I am delighted to welcome you to the new Cumnock Academy website. I hope that you will find this website useful in getting to know the school and all our activites. The school is dedicated to ensuring that all pupils make a success of their time at school. Gordon Bell Head Teacher

Opposite, you will see the Statement of Commitment of East Ayrshire Council’s Education Department and extracts from Standards in Scotland Schools Act 2000. Our aims in Cumnock Academy, reflecting the Statement of Commitment are:

· to promote effective learning and teaching in a safe, caring, well ordered and well-resourced
environment.

· to provide education suited to the needs of all pupils, fostering those with special talents and
supporting those with specific difficulties.

· to enable all pupils to achieve their full potential and to prepare for adult life.

· to have a high but realistic expectation of pupil achievement.

· to ensure effective delivery of education through a structured programme of staff development.

· to foster in all pupils a sense of social justice, fairness, responsibility and equality of opportunity.

· to develop good relationships with parents, the community and industry for the benefit of pupils educationally, vocationally and socially.

· to encourage all members of the community to make use of the educational provision and facilities of the school.

· to operate under an open style of management.

It is our hope that all pupils will make a success of their time in Cumnock Academy, that they will work hard and make full use of the educational opportunities (both formal and informal) that the school provides and that they will find their years here happy and enjoyable.

Equally we look forward to working in cooperation with parents, recognising that they play an important part in helping to encourage their children in their approach to school work and in supporting us in setting standards of behaviour, appearance and attendance.

We are happy to provide you with this handbook and hope that you will find the information it contains both interesting and useful.

Should you wish further information, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Services and information provided by the section include:

Information for Parents
Who to contact in East Ayrshire, dates of school terms
Comparative Information on Secondary Schools 2006
Directory of Educational Establishments
Term dates and holidays 2007/08
Term dates and holidays 2008/09
School meals menus
Enrol your child for Nursery
Enrol your child for Primary School
Enquire
Promoting Inclusion

Education publications
Additional Support publications

Money Matters
Bursaries, grants and allowances
Bursaries
Clothing and Footwear Grants
Education Maintenance Allowance
Free School Meal Entitlement

Additional Support Services
At home, in hospital, through Gaelic, for children with a hearing impairment and with language disorders
Communication/language disorders
Education at home
Hospital Education Service
Gaelic-medium education
Hearing impairment and audiology

Leaflets on Additional Support Services in East Ayrshire

Schools in my area
Nursery, primary, secondary and special schools
Schools - Nursery
Schools - Primary
Schools - Secondary
Schools - Special

Services to Support Learning
Support for the community, early years, music, outdoor education, educational psychologists and the quality improvement team
Community Learning & Development
Early Education and Childcare Services
Music Tuition
Onsite Services
Outdoor Learning
Psychological Services
Quality Improvement

Other Services

Learning Partnerships
Learning Partnerships
Learning Partnership - Making the Future Happen
Learning Partnership cluster groups

Public Private Partnership
Public/Private Partnership (PPP) Schools Project
- Building Learning Communities

East Ayrshire has adopted a policy of supporting schools in the introduction of a dress code. In encouraging the dress code, account must be taken in any proposals to prevent any direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, religion or disability.

These are forms of dress which are unacceptable in school, such as items of clothing which:

· potentially encourage rivalry (such as football colours)
· could cause offence as result of wording or pictures
· could cause health and safety difficulties(such as loose fitting clothing, dangling earrings)
· are made of flammable material (such as track suits in practical classes)
· could cause damage to flooring
· carry advertising, particular for alcohol, drugs or tobacco
· could be used to inflict damage on other pupils or be used by others to do so

The school favours the wearing of school uniform for a number of reasons:

· it improves school security by making it easier to identify intruders
· it gives pupils a pride in, and a sense of belonging to, the school
· it can help to reduce truancy by identifying school pupils as belonging to a particular school
· it heightens the reputation of the school in the community
· it gives pupils an equality of appearance which discourages competition
· it is cheaper to buy than other clothing which pupils may wish to wear
· it encourages school discipline and a work ethic among pupils

After wide-scale consultation with parents about the wearing of school uniform the following code of dress is compulsory:

Navy blue school sweatshirt (i.e. carrying the school name) or White shirt or blouse and school tie
Black trousers or skirt
Suitable footwear
Navy blue fleece jackets (Desirable but compulsory for school prefects.)

School Wear and PE kit can be obtained in the town from Donsport or Kenny’s.

Under no circumstances will pupils be deprived of any educational benefit as a result of not adhering to the dress code. In particular, pupils will not be denied access to examinations as a result of not conforming to the dress code.

Parents receiving income support, family credit, income based Job Seekers Allowance, housing benefit or council tax rebates will normally be entitled to monetary grants for footwear and clothing for their children. Approval of any requests for such grants made by parents in different circumstances is at the discretion of the director of Educational and Social Services.

East Ayrshire Council has a policy for the provision of Higher School and Further Education Bursaries. Additionally the council is piloting a government scheme for the provision of Education Maintenance Allowance. Both awards are calculated in conjunction with an assessment of household income. Information and application forms for all grants may be obtained from school, local offices and the Educational Department, Council Headquarters. (See page 45, for addresses)

East Ayrshire Council is concerned at the level of claims being regarding the loss of pupils’ clothing and/or personal belongings. Parents are asked to assist in this area by ensuring that valuable items and unnecessarily expensive items of clothing are not brought to school. Parents should note that the authority does not carry insurance to cover the loss of such items and any claims submitted are likely to be met only where the authority can be shown to have been negligent. Parents should also note that the authority does not carry insurance to cover loss or misuse of mobile telephones.