StewartonAcademySchoolHandbook

Stewarton Academy Cairnduff Place Stewarton KA3 5QF Telephone No: Email: School Blog: Twitter: 01560 482342 eaStewarton.Ac@eastayrshire.org.uk https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/ea/stewartonacademysite2016/ @stewarton_Acad School App: Denominational Co-educational, non-denominational, six-year comprehensive secondary Status (if any): establishment School Roll: Further information: 802 (age 12-18) www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/schoolhandbooks Dear Parent/Carer, It gives me great pleasure to introduce the Stewarton Academy handbook for session 2021/2022 It contains a wide range of information about the school, which I hope you will find useful and interesting It is a privilege to be entrusted with the leadership of a school which seeks to empower all our young people to pursue their own ambitions and to realise the aspirations we share for our community Determination is one of our core school values Although we continue to be ready for the challenges which will occur this session, we are determined to look to the future with optimism Through our determination to ensure that we get it right of every young person, Stewarton Academy will continue to prioritise high attainment and achievement We will this by focusing on the quality of learning and teaching and prioritising the wellbeing of our young people and staff, in partnership with the wider community Within the handbook, you will see our teaching and non-teaching staff’s commitment to embedding equality and equity We will listen to the views and aspirations of our young people so that we channel our energies and resources where they will have the most positive impact As new head teacher, I join a wonderful team of professionals who are dedicated to maintaining and further developing Stewarton Academy as a source of pride at the heart of its community I trust that this handbook will provide you with a real sense of our school, whilst encouraging you to engage with us in partnership I want to thank you for your going support and urge you to contact us if you have any further queries or questions John Stuart Head Teacher School context Head Teacher: John Stuart Catchment Area: Stewarton, Kilmaurs & Dunlop Stewarton Academy is a non-denominational school which serves a rural area of East Ayrshire It has associated primary schools – Dunlop Primary, Kilmaurs Primary, Nether Robertland Primary and Lainshaw Primary School The school has a roll of 802 with 7% of our pupils coming from deciles 1/2 (most deprived areas), 24% from deciles 3/4, 13% from deciles 5/6, 35% from deciles 7/8 and 20% from deciles 9/10 (least deprived areas) and 1% non-defined We have 62 teachers and classroom assistants delivering the curriculum and supporting our young people The schools national exam performance is above the national average and many measurements are above our virtual comparator Stewarton Academy ‘Working together creating opportunities for achievement and success’ We strive to ensure our pupils feel valued and respected at all times Young people are encouraged to achieve their full potential whilst taking responsibility for their own learning now and throughout their lives Opportunities are available for staff, pupils, parents and the wider community to work together to achieve this aim whilst making a positive contribution to society and building a better future together School Values Determination Don't settle for less than your best and show the determination to be all you can be Have the strength and self-discipline to overcome obstacles Fairness We treat people with fairness and welcome ideas different to our own Everyone has the opportunity to achieve regardless of their starting point on the learning journey Respect Respect for self, respect for others, respect for school environment, respect for our community Responsibility Take responsibility for your learning Make good choices for yourself and others, think about what is right and wrong We will strive →  successful learners pupil/young person set out in a curriculum  confident individuals for excellence  effective contributors  responsible citizens to develop the four capacities for  Safe through the eight indicators of well being →  Healthy  Achieving  Nurtured  Active  Respected  Responsible  Included by demonstrating the ten dimensions of excellence →  high quality learning activities  focus on outcomes  common vision pupil/young person, staff