Policy Booklet

CBS Primary Policies Booklet

All other Policies, Organisational and Curricular are available from the office. Please give us prior notice, that we can have same readily available.

Policy Booklet Index:

Our Vision Page 4
Our Mission Page 4
Aims of Our School Page 4
Anti-Bullying Policy Pages 5 - 13
Attendance Policy Page 14 - 18
AUP Policy Pages 19 - 22
C hild Safeguarding Statement Pages 23 - 25
Code of Behaviour Policy Pages 26 - 34
Communication Policy Pages 35 - 40
Complaints Procedure Pages 41 - 43
Data Protection Policy Pages 44 - 57
Enrolment / Admission Policy Pages 58 - 65
Mobile Phone Policy Page 66
RSE Policy Pages 67-72
Our School Motto Page 73

Policy Booklet C.B.S. Primary

Our Vision:
That through positive learning experiences, each child will be stimulated to achieve his full potential, face life confidently and respectfully, mindful of his responsibility to the wider community.

Our Mission:
As members of C.B.S. Primary Community we endeavour to;

Be kind and show respect.

Be good team players.

Promote an inclusive atmosphere.

Accommodate individuality, celebrating difference.

Develop and share our gifts and talents.

Aims of our school:

To endeavour that each pupil develops to his full potential – socially, academically, physically, spiritually, morally and emotionally.
That time in school will be spent in a stimulating, fulfilled, happy way.
To respectfully cater for individual needs and diversity of cultures.
To promote positive health behaviour.
To cultivate the highest calibre communications systems with all partners in education.
To promote a sense of responsibility to and co-operation with, the wider community.
Déanfaimid iarracht Gaeilge a labhairt.

Anti-Bullying Policy (September 2016)

In accordance with the requirements of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 and the Code of Behaviour guidelines issued by the NEWB, the Board of Management of CBS Primary Mitchelstown has adopted the following anti-bullying policy, within the framework of the school’s overall Code of Behaviour. This policy fully complies with the requirements of the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools, which were published in September 2013.

This Policy was originally drafted by a Sub-Committee of the CBS Staff over a series of meeting in 2014. Those involved were Mr. Weir, Mr. O’Regan, Ms. Herlihy, Ms. O’Sullivan and Mr. Griffin. The Policy was then discussed at whole staff level at C.P.A. meetings. Parent Council members Ursula Keane and Jill Flynn were nominated to meet with Mr. Griffin to give parental input. This meeting took place in May 2014.
The most recent review was in April 2016.

The Board of Management recognises the very serious nature of bullying and the negative impact that it can have on the lives of pupils and is therefore fully committed to the following key principles of best practice in preventing and tackling bullying behaviour:

Aims:
The aims of this anti-bullying policy are:

To raise awareness of bullying as a form of unacceptable behaviour.
To maintain a school ethos which encourages children to disclose and discuss incidents of bullying behaviour.
To ensure that procedures are in place for noting, reporting, investigating and dealing with incidents of bullying behaviour.
To incorporate into our school programme positive action towards countering bullying behaviour and towards raising self-esteem, self-worth and respect for each other.

Positive Action Towards Countering Bullying Behaviour
The best way bullying is countered in our school is through a programme of positive action which fosters an atmosphere of friendship, respect and tolerance. This positive action is manifest throughout the school day and is particularly addressed in the following areas of the curriculum:-

Religious Education
Environmental Studies
Physical Education
S.P.H.E., particularly the Stay Safe / Walk Tall programmes, which are implemented in all class groupings.

A positive school culture and climate which-

Is welcoming of difference and diversity and is based on inclusivity;
Encourages pupils to disclose and discuss incidents of bullying behaviour in a

non-threatening environment;

Promotes respectful relationships across the school community;
Models respectful behaviour
Displays our key message and motto “Have Courage and Be Kind” around the school
“Catches them being good” acknowledging desired behaviours
Employs systems of encouragement and rewards for desired behaviours e.g. Reward Cards, Class Dojos, Certificates of acknowledgement
Acknowledges achievements at assemblies / public addresses / on communications with our School Community
Gives constructive feedback to pupils when respectful behaviour or language is absent
Highlights school and classroom rules in positive manner in the classrooms
Actively promotes the right of every member of the school community to be safe and secure in school
Ensures there is adequate supervision on school grounds
Supports the work of our Students Council
Supports a school culture and climate that celebrates difference e.g. “Intercultural Day” and diversity throughout the year (e.g. Chinese New Year)
Please refer to the CBS Primary S.P.H.E. Policy regarding strategies for creating a positive school climate and atmosphere in particular sections

       6.1    Building effective communication
       6.2    Catering for individual needs
       6.3   Creating a health-promoting physical environment
       6.4   Developing democratic processes
       6.5    Enhancing the self-esteem and well-being of members of the school            community
       6.6    Fostering respect for diversity
       6.7    Fostering inclusive and respectful language
       6.8    Developing appropriate communication between home and school

Effective leadership;
Staff must be careful to act as good role models and not misuse their authority and therefore influence bullying behaviour in a positive manner.
The manner in which parents and teachers interact will provide pupils with a model of good working relationships.
HSCL will support in this area inviting parents to school and involving them in initiatives and activities.

