St Michael’s PS Finnis
Board of Governor’s Annual
Report 2013-2014
School Mission Statement
St. Michael’s Primary School believes in promoting the spiritual, personal,
social and academic goals desirable for our pupils. We wish to promote in all
our pupils such values as makes them caring, responsible citizens of the
future.
These values are inherent in all areas of school life, and provide for and are
implicit in all our school policies. We believe in the dignity and worth of each
individual and in the development of the whole person.
All members of staff in the school share these ideas, values and beliefs and
the promotion of these will ensure a pupil-centred approach so that caring is a
shared responsibility of all teachers in our school.
The aim of our school is to provide a working, caring and happy environment
in which we strive to realize the potential of every child.
This aim is expedited by:
a) The curriculum of the school which encompasses that which is laid down
by the N.I. Common Curriculum and includes other ranges of experiences
offered by the school, in school time (or as extra-curricular activities within
directed time).
b) The climate of relationships, attitudes and styles of behaviour established
in the school community.
Board of Governors
St Michael’s PS Finnis – Board of Governors Annual Report to Parents 2013/2014
There are ten members of the Board of Governors of St Michael’s Primary
School Finnis.
Governors represent trustees, SELB, DENI, teachers and parents.
Trustee Representatives
Mrs Eithne Mc Kay (Vice-Chairperson)
Mrs Mary Mc Kay
Mr Paul Gilmore
Mr Francis Rice
SELB Representatives
Mr Brian Doyle
Mrs Mairead Mc Key (Chairperson)
DENI Representative
Mr Seamus Branniff
Parents Representative
Mrs Nicola Mc Kay
Teachers Representative
Miss Angela Mc Cartan
Secretary
Mr Donal Mc Caul ( Principal)
The Board of Governors acts for a period of four years and the present
members term of office [excluding the Principal] expires December 2018.
Minor works
The minor works which took place this year included: a new boundary fence
being put up around the school building and yard, tiles being replaced in the
girls toilet and rising damp being repaired in the female staff toilet.
Finance
St Michael’s is allocated a sum of money, called a fully delegated budget, to
pay for all staffing, maintenance and running costs. The Board of Governors
has the responsibility of managing the budget.
Here is a summary of the financial information:
Total Budget for April 2013 – March 2014
Salaries (Teaching and Non-teaching)
Operational Costs
Balance on 31st March 2014
£227,487
£204,843
£16,882
£5,762
Income for the Year
School Golf MastersChristmas RaffleClothes Recycling Collection Afternoon Tea-
£3,234
£1,009
£796
£638
St Michael’s PS Finnis – Board of Governors Annual Report to Parents 2013/2014
Banbridge District Council (Paper Recycling Bin) Pantomime Reimbursement Soccer Coach Donation Student Council, Tuck Shop Total Raised-
£250
£100
£100
£63
£6,163
Expenditure for the Year
New Maths Scheme Irish News Death Notices Gifts ( Retirements, flowers etc) Data Protection Certificate Tickets for Raffle Games for classrooms Prizes Nessy Learning Programme –
Cameras and accessories Religious Materials Books (Library) Food ( Events, tournaments, parties etc) Trophies/Medals Total Spend -
£863
£69
£230
£35
£40
£72
£45
£180
£130
£71
£244
£188
£170
£2,337
Contribution to NI Hospice -
£750
Balance 1st September 2014 -
£3,076
Parents Association
The Parent’s Association was very active this year with multiple events
organised to benefit the school. There was afternoon tea in the hall to
introduce Mr Mc Caul to the local community and the raffle at the Christmas
play was again organised. A massive effort went into the School Golf Classic
which took place at Rockmount Golf club which was a huge success,
particular thanks must go to Johnie Gates for all the work he put into
organising this excellent event.
St Michael’s PS Finnis – Board of Governors Annual Report to Parents 2013/2014
The Board of Governors, on behalf of the school, would like to thank all the
ladies on the Parents Association for the tremendous effort and commitment
they have shown throughout the year.
