Colinton Primary School

Colinton Primary School is situated in the South of Edinburgh, close to both Redford and Dreghorn barracks. All our classes, named after a common theme to encourage a united sense of identity and fun, make good use of a range of facilities that includes a gym hall, library, Support for Learning base and a beautiful garden. Our senior pupils act as buddies to our youngest children by providing support and assistance throughout P1 to help them settle into life at the school.

We also operate a buddy system for all our new pupils. We have a house system for all pupils in which points can be earned by working hard and trying your best. At present the school roll is 168, split into two nursery classes and seven classes ranging from Primary 1 to Primary 7.

We have a dedicated and skilled staff team who, along with our close community of parents and children who are ready to learn, ensure that we are a school to be proud of!

We recognise that children differ widely in personality, ability, speed and style of learning. At Colinton we make sure our teaching methods take account of these differences. Individual, group and class activities are plannedto support every child as an individual. This makes sure that your child will be successful at his or her own level, will be motivated to learn and therefore gain self esteem and confidence through a sense of achievement.

We are a Rights Respecting School committed to supporting the development of the whole pupil and as a result, wish to encourage their development in spiritual, moral, social and cultural terms. We aim to provide positive, inspiring and enjoyable learning experiences within a secure and caring school community. We encourage children to be responsible and respectful citizens by valuing and caring for themselves, others and the environment. As a school, we strive to involve parents and the wider community and value their contribution as our educational partners. We aim to provide active learning experiences which promote achievement, attainment and creativity, to meet the needs of all learners.

Aims

• We work hard and try our best
• We are responsible and independent
• We respect and work with others
• We care and share

We give children as much first–hand experience as we can by planning visits into the local and wider environment. We use high quality teaching and learning resources; structured materials for practical activities and use ICT hardware and software, interactive whiteboards; the internet and reference books to motivate and support effective learning and teaching. There is still a place for traditional class lessons but we know that children learn more effectively when they take an active collaborative approach. We also encourage children to work by themselves as well as in small groups – taking responsibility for and ownership of their work to develop good study habits for life.

We wish to encourage a partnership with you to ensure the best possible standards of pupil behaviour. Learning how to behave is part of the education process and this involves parents and teachers working together towards a common goal. We expect high standards of behaviour but if any problems arise, school staff will contact parents immediately. Parents are encouraged to come into school to discuss these concerns with the appropriate member of the teaching staff or the Head Teacher. Parent/ teacher consultation meetings provide an additional opportunity for discussion of a pupil’s behaviour as well as academic progress.

A whole school emphasis on agreed behaviour provides consistency in approach, no matter where a child should find him/herself. Many methods, including entry into the Colinton Primary Golden Book and the weekly award of 30 minutes of “Golden Time” are used to reinforce good behaviour.

The fundamental aim of Active Schools is to give school-aged children the tools, motivation and the opportunities to be more active throughout their school years and into adulthood. These opportunities are available before, during and after school, as well as in the wider community. At Colinton we offer a range of active after-school clubs for all our pupils. Arranged by our active-schools coordinator, Lorna Norman, these clubs are well attended and feature activities like ball skills, dance, cross-country and gymnastics. Other activities offered after school include Music Club, Glee Club, and the Young Writers group. Detailed arrangements for the clubs are sent to parents shortly before a new block of activities begins. We do our very best to limit the costs of these clubs but a small charge is often necessary to pay for coaches.