Welcome to
New Abbey Primary School
December 2023
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Information at a Glance
School Address
New Abbey Primary Main Street, New Abbey
Dumfries, DG28BY
Email address:
gw08offi[email protected]
Parent Council Chairperson Zoe Warbeck
Parent Council email
Head Teacher Helen Anderson
School Roll 36
Denomination Status Non-denominational
Status of Gaelic Not taught
School Staff:
Teaching Staff
Principal Teacher Ellaine Monk
Class Teachers Gemma Potts
Emily Edgar
PE Teacher Gail Currie
Support for Learning Teacher Hazel Robertson
Auxiliary Staff
Senior Clerical Assistant Heather Cussell
Learning Assistant Gill Wardrop
Learning Assistant Shiona Stairmand
Building Facilities Assistant Robert Robbins
Catering Manager Avril Moffat
Cleaner Elaine Lockerbie
The School Day
9am - 3pm
Break 10.30 - 10.50am
Lunch 12.20 - 1pm
School term dates can be found at:
http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/article/15239/
School-term-and-holiday-dates
Communicating with home
Mail Drop Wallet: This comes home on Fridays and
should be returned on Mondays.
Newsletter: Emailed and displayed every Friday.
Email: In order to save paper, most of our letters will
come via email. Please ensure you provide us with an
up to date email address.
Text: Sometimes we will text information. Our
system allows one mobile number per family. Please
ensure you provide us with an up to date mobile
number.
Facebook: We have a public Facebook page called
New Abbey Rockstars.
If you would like some help understanding this or need it in
another format please contact 030 33 33 3000.
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Welcome from the Head Teacher
Dear Parent / Carer
A warm welcome from all at New Abbey Primary
School. The purpose of this handbook is to provide
you with all the key information you will need as
your child starts at our school. If you have any queries
about the content of the handbook, or any questions
that it does not answer, please get in touch. We also
have a pupil handbook available from the office.
I would also encourage you to read our recent
inspection results. We look forward to welcoming
you to our lovely wee school.
Yours sincerely,
Helen Anderson
Head Teacher
For more links and detailed information about how
we support parents and work with our schools,
please see our Authority Handbook. This also
includes a page for financial support for Children
and Families.
School Aims, Values and Ethos
New Abbey Primary sits within the rural village of
New Abbey, close to the Solway Firth. Our school is
surrounded by countryside and is very much part of
the local community. We are partnered with nearby
Kirkbean Primary; staff and pupils of both schools
collaborate regularly.
Our school building is bright and welcoming with
children’s work displayed throughout. We have a
fantastic outdoor play area and the children regularly
learn outside. We have a poly tunnel and raised beds
in which we grow vegetables. We also have access to
the pitch at New Abbey FC.
We are proud of our recent inspection results. We are
an inclusive, ‘rights respecting school’ (UNICEF).
We worked together as a school community to review
and create our Vision, Values and Aims. Pupils, parents,
staff and partners were involved throughout the
process. We created a memorable, Vision, Values and
Aims poster which includes children, ‘rising’ up in a hot
air balloon. It is displayed throughout our school and
permeates all that we do. During 2023/24, we reviewed
and refreshed our poster so it’s looking great!
Our Vision: Together, we will creative a supportive
environment that celebrates individuality and
promotes equity, resulting in happy, confident
children. We will provide a high-quality education
which will help our children to realise their full
potential, giving everyone a passion for lifelong
learning.
Our Values: Resilient, Independent, Supportive and
Equal (R.I.S.E.)
Our Aims are defined under four categories and
can be viewed on our poster: Responsible Citizens,
Successful Learners, Confident Individuals and
Effective Contributors. Children often win points and
certificates for demonstrating our aims..
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Contact Us
The school welcomes suggestions and enquiries from
parents and carers.
If you need to find out something
We can be contacted by e-mail, telephone, group call
text messages or face to face. Where it is not possible
to resolve enquiries straight away, we will make
arrangements to follow up as necessary with the
most appropriate member of staff.
Comments, Complaints and Compliments
A comment might be some brief feedback about how
we have handled a situation or delivered a service.
It is best to pass a comment straight to the school so
that we can take any necessary action.
