Policies

DRESS CODE / TRUSGAN SGOILE

Dress Code

White Polo shirt (school logo preferred)                     
White blouse or shirt
Black V-neck jumper or cardigan (School logo preferred)
Black Zipped Cardigan                           
Black trousers or skirt
Black Hoodie (no other colours or logo other than the school logo)

 Trainers should be worn for P.E. only.
Casual clothing, including denim and football tops, will be for Fun Days only.

 School ties are available

Highland Council offer financial assistance with funding for School Clothing which can be claimed under certain circumstances.  An application form can be obtained from the School Office.  

SCHOOL DAY / LATHA NA SGOILE      

The school week is an asymmetric week

with 33 periods. 

Monday to Thursday have 7 x 55 minute

periods per day Friday has 5 x 55 minute periods.

ATTENDANCE/NEO-LÀTHAIREACHD

Good attendance is vital if pupils are to achieve their full potential. But if a pupils is absent from school, a parent or guardian should phone or email the school on each day of absence unless there has been prior notification.

If a pupil is absent and we have not received a phone call or email, you will be contacted by the School Office to confirm reasons for absence.

 If parents know in advance of an absence/late arrival then they should contact their child’s Guidance Teacher seeking the Education Authority permission to be absent detailing the planned absence. Confirmation should be given to the school office explaining the reason for the proposed absence and requesting that it be considered an ‘authorised absence’.

Where a pupil has an unacceptably high rate of absence, the parents will be contacted by the school.  Unexplained or condoned absences leading to a pattern of unsatisfactory attendance will be reported to the Area Education Manager.

We would like to emphasise the importance of knowing the whereabouts of absent pupils. This is because we have a responsibility for the care and welfare of all pupils during the school day. Schools are required to keep an attendance register by law, and to record an attendance in respect of each morning and afternoon of every school day.

MEDICAL AND DENTAL APPOINTMENTS

Where possible, medical and dental appointments should be made outwith school hours.  However, it is recognised that this is not always possible.  If a pupil has a medical appointment or has to leave the premises for some other reason, they must report to the School Office to ‘Sign Out’.  This can be done in advance before registration or during break.  If returning the same day, you must again report to the Office to ‘Sign In’

Pupil welfare and safety

The school has excellent medical room facilities if children fall ill.  This is administered by staff in the school office. Our normal policy is that we ask parents to come and pick up their children should they require anything longer that a brief lie down or rest.  Therefore, it is important that we have day-time contact numbers for you, or for an alternative named person.

Our school nurse monitors and administers inoculations as appropriate and you will be contacted when these are due.

HOLIDAYS/SAOR LÀITHEAN

When parents are considering whether or not to remove their children from school for a family holiday, they should be aware that such a decision:

will result in a significant loss in classroom experience;

will result in a pressure to ‘catch up’ on missed work by pupils;

could result in pupils missing assessments with consequential impact on pupils and teachers;

could result in the loss of curricular activities;

will affect school attendance records and efforts to raise standards of attendance;

under the guidance issued at a national level, most family holidays will be coded as unauthorised absence, only in exceptional cases will the absence be recorded as authorised.

In conclusion, we would ask parents to be aware of these considerations when making decisions on planning holidays during term time.  We have enclosed a link to the school term dates on the Highland Council website to aid parents in planning any holidays they may be considering

https://www.highland.gov.uk/info/878/schools/32/school_term_dates

 If parents decide to make holiday arrangements during school term, this should be confirmed in writing to the Head Teacher.

Trips and Visits

Curricular and Extra-curricular Trips can be organised by any member of staff or department to enhance the learning experience of pupils. For non-adventurous local excursions during class-time e.g. a visit to local woodland, the village centre, etc., your permission will generally be assumed to be given.  A permission letter for local excursions is sought from parents during first year.

For off-site excursions, The Head Teacher will make the decision as to whether to give the  go ahead  for  planning a trip and only once appropriate plans, permissions and risk assessments have been put in place,  is a trip signed off.  For off-site excursions, your permission, as parents will be requested in writing.

Recent examples of our trips and excursions are:

Curricular field trips

Sporting events and fixtures

Extra-curricular trips –usually in the summer term, e.g. to Culloden, Glasgow Science Centre,  Art Galleries, skating trips,

Residential trips – e.g. Stornoway, Barcelona, Dublin, Auschwitz, Gaelic Medium language events, and our Biennial ‘whole school trip’ open to all pupils, which has included, water sports in the South of France, Flanders battle fields, Paris,  London and Holland.

For a number of all-day events, such as sporting fixtures hosted here, Film G, Pantomime preparation, Health Days, etc., held here at Ardnamurchan High School , your permission will not be sought as the pupils are not off-site.

POLICIES/POILEASAIDH NA SGOILE

The following excerpts  of our policies are provided to summarise a number of key operational procedures.  Full copies of these policies are available on request.                     

BULLYING AND POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP POLICY

“Our shared vision is to provide a happy, caring and stimulating environment where our young people will recognise and achieve their fullest potential and so, as responsible citizens, make their best contribution to the world in which we live.

We aim to provide a safe and secure environment for learning where mutual respect and courtesy sustain positive relationships and a sense of shared belonging.