and parents  values and empowers staff and young people  develops culture of ambition and excellence  promotes well-being and respect  reflects on own work – thrives on challenge  partnership with agencies and communities  working with parents  high quality leadership We all agree that there is an unacceptable gap in attainment and achievement between children from our most and least advantaged backgrounds and that gap is wider than in some comparable European countries The average tariff scores on leaving school of young people from areas of most disadvantage is still less than half that of those from areas of least disadvantage This is not a new issue for Scotland, it has been with us for decades At Stewarton Academy we are committed to ensuring that young people get an equal chance at education We will support our children and young people to fulfil their full potential Education is about where you are going, not where you are from At Stewarton Academy we recognise that, as educational attainment increases, pupils much more likely to be employed, earnings are likely to be higher and pupils less likely to live in poverty We are committed to working towards the ‘Children & Young Persons collaborative’ Stretch Aims S1 – S3 By 2022, at least 90% of children, within each SIMD quintile will have successfully achieved CfE Third level literacy, numeracy and are progressing in health and wellbeing as evidenced by SHANARRI indicators by the end of secondary THE SCHOOL DAY (Please note that the school day details may change) Current Roll (as at August 2020) S1 166 S2 157 S3 128 S4 164 S5 116 S6 87 Total 818 S1, S5 & S6 MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY PERIOD TIME PERIOD TIME 8:45-9:35 8:45-9:35 9:35-10:25 9:35-10:25 BREAK 10:25-10:40 10:40-11:30 10:40-11:30 11:30-12:20 11:30-12:20 LUNCH 12:20:1.10 1:10-1:55 1:10-1:55 1:55-2:45 1:55-2:45 2:45-3:35 S2 S3 & S4 MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY PERIOD TIME PERIOD TIME 8:45-9:35 8:45-9:35 9:35-10:25 9:35-10:25 10:25-11:15 10:25-11:15 BREAK 11:15-11:30 11:30-12:20 11:30-12:20 12:20-1:10 12:20-1:10 1:55-2:45 LUNCH 1:10-1:55 1:55-2:45 2:45-3:35 ASSOCIATED PRIMARY ESTABLISHMENTS Lainshaw Primary School Kilmaurs Primary School Kilwinning Road Sunnyside STEWARTON KILMAURS Ayrshire Ayrshire KA3 5AS KA3 2RY Telephone: 01560 483653 Telephone:01563 538388 Headteacher: Mr J Johnstone Headteacher: Mrs G Crawford Nether Robertland Primary School Dunlop Primary School Pokelly Place Main Street STEWARTON DUNLOP Ayrshire Ayrshire KA3 5PF KA3 4AN Telephone:01560 482035 Telephone:01560 484098 Headteacher: Mrs J Shaw Headteacher: Mrs L Kelly Education Group Stewarton Education Group work together to improve outcomes for young people We have an Education Group Improvement Plan ACCOMMODATION A map is provided There is a lift available for those who cannot access the stairs Facilities for community use: to let any part of our accommodation during the evening or at weekends, please contact: East Ayrshire Leisure Community & Recreation, Letting, Western Road, Kilmarnock KA3 1LL 10 The following security measures have been adopted in Stewarton Academy to help ensure the safety and well-being of our pupils and staff  All pupils wear school uniform This helps us to identify strangers quickly  All staff should wear an identity badge  The school has a security access door and all visitors should access the school through this  All visitors should report to the school office and sign in They will be issued with an identity badge Anyone in the building not wearing an identity badge should be challenged politely  Security cameras have been installed in and around the school building  The cafeteria and allocated areas around the school is available to pupils during severe weather conditions 11 HEAD TEACHER - Mr John Stuart The Head Teacher, Mr Stuart, is responsible to the Depute Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer for the overall management of the school Depute Head Teachers - S1/S2 Mrs Y Ward (Mon-Thu) & Mrs M Taylor (Fri) - S3/S4 Mr F Hardie - S5/S6 Mr G Johnston The Depute Head Teachers have particular responsibilities for certain year groups, overseeing the educational experience of their pupils, including the curriculum, guidance and discipline Mrs Ward and Mrs Taylor are responsible for S1/S2, Mr Hardie for S3/ S4 and Mr Johnston for S5/S6 and adult students The Depute Head Teachers, together with Pupil Support Staff, play a vital role in the partnership