Welcome to Burdiehouse Primary School!

Welcome to our school website. Come and find out more about us. Head Teacher: Myra Appolinari BA, Dip CE, AUPE Our Address: Burdiehouse Crescent Edinburgh EH17 8EX Phone: 0131 664 2351 Fax: 0131 672 3318 E-mail:admin@burdiehouse.edin.sch.uk
We are celebrating 50 years of Burdiehouse Primary School.The present school building was opened in 1956. The School is co-educational and non-demoninational and caters for the educational needs of children between the ages of three and twelve. Burdiehouse Primary School is pleasantly situated and has spacious play facilities. The building itself is large so there is more than adequate space to house the seven classes. (The projected roll for 2006/2007 is approximately 150. The school is well equipped and furnished and over the years we have built up a wide range of materials to assist in the teaching of all areas of the curriculum. Each classroom has at least one computer with access to e-mail and internet facilities. We also have appropriate software for use at all stages and a good range of audio/visual equipment. We have a computer suite equipped to a very high standard, containing 14 new computers and a Smart Board for interactive teaching. In addition to the classrooms, we have a large gymnasium, an excellent library, a Music and Drama room, a well-resourced Learning Support Base and an ICT suite, and a further General Purpose room. Both the library and the General Purpose room are equipped with an interactive Smartboard. Our Nursery occupies two rooms within the school which have recently been refurbished to a high standard and are equipped to cater for children with special needs. We are able to provide places for 60 children on a part-time basis. The nursery is well resourced with a wide range of materials and equipment which provide opportunities for constructive and creative play. It also has outdoor play facilities which are used when the weather permits.
	SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT We aim to provide a safe and stimulating environment in which well planned and carefully monitored quality learning experiences will motivate each child to achieve his/her potential.
SCHOOL AIMS 1. To provide a caring and supportive atmosphere which will encourage each child to view him/herself in a positive manner and be caring and considerate towards others. 2. To encourage a positive attitude to learning and to ensure that each child is motivated to achieve his/her potential by providing a broad, coherent and balanced curriculum based on the recommendations of the 5-14 National Guidelines. 3. To develop effective planning, monitoring, recording and reporting procedures to ensure that education from nursery to primary to secondary school is a continuous process.
	4. To keep parents informed of their child's progress and to encourage a feeling of partnership between parents and the school. 5. To be involved in the life of the local community and to make the children aware of the importance of caring for both the local and global environment. 6. To further our own professional development and to continually monitor the quality of learning and teaching we provide.

1) ADMISSION ARRANGEMENTS

a) New Admissions

During November an advertisement is placed in a newspapers. This asks parents to enrol children who are five years old before the middle of December. Parents should note that enrolment in nursery does not guarantee a place in the primary school.

In June, Primary 1 entrants who attend Burdiehouse Nursery will visit and work in the school. They will be accompanied by their parents. Parents and children who do not attend the nursery will also be given an opportunity to visit the school and to meet the staff.

The children will attend on a staged timetable until September holiday, after which they will be in for the full infant day.

A series of meeting of parents of new admissions will be held in the summer term when they will be able to meet with the Headteacher and class teacher who will inform them of the arrangements for entry into Primary 1.

Further meetings with parents will be held throughout the year to discuss their child's individual progress, the curriculum the children are being taught and the teaching methods being employed. We do hope that you will be able to attend.

b) Children Moving into the Area

Throughout the year, the children of families moving into the area may be enrolled by the Headteacher, who is happy to show parents round the school and answer any queries. Parents whose children live outwith the catchment area can enrol their child at a school of their choice provided there are places.

2) TRANSFER FROM PRIMARY TO SECONDARY SCHOOL

Pupils normally transfer to -

GRACEMOUNT SECONDARY SCHOOL
Lasswade Road
Edinburgh EH16 6TZ

Telephone no 0131 664 7440

They do this at the end of Primary 7 when most of them are aged 12. Parents will be informed of transfer arrangements by November of the pupil's last year in primary school.

Parents have the right to request admission to the school of their choice. Such a request must be in writing and is known as a placing request. (A parent may in fact submit a request for a place for his child in a school at any stage.)

The Education Authority has a duty to accede to the parent's request except in certain circumstances specified in the Education (Scotland) Act 1981.

Further information on this can be obtained directly from the school or by writing to the Divisional Education Officer.