If you are not happy with the response you receive
or a decision that has been made, you can ‘Ask
us to Look Again’. You can do this by contacting
[email protected].uk. At this
point an Officer will contact you, discuss the issue
and direct your enquiry as appropriate.
Remember you can also access Dumfries & Galloway
Have Your Say at http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/
article/17349/Have-your-say
If you remain dissatisfied, the Education and
Learning Directorate operate within the complaints
handling procedures for Dumfries and Galloway
Council. Information on this can be found at www.
dumgal.gov.uk/article/15382/Complaints-
procedure
How the School Works
Class Organisation
For organisational purposes, schools are structured
into classes. Each year it is the responsibility of the
Headteacher to organise the class structure.
For more information, on School class sizes and
grouping please visit www.dumgal.gov.uk/
article/16646/School-class-sizes-and-groupings
We have two classes: P1-3 and P4-7. We have two
classrooms, a General Purpose (GP) Room and a
dinner/PE hall.
For more information please see the Education
Authority Handbook
Positive Behaviour and Celebrating Success
We have the highest expectations of behaviour
at New Abbey Primary. These expectations are
reinforced throughout the school. Everyone is
encouraged to be ambitious and ‘aim high’ (our
motto). Our children are also encouraged to be
supportive of each other, showing kindness and
consideration; in fact, Supportive is one of our
Values.
Our pupils, parents and staff created a Positive
Behaviour Agreement which includes anti-bullying
guidelines and is linked to our Vision, Values and
Aims. Children understand the meaning of wellbeing
and how they can manage their own, building their
resilience. If a behavioural concern arises, it is dealt
with promptly and fairly using inclusive, restorative
methods.
We have a House System and encourage our children
to earn House Points. Each week, we celebrate
success at assembly and the winning House is
rewarded (Abbey, Criffel or Kindar). Certificates and
stickers are earned when children demonstrate our
Vision, Values and Aims.
We have a display at the school entrance which
celebrates those who have won certificates. Children
are also encouraged to share and reflect on the
skills they learn in and out of school. These Wider
Achievements are also celebrated and displayed.
For more information please see page 13 of the
Education Authority Handbook
School uniform
All Dumfries and Galloway schools have a dress
code which encourages pupils to dress in a way
appropriate to attendance at school. For more
information on School Uniform, Dress Code, and
School Clothing Grants visit www.dumgal.gov.uk
At New Abbey Primary we have a smart simple
uniform which consists of:
• dark trousers or skirt
• red or white polo shirt or white shirt
• red school sweatshirt/cardigan or plain red
sweatshirt/cardigan
• school fleece or outdoor jacket
• sensible shoes
• a PE kit which includes trainers
• you may be asked to provide indoor or outdoor
shoes or wellies as the children play and learn
outside in all weathers.
The sweatshirts, polo shirts and outdoor jackets
featuring the school badge can be ordered and paid
for at any time throughout the year directly from the
Border Embroideries website:
www.border-embroideries.co.uk
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Financial Support for Children
and Families
Grants and Bursaries
Scottish Child Payment
Scottish Child Payment helps towards the costs of
supporting your family. It’s a weekly payment of £25
that you can get for every child you look after who’s
under 16 years of age. You’ll get the payment every 4
weeks if your application is successful.
Further information and an application can be made
at: mygov.scot website or call us on 0800 182 2222.
Best Start Grant
Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods are payments
that help towards the costs of being pregnant or
looking after a child. Best Start Grant is made up of 3
one-off payments:
• Pregnancy and Baby Payment
• Early Learning Payment
• School Age Payment
Best Start Foods is a prepaid card that can be used
in shops or online to buy healthy foods like milk or
fruit. The payments you can get now will depend on:
• how far along in your pregnancy you are
• how old your child is
Further information and an application can be made
at: mygov.scot website
Clothing Grant
The award of clothing grants is to assist with the
cost of school clothing for families who are on a
qualifying benefit or on low income. The current
award is presently £134 per primary school child and
£150 per secondary school child.
Further information and an application can be made
at: Free school meals and associated payments -
Dumfries and Galloway Council (dumgal.gov.uk)
Education and Learning Directorate are committed
to supporting families through their Anti-Poverty
Strategy – details of which can be found at
www.dumgal.gov.uk/poverty Schools should also
make parents aware of the School Uniform Bank
Project. Donation and Collection information can be
found at the above link.