between home and school, and will welcome contact from parents on all matters of concern 12 List of faculties/departments and Staff Design (Art & Technical) Modern Languages Mr D Dodds (Technical) Mrs E VerneauConlan Faculty Head Mr B Kerr (Technical) Principal Teacher Ms J McCrone Mrs A Gardiner Mr M Reilly (Technical) Ms R Beattie (Art & Design) Mrs S Hitchman (Art & Design) Mrs I Cartwright (Art & Design) Mr M Newsome Technician English & Drama Mrs C Gillespie Music Principal Teacher Mr G McGuire Principal Teacher (0.8) Ms H Biddiscombe Mrs L Watson Principal Teacher (0.2), teacher (0.6) Mr M Fitzsimmons Mr K Gordon Ms P Jannaway Mrs H Mallan 13 (0.4) English & Drama Continued Physical Education Mr J Stuart Mr M Renny Head Teacher Principal Teacher Mr E Alexander Mr I Reid Mrs C Cardosi Mr R Straiton Ms E Vallance Mr C Young Principal Teacher of Pupil Support 0.6 Mr R Morgan Home Economics Mrs K Taylor H.E Principal Teacher Ms.L Finlay Home economics 14 Maths, Computing & Business Science & The Environment Mrs J Kerr Mr L Hendren (Chemistry & Biology) Faculty Head Mrs Caddis (Maths) Ms M Taylor (Chemistry) Principal Teacher of STEM and World of Work Mrs B Hudson (Maths) Mr G Smallwood (Chemistry) Mr I Pettigrew (Business) Mrs S Beattie (Biology) Principal Teacher of Pupil Support Mr McCormack (Biology) Principal Teacher of Pupil Support Ms T Seery (Maths) Mrs A Smith (Biology) (0.6) Mr N Watt (Maths) Mrs A Barbour (Physics) Principal Teacher of Pupil Support (0.8) Mr D MacLean (Computing Science & Business) Mrs C Sneddon (Physics) Faculty Head Mr A McLean (Maths & Computing) Mrs A Mohsin (Maths) (0.4) Mr D Burrett (Physics) Mr R Ross (Computing Science) Mr F Hardie (Computing Science) Depute Head Teacher Mrs J Strachan 15 Senior Science Technician Social Studies & RMPS Library & Resource Centre Mrs P White (Geography) Faculty Head Dr J Redgate Mrs L Robertson (Geography) (0.6) Office Ms B MacBain (History) Principal Teacher Pupil Support (0.4) Mrs M Andrews Librarian AFO Mrs M Lloyd Mr J Kyle (History) Mrs M Madigan Ms R Hogg (Modern Studies) Mrs L Tait Mrs E Wigfull Miss G Dunsmuir (RE) Mrs L Wilson Mrs V Wilson (RE) Pupil Support (Pastoral) Technicians Mrs A Barbour Stewart Mrs J Strachan Science Ms B MacBain Cunningham Mr D Mauchlen ICT Mrs S Beattie Montgomery Mr M McCormack Boyd Mrs E Vallance Stewart 16 Pupil Support (Support for Learning) Day Cleaner Miss Z Inglis Mrs J Foy Principal Teacher Ms M Murphy Campus Police Officer Classroom Assistants PC F Lynch Mrs M Devlin Home Link Worker Mrs C Findlay Mr D McIntyre Ms M Kirkby Mrs M McGhee Mrs S Smith Mrs W McWilliam 17 The National Improvement Framework In 2017 the Scottish Government published the National Improvement Framework and Improvement Plan for Scottish Education to help us deliver the twin aims of excellence and equity in education In practise for us this means developing a broad range of skills and capacities, whilst supporting our pupils to thrive, regardless of their social circumstances or additional needs Excellence through raising attainment: ensuring that every child achieves the highest standards set out within Curriculum for Excellence levels, and the right range of skills, qualifications and achievements to allow them to succeed Achieving equity: ensuring every child has the same opportunity to succeed, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap National Improvement Framework – Key Priorities  Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy  Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children  Improvement in children’s health and wellbeing  Improvement in employability skills and sustained positive school leaver destinations 18 Senior Phase Attainment 2020-21 SQA National Qualifications N5 – AH Stewarton Academy staff worked in partnership with colleagues, in-school and across EA, for moderation and verification purposes to ensure pupils were awarded NQ results based on demonstrated attainment, in-line with the SQA Alternative Certification Model The tables below provide a detailed overview of the A-C pass percentages of S4, S5 and S6 pupils Also detailed in the tables are the school statistics from the last years A brief school commentary is also included for each table The first S4 table (below) shows attainment in or more national qualifications at level 3, level and level (also known as National 5)   5+ SCQF Level or better 5+ SCQF Level of better 5+ SCQF Level or better 2018 2019 2020 2021 2018 2019 2020 2021 