Introduction
To those parents new to Lomond, welcome, and I trust that this handbook will be of some value in unravelling some of the mysteries of our particular set-up; to more experienced parents, I hope that this will clarify some areas of detail and maybe prevent some wool being pulled over the eyes!
Either way this can only be a short guide, a brief explanation of policies and processes, and I am happy to make additions and amendments over time should parents wish to discuss the contents with me.
Equally, I am only too willing to meet with parents at any time and they will be made welcome in any area of the school, whether as individuals or through the Lomond Parent Teacher Association. A good school thrives on contact and support and you will be made most welcome at any function that the school is involved in. The quality of input is very high and I’m sure that you will enjoy any involvement, spectator or otherwise, that you undertake.
Absence (See Attendance)
Academic Ties and Commendations
Academic ties are awarded to pupils in S5 and S6 on the basis of high academic achievement in the Standard Grade, Intermediate 2 and Higher examinations. The normal basis for an award is at least six Grade 1s at Standard Grade (a silver tie) or at least four As at Higher (a gold tie). Pupils who join Lomond in S5 and S6 are considered on the same basis as Lomond pupils, with GCSE A* being substituted for Standard Grade 1s. Academic ties are presented at the first assembly of the session.
Pupils in S1 – S5 who achieve a sufficient number of commendations (usually a minimum of three) are presented with a certificate of academic achievement at the closing assemblies in terms one and two.
Academic and Social Monitoring
The school keeps a close eye on how pupils are progressing academically, socially and personally. It does so via a number of formal and informal avenues:
Academic potential is assessed by regular testing and Cognitive Ability Tests in Transitus Two/Senior 1. Senior staff track potential and achievement to try to ensure that youngsters perform at the level they are capable of.
Attitudinals are awarded every five weeks to ensure that pupil input is at a high level.
Pastoral co-ordination meetings are held regularly with the teachers of year groups to discuss individual progress.
All pupils (S1-S6) are given individual interviews every year.
Form teachers monitor social and academic progress and report back on it to parents.
Mentors, both adult and pupil, provide specialist support.
Parents’ evenings are held once a year, mostly in the spring term.
The school nurse is available for confidential consultations on a weekly basis.
Admission and Exclusions Policy
Admissions policy
It is the overall aim of Lomond School to provide a high-quality all-round education, both to local families and to parents who may wish to take advantage of the Boarding provision. Lomond provides an academic curriculum and over ninety percent of school leavers go on to Higher or Further Education. Nevertheless, we cater for a range of ability levels and do not operate an academically selective policy. Prospective parents may, however, be advised that a vocational education would appear to be more suitable for their child.
The major constraint on admissions refers to the availability of places as our roll is restricted to 600 pupils. Places are allocated on a chronological basis (first come, first served) and waiting lists are normally in place for admission into all the major entry points (J1, T2, S1 and into boarding).
In order to ensure that pupils can access the academic curriculum, are correctly placed in the right year-group and in suitable sets for the main subjects, and that pupil needs are appropriately met, the school wishes to obtain as much relevant background information about pupils as possible. To that end, they are either expected to spend a morning in school for an informal assessment (J1 – T1) or to sit a Cognitive Ability Test, usually in mid-January. More senior pupils (S4-S6) have information about their public and internal examinations taken into account and perusal of the last set of school reports or a testimonial from their last school is helpful too.
Where a youngster has a specific disability, it is important that the school is informed prior to the relevant entry procedure so that appropriate support can be considered.
Assistance with fees is available up to a maximum 100% and further information about this can be obtained from the Bursar. Means-tested Traditional Music Scholarships are also available.
Once a place is confirmed, further details are provided with reference to induction arrangements and are contained in a Parents’ Handbook issued before starting.
Admissions procedure
Application forms may be submitted at any time of year but it is advisable to reserve a place two years before the entry date as availability cannot be guaranteed otherwise.
Where a group is over-subscribed places are allocated on a chronological basis; the same applies to the boarding house at Burnbrae. (The school does its best to accommodate families and tries to be flexible to meet needs but is not always able to do so.)
Suspensions and exclusions
Pupils may be suspended from school either as a result of a serious breach of school rules or as a consequence of persistent misdemeanours. Example of the former might include physical assault, racist abuse, sexual misconduct, drug or alcohol abuse, theft and vandalism or bullying; persistent disruption and/or disobedience would illustrate the latter. A suspension is a serious sanction and may be up to a week in length. Parents will always be informed orally and in writing of the reasons for the action by the Headmaster.