Attendance
Overall school attendance for 2013/14 was 96.6%
School leavers
We would like to wish our school leavers all the best in their new schools. This
year we had pupils moving on to;
St Colman’s Ballynahinch
Ballynahinch Convent
Rathmore Belfast
St Malachy’s Castlewellan
St Colman’s Newry
Curriculum
St Michael’s delivers a broadly based and appropriately balanced curriculum
in line with the Northern Ireland Revised Curriculum in all classes. This
curriculum involves imparting whole curriculum skills and capabilities to the
children. The Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities are: Managing
Information, Being Creative, Thinking, Problem Solving and Decision Making,
Working With Others and Self-Management. These skills are taught across
the following learning areas: The Arts (i.e. Music, Art and Drama), Language
and Literacy (i.e. Talking and Listening, Reading and Writing), Mathematics
and Numeracy (i.e. Processes, Number, Measures, Handling Data and Shape
and Space), Personal Development and Mutual Understanding, Physical
Education and The World Around Us (i.e. History, Geography and Science).
Additional information can be obtained from www.nicurriculum.org.uk.
St Michael’s PS Finnis – Board of Governors Annual Report to Parents 2013/2014
Policies on Child Protection, Bullying and Pastoral Care and Discipline are in
place. Schemes of work, key stage planning and classroom planning are
constantly being revised and updated. All policies are available on request
from the school office or on the school website.
Assessment is closely linked to the curriculum and all children were constantly
assessed both formally and informally throughout the year to give teachers
and parents a clear picture of their progress.
Primary 4,5,6 and 7 children took part in end of year testing in Reading,
English and Mathematics which allowed teachers to evaluate the children’s
results in relation to those of others regionally and nationally. The results were
also used to inform the staff of areas for development in Maths and English.
The P1-P7 children are also assessed through the completion of tasks in
Literacy, Numeracy and ICT which ensures clear progression throughout the
school in these areas.
The children completed the ’Alive-O’ religious programme and were highly
commended by Sister Mercedes on her visit earlier in the year. The Primary 4
children made their First Confessions and received First Holy Communion at
St Michael’s Chapel Finnis. The Primary 7 pupils joined up with the boys and
girls from St Mary’s Dechomet and St Malachy’s Maghermayo to be confirmed
at Gargory Chapel.
The P7 children took part in a religious workshop in the Parish Hall with pupils
from Dechomet and Maghermayo.
This year the school focused on improving the reading standards within the
school and creating a book rich environment within each class. The children
took part in the ‘Irish News’ Newspapers in Education Programme and the ‘St
Michael’s Millionaire’ scheme to encourage more independent reading.
There was also a successful book fair and the student council managed to
purchase some new books to bolster the class libraries.
Staff received training in the delivery of Guided Reading and the use of
running records to raise standards in reading throughout the school and The
‘Paired Reading’ scheme was successfully delivered to parents of P3-P7
children.
‘Active Maths’, a new maths scheme, was purchased for the school which
involves lots of fun activities and games as well as comprehensive text books
and work sheets. The staff received training on developing the children’s
problem solving skills and real life investigations.
St Michael’s PS Finnis – Board of Governors Annual Report to Parents 2013/2014
Four pupils from the school took part in the Sentinus Construction Challenge,
which took place in the Royal School in Armagh.
The children elected a student council for the first time which was made up of
children from P4-P7. The Student Council ran the tuck shop at the sports day
and drew up a playground policy.
The younger classes were involved in the Department of Education’s Modern
Languages Programme. This year involved Spanish lessons for the
Reception – P5 classes where the children learned about words, songs,
games, culture and other things associated with the language.
This year the children enjoyed a balanced and varied Physical Education
curriculum involving a mixture of dance, swimming, athletics and games. All
the children received GAA coaching from a qualified coach. There were extracurricular GAA, Irish dancing, soccer and fitness classes on offer.
The school teams did particularly well this year with the girls’ camogie team
victorious at a competition in the Assumption Grammar and the boys’ team
reaching the semi-finals of the county 7-a-side competition.
The inter-school sports day was a great success with the boys and girls from
Dechomet and Dromara along with our own children enjoying the different
races and events.
Our own sports day was also a super day with some fantastic sporting feats
served up from the high jump to relays.
