1. WELCOME TO BALERNO HIGH SCHOOL!
Agenda for the evening:
Welcome from Mr McCallum
Welcome from the PTA: Jane Muir
Welcome from the Parent Council: Alistair McLellan
The three day visit: Ros Ranger, Depute Head Teacher
Residential: V Wright, Pupil Support Leader
What to expect in August: Ros Ranger
Questions and Close

2. The 3 Day visit Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 8.30 – 3.05pm each day
Start and finish in the small gym every day

3. Aims and hopes Meet some of the teachers
Get a good feeling for what moving around classes is like
Meet new classes
Maybe make a new friend?
Alleviate anxiety over the summer

4. Wednesday and Thursday
The Programme
Tuesday
Commonwealth Games Event – am
Creative Arts Showcase Event – pm
Meet the class – pm
Wednesday and Thursday
Maths Challenge
Sample Timetable

5. What to Wear and Bring…
Tuesday – PE clothes, snack, packed lunch and a water bottle – be weather appropriate 
Wednesday and Thursday – Primary uniform, pencil case and packed lunch or money for lunch
PE kit if PE on timetable

6. Break and Lunch
Both will be early so pupils can skip the queues and have time to see how it all works
Bring own or £3/FSM (Wednesday/Thursday)
Movie time
Stay in the school grounds at all times

7. The Support Team
Teachers
Support Team
Parents

8. House Structure Bavelaw Cockburn Malleny S. Ferguson 1B1/1B2
J. Thompson
1C1/1C2
V. Wright
1M1/1M2

9. Support for Learning Helen Kujawa – Support for Learning Leader
Kirsty Williamson – Support for Learning Teacher
Team of Pupil Support Assistants
Liaison with primary schools and other relevant supports
Short and long-term interventions when identified as needed

10. Welcome Evening 4th September

11. S1 Residential
Vaila Wright

12. Information 23rd – 27th September Dalguise (Perthshire)
Class accompanied by Pupil Support Leader, and other staff.
Cost- £320

13. Residential- purpose Build relationships with new classmates
Get to know staff who will be working with pupils through their time at high school
Try new activities
Have fun!
Residential is the end of our formal transition into high school.

14. Where we go from here…
In PSE we will prepare for residential- sorting out dorms, making groups etc.
£320 will be due by Friday 20th September- please let your child's pupil support leader know if there are any issues as payment plans/ funding is available.

15. The Curriculum
Our curriculum is enjoyable and challenges and supports our young people to achieve their full potential.
All our young people are expected to attain qualifications at the highest level possible.
The curriculum is the vehicle through which our young people are supported and challenged to become successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens who move into positive and sustained destinations when they leave school. 
Underpinning the curriculum is a commitment to developing the skills required for learning, life and work.

16. Principles:
Within the guidelines for Curriculum for Excellence, the curriculum should offer:
Challenge and enjoyment
Breadth
Progression
Depth
Personalisation and choice
Coherence
Relevance
These principles must be taken into account for all children and young people.

17. The Process BGE S1 – S3 Senior Phase S4 – S6
Continue work from primary
Discrete subjects
Subject Choice 1 in S2*
*Based on straw poll
Encourage keeping a wide range of subjects
Subject Choice 2 in S3
Level 4/5 courses in:
English
Mathematics
Plus 5 other subjects
Further Subject Choices in
S4, S5, S6
Level 5, 6 and 7 courses
Curriculum for Excellence means that there is an entitlement for all young people to a broad general education until the end of S3. There are five CfE levels (Early which begins pre-school/primary and CfE levels 1 & 2 for primary). CfE levels 3 and 4 are for secondary schools. There are specified experiences and outcomes for all subjects for secondary schools. There is an entitlement for young people to have these experiences and outcomes to at least CfE level 3 by the end of their 3rd year.
We expect that most of our pupils will be working on CfE level 4 experiences and outcomes – some in S2 and more in S3 for example.
(Level 3 broadly equates to Standard Grade Foundation level; Level 4 broadly equates to Standard Grade General level).
Progression into the senior phase (S4-6) will depend on their level of performance in S3 and predicted future performance. The senior phase will be the stage at which pupils can gain national qualifications at Access, National, Higher and Advanced Higher levels. Generally speaking, pupils who have been working within CfE level 3 will progress on to Access or National 4; CfE level 4 to Nat 4 or Nat 5. Within the senior phase itself, pupils might progress from Nat 4 to Nat 5 and on to Higher and AH. Pupils could be working on a range of qualification levels depending on their expertise in their subjects (so Higher Latin and Nat 5 Greek). Schools are looking at the possibility of organising classes across year groups within the senior school. For example we currently have S5/6 pupils sitting Highers together and we may look at ways of extending this to give greater options to our pupils.