A school-wide approach;
a)   Involving school management, staff, parents and pupils to deal with bullying    incidents and to recognise that a school that openly discusses bullying is    acting positively.
b)    A high degree of school- wide vigilance and openness is important to ensure    that bullying behaviour can be tackled - including active supervision by staff    and recording in yard books.
c)    Other social, health and media education programmes and formal agencies    can further help to address bullying behaviour. (e.g. Issues such as Cyber    Bullying to be addressed in conjunction with Stay Safe)

A shared understanding of what bullying is and its impact;
All relevant members of the school community have a shared understanding of what constitutes bullying behaviour - the definition of bullying , types of bullying behaviour and the impacts of bullying must be communicated and explained to the school community.(CPA, Information
Evenings, Posters).

Implementation of education and prevention strategies (including awareness raising measures) ;

Build empathy, respect and resilience in pupils;
Explicitly address the issues of cyber-bullying and identity-based bullying.
Opportunities provided to develop a positive sense of self-worth, through both the schools curricular and extra-curricular programmes. (SPHE programme, sport, quizzes etc.,)
There is space within the teaching of all subjects to foster an attitude of respect for all; to promote value of diversity, to address prejudice and stereotyping and to highlight the unacceptability of bullying behaviour.(Stay Safe, Walk tall and RSE programmes in particular )

Effective supervision and monitoring of pupils;
Supports for staff; In year 2013/2014 Care-call addressed all at CPA; In-school mentoring, team work
Consistent recording, investigation and follow up of bullying behaviour (including use of established intervention strategies); and
On-going evaluation of the effectiveness of the anti-bullying policy.
In accordance with the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools bullying is defined as follows:
Bullying is unwanted negative behaviour, verbal, psychological or physical, conducted by an individual or group against another person (or persons) and which is repeated over time.
The following types of bullying behaviour are included in the definition of bullying:

deliberate exclusion, malicious gossip and other forms of relational bullying,
cyber-bullying and
identity-based bullying such as homophobic bullying, racist bullying, bullying based on a person’s membership of the Traveller community and bullying of those with disabilities or special educational needs.

Isolated or once-off incidents of intentional negative behaviour, including a once-off offensive or hurtful text message or other private messaging, do not fall within the definition of bullying and should be dealt with, as appropriate, in accordance with the school’s Code of Behaviour.
However, in the context of this policy, placing a once-off offensive or hurtful public message, image or statement on a social network site or other public forum where that message, image or statement can be viewed and/or repeated by other people will be regarded as bullying behaviour.
Negative behaviour that does not meet this definition of bullying will be dealt with in accordance with the school’s Code of Behaviour.
Additional information on different types of bullying is set out in Section 2 of the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools and on appendix to this policy.

The relevant procedures for investigating and dealing with bullying is (are) as follows:
All incidents/reports of bullying are required to be investigated.
When incidents of bullying occur in the classroom or school yard they will usually be dealt with by the class teacher or the teacher on yard duty. The teacher will exercise his/her professional judgement to determine whether bullying has occurred and how best the situation might be resolved.
Repeated and serious incidents will always be brought to the attention of the school Principal / Deputy/Assistant Principal.
Our Yard Book will be used to record instances of behaviour which concern the teacher on yard duty. Through this, patterns of behaviour can be identified. This records what different teachers on yard duty may see as “once -off” incidents but are, in fact, establishing a pattern of behaviour over time.