School Meals
The Naturally D&G local provenance for a sustainable
future ensures that meals are freshly prepared with
seasonal ingredients and are free from undesirable
additives.
Detailed information on school meals is available at
www.dumgal.gov.uk/schoolmenus
Special Dietary Requirements
Facilities Services – Catering provide special dietary
requirements for food allergy and intolerances;
medically prescribed diets; or diets for religious or
cultural reasons specific meals for children of different
ethnic origin. Simply ask the school for a Special Diet
Request Forms to allow us to inform the catering team
who will discuss your child’s requirements in full. For
more information contact DGschoolmeals@dumgal.
gov.uk or the Solutions Centre on 01387 271 112
or solutionscentr[email protected].uk to access the
Legislation & Nutrition Officer.
Free School Meals
Free school meals are provided for all pupils in
Primary 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Confirmation of when this
will be rolled out to Primary 6 and Primary 7 from
the Scottish Government has yet to be confirmed.
In Nursery, eligible children can receive up to 1140
hours a year of Early Learning and Childcare. As part
of this funded offer, the child will be entitled to one
free meal and a snack each day.
Online pre-ordering of school meals is currently
being rolled out to all secondary schools, information
will be supplied by your school.
Free school meals can lead to a large saving in each
year, nursery and primary school pupils can save £361
and secondary school pupils can save £370. You’ll also
be helping your child’s school if you qualify for free
school meals. Some Scottish Government funding
provided directly to schools is linked to the number
of pupils who are entitled to free school meals.
For more information visit www.dumgal.gov.uk/
schoolmeals
Scottish Child Payment and Bridging
Payments
The Scottish Government’s Scottish Child Payment
helps towards the costs of supporting your family
and, as of 14 November 2022, applications are now
open for all children under the age of 16. The weekly
value of this award will also increase to £25 as of this
point.
All Children with allergens should
register with the catering team as soon
as they are aware that their child has an
allergen or intolerance to food.
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School Transport
Free school transport is available for some school
children attending primary or secondary school if
they live within the school catchment area and if
they meet certain criteria. For more information
and guidance visit http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/
article/15245/Free-school-transport
Free Travel for 5 - 22 year olds
From 31 January 2022 all children and young people
aged 5-22 will be entitled to free bus travel in Scotland.
You can apply for free travel online from today
at www.getyournec.scot (This cannot be done
through your school)
Attendance
It is your responsibility as parents to ensure that your
child/children attend school regularly. For the safety
of all children it is important for you to telephone
the school office prior to/at the beginning of the
absence. Absences are recorded in class registers and
frequent or irregular absences not supported by a
reasonable excuse, will be notified to parents and the
matter may be referred to the Opportunities for All
Service. If possible please, try to make dental/medical
appointments outwith school hours. However, if
this is not possible please inform us in writing or by
telephone of the appointment and arrange to collect
your child from class.
For more information on Attendance, Absences,
Lateness and responsibilities of parents please visit
www.dumgal.gov.uk
Absence from School
Pupils who need to leave school during the school
day ie doctor /dentist appointments, must be
collected by a named contact confirmed with the
school office. They must also report to the school
office on their return to school.
Curriculum for Excellence
Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), now known as
‘Scotland’s Curriculum,’ is bringing learning to life in
the way education is delivered for all 3-18 year olds
in nursery, primary, secondary, at college and via
workplace or community learning. It aims to respond
and adapt flexibly to meet the needs of an ever
changing and evolving world and Scotland’s place
within it. At its heart lies a constant commitment
and drive towards excellence and equity, to raise
standards, improve knowledge, develop skills for all
learners and close the gap between the lowest and
highest achievers by ensuring everyone has an equal
opportunity to be successful, no matter what their
background or circumstances. Ultimately, it aims
to nurture children and young people as successful
learners, confident individuals, effective contributors
and responsible citizens.
Broad General Education
Children and young people work their way through
Experiences and Outcomes in each of the five
Curriculum Levels (Early, First, Second, Third, Fourth)
and in each of the eight Curricular Areas. The five
Curricular Levels span pre-school to the end of S3.
