Ratho Primary School

The school is non-denominational and caters for the village of Ratho, from Nursery to Primary 7. Currently we have around 240 children on our school roll and 60 in our nursery. Classes are arranged by age. At present there are 11 classes (including the nursery class). At Ratho Primary we pride ourselves on constantly striving to provide the best possible education for your child. Our committed staff work hard to present exciting and engaging learning experiences and we aim for the highest levels of achievement for every child.

We are hugely proud of our school grounds and the learning opportunities they afford us. We are a campus with Ratho Community Centre and have a close working relationship with them. We are able to utilise some of the facilities of the community center during the school day and the school building is also used for a number of community groups during evenings and weekends.

The main school building is single story. Opened in 1983, it houses our gym/dining hall, Head Teacher’s and Depute Head Teacher’s office, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Lab, Medical Room, Library, Support for Learning class and 6 class bays. Our Annexe building (The Canalside View) was opened in 2015 and contains 4 class bays (currently Primary 1, 2 and 2/3 classrooms).

Our school nursery sits on the far side of the Community Centre. As well as the main nursery floor, there is the Nursery Teacher’s Office and substantial outdoor learning and play areas. Tended to by the nursery children and staff.

We are lucky to have expansive grounds at Ratho Primary School. Our grounds include a MUGA (Multi-use Games Area) for playing football and netball/basketball, The Secret Garden which contains our outdoor classroom and allotments, extensive grass area and a woodland area which children can play in and take part in den building. We encourage play using ‘Loose Parts’ equipment such as tires, ropes and tarpaulins outside.

We aim to utilise our local area and amenties to benefit our learners. For example, our school sits on the banks of the Union Canal and we integrate this into our curriculum in various ways. We are proud to be the heart of the Ratho community and are always striving to stenghten local links.

We aim to help our children develop their natural curiosity for learning and the wider world. Creative learners are responsible citizens, confident individuals, successful learners and effective contributors.A community that works together to support the learning of our pupils. Here at Ratho Primary, we aim to create a community of learners and families who are motivated to learn, are curious about the world around them and tackle challenges creatively and confidently.

In our school, we value:

• Respect
• Honesty
• Being Caring
• Responsibility
• Friendship

Children are encouraged to uphold our values in everything they do and are reminded of them regularly at assemblies and house meetings. They also form the basis of our positive behaviour policy.

There are many opportunities for you to become involved in supporting our school depending on your personal circumstances. We think that the key to a successful and flourishing school is that no matter how much or how little you do, the main thing is to be involved. Your child’s primary education is an essential first step in developing the successful learners and confident individuals we all wish our children to become. Strong parental partnerships and open communication between home and school will ensure that we meet these challenges together.

At Ratho Primary we take great pride in the strong links we have developed and actively encourage contact with parents and carers. Two formal parent consultation meetings are arranged during the session, one around October and one in March. We operate an open door policy and parents are also encouraged to contact the school to make an appointment to discuss any issue regarding their child at any time through the school session. Alongside this, regular newsletters every Friday keep parents and carers informed of events and initiatives in the school and there are displays of photos and children’s work in the school entrance and foyer areas.

As part of our school ethos and vision to be a Curious, Creative Community it is important that our learners have a say in how well their school is doing and how it can be improved. We know that young people can help to improve their school when they have a say and it is important that they are involved in this. We have a number of pupil voice groups at Ratho Primary School which are detailed below as well as our school Vision Time.

Here at Ratho Primary, we aim to create a community of learners and families who are motivated to learn, are curious about the world around them and tackle challenges creatively and confidently.

Relationships are at the heart of what we do at Ratho Primary School. We aim to build strong relationships between all in order to help children become Successful Learners, Confident Individuals, Responsible Citizens and Effective Contributors.