Should a pupil’s conduct out of school hours or off the school premises bring the school’s reputation into disrepute or impinge on the welfare of pupils or the operation of the school then that pupil is still subject to school sanctions.
A suspension will involve being away from school for the period of the suspension, although in exceptional domestic circumstances an ‘internal’ suspension with a pupil being isolated from their peers is possible.
Each case will be considered fairly taking into account the individual circumstances. The pupil’s previous record of good behaviour/misbehaviour will be taken into account.
The school also has to consider not only the welfare of the pupil concerned but also that of other pupils in the school.
A pupil may be asked to leave the school should there be a gross form of misconduct, a significant breach of trust or persistent misbehaviour. Bringing classified drugs onto school premises, selling drugs or alcohol and breaking the law of the land are illustrations of the former. Pupils have also been withdrawn for persistent bullying. In some cases the school may be obliged to involve the police (e.g. situations involving drugs or dangerous weapons) or refer to the school’s child protection procedures. In exclusion cases the Chairman of the Board of Governors is also informed of the circumstances.
Parents will be kept informed of all significant disciplinary actions in writing.
Should a parent wish to appeal a suspension/exclusion decision this should be done in writing to the Chairman of the Board of Governors within three days of the disciplinary action. He/she will ask for a full report and will examine matters thoroughly before responding. This may result in a positive solution, but if it does not, the Chairman will invite the parents to a meeting in which he/she may be accompanied by a friend, but a legal representation is not appropriate at this stage. If the meeting does not bring about a resolution, the matter will be referred to the school’s Conciliation Committee. (It is tasked to look at issues in an impartial and confidential manner.)
After school care
In Clarendon, and for primary aged pupils there is a full after-school service which operates until 5.30 pm. See details of the ‘Wrap-Around Care’ in the Clarendon Handbook.
Parents should be aware that there are limitations to what the school can do to provide a ‘bullet-proof’ after-school care service for senior pupils who are not attending extra-curricular activities but are waiting to be collected by parents, or for a bus pick up. We have made the Conference Room available for them and this area will be supervised. The library is suitable for private study. We would encourage pupils to make use of the facility offered and do not wish such pupils to venture down town after school.
Aims of the School
It is not possible to encapsulate the multifarious aims of an organisation as complex as LomondSchool within a few paragraphs. Nevertheless, it may be possible to state a few objectives so that parents can have some idea of the general direction in which we are heading.
The foreword to the school prospectus states that :
“We are trying to draw out and optimise the talents that lie within each individual. I want our students to live busy, happy lives; to have inner self-confidence and self-respect and to care for and respect others.”
If these ideals are to be achieved there has to be a willingness on the part of every adult in the community to accept that it is their responsibility to strive towards these objectives at all times. This is a major task, but I do not believe that we will have succeeded if pupils leave Lomond deficient in any of the above qualities through our negligence. The school’s job certainly does not stop at the classroom or in the teaching of our subject alone. We are educating children for life. They must feel that they are valued as individuals and that they can approach the world with the self-confidence bred of encouragement and success in whatever fields are their forte. To achieve these aims is a full-time job on the part of every adult, parent or teacher, connected with this community, and the importance of the task is such that the future of this country depends on how well it is done. No more important responsibility exists anywhere.
The school should be welcoming and happy, positive, purposeful and hard-
working, where encouragement and example are key motivators for the
individual.
Aims’ Statement :
It is our intention to:
-engender respect for self and others, and encourage tolerance and inclusion
-provide appropriate learning experiences for each individual
-provide an appropriate curriculum with breadth, balance and progression
-ensure the care, welfare and protection of pupils
-develop an awareness of a wider society in order to encourage responsible citizenship
-further develop the opportunities provided by continuing advances in ICT
-provide the best possible facilities and support for our pupils and staff
-continue to review government guidelines to inform policy making
Annals
The school magazine is annually produced to reflect the previous session’s activities. Its main function is to act as a record of the year’s events.
Assemblies
Assemblies are held on Fridays in Clarendon and on Monday mornings at St Bride’s. Assemblies are communal events which help to define the ethos of the school. They are a forum for recognizing achievement and addressing issues; they provide an opportunity for pupil and staff participation; they are a vehicle for disseminating news, views and information. There are occasional Clarendon assemblies which parents are invited to attend.
Assemblies recognize that pupils are from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds.
The Depute Headteacher draws up a rota to involve pupils, members of management and the Chaplain. Members of staff and clubs and societies are also welcome to contribute and should liaise with the Depute if they wish to do so. At appropriate intervals there are also house assemblies.