This is the Broad General Education. Pupils progress
at their own pace, working through the Experiences
and Outcomes of the most appropriate level for
them. Pupils will be supported in collecting evidence
of their achievements, with a profile of these being
produced in P7 and S3.
CfE also includes Languages, Expressive arts, Religious
and moral education, Sciences, Social studies and
Technologies. The responsibility for the curriculum
offer in your school sits with the Headteacher.
The curriculum is defined as, ‘the totality of all that is
planned for children and young people throughout
their education,’ Education Scotland. At New Abbey
Primary, we provide a broad, challenging curriculum
as outlined in our pupil-friendly overview which is
underpinned by our clearly defined Vision, Values
and Aims. We utilise our unique, rural setting to
teach the children about the natural world and
conservation.
We value opportunities to learn through play. We
work closely with partners and members of the local
community in order to enrich learning experiences
and build relationships. We provide opportunities
for our children to achieve and flourish in the
school setting and beyond. Our children are aware
of their rights and have responsibilities within the
life and work of our school. We value individuality,
appreciate diversity and foster a sense of belonging.
We ensure that our children understand the purpose
of education and encourage them to be ambitious,
equipping them with the knowledge and skills they
need to begin to make informed decisions about
their future, giving them a passion for lifelong
learning.
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Parental Involvement and Engagement
Parent/Carers and the Parent Council
Every parent who has a child at our school is a
member of the Parent Forum. The parent council is a
group of parents who have chosen to represent the
parent forum. As a member of the Parent Forum,
each parent can expect to:
• Receive information about the school and its
activities
• Hear about what partnership with parents means
in our school
• Be invited to be involved in ways and times that
suit you
• Identify issues you want the parent council to
work on with the school
• Be asked your opinion by the parent council on
issues relating to the school and education it
provides
• Work in partnership with staff
• Enjoy taking part in school life in whatever way
possible
For more information or support for how you can
become involved in or to run your Parent Council
please visit www.dumgal.gov.uk/
For more information on what is meant by parental
involvement visit www.dumgal.gov.uk/
More information and support for Parents/ Parent
Councils is available at https://connect.scot/
Parentclub Scotland https://www.parentclub.
scot/ provides support information and guidance to
expectant parents, baby, toddler, Child, Pre-teen and
Parents and Carers.
The National Parent Forum of Scotland’s (NPFS)
Curriculum for Excellence in a Nutshell series. Free
Downloads for parents/carers: https://www.npfs.
org.uk/downloads/category/in-a-nutshell-series/
nationals-in-a-nutshell-series/
Parentzone Scotland
https://education.gov.scot/parentzone
information about the Curriculum and how you can
be involved in your child’s learning.
How is my child doing?
There will be several opportunities for you to discuss
your child’s progress. This may be through informal
discussion with the teacher or at Parents’ Nights/
Learning Conversations, formal reports or for some
it may be through more formal, focussed meetings
with other agencies.
Helping Your Child and Family Learning
Our Homework Aims:
• To continue to build on prior learning that has
taken place in school
• To provide an opportunity for parents to become
more involved in their child’s learning
• To encourage each child to develop his/ her skills
in various contexts out-with the classroom
• To foster good home/school relations which
benefit each child’s development
At the start of P1, children are provided with a
red, New Abbey Primary book bag. Older children
are given a plastic wallet. This should be checked
every evening and returned to school each day. The
amount and frequency of home learning will vary
throughout the year and will be managed by the
teacher, with regard to the needs of the children
and home setting. Parents are encouraged to seize
this opportunity to work alongside their children
and learn more about their child’s knowledge, skills
and abilities. Effective home-school communication
is essential so we use a bespoke New Abbey Primary
homework diary. We will provide guidance so
that parents feel confidently able to support their
children with their learning.
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Support for All
Support for Learners
All children receive support at school and nursery to
help them learn. ‘Additional support for learning’
is how we describe any support that is extra or
different to the help that most children receive. Most
of this additional support is provided by teachers in
mainstream classes, focussed on learning and support
to be fully involved in school life. For the majority of
children and young people this will be delivered in a
mainstream classroom supported by their classroom
teacher for a few this will mean some additional
support alongside the classroom teacher, and for a
very few this will be part-time or full-time provision in
a school with a learning centre or an inclusion base.