18. BGE: Subjects Studied Business Education English Computing
Social Subjects (History, Geography, Modern Studies)
Craft, Design & Technology
Religious and Moral Education
Personal and Social Education
STEAM
English
Modern Language – French and Spanish
Maths
Physical Education
Science
Art & Design
Music
Drama
Health and Food Technology
All pupils in S1 will study all of these subjects.
There are different time allocations in the school week to each of these. Time allocations are in accordance with local authority and national guidance.
The modern language which will be studied by pupils in S1 in 2010/11 will be German. There will be an opportunity to study a second language (French) in S2. The modern language studied in S1 alternates from year to year. Staffing qualifications in the Modern Languages Dept determines which languages are taught.
ESD is taught as a separate course in S1 so that all pupils have the same quality experience. Thereafter, learning about sustainable development is embedded within other subjects.
All pupils in S1 will experience a “Basic Skills” course delivered by Support for Learning staff (they will be extracted in class groups from some of their other subjects for this to happen). These basic skills will assist their learning in all other their other subjects. Examples include: note-making, punctuation, jotter layout.
With Curriculum for Excellence, all teachers have responsibility for developing literacy and numeracy skills and supporting children’s health and wellbeing. We have a literacy working group, numeracy developments have been led in the past by the Maths Dept although we are considering having a numeracy working group, and a number of depts (PE, HE, Biology and SfP) are leading on health and wellbeing.

19. Assessment S1-3 No national examinations in S1/S2/S3.
Pupils will experience and be assessed in CfE levels 3 & 4
Pupils will experience end of topic tests in some subjects
Assessments will also be integrated into learning and teaching – for example presentation; poster; group task…
Assessment will be through a mixture of approaches: teachers’ review of individuals’ and groups’ progress – class work; jotter work; homework – giving feedback to pupils orally and/or in writing. Many subjects currently have end of topic tests which give good information about what pupils have learned/where gaps might be which have to be addressed. All of this good practice will continue.
Traditionally in S1 a settling in report will be provided in the autumn. This is a “comment only” report by teachers which is issued at the meeting with Group Tutors (or shortly thereafter if you are unable to attend).
A full report will be issued later on in the school session and there will be a further opportunity for you to make appointments to see some of your child’s teachers at a parents consultation evening. We await guidance from the local authority about the format of this full report.
Of course, if you have any concerns about your child’s progress, don’t hesitate to contact the subject teacher, department or your child’s Support for Pupils teacher.
Currently pupils make their first set of option choices in S2. It may be that this practice will continue to some extent to enable more in depth study to take place in S3 in preparation for the senior phase. We have to bear in mind the entitlement to broad general education until the end of S3 and await further guidance from the local authority whether it will be acceptable to reduce the number of subjects studied in S3.

20. Homework
Every pupil is given a homework planner to assist them in recording homework
Homework can serve many functions:
Consolidate class work
Prepare for future lessons
Revise previously covered work
Develop study skills
Develop skills in planning ahead and organisation
Where there are difficulties, encourage your child to speak to the teacher
It is helpful if parents check the homework planner to make sure it is being used correctly and to see if homework is being done in good time.
Homework activities can vary widely – written exercise, reading – but can be watching a TV programme, collecting things.
The homework time allocation is only a rough guide. The amount of homework issued can vary from subject to subject and from week to week.

21. Tutor Time Four days per week Focus on relationships
Monitor attendance, uniform, behaviour
Supports learning conversation

22. Any Questions? Call/email at any time Contact to arrange a meeting If in doubt, ask 