We can say that we feel safe, we have respect and we belong.”

Ardnamurchan High School agrees that:

All pupils and staff have the right to feel happy, safe and included; bullying is therefore unacceptable and will not be tolerated

As a school we will work to promote an environment free from threats or fears thereby enhancing individual aspirations and achievement

All pupils, teachers and parents will work in partnership to identifying bullying and work together to stop it

Our policy can be accessed at:school-publications/positive-relationships-and-bullying-prevention-policy

Promoting Positive Behaviour

Here at AHS, we are committed to an ethos where we encourage mutual respect, cooperation and commitment to achievement. We recognise and praise positive behaviour.

Pupils are expected to follow and respect the two school rules:

1. respect the environment, yourself and others in it

2. do your best

The examples of pupils responsibilities associated with these rules are/

From Rule 1:

· Wear Dress Code

· Be polite/respectful

· Avoid bad language

· Avoid fights/confrontations

· Eat at interval and lunchtimes only

· Put up hands rather than shouting out

· Help keep the school tidy

From Rule 2:

· Be on time

· Keep on task

· Complete homework

· Follow teacher instructions

· Keep quiet when appropriate

· Come to class prepared (e.g. with jotter, pen etc.)

Use of Mobile Phones and Photography

This is also a data protection issue.  Pupils may take mobile phones to school, but they should be switched off in the school building.  Photographs should not be taken of other pupils or staff without their permission.

Under no circumstances should photographs or video clips from school be uploaded to an external internet site unless covered by parental permission and school policy.

Data Protection

Any information you have supplied or has been gathered from or about pupils will be used only for the purpose for which it was provided and any relevant procedures following from this.

This data will be maintained in accordance with the Act and will not be passed onto any other organisation without your prior approval unless this is a legal requirement.

Religious And Moral Education

Religious and Moral Education is provided as a subject in our Curriculum.  The subject is part of a common course and is organised on a non-denominational basis.  It introduces pupils to a general study of world religions and their place in modern societies.

It also provides an opportunity for pupils to discuss a range of topical contemporary and moral issues that confront us in today’s society.  In certain circumstances parents have the right to withdraw their children from Religious and Moral Education.

If you wish to exercise this right, please write to the Headteacher.

The Religious and Moral Education Policy is available on request.

Promoting EqualitY, Diversity and inclusion

Our children and young people live in a diverse society in 21st century Scotland. Ardnamurchan High School is committed to creating an environment for the whole school community that demonstrates shared values of inclusion, equality, fairness and respect. Our school recognises and celebrates difference within a culture of respect and fairness, and aims to meet the needs of every child in line with the principles of Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). We work together with our children and young people, families and staff to ensure that inclusion and equality are part of all our activities.

For up-to-date information please see:

http://www.highland.gov.uk/info/751/equality_diversity_and_citizenship/313/equal_opportunities

In summary, our activities in school should ensure that we:

Eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, promote good relations.  Activities should not discriminate against any of the following ‘protected characteristics’ age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity.

Our full policy according to the Highland Council guidelines can be found at:school-publications/promoting-equality-and-diversity-policy

Administration of Medicines

(Office) Staff will only administer non-prescriptive medication when there are clear written guidance from the parents on:

· The symptoms the pupil will show if required to take the medication

· The name of the medicine

· The quantity of the medicine

· The time of its administration

· Any side-effects that may result from administration

Staff will not administer adhoc medication for minor complaints – these should be dealt with at home.

DEALING WITH MINOR INJURIES

Staff will deal with minor cuts and bruises etc. These will be cleaned and occasionally a plaster may be applied to aid the healing process. Parents should inform the school if their child has any allergic reactions to plasters and neither of these options will be administered.

Use of iPODS (including all forms of personal electronic streaming of media)

As most parents will be all too aware, music technology is moving on apace.  iPODs are now common amongst many children and are increasingly common in schools. Please note that:

· In the interests of enhancing the learning environment for those pupils with a more auditory and kinaesthetic learning style, it has been decided to allow iPODs in class

· Allowing pupils to play their own music is a concession and classroom use of iPODs is always to be at the discretion of the class teacher.

· Pupils are responsible for their own iPODs and for their safety.  The school carries no insurance for personal possessions.

Work Missed by pupils due to Absence

As an integral part of the learning experience, the school encourages pupils to take more responsibility for their own learning. This leads to the development of more effective life long learning skills. Therefore, when a child has been absent, we see it as the child’s responsibility to initiate and take the steps necessary to catch up on work missed.

During extended absence, it may be appropriate for parents to ask whether staff can provide alternative or additional work.  Under these circumstances, parents should contact their child’s guidance teacher.  Parents should bear in mind, that collation of extra work can take a little time and generally is only of use during absence of more than a few days.  It should be noted, that under certain circumstances however, such as unauthorised holiday absence; it may not always be the case that  staff can provide extra work for pupils.

Other Policies available on request are:

· Transferring Educational Data About Pupils – See Appendix 8

· Emergency Evacuation Procedures – See Appendix 9

The  Highland Council Policies can be found at:

http://www.highland.gov.uk/info/893/schools_-_general_information/29/school_policies_procedure