OUR SCHOOL’S HISTORY

St Joseph’s Primary School is a member of the Sacred Heart Education Network, which is a world-wide group carrying on the philosophy of the Sacred Heart Society founded by Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat

The Heart of Christ was the main focus of St Madeleine Sophie's life She knew that each child is deeply loved by Christ In later life she said: "I would have founded the Society for the sake of one child."

She wanted every pupil to live a full life, and therefore a life responsive to God's grace. She wanted every pupil's faith to deepen through the curriculum, through formation of character and through the ethos of the school

She was convinced that education flourishes in an atmosphere of mutual trust Best education, she held, takes place through relationships. A pioneer in educational thinking, she insisted on a vigorous intellectual formation for women

She sought also to make sure that qualities of heart and intellect developed in harmony She expected those who had received a good education to use it and not to bury their talent

In spite of the restrictions of 19th century conventions, she believed that the influence of a woman was incalculable, not only in the family, but also in the wider world, But the grinding poverty of 19th century cities also needed a response, so she started schools providing free instruction long before some national governments did s

In 1896 the Sacred Heart Society opened a free school (St Joseph’s) and in the following two years a convent day school (Our Lady’s School) and a fee paying boarding school (St Andrew’s) were opened at Queen’s Cross. The day school and the boarding school were amalgamated in 1904 and in 1907 a Teachers’ training Centre was established In 1970 the two schools amalgamated to form St Joseph’s and in 1971 the boarding school closed In 1973 the school came under the management of the city In 2016, the school was purchased byAberdeen City Council.

St Joseph’s RC Primary follows the National Curriculum but maintains its historical character and its commitment to the Goals of the Sacred Heart Society

St Madeleine Sophie’s philosophy is in harmony with our Curriculum for Excellence and Aberdeen City Council’s Vision for its citizens

Visits Of Prospective Parents

After making a Placing Request prospective parents will be invited to the school to visit the school/nursery to meet with a member of the Senior Leadership Team. During this visit you will be given a tour of the school/nursery and have an opportunity to ask any questions and discuss any particular needs for your child(ren). All visits are suspended due to Covid - a virtual tour is available here.

St Joseph’s Primary cannot provide a start date for a child without the relevant paperwork completed and submitted online. This is for the welfare of your child/ren.

ADMISSION/ENROLMENT

NurseryAdmission

Every child is entitled to a free part-time education place at the start of the term following their third birthday The Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc Act defines the three school terms as follows:

Autumn Term:August to December

Spring Term: January to March

Summer Term:April to July

At St. Joseph’s Nursery we have 40 places (20 am nursery and 20 pm nursery) available. Places are allocated by the Early Years Team at Frederick Street in accordance with Aberdeen City Council Nursery Admissions Policy. Priority places may be given to children with additional needs in accordance with the Children ScotlandAct.

If you wish your child to attend a local authority nursery class, you should apply for a place-https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/education-and-childcare/apply-nurse ry-school-place

Applications for session 2023/2024 will be available from mid January 2023. Applications received before the deadline in February will be included in the main round of allocations in March. If you miss the deadline for the first round of allocations, you may still apply for a place during the school year and this will be allocated depending on the available space.

Information regarding enrolment is published in the local press during January and communicated to parents through the school bulletin/newsletter. Pupils who attend our nursery have access to a range of educational resources and experiences as part of the school and will be included in any “school experiences” which are age appropriate.

PrimaryAdmissions

New entrants to Primary 1 are enrolled in January for entry to school in August. This is for children who will be five between 1 March and 28 February the following year. Parents of children whose birthdays fall in January or February may choose to defer entry to Primary 1. Parents of children born August to December may request an additional year of publicly funded part time pre-school education, but these requests are at the discretion of the local authority Decisions about these are made by a multi-agency panel in February each year For more information please click here -https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/education-and-childcare/apply-school-plac e

School Zone

Aberdeen City Council has a zoning policy for all primary and secondary schools within the city. All schools serve a local ‘zone’which has been determined by the council. You can check your school zone/catchment area on the following website. https://maps.aberdeencity.gov.uk/LocalViewweb/Sites/Web_Publisher. Alternatively this information can be obtained from the School Placements, Integrated Children and Families Services, Marischal College, Broad Street,Aberdeen,AB10 1AB, telephone 01224 522753.

Parents have the right to request admission to a school outwith their zoned area and the authority has a duty to agree to such requests depending on availability Aberdeen City Council does however promote the attendance of children within their local/ zoned school wherever possible.

