFE, HEALTHY, ACHIEVING, NURTURED, ACTIVE, RESPONSIBLE and to ensure that every child feels RESPECTED and INCLUDED. The school roll for session 2014/15 is 356 P1-P7 pupils and 60 Early Years Class (nursery) pupils. This year 16 of the 50 P1 pupils that enrolled were placing requests from outwith our catchment area. For the session 2014/15 we have thirteen permanent teaching staff, two temporary teaching staff, two part time Pupil Support Teachers and five members in the Management Team. This includes two Principal Teachers, two Depute Head Teachers and the Head Teacher. We also have five Early Year Practitioners (4 who are part time), one full time and five part time Classroom Assistants and four part time Office Staff. Staff information is regularly updated in the monthly School Newsletters. Last session Homework, Numeracy and mathematics, Science and Outdoor Learning were on our School Improvement Plan. At the start of session 2014/15 all parents/carers were allocated with an updated Parent/Carer Guide to Homework. We now have new maths resources, staff are receiving on-going training and from the 25 Scottish schools that made the final list in the UK National Maths Contest, Lawthorn Primary School was the top school in Scotland, due to our P4 and P5 pupils that entered the competition. P6 pupils received a first and second place at the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Festival for NAC. As well as resources matched to Science outcomes we now have resources to aid outdoor learning. This year Transition within Curriculum for Excellence, Religious Education 3-18 and Numeracy 3-18 in the Irvine Cluster and also Raising attainment and achievement in Literacy & English and Numeracy & mathematics are on the Improvement Plan. We will keep you updated as the year progresses. The Management Team is currently reviewing Learning Journals through consultation with the children, teachers and parents/carers. At Lawthorn Primary School we are aware of the importance of parents/carers being involved in their child’s learning especially as research shows this is a factor in raising attainment and achievement. This includes pupils being involved in setting targets for Literacy, Numeracy and Health and wellbeing three times a year with their class teacher and their parents/carers. Each year we have a curriculum week. After the successful ARTS week last year we are having a STEM week this year. We are delighted to announce that the authority has invited our STEM Co-ordinator, Mrs. E. Wilson and two pupils from our to school to represent North Ayrshire at the Learning Festival on 24th September. This will be an opportunity for our pupils to show the models that achieved first and second place at the STEM Festival in North Ayrshire and share what has been highlighted as good practice in our school. Every pupil from P1 to P7 has a voice in the school through Community Groups. This session the children will be involved in: Pupil Council, Play Leaders and Buddies, Healthy Living, Promoting our School, Eco: School Grounds, Eco: Food and the Environment, Eco: Water, Fairtrade, Eco: Transport, Glow Extra, Special Dates, Eco: Waste Minimisation, Sustainability & Energy, History, Showcase/Special Assemblies, Art & Display, Eco: Litter, Eco: Biodiversity and Charities. Education Scotland visited our school last session to observe the way children record and share information about the Community Groups on Glow (Scottish schools network). We are very proud that our Glow Coordinator and Depute Head Teacher, Mr. English, has been invited to present a Glow In Action seminar to delegates at the Learning Festival on 25th September in order to discuss what has again been highlighted as good practice in our school. We will have our Celebration of Learning event at the end of the school year where each child discusses the successes and challenges they have had in their learning with their parents/carers and how they may improve their learning. I would like to close by thanking the Parent Council again for the outstanding work they do to improve our school and for the support the Parent Council, all parents and carers and the wider community give to our school. It is much appreciated. Eleanor McCall, Head Teacher