2018 2019 2020 2021 67.6 59.8 78.6 76.2 62.5 59.1 75.6 76.2 47 37.3 49.1 47.7 The 2nd S4 table (below) shows the percentage of pupils attaining or more, or more, and of more National qualification In addition to these percentages, we are delighted to report that 18 pupils attained straight As in their subjects This is the highest raw number of straight A passes that Stewarton Academy has attained in a single year group Year (S4 Pupils) 7+ N5s 3+ N5s 1+N5s 2021 (130) 31.5 70 88.5 2020 (131) 25.95 64.9 83.2 2019 (142) 24.65 56.34 78.87 2018 (136) 22.06 63.97 81.62 In addition to the NQ attainment detailed within the above tables, school staff have further developed the curriculum to offer National Progression Awards and Group Awards to meet the needs of our young people The S5 table (below) shows the percentage of pupils attaining or more, or more, and or more level qualification (also known as Highers) In addition to these percentages, we are delighted to report that 13 pupils attained straight As in their subjects This is the highest raw number of straight A passes that Stewarton Academy pupils have attained in a single year group   Year (S5 Pupils) 5+SCQFLevel 3+ SQCFLevel6 1+ SCQF Level 2021 (131) 22.9 46.6 71 2020 (142) 16.9 37.3 57.75 2019 (136) 13.24 37.50 59.56 2018 (134) 18.66 41.04 63.43 2017 (125) 21.6 39.2 64 19 The S6 table (below) shows the percentages of pupils attaining or more level (higher), or more level 6, and or more level (Advanced Higher) National Qualification   1+ SCQF Level 3+ SCQF Level 1+ SCQF Level 2018 2019 2020 2021 2018 2019 2020 2021 2018 2019 2020 2021 48 45 39.7 44 24 17 27 24.6 28.8 26.9 20.6 21.8 S6 Advanced Higher performance remains extremely strong at Stewarton Academy with 41 % of the year group attaining an Advanced Higher qualification, and 25% attaining or more AHs The school have further developed our S6 curriculum with 13 subjects being offered at AH level in-house (including the sciences), and further additions being studying through SWEIC Online Connect and Glasgow Caledonia University online offers School College Partnership course overview In addition to SQA National Qualification courses delivered by Stewarton Academy school staff, 45 pupils attained qualifications in partnership with Ayrshire College in the courses detailed below Pupil attainment levels range from level 4, Skills for Work, level 5, Foundation Apprenticeships and HNC courses Course Foundation Apprenticeship Engineering Y1 Foundation Apprenticeship Engineering Y2 Introduction to Criminology Introduction to the Construction Industry (Group A) NPA Acting & Performance NPA Exercise & Fitness Leadership NPA Professional Cookery NPA Software Development NPA Sports & Fitness (Team Sports - Football) School Construction Operative EAC Skills for Work Automotive Skills National Skills for Work Early Education & Childcare Level Skills for Work Early Education & Childcare Level Skills for Work Uniformed Services Steps to Work Hair & Beauty SVQ Performing Engineering Operations 20 Positive Destination Statistics – School Leavers The graph above shows the percentage of school leavers in a positive destination over the last years We continue to ensure our pupils are fully supported into a positive destination Our school leaver percentages are compared against a virtual comparator, our local authority, school leavers in South West Scotland, and also at a National level The table below shows percentages and raw numbers in each category over the last two year Establishment Year % of Schools Leavers in a Positive Destination Number in Cohort Stewarton Academy 2019/20 96.85 127 Virtual Comparator 2019/20 93.78 1270 East Ayrshire 2019/20 94.72 1137 South West Collaborative 2019/20 94.29 4833 The National Establishment 2019/20 93.36 47435 Stewarton Academy 2018/19 100 153 Virtual Comparator 2018/19 95.95 1530 East Ayrshire 2018/19 94.82 1196 South West Collaborative 2018/19 94.38 5002 The National Establishment 2018/19 95.05 49717 The table below shows our school leavers by destination (employed, further education and higher education only) for session 201920 This table also gives a comparison against East Ayrshire, South West Scotland and across all school leavers in Scotland Establishment % Employed % Further Education % Higher Education Stewarton Academy 15.75 35.43 43.31 Virtual Comparator 17.17 28.9 44.02 East Ayrshire 14.25 40.19 35.18 South West Collaborative 16.14 34.22 39.19 The National Establishment 16.18 28.06 44.2 21