Once an enrolment application has been made through placing requests and a place is to be offered then the school will contact you to arrange a visit.

Schoolstaff

HeadTeacher

Depute HeadTeacher

Depute HeadTeacher

PrincipalTeacher

ClassTeachers

Mrs Sinéad Lindsay

Mrs Orla Fowler

Mrs Louise Lacaze

Miss HazelTaylor

P1– Mrs Sarah Styles

P1 – Miss Naomi Bentley/ Miss Hazel Taylor

P2 – MrsAliki Dimaki

P2 – Miss Chloe McIntosh

P3 – Miss PMaley

P3 – Mrs J Petrovski / Mrs M Rafferty

P4 – Mrs Steph Scott

P4 – Mr Josh Bryce

P5 – Mrs Brynna Bailey

P5 – Mrs Chioma Nwaopara

P6 - MsAnne Wilkinson

P6 - Mrs Catherine Murray- George

P7 - Mrs Clare Pirie

P7 – Miss CathleenTrimble

SFL-Mrs Lisa Hendry / Mrs Lara Lumbard

MLPS / EAL- Mrs M Malet

Visiting Specialists

- Physical Education - Music

Miss Nicola Gravener / Mrs Sarah Skinner

Mr J Horton

SchoolAdministrator Mrs Claire McHattie

Pupil SupportAssistant

Mrs Susan Skinner

Mrs N Edwards

Mrs N Edgerton

Mrs F McAllister

Mrs J McCormack

MissADrain

MrsASoutar

Mrs SThompson

Mrs C Darlington

Mrs K Bhattacharya

MrsAStrong

Mrs C Moran

Senior EarlyYears Practitioner Miss PIwaszkiewicz

EarlyYears Practitioners

Miss S Pirie

JanitorDining Staff

Hannah Shaw

Claire Rough

Angela Ewen

Adrienne Ross

Louise Donaldson

Pauline Wells

Cleaning Staff

Malcolm

Pauline

Organisation Of School Day

This session’s term dates are attached as appendix 1.

Please be advised that prior to the school day it is a parent's responsibility to escort their child safely to school and supervise where required in the playground. There are PSAs in the playground from 8.45am to ensure the safety of our arriving bus children. Other parents are responsible for their children until 9am.

We currently do not have a School Crossing Patroller and the roads surrounding our school are extremely busy.

We ask that parents adhere to the parking restrictions around our school as failure to do so is putting the safety of our pupils at great risk.

Arrivalat Schooland Playground Information

Children should not arrive at school more than 15 minutes before the start of the school day Please note, there is limited shelter in the playground therefore on wet days it is advised that children come to school just before the 9 am bell. For pupils to reach their potential, it is important that they arrive in time to come into school with their class ready to start the school day

Please also make sure that your child is collected on time or knows what they are doing at the end of the school day i.e. walking home, attending an afterschool club. Arrangements with After Schools Club and or Active School Clubs are in agreement with the parent/carer and provider and are not affiliated with the school.

During lunch/break times children will be expected to play outside unless the weather is excessively icy, wet or windy Children should come to school with appropriate outerwear to suit the time of year In accordance with Aberdeen City Council’s Health and Safety Policy, children will not be allowed to make ice slides in the playground nor throw snowballs.

If your child has an accident in the playground, he/she will be treated by a first aider Your child will be given a slip, which will inform you of the nature of the accident and the treatment given. We will attempt to notify you by telephone of any serious injuries. (Please ensure that you keep the school updated of any change in your emergency contact details/new mobile phone number).

For Health and Safety reasons, dogs are not permitted in the school grounds.

Parking

We have no parking facilities for parents and limited spaces for visitors at St. Joseph’s Primary School. We would also advise that for safety and legal reasons cars should not park on single yellow lines, double yellow lines or zig zag lines at any time.

Schooluniform

The wearing of school uniform is strongly encouraged at St. Joseph’s RC Primary . We believe that school uniform gives pupils a strong sense of identity creating a united school community There is an expectation that children in P1 to P7 wear the items listed below

Girls: Green polo shirt, navy blue skirt, pinafore or trousers; blue cardigan/jumper Boys: Green polo shirt; navy blue trousers or shorts; navy blue jumper

Gym kit - Green polo shirt, blue or white shorts. jogging bottoms can be included for outside gym.