The education and prevention strategies (including strategies specifically aimed at cyber- bullying and identity-based bullying including in particular, homophobic and transphobic bullying) that will be used by the school are as follows:

Prevention and awareness raising measures across all aspects of bullying and involves strategies to engage pupils in addressing problems when they arise. In particular, such strategies need to build empathy, respect and resilience in pupils
Provide pupils with opportunities to develop a positive sense of self-worth
Prevention and awareness raising measures focusing on cyber-bullying by educating pupils on appropriate online behaviour, how to stay safe while online
Teachers can influence attitudes to bullying behaviour in a positive manner
There are a number of curriculum components and programmes which are particularly relevant to the prevention of bullying and the promotion of respect for diversity and. The SPHE curriculum makes specific provision for exploring bullying as well as the inter-related areas of belonging and integrating, communication, conflict, friendship, personal safety and relationships. The Stay Safe & RSE programmes at Primary level are Personal Safety Skills Programmes which seek to enhance children’s self-protection skills including their ability to recognise and cope with bullying. Various other social, health and media education programmes can further help to address the problem of bullying behaviour.
The work could be extended into many other areas such as Art, Drama, Religious Education, and Physical Education. Co-operation and group enterprise can be promoted through team sports, school clubs and societies as well as through practical subjects
At CBS Primary we promote wide-ranging opportunities for pupils to get involved in team sports – both within and outside of school hours. We also encourage involvement in local clubs and have built up excellent relations. Sporting activities in particular can provide excellent opportunities for channeling and learning how to control aggression. GAA and other coaching is offered to classes and teachers are also involved in coaching the school’s Gaelic and Athletic teams.

The school’s procedures for investigation, follow-up and recording of bullying behaviour and the established intervention strategies used by the school for dealing with cases of bullying behaviour are as follows (see Section 6.8 of the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools) :

The primary aim in investigating and dealing with bullying is to resolve any issues and to restore, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the parties involved (rather than to apportion blame). With this in mind the schools procedures are as follows:

CBS Primary Procedures for Dealing with Bullying Behaviour
(i)            In investigating and dealing with bullying, the teacher(s) will exercise        their professional judgement to determine whether bullying has            occurred, what type, if it has and how best the situation might be            resolved
(ii)    All reports, including anonymous reports of bullying must be            investigated and dealt with by the relevant class teacher(s)/ teacher on        yard duty. In that way, pupils will gain confidence in ‘telling’. This        confidence factor is of vital importance. It should be made clear to all        pupils that when they report incidents of bullying, they are not            considered to be telling tales but are behaving responsibly
(iii)    Non-teaching staff such as secretaries, special needs assistants (SNAs),        bus escorts, caretakers, cleaners must be encouraged to report any            incidents of bullying behaviour witnessed by them, or mentioned to        them, to the school and in turn to the relevant class teacher
(iv)   Parents and pupils are required to co-operate with any investigation and        assist the school in resolving any issues and restoring, as far as is            practicable, the relationships of the parties involved, as quickly as            possible
(v)    It is very important that all involved (including each set of pupils and        parents) understand the above approach from the outset
(vi)    Teachers should take a calm, unemotional problem-solving approach        when dealing with incidents of alleged bullying behavior, reported by        pupils, staff or parents
(vii)    Incidents will generally be investigated outside the classroom situation        to ensure the privacy of all involved
(ix)    All interviews should be conducted with sensitivity and with due regard        to the rights of all pupils concerned. Pupils who are not directly            involved can also provide very useful information in this way
(x)    When analysing incidents of bullying behaviour, the relevant class            teacher(s) should seek answers to questions of what, where, when, who        and why. This should be done in a calm manner, setting an example in        dealing effectively with a conflict in a non-aggressive manner
(xi)    If a group is involved, each member should be interviewed individually        at first. Thereafter, all those involved should be met as a group. At the        group meeting, each member should be asked for his/her account of        what happened, to ensure that everyone in the group is clear about each        other’s statements
(xii)    Each member of a group should be supported through the possible            pressures that may face them from the other members of the group after        interview by the teacher
(xii)    Where the relevant class teacher(s) has/have determined that a pupil has        been engaged in bullying behaviour, it should be made clear to him how        he is in breach of the school’s anti-bullying policy. Efforts should be        made to try to get him to see the situation from the perspective of the        pupil being bullied
(xiii)    It may also be appropriate or helpful to ask those involved to write down        their account of the incident(s)
(xiv)    In cases where it has been determined by the relevant class teacher(s)        that bullying behaviour has occurred, the parents of the parties involved        should be contacted, at an early stage, to inform them of the matter and        explain the actions being taken. The school should give parents an            opportunity of discussing ways in which they can reinforce or support        the actions being taken by the school and the supports for their pupils
(xvi)    It must also be made clear, to all involved (each set of pupils and            parents) that in any situation where disciplinary sanctions are required,        this is a private matter between the pupil being disciplined, his parents        and the school;
(xvii)    Follow-up meetings with the relevant parties involved may be arranged        separately with a view to possibly bringing them together, at a later date,        if the pupil who has been bullied is ready and agreeable
(xviii)    An additional follow-up meeting with parents of the children involved        may take place after an appropriate time, to ensure that the matter has        been resolved satisfactorily
(xix)    In determining whether a bullying case has been adequately and            appropriately addressed, the relevant class teacher must as part of            his/her professional judgment; take the following factors into account

Whether the bullying behaviour has ceased
Whether any issues between the parties have been resolved, as far as is practicable
Whether the relationships between the parties have been restored, as far as is practicable and
Any feedback received from the parties involved, or from their parents to the school, Principal, Deputy Principal or Assistant Principal.