Assessment and Examinations
The school believes that experience of sitting formal examinations is an important part of training for the national examinations in S4, S5 and S6. It has evolved the pattern below to give this experience, but also wishes to have an approach that recognizes the validity of on-going and informal assessment, together with other forms of diagnostic review. It is also important to have a balanced outlook that recognizes the need to develop skills and non-assessable aspects of a pupil’s development both within and out with the classroom and to provide time for teaching.
In Transitus 1 there are three main ways of assessing pupils:
- In the day to day activities of the class, teachers and pupils work together in the various aspects of the curriculum. Teachers thus observe, monitor and record progress.
- Assessment tasks will be set by teachers both during and at the end of a topic or a unit of work.
- National Tests are administered, in order to give a national perspective to the levels of achievement of the pupils. Standardized tests are also used at various stages, in order to plot pupils’ progress. The school uses the results of these tests for diagnostic and planning purposes.
Pupils in Transitus 2 are tested in English and Mathematics in December and May, and T2 pupils are also tested in Art, French, Science, History and Geography in May.
Pupils in S1 and S2 are assessed via unit tests throughout the academic year, but they also take an end of session examination in most subjects in May.
In S3 there are exams in December and May. Pupils in S4 sit their prelims in December and Standard Grades, Intermediate 2 examinations in May and June.
S5 pupils sitting Highers will be assessed at the end of the units which constitute part of their Higher courses, and they will also sit preliminary examinations in February. The national examinations, the Highers, are taken in May and June.
S6 pupils following Highers or Advanced Higher courses will be assessed as per S5.
The end of course examinations are in May/June.
Cognitive Tests are sat by pupils in T2 and by new pupils entering S1-S4 and are used by the Senior Management Team for diagnostic and motivational purposes.
Assessment Nomenclature
As Standard Grade has been introduced so departments have moved from traditional percentages to nomenclature based on a 1 – 7 scale, in which Grade 1 represents the highest level and 7 the lowest. The assessable areas will each be given a mark on this scale and an overall award is also made. Thus, in English, Talk, Writing and Reading are each given a grade in addition to the overall award. On the national system :
1 and 2 are at Credit Level
3 and 4 are General Level
5 and 6 are Foundation Level
7 indicates that the course has been completed
At Higher, Advanced Higher and Intermediate 2, A, B and C are pass grades and a narrow fail at Higher is awarded a Grade D pass. (An A grade is 70% or better, B – 69% - 60%, C – 59% - 50%)
For attitudinals an A is “good effort”, B is “could do better” and a C is “poor effort”.
Standard grades are the Scottish equivalent of GCSEs although they are sat a year earlier, in Senior 4. At Lomond the norm is to sit eight subjects and these are selected at the end of Senior 2 and studied for the next two years. The examinations are sat at two levels, normally credit and general, and most students at Lomond pass at Credit level. Intermediate 2 examinations replace Standard Gradesin a number of subjects. Highers, such as Biology, Modern Languages, Art, Graphic Communication, Computing, Business Management, History and Geography, are sat a year later in Senior 5, usually at the age of sixteen and are the critical Scottish entry qualification for tertiary education in the UK. For high tariff subjects and institutions five Highers at A/B level would be necessary, but not every pupil will sit Highers in Senior 5. AdvancedHighers are taken in one year in Senior 6 and are available in all subjects. They are recognised through UCAS as being of higher tariff value than their ‘A’ level equivalents.
GCSE Latin can be taken in S4 as a one year crash course for more able students. It is studied by video-conference facility, e-mail assignments and course work being undertaken in the course of the session.
GCSE level Psychology can be studied in Sixth Year by similar methodology. Spanish is also available in Sixth Year.
Attendance/Lateness
A daily register is taken by form teachers at 8.30 am. If a pupil is late he/she should report to the West Door for admission. Persistent lateness will lead to detention. Would parents please ring the office to let them know of the reasons for absence. Office staff have been instructed to call parents if a pupil is absent for more than two consecutive days. If there has been no verbal contact, please provide a returning absentee with a note for the form teacher.
The attendance record is indicated on form reports.
Calendar dates for the coming session are issued timeously and it is in everyone’s interest that attendance at school is maximized. Requests for exceptional leave of absence should be made in writing to the Headmaster.
Attitudinals
All pupils in S1-S5 will receive attitudinals for effort in all their subjects approximately every five to six weeks. These will be used to motivate pupils either to sustain good effort or to achieve better grades. Each pupil will be individually monitored by their form teacher, and the targets set, based on the previous set of attitudinals.