Abbeyhill Primary School

Abbeyhill Primary is a co-educational and non-denominational school located in the heart of old Edinburgh, overlooking the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Arthur’s Seat. The school caters for children from Primary 1 to Primary 7, and has a Nursery class which provides pre-school education for children aged 3-5 years.

We are proud of our inclusive approach which is at the heart of our vision and aims.Strong partnerships with parents are important to us. We would like to encourage you to become as involved as you would like in the life of the school. Perhaps you would like to join in with the Parent Council or assist in classes? Parents help in a variety of ways with class outings and within individual classes.

At Abbeyhill Primary, we strive to provide a varied, flexible, stimulating and vibrant curriculum, that supports all pupils in developing the knowledge and skills that they need both for future learning in school and for lifelong learning.

We aim to:

• Create an environment where all staff, pupils and parents can work in harmony.
•  Provide a broad general education through the medium of the Curriculum for Excellence for all our children to the best of our resources, time and ability.
• Maximise achievement and attainment, monitoring progress with increased accuracy through the development of assessment and evaluation procedures.
• Give each child the opportunity to achieve his / her full potential in personal, social and academic skills regardless of race, colour, creed, disability and gender.
• Provide effective support systems for all learners which promote personal and social development and underpin academic achievement.
• Ensure that the learning process will be undertaken in partnership with parents. We aim to build links with the wider community in order to foster mutual support and understanding.
• Engender a sense of responsibility for both the immediate and wider environment
• Make the school buildings and playground attractive, comfortable, safe and secure. We aim to continue to improve the quality of Learning and Teaching through the effective organisation and management of the school’s resources.
• For all staff to be given the opportunity and encouragement for continuing professional development and learning.
• Ensure that the school’s promoted staff provide high quality leadership, management and support.

Our vision for the school is that Abbeyhill Primary School will assist each child to reach his / her full potential through a challenging curriculum which encompasses all aspects of the Curriculum for Excellence. We regard it as essential that in order to take his / her place in the wider world, every child has access to a safe, positive and supportive environment, full of opportunity and challenge.

We will do all we can to strengthen support for families, schools and communities to meet their children's needs. Our mission is to place children, young people and families at the heart of our service and provide support when it is needed throughout childhood and the transition to adulthood.

All pupils and staff have the right to feel happy, safe and included. Our shared values of mutual respect between staff and pupils, and high expectations of success within a caring and supportive environment, form the basis of our positive school ethos. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all and we work actively towards eliminating all forms of bullying and discrimination. We recognise the effects that bullying and discrimination can have on pupils’ feelings of worth, on their achievements at school and in the community.

We recognise that certain individuals and groups in society experience disadvantage, prejudice or discrimination, and we aim to actively foster good relations between diverse groups and individuals. All parents and carers are welcomed and respected in school and are encouraged to participate as fully as possible. Interpreters and translated materials are available to assist parents for whom English is an Additional Language.

We recognise that certain individuals and groups in society experience disadvantage, prejudice or discrimination on account of their age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender change, looked-after status, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, sexual orientation and socio-economic status or any combination of these. Each person in school will be given fair and equal opportunities to develop their full potential. Pupils in the school will be prepared for life in a multicultural society and will be assisted in appreciating the benefits of diversity.

We actively encourage all our pupils to participate in school and extra-curricular activities and as far as possible we take positive action to make sure that the diverse school population is represented in activities, surveys and our Pupil Council.