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Latecoming
Latecoming means time missed from education. Pupils who persistently arrive late for the morning or afternoon sessions disrupt their own education and that of others. In the morning, pupils need to be in school by the first bell at 8.55 am. If pupils go ‘down the town’ at lunchtime it is very important they are back in school before the first afternoon bell at 1.40 pm. Persistent latecomers will be placed on a monitoring card and parents will be asked to come to the school to help find a solution to the problem. Pupils who are regularly late after lunch will lose the right to go into the town at lunchtimes.
Learning Support
All pupils require support with their learning in one way or another. Often this will be provided by the class teacher, using specially prepared teaching materials. Sometimes a learning support teacher will be available in the classroom to help the class teacher. Sometimes help will be provided in the learning support department.
Pupils with learning difficulties may also get help with exams, through the provision of readers, scribes, etc. Special additional resources may be available to pupils with a Record of Special Educational Needs.
Any parent who thinks his or her child may require additional learning support should contact the child’s Year Head in the first instance.
The overall aim of the learning support department is to enable the school to respond to the individual learning needs of every pupil.
Please also see the entry under Educational Psychologist.
Leaving school
Pupils may leave school at a leaving date determined by the date of their 16th birthday.
- If they are 16 between 1 March and 30 September, they may leave at the summer leaving date (31 May).
- If they are 16 between 1 October and the end of February, they may leave at the winter leaving date (21 December or the start of the Christmas holidays, whichever comes first).
Pupils who have reached 16 years are not allowed to leave until their statutory leaving date even if they have found or been offered a job. An employer cannot legally employ a young person until after he/she has officially left school at their statutory leaving date.
Pupils who have completed four years of secondary schooling may continue their education at a college of further education to take a full-time course which has been approved by the Head of Secondary Education. Leaving in these circumstances must be discussed with the Rector in the first instance.
Library and Resource Centre
The school library (now known as the Resource Centre) is open to pupils at lunchtimes and after school. Pupils may read or study in the library and may borrow books to take home. Pupils in the lower school (S1 to S3) may borrow one book at a time for up to two weeks. Pupils in the upper school (S4 to S6) may borrow two books. Senior pupils who are carrying out special studies may borrow more books for longer periods. They may also access books from other libraries by inter-library loan.
Pupils need to use their Young Scot card as their library card. The library’s book issuing system is computer-based using a bar code scanner to match the bar code on the pupil’s Young Scot card with the bar code on the book.
Lost Property
If a pupil loses an item of personal property, it should be reported to the Janitor right away. Every effort will be made to find the lost item, but no responsibility can be accepted by the education authority if it is not found.
Please also see under the headings Personal Possessions and Valuables.