Frequently Asked Questions

1. What should I do if my child is going to be late to school?

2. Who should I contact if I have concerns about my child in school?

3. What happens if my child misses the school bus at the end of the school day?

4. What if my child is absent from school?

5. Who is my child's Pupil Support Teacher and Year Head?

6. My child will arrive at school without full uniform. What should I do?

7. Must my child be Catholic to attend St Modans?

8. What are the times of the school day?

9. If my child is not in a feeder Primary School can he/she access the Primary Transition Programme.

10. What do I do If I have a concern and wish to see someone at St Modan's for help or advice?

11. Must pupils wear a jacket to school?

12. Are there lockers?

1. What should I do if my child is going to be late to school?

 

If your child arrives at school before 8.30am he/she should go directly to PSD class to register with their PSD teacher. Arrival at school later than 8.40am requires that your child should sign-in to school using the latecomer log at the Checkpoint in the pupil entrance.. A member of staff, at the checkpoint will be happy to advise. Once your child has signed in he/she will be given a late-slip which must be signed by all teachers to confirm attendance in classes during that school day. This late-slip should be returned to the PSD teacher during PSD time the following day.

Latecoming is closely monitored. Persistent late-coming will not be tolerated.

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2. Who should I contact if I have concerns about my child in school?

 

In the first instance parents should write or phone the school and ask to speak to the child's Pupil Support & Development (PSD) teacher. This will be the same teacher who registers your child every morning and will know your child best. Please remember that Pupil Support and Development teachers have a heavy class commitment and in many cases will not be available to take your call. If you leave a message your child's PSD teacher will be happy to call you back to discuss your concerns. Alternatively you may request to speak to the Principal Teacher of PSD for the year group.

In serious cases the Depute Head Teacher with responsibility for the appropriate year group will be happy to assist 

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3. What happens if my child misses the school bus at the end of the school day?

 

Childen who miss the bus at the end of a school day should never make their own way home. Your child should report directly to the teachers attending the bus-bays who will attend to them quickly. In such cases the school will contact the chid's home by telephone to arrange for the child to be picked up promptly by a friend or relative.

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4. What if my child is absent from school?

 

Section 30 of the 1980 Education Act lays a duty on every parent of a child of 'school age' to ensure that their child attends school regularly. Attendance must be recorded twice a day, morning and afternoon. Regulation 7 of The Education (School and Placing Information) (Scotland) Amendment, Regulations 1993 requires each child's absence from school to be recorded in the school register as authorised that is approved by the authority, or unauthorised - that is unexplained by the parent (truancy) or temporarily excluded from school. Every effort should be made to avoid family holidays during term time as this both disrupts the child's education and reduces learning time. Such absence will be authorised only where attendance is otherwise satisfactory. Clearly where attendance is unsatisfactory, absence is unauthorised. Parents may request that their children be permitted to be absent from school to make an extended visit to relatives. Only written requests detailing the destination, the duration and the provision that will be made for their continuing education will be granted and the pupil noted as an authorised absentee in the register. Clearly, with no explanation from the parent, the absence is unauthorised.

Parents are therefore requested to contact our school by letter or phone if their child is likely to be absent for some time, and to give the child a note on his or her return to school, confirming the reason for absence.

An authorised absence is one that is covered by a note from the parent for a reason accepted by the Authority. Unauthorised absences will be pursued by the Authority through its Officers, Children's Panels etc.

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5. Who is my child's Pupil Support Teacher and Year Head?

Your child will be able to tell you the name of their Pupil Support teacher. Nevertheless the list below should help you if you know what PSD class you child is in.
 

S1: Principal Teacher of Pupil Support & Development is Mrs C Pert

1A - Mr M Hatch, 1B - Miss G Blair, 1C - Mr G Boyce, 1D - Miss L Kettles,
1E - Miss C Grant, 1F - Mrs N Gardner

 

S2: Principal Teachers of Pupil Support & Development are Mrs N McGeehan & Mr S Curran

2A - Ms C Foulser, 2B - Miss J McCormack, 2C - Miss S Collin, 2D - Miss L McDonald,
2E - Mrs K Gunning 1F - Miss J Morgan 

 

S3: Principal Teacher of Pupil Support & Development is Ms P Gallagher

3A - Mr N Brown, 3B - Ms K Douglas, 3C - Mrs A McGinlay, 3D - Mrs C McKeown, 3E - Ms L Holmes,
3F - Mr E Love