Art is an important element in learning and children had opportunities to
display work both inside and outside the classrooms. Some of our children
submitted successful entries to the Community Games Art Competition, which
is always very popular.
The school choir performed beautifully at First Holy Communion and at all
school masses.
Children from P5-P7 received instrumental tuition from an SELB music tutor in
some of the woodwind instruments and are making good progress.
The Christmas Play showed how different cultures celebrate the festive period
and the younger children performed some lovely Christmas Carols.
Child Protection
We have a primary responsibility for the care, welfare and safety of the
children in our charge and we carry out the responsibility through the Pastoral
Care and Child Protection Policy which aims to provide a caring, supportive
and safe environment to enable each child to reach his/her full potential.
St Michael’s PS Finnis – Board of Governors Annual Report to Parents 2013/2014
All staff that work in our school both teaching and non-teaching have been
subject to appropriate background checks. Procedures have been set up to
protect our children by ensuring that everyone who works in the school (i.e.
teachers, non-teaching staff and volunteers) have clear guidance on the
action which is required where abuse or neglect of a child is suspected.
All of the school’s Child Protection Policies are available on the school
website or on request from the office.
Health and Safety
Health and Safety procedures in the school closely follow the guidelines of the
Health and Safety Policies of the CCMS and SELB.
All electrical appliances were checked to ensure they comply with regulations
and are safe to use.
A member of staff has received up to date training in CPR and First Aid
techniques required at school.
Maintenance is kept up to date and safety continuously monitored; fire drill
procedures are reviewed at least once a term when a fire drill, involving pupils
and staff, is carried out.
Community
St Michael’s puts great emphasis on good interpersonal relationships and we
are proud of the good relationships we have built up between staff, children
and parents. The school community and parents come together on many
occasions e.g. annual curriculum meetings, individual parent/teacher
meetings, transfer meetings, meetings for the preparation of the sacraments,
induction meetings, sports days, school plays, and social occasions organised
by the PA or on the occasions when parents have concerns about their
children or require information. In June an annual Pupil Report was completed
and sent home.
The School web-site was set up by Michael Mc Grady and is continually
updated and maintained to provide useful information to parents about school
life.
Primary 7 pupils spent several days at Ardnabannon Outdoor Pursuits Centre
with the boys and girls from Dromara PS.
Thanks
The Board of Governors wishes to thank all the members of the school
community who have contributed to the school over the past year:
 The teachers for their dedication and hard work and for the personal
interest they take in each pupil.
St Michael’s PS Finnis – Board of Governors Annual Report to Parents 2013/2014
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We also thank the auxiliary and ancillary staff who contributed so much
to the smooth running and friendly atmosphere in the school.
The parents for their co-operation, help and friendliness on which the
school can always depend.
The pupils for their enthusiastic response and willingness to co-operate
with teachers and staff.
Rev Father Mc Neill for the wonderful pastoral care he provides to our
school during the year along with his close involvement in making the
celebration of the sacraments so special for P4 and P7 children and
their families.
School Closures 2014/15
September
22nd School closed for children, Staff Development Day
October
30th/31st School closed
December
19th School closes at 11.00
22nd -31st School closed
January
1st/2nd School closed
5th/6th School closed for children, Staff Development Days.
February:
13th – School closed for children, Staff Development Day.
16th-17th School Closed
March
13th –School closed for children, Staff Development Day
16th School Closed
17th - School closed
St Michael’s PS Finnis – Board of Governors Annual Report to Parents 2013/2014
April
2th Holy Thursday School Closes at 11.00am
3th Good Friday, School Closed
6th -10th School Closed for Easter Holidays
May
4th Bank Holiday, School Closed
5th School closed for children, Staff Development Day
25th Bank Holiday, School Closed
26th -29th School closed
June
30th School closes at 11.00am for the Summer Holidays
School Times
School Starts for all children – 9.15am
Break time -
10.45am-11.00am
Lunch time -
12.30pm-1.10pm
School finishes for P1/2/3-
1.50pm
School finishes for P4/5/6/7-
3.10pm
St Michael’s PS Finnis – Board of Governors Annual Report to Parents 2013/2014