NURSERY Good beginnings are vital and education begins in the Nursery. The class is extremely well equipped and organised and children are given the opportunity to discover, to create, to manipulate, to communicate, to play together and to be independent. The foundations for all five areas of the Primary Curriculum are laid and there are close links between the Nursery staff and the Primary 1 teachers to ensure that the transition from Nursery to school is as smooth as possible. Transition from nursery to P1 is also supported by Caroline Anderson, Family Learning. PRIMARY The curriculum offered in primary school includes a balance of activities in the following areas in accordance with the 5-14 National Guidelines - Language Mathematics Environmental Studies Expressive Arts Religious and Moral Education Personal and Social Development Learning in the school is based on a range of strategies including investigating, problem solving, discussion and direct teaching and involves activities using a wide variety of materials. Each child is assessed to determine his or her levels of work and group and individual methods form the basis of the teaching so that the curriculum can be tailored as far as possible to fit the needs of each child.
LANGUAGE
Language is central to children's learning in all areas of the curriculum as it is by reading, listening/watching, communicating orally and in writing, that children extend their knowledge and acquire skills. Our guidelines ensure that a balance of these activities is offered at each stage. Listening/watching Being able to concentrate for a period of time and listen effectively is an extremely important skill and children are encouraged to become effective listeners through a wide range of activities. Talking Being able to communicate thoughts, feelings, experience, ideas and opinions to others is probably the most important skill that children acquire and we ensure that a wide variety of contexts are provided at each stage which will motivate children to talk and interact with others. Reading A great deal of enjoyment as well as knowledge can be gained from reading stories, poems and factual information. As children are more motivated to learn a particular skill if the process is enjoyable, we encourage the children at all stages to use our well-stocked library. Book Fairs are also held regularly in school where parents and children can choose books. In the early stages, the children are taught to read using a multi-sensory approach. At Burdiehouse we use the CEC literacy programme. We support this with Guided Reading Sessions and a writing programme which is delivered by class and learning support teachers. The school is included in the Council's Early Intervention Project which means we are allocated extra staffing to assist with the development of literacy skills in Primary 1 and Primary 2. As the children become more proficient readers, they are encouraged to develop their skills in a variety of contexts using a wide range of materials. Writing Being able to express ideas and experiences and to present factual information in an appropriate written form are skills which increase in importance as a child matures. The school uses the North Lanarkshire Writing Scheme and is supported by other materials to ensure the children are given meaningful contexts for writing. Spelling, punctuation and handwriting are also important and these are systematically taught in accordance with school guidelines.
MATHEMATICS
Mathematics are taught systematically throughout the school according to the child's age, aptitude and ability. Our present policy and practice is based on the recommendations of the 5-14 National Guidelines and children are given experience in the following areas: a) Information Handling b) Number, Money and Measurement c) Shape, Position and Movement d) Problem Solving using a wide variety of methods and materials. Where possible, skills are taught and developed through practical experience in a real situation, eg conducting surveys and presenting the results in an appropriate form, setting up and running a small business, working out ways of raising a sum of money to finance particular projects. From session 1999-2000, the school has been included in the Council's Early Numeracy Project which involves the children in Primary 1 and Primary 2 following a set programme of work.
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES & EXPRESSIVE ARTS
c) ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES One of our aims as a school is to make children aware of the importance of caring for their environment both on a local and global basis. Much of this is done through topics based on geography, history, science, health education, nature study and technology. Children learn through doing and it is important that all of their learning does not take place inside the classroom, but that they are taken out to explore for themselves and given first-hand experience whenever it is appropriate. The Council provides some funding for this, but parents are also asked to make a contribution towards educational excursions. d) EXPRESSIVE ARTS The Expressive Arts cover Arts and Craft, Drama, Music and Physical Education. All of these are well covered in school either as part of the topic work or as subjects in their own right. Skills developed in all of these areas can not only give children another medium or method through which they can express themselves, but can provide life-long pleasure and satisfaction. In addition to the PE curriculum of games, gymnastics and dance, children in the upper part of the school are also given the opportunity to take part in an after school football club. All children P1-7 are given experience of short tennis. Children in P3, P5 & P7 have a weekly block of swimming lasting one term throughout the year.
RELIGIOUS & MORAL EDUCATION, PERSONAL & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
e) RELIGIOUS AND MORAL EDUCATION At Burdiehouse children are taught about the major world religions. In the early years the emphasis is on sacred writing, stories and key figures progressing to developing and understanding of belief systems, moral values and atitudes. The whole school meets together once a week for a very simple assembly which parents are welcome to attend. These assemblies cover religious or moral topics and are taken by the Headteacher, the School Chaplain or special guests. The children are also involved in leading assemblies through presenting and performing work covered in other areas of the curriculum. Part of religious education is moral education and teachers are at all times asking the children to consider the questions of right and wrong and to encourage them to act in a responsible manner and to show consideration for others and their environment. f) PERSONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Personal and social development is a fundemental aspect of the education of the whole child. Through a range of contexts within the school and the local community, through participating in a variey of outdoor education activities we aim to help the children have a positive regard for themselves and for others and, through discussion and experiencing practical situations, to help them to make choices and take increasing responsibility for their own lives.