S4: Principal Teacher of Pupil Support & Development (acting) is Mrs C McKeown

4A - Ms J Gilbert, 4B - Mr M Richardson, 4C - Mr D MacDonald, 4D - Ms M McCaffrey,
4E - Mrs A Kerr, 4F - Mr C Johnstone

S5: Principal Teacher of Pupil Support  is & Development Ms L Gordon

 

5A - Ms K Bannerman, 5B - Mrs L Robinson, 5C - Mrs C Arciero, 5D - Mr Welsh, 5E - Mrs P Stirling 

S6: Principal Teacher of Pupil Support  & Development is Ms L Gordon 

 

6A - Mrs B Millar, 6B - Mrs E Nimmo, 6C - Mrs A Smart, 6D - Mrs I Hale

___________________________________________________________________________________

In addition, Depute Head Teachers have overall responsibility for year groups as follows..........

S1: Mr R O'Neill                 S2: Mrs C Hatch

S3: Mrs Wilkinson             S4: Mrs Wilkinson

S5: Mr Kelly                     S6: Mr Kelly

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6. My child will arrive at school without full uniform. What should I do?

 

All pupils are required to wear full school uniform, including the school maroon jacket or school blazer and school tie every day. If for any reason a pupil arrives at school without full uniform he/she should report immediately to their DHT Year Head to explain. It is helpful if parents send a note of explanation. In some cases pupils may be given a loan of a tie for the day which should be returned at the end of the school day. Ties should then be purchased from the main office at a cost.. Only in very exceptional circumstances will any pupil be allowed to attend classes wearing trainers or other sportswear. From August 2008 changes to the school uniform were agreed  in consultation with pupils, parents, staff and businesses surrounding the new school. Please ensure that your child's uniform meets the standards expected of them with regards to school dress.

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7. Must my child be Catholic to attend St Modans?

 

No.

Catholic children have an entitlement to attend a Catholic school wherever possible. St Modan's High School has a significant number of pupils who are not Catholic. This school is a Catholic School which welcomes children from all faiths and none. Where pupils do not attend a St Modan's partner Primary School or where they do not live in St Modan's catchment area Stirling Council may require parents to make a formal placing request and this may have implications for childrens' entitlement to free school transport.

 

Mr Kelly (DHT) is responsible for our very effective Primary/Secondary liaison and will be happy to discuss this with you should you require more details with regards to moving to St Modan's from Primary 7.

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8. What are the times of the school day?

The School Day

PSD Class:         8.30 - 8.40a.m

Period 1:              8.40 - 9.35am

Period 2:              9.35 - 10.30am

INTERVAL          10.30 - 10.45am

Period 3:              10.45 - 11.40am

Period 4:              11.40 - 12.35pm

LUNCH                  12.35 - 1.10pm

Period 5:                1.10 - 2.00pm

Period 6:                2.00 - 2.50pm

 

On certain Mondays as listed on the Parents' Calendar sent to all parents

 

Period 7:                2.50 - 4.10pm

 

Period 7 applies only to 24 Monday evenings which are set out in the school calendar

 

During Period 7 all pupils S1-S4 will partcipate in a wide range of timetabled Creative, Physical and Enterprise activities. These will be available to, but optional for, S5 & S6. On Period 7 days all buses will depart the school at 4.10pm.

 

Pupils will choose Period 7 activities from a wide range of options. As well as some activities already well established, these will include activities made possible by our proximity to the new Sports Village adjacent to the school.

 

 

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9. If my child is not in a feeder Primary School can he/she access the Primary Transition Programme.

 

Yes.

Please call Mr Lennon (Rector) to discuss how this can be done for your child if they intend to enrol in St Modan's High School.

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10. What do I do If I have a concern and wish to see someone at St Modan's for help or advice?

 

Please phone the school to make an appointment in the first instance or give us a contact number for us to speak to you!

Parents are always welcome at St Modan's and for this reason we operate a 'Drop in' invitation . If you happen to be passing the school, why not drop in and see us! No appointment is necessary after 3pm - there is usually a member of the Senior Management available from then until after 5.00pm.

We greatly welcome such informal contacts with parents and prospective parents.

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11. Must pupils wear a jacket to school?

 Yes.

 

All pupils MUST arrive at school wearing the school blazer or maroon jacket.  No other garments are acceptable.

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12. Are there lockers?

 The new school has 500 lockers which can be used by pupils.

 

Pupils requiring a locker should in the first instance complete an application available from the checkpoint. If granted a charge of �25 should be paid to the school which guarantees a locker for the pupil's entire time at St Modan's. On leaving the school, the key should be returned and �5 will be refunded.

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