School sweatshirts, polo-shirts, fleeces, book bags can all be purchased from our Parent Council via the school website. An overall (old shirt) is recommended for art. All children should be provided with indoor footwear, which the children can change into, in order to be more comfortable during the school day.

Pe Kit

Gym kit - Green polo shirt, blue or white shorts. jogging bottoms can be included for outside gym.

Children should remove all jewellery before taking part in PE activities. If your child has pierced ears, please make certain they can remove and insert the jewellery themselves. If they cannot, please ensure earrings are left at home on PE days. Teachers may look after jewellery for a child, but the school accepts no responsibility for such items.

IT IS STRONGLYRECOMMENDED THATALLGARMENTSARE NAMED

PUPILBELONGINGS, VALUABLESAND JEWELLERY

Valuable possessions (including toys) should not be brought to school unless parents are prepared to accept the risk of damage or loss as the school is not insured for this purpose. Pupils are discouraged from wearing jewellery for health and safety reasons. Stud earrings are permitted but any other form of jewellery is not advisable. It is stressed that these measures are taken to ensure the safety of children in our care.

SCHOOL/HOME COMMUNICATION

Groupcall

We use Groupcall system which provides a system of text messages for parent communications. This system gives the school the ability to send text messages (SMS) and emails to your mobile phone.

If you change your mobile number/email , please provide the updated number to the school office to ensure you receive all messages.

School Website - https://stjosephsprimary.aberdeen.sch.uk/

Twitter - Follow us @stjosephsabn

Schoolmeals

It is the authority’s policy to provide meals and facilities for the consumption of packed lunches in all schools where these are required.

Aschool meal costs £2.20 in primary schools.We use the Parent Pay app to pay for school meals.

All pupils in Primary 1 to 5 are entitled to Free School Meals.

You can find information about school dinners, free school meals and the menu at: http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/schoolmeals/

Some pupils in P4 to7 may also be entitled to free school meals if in receipt of certain benefits.

Free school meals are available to children whose parents are in receipt of Income Support, Income Related Employment and Support Allowance/Incapacity Benefit, Income Based Jobseekers Allowance, Child Tax Credit where no award of Working Tax Credit has been made and income is less the £15,860; and both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit with income below the threshold for receipt of Working Tax Credit set by the UK Government, currently £6420.

If you believe your child should receive free school meals, please contact the school office. We will of course treat any queries and applications with confidentiality.

You can pay for school meals:

1. Online at https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/school-meals-parentpay

Avaried menu with vegetarian choices is provided. We send menus home to enable parents to discuss choices with children at home and plan ahead what they might like to eat. The menu is also available on the school website.

Parents can request a special diet for children if there are medical or religious reasons for doing so.

Children who require medically prescribed or modified diets should be identified during the admission process.

Pupils may also bring a packed lunch to school. We are a Health Promoting School and encourage parents to provide packed lunches with a balanced content. Like you, we want our pupils to be happy and healthy and the food they eat plays a major part in their future health and well-being.

Children are encouraged to eat all of their lunch, but not forced. Where children bring a packed lunch to school, parents are responsible for ensuring that lunch box contents are stored at the correct temperature by including an ice pack where necessary.

We currently have pupils in attendance at school who have allergies and ask that you do not include any nut items within your child’s snack and/or lunch.

Should a child forget his/her dinner money or their packed lunch, they will be provided with a school meal which you can pay for the next day

Breaktime Snack

Children can bring a snack to school for break time. As a Health Promoting School we encourage healthy options. Children should not share their snack with others in the playground as they may inadvertently cause another child to have an allergic reaction (e.g. nut allergy – resulting in anaphylaxis).

Pupilattendanceandabsence Procedures

In recent years increasing attention has been paid to issues of child protection and safety due to reported occasions where children have been seriously or fatally injured because of the inappropriate or criminal behaviours of adults. It is important that staff and parents continue to work together to develop and improve existing arrangements for monitoring the care and welfare of all children and young people. Aberdeen City Council has asked all schools to implement a series of standard procedures to monitor pupil’s attendance and absence from school and to invite the cooperation of parents in making these changes work. All parents are asked to assist the staff in schools which their children attend in the manner described below:

In accordance with the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 parents are required to ensure that their children receive a suitable education from the time they are five. This is normally provided through attendance at school and parents have a duty to ensure regular attendance and that children arrive on time.

Regular and punctual attendance is linked closely to achievement. The school is required by law to maintain an accurate record of the attendance and absence of each pupil. Parents are requested to assist in this process by keeping the school informed if their child is to be absent for any reason.

