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- Education Maintenance Allowance
- Educational Psychologist
- Emergencies
- Emergency closure of the School
- Employment of Pupils
- Exams
- Exclusion
- Excursions
- Extra-curricular activities
- Extremes of Fashion
Education Maintenance Allowance
Pupils who stay on at school beyond the leaving age may be eligible for the new Education Maintenance Allowance. This is a weekly payment worth up to £30 for students who are aged 16 and in fifth year and above.
The full £30 allowance will be paid to those whose household income is £19,630 or less. Those whose household income is between £19,631 and £24,030 will receive £20, and those between £24,031 and £30,000 will receive £10.
There are also two bonus payments of £150 if they remain in their courses and make good progress in their learning. Payments will be made directly into pupils’ bank accounts. The bonus payments will be made in January and June/July.
The allowance will be withdrawn if the pupil’s attendance falls below an acceptable level without good reason, or for failure to make satisfactory effort and progress in classes, or for failure to conform to school rules.
Applications forms and an information leaflet containing further details of how to apply for the new allowance are available from Mrs Thomson, Attendance and Welfare Officer.
Educational Psychologist
The school has access to the services of the area Educational Psychologist. If learning difficulties are suspected, the Educational Psychologist can carry out tests which can help find out the nature of the difficulty and will be able to help in finding ways to deal with it. Please contact your child’s Head of House or Guidance teacher if you think your child has difficulties which need further investigation.
All pupils are given a school e-mail address which can be used in the same way as any private email address they may have at home. The email system must be used responsibly. Sending offensive messages will result in the pupil’s removal from the system and in disciplinary action. Chain emails, if received, must be deleted immediately and not forwarded to anyone else.
Emergencies
It is vitally important that we can contact a parent, guardian or some other adult if an emergency arises. PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOUR CHILD’S RECORDS INCLUDE AT LEAST ONE EMERGENCY CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER.
Emergency closure of the School
If it is necessary to close the school as the result of an emergency, every effort will be made to ensure the safety of pupils under proper supervision either until normal home time or until special arrangements can be made. If the school has to be closed before pupils arrive, we will inform parents that a closure is necessary by posting information on the school website, try to organise a ‘phone chain’ and take other steps such as making announcements on local radio (Argyll FM - 106.5, 107.1 and 107.7). Details of arrangements for re-opening after an emergency will be given out in the same way. In emergencies, the school office will open earlier or later than usual as required. Phone enquiries should be made to the school and not to the radio station.
Employment of Pupils
New laws took effect in April 2006 which now limit the hours which a young person of school age (under 16) may work in part-time employment. The maximum hours of work are now 12 hours per week, with a maximum of 2 hours on any day other than a Saturday. See also Part-time Jobs.
Exams
Pupils have tests in their various subjects at regular intervals throughout the year, usually at the end of teaching units. First and second year pupils will sit National Tests in English and Maths when their teachers consider they have reached the necessary standard.
Pupils sit their first formal school exams just after the Easter holidays in their third year.
In fourth year they have a formal prelim exam in December and the external SQA exams in May/June.
In fifth and sixth year the formal prelim is in late January/early February, with the SQA exams in May/June. There are also important internal tests as part of the SQA process at regular intervals throughout Higher and Intermediate courses.
Exclusion
Exclusion from school is a serious step taken in response to a persistent pattern of misbehaviour, or as a result of a single serious offence. It’s not something we impose without good reason. If a pupil is excluded, it is a very serious matter indeed. Exclusion can be for up to three days in the first instance, or for much longer periods in serious cases. A pupil can’t be allowed back to school after an exclusion until his or her parent has come to the school to sign an assurance of future cooperation.
Exclusion is a legal process in which parents have a right of appeal. Full details of the appeal process are provided at the time when the exclusion is imposed.
Excursions
Pupils have regular opportunities to take part in educational, sporting or social excursions from school. A pupil’s eligibility to take part may depend on good behaviour and obedience to the school’s rules. The cost of some excursions may be subsidised from school funds. In most cases a charge will apply. The school can help if the cost would prevent a pupil taking part. Parents should speak confidentially to the appropriate Guidance teacher or Year Head about this. Insurance is taken out at no cost to the pupil when the excursion involves an overnight stay. See under Insurance Cover for details.
Extra-curricular activities
Thanks to the willingness of staff and parents to volunteer their time, we are able to offer a range of extra-curricular activities which enrich the life of the school and the experience of pupils. We hope that every pupil will find something to enjoy from what is on offer. In recent years the following have been available:
- Art club
- Badminton
- Canoeing
- Choirs
- Cookery club
- Computer Club
- Concertgoers
- Concert & Pipe Bands
- Cross-country running
- Dinghy Sailing
- Drama Club
- Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme
- Eco-Schools Group
- Football (boys and girls)
- History Model club
- Inter-house sports
- Lunchtime Games Club
- Science club
- Sudoku club
- Young Engineers club
Extremes of Fashion
Pupils should not come to school in any type of clothing, hairstyle or make-up which could be described as being at the ‘extreme’ end of the fashion scale. What would not be appropriate in the workplace is not appropriate in school.