More information is available at www.dumgal.gov.
uk/ and on page 18 of our Education Authority
Handbook
Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC)
You are the expert on your child and what you think
matters. Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC)
means that the School will always seek to involve you,
to listen to your opinions and take them seriously.
More information is available at
www.dumgal.gov.uk/girfec and on page 20 of our
Education Authority Handbook
Child Protection
All children have the right to be protected from
harm, abuse and neglect. The vision for all children
and young people in Dumfries and Galloway is that
they should be: safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured,
active, respected and responsible and included.
Schools and front-line education and child care
services will play an important role in ensuring all
children and young people are safe and well.
Further information can be found at http://www.
dumgal.gov.uk/article/16640/Support-for-
children-and-families
Parents, carers and pupils have a key role in keeping
the school community safe. We would therefore urge
parents to share any information which would keep
everyone safe, and to support and encourage their
child(ren) to do the same.
Enrolment in Schools - School Places
Information on enrolment in school and catchment
areas is available at http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/
article/15241/School-places Information regarding
catchment areas can be found on the Council’s
website by accessing “Find My Nearest”.
School Improvements
Each year the school will publish a School
Improvement Plan which outlines the key priorities
for the school during the year ahead, following
engagement with staff, pupils and parents. The plan
indicates the expected impact of priorities on pupil
learning, as well as providing brief information about
the key tasks to be taken forward. Both the report
and the plan are published on the school’s web-site
and are also available in hard copy, on request. A
copy can also be found by searching for your school
at www.dumgal.gov.uk/schools
School Improvement Priorities 2023/24
• Review Vision, Values and Aims and reintroduce
Pupil Parliament
• Rights Respecting Schools Gold Assessment
• Learning and Teaching – Moderation of pathways
and assessment evidence
• Increase amount of outdoor learning
All children from across our partnership were
included in the creation of our Pupil-Friendly School
Improvement Plan. It is linked to UNICEF’s Rights and
is displayed throughout our schools. The full-version
of our School Improvement Plan is also displayed and
is traffic-lit as we work through the actions.
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Health and Safety
Emergency Procedures (including Safer
Together Guidance)
If your child feels unwell or have hurt themselves
during the school day they must report this to
an adult in the school. If we feel that they would
be better at home we will telephone you or your
emergency contact. Minor accidents, e.g. cuts,
bruises, are dealt with by the school staff. Serious
accidents are few, but should one occur your child
will be immediately taken either to your doctor or
to hospital, if necessary, and you or your emergency
contact will be notified. We cannot stress enough the
importance of supplying the school with the relevant
information we require in such a situation, i.e.
your own home and work number and a telephone
number of an emergency contact. Please remember
that if your child stays in more than one home
setting contact details should take account of
this.
Health Care (inc First Aid)
Many children will require their health care needs
to be met at sometime within the nursery/school
environment, for most children this will be for short
periods of time only, but for some children this may
require more long-term planning and support. If
your child has any health care needs, please contact
the school to discuss arrangements. Full details of the
support available and your role as a parent and the
role of your child are contained within Health Care
in Schools 3-18 (NHS and Dumfries and Galloway
Council) which is available from the school.
For more information see our Authority Handbook
Severe Weather and School Closure
Arrangements
Headteachers are authorised to make an emergency
closure when the state of the weather or any other
exceptional circumstance make it necessary in the
best interests of the pupils. In these circumstances
parents will be communicated with in a variety
of ways including text messages/ phone calls and
emergency contact arrangements. All school closures
will be notified on the Council Website.
www.dumgal.gov.uk/article/15240/Emergency-
school-closures
Data Protection
Information on how the Council uses personal data
is available at www.dumgal.gov.uk/article/15129/
Data-protection and www.dumgal.gov.uk/
privacy
ICT in Schools
For more information on ICT in school please see
page 14 of the Education Authority Handbook
Use of the Internet, Social Networking Sites
As part of the process of learning we allow our
children supervised access to the Internet and e-mail.
The authority runs its own filter system to ensure
that young people are not at risk from exposure
to inappropriate material. This filtering system is
regularly being upgraded. We have a policy for use of
the Internet and a contract for responsible use, which
we ask parents and young people to sign up to.
For more information visit our Education Authority
Handbook and Safe Digital Learning and Social
Media Leaflet
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