Unplannedabsence

It is important to note that if a child does not arrive at school and there is no reasonable explanation provided for his/her absence then members of staff will be required to ascertain the whereabouts and safety of the child. In order to avoid causing unnecessary concern for staff and parents the importance of good communication between home and school cannot be overemphasized.

If you child is going to be absent please telephone the school absence line (01224 327423) before 9.30 am (if there is no answer please leave a message). If your child is home for lunch and becomes unwell making them unable to return in the afternoon please call the school office. When you contact the school it would be helpful if an indication could be given as to the child’s expected length of absence from school.

If we have not received a call to notify us of the reasons of absence then you will receive a groupcall from our school office asking you to give us a call to provide an explanation. If an explanation of the absence is not provided, the period will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. Should the child not return to school within three school days without explanation then ‘Missing from Education’policy and procedures will come into effect. PLANNED

As part of Government Regulations we are required to record all absences as “authorised” or “unauthorised”. Authorised absences are due to illness or family bereavement and can also include time off to attend, e.g. sporting events and music exams.

The Scottish Government has deemed that holidays taken during term time should be recorded as unauthorised absence unless there are special exceptional circumstances. Should you wish to remove your child from school to attend a family holiday you must request permission from the Head Teacher Parents are asked to limit the number of holidays taken during term time. This is to minimise disruption to the children’s education. For annual holiday dates for Aberdeen City schools please see the section at the back of this book or on Aberdeen City Council’s website. We do not provide work for children who are on holiday during term time.

For medical or dental appointments, the School Office should be informed. Children should always be collected and returned by an adult on these occasions. As far as possible such appointments should take place out with the school day.

COMMUNICABLE DISEASES, HEAD LICEANDASTHMA

Communicable Diseases

When pupils are off school because of sickness or diarrhoea, they should not be sent back to school until 48 hours after symptoms have passed. Pupils must also be kept off school for a period of time where they have an infectious or contagious disease. These include common ailments such as impetigo, conjunctivitis, chicken pox etc. Please contact your GP or local health centre for up to date advice if you believe your child may have a communicable disease. For further information regarding how long children need to be kept at home and not sent to school either contact the school office or go to www.nhsgrampian.co.uk.

Head Lice

Please check your child’s head regularly (we recommend weekly) and notify the school if you find head lice. Current advice on the treatment of head lice is available from the pharmacist. If your child has recurrent head lice or that it is difficult to clear then our School Nurse is available to offer support and advice.

Asthmainhalers

Parents of children who carry their own inhalers should supply a spare named inhaler just in case your child’s inhaler is lost or misplaced.

Firstaid

Pupil Support Assistants have a full qualification in first aid. Clearly where there is any doubt over injury or illness, we will contact you immediately and in an emergency, contact the appropriate emergency services. Where basic First Aid has been given in school we will send home a letter to let you know about the treatment given. Head bump letters and stickers are also issued when appropriate and you will receive a phone call or groupcall giving details of the incident.

Administration Of Medication

There is no legal duty that requires education staff to administer pupil medication; this is an entirely voluntary role and decisions may differ from school to school. Parents/ Carers have prime responsibility for their child’s health. During your child’s enrolment process you as a parent/carer have a responsibility to inform the school leadership team and/or office with your child’s pre-diagnosed conditions. There may be certain cases in which school staff require medical training prior to your child starting with us. In some cases an appropriate Health Care Plan will be written in partnership with both you as parents, school staff and health care professionals.

We do not routinely administer medication in school. If your child has received a prescription from the doctor where possible it should be arranged for this to be administered outwith the school day

In cases where a child requires medication to be given during the school day a medication form should be completed, which can be acquired from the school office or downloaded from the website.

Emergencycontact Numbers

When you enroll your child at school, you are asked to give us an emergency contact number. We will ask you to update this each year. Please ensure that you inform the school office if the contact details change as out of date contact numbers can cause both you and your child unnecessary upset in an emergency or illness.

If your child is ill at school, we will try to contact parents or carers in the first instance. If we are unable to do this we will then use the emergency contact number given by you.

If your child has an accident at school, it will be dealt with in the first instance by our trained first aid personnel. It may be necessary to take a child to a doctor or hospital. We will always try to contact you in this situation, however if we are unable to make contact and it is in the child’s interest to have medical attention, a member of the school staff will accompany the pupil to a doctor or hospital and remain with them until you can be contacted.