(xx)    Where a parent is not satisfied that the school has dealt with a bullying        case in accordance with these procedures, the parents must be referred,        as appropriate, to the school’s complaints procedures
(xxi)    In the event that a parent has exhausted the school's complaints            procedures and is still not satisfied, the school will advise the parents of        their right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman for Children.

RECORDING: Noting and reporting of bullying behaviour is to be documented using the template for recording bullying behaviour (Appendix 3). All records must be maintained in accordance with relevant data protection legislation. The school’s procedures for noting and reporting bullying behaviour will adhere to the following:
(i)    While all reports, including anonymous reports of bullying must be investigated and dealt with by the relevant class teacher(s), the relevant class teacher(s) will use his/her/their professional judgement in relation to the records to be kept of these reports, the actions taken and any discussions with those involved regarding same
(ii)    If it is established by the relevant class teacher(s) that bullying has occurred, the relevant teacher(s) must keep appropriate written records which will assist his/her efforts to resolve the issues and restore, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the parties involved (C.F. CBS Primary Bullying Investigation Template)
(iii) The relevant teacher(s) must use the recording template at Appendix 3 to record the bullying behaviour (which is available on the Public Folder) in the following circumstances
a)    in cases where he/she considers that the bullying behaviour has not been adequately and appropriately addressed within 20 school days after he/she has determined that bullying behaviour occurred; and
b)    where the school has decided as part of its anti-bullying policy that in certain circumstances bullying behaviour must be recorded and reported immediately to the Principal or Deputy Principal as applicable.

In each of the circumstances at (a) and (b) above, the recording template at Appendix 3 must be completed in full and retained by the teacher in question and a copy provided to the Principal /Deputy Principal/Assistant Principal as applicable. It should also be noted that the timeline for recording bullying behaviour in the recording template at Appendix 3 does not in any way preclude the relevant teacher from consulting the Principal/ Deputy Principal/Assistant Principal at an earlier stage in relation to a case.

The school’s programme of support for working with pupils affected by bullying is as follows :

The school’s programme of support for working with pupils affected by bullying involves a whole school approach. Given the complexity of bullying behaviour, no one intervention/support programme works in all situations. Therefore various approaches and intervention strategies may be used including suggesting that parents seek referrals so that appropriate outside agencies in order to receive further support for the pupils and their families if needed.
HSE / Counselling for those affected if serious.
Pupils affected given opportunities to participate in activities designed to raise their self-esteem to develop their friendships and social skills and thereby build resilience.
Pupils who engage in bullying behaviour may need counselling to help them learn alternative ways of dealing with their behaviours/emotions without violating the rights of others.
Pupils who observe incidents of bullying are encouraged to discuss this with their teacher.

Supervision and Monitoring of Pupils
The Board of Management confirms that appropriate supervision and monitoring policies and practices are in place to both prevent and deal with bullying behaviour and to facilitate early intervention where possible.

Prevention of Harassment
The Board of Management confirms that the school will, in accordance with its obligations under equality legislation, take all such steps that are reasonably practicable to prevent the sexual harassment of pupils or staff or the harassment of pupils or staff on any of the nine grounds specified i.e. gender including transgender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller community.

This policy has been made available to school personnel, published on the school website and provided to the Parents’ Association. A copy of this policy will be made available to the Department and the Patron if requested.

Evaluation and Review
This policy and its implementation will be reviewed by the Board of Management once in every school year. Written notification that the review has been completed will be made available to school personnel, published on the school website and provided to the Parents’ Association. A record of the review and its outcome will be made available, if requested, to the Patron and the Department.

ATTENDANCE POLICY (October 2017)
There is a very strong tradition of good attendance in C.B.S. Primary, Mitchelstown. In order to continue this tradition we are anxious that parents be aware of the absolute necessity for regular, punctual attendance at school.
The following strategies have been put in place to help foster an appreciation of learning and good attendance:

INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT.

Education Welfare Act
The Education Welfare Act became law in July 2002 and under that law, parents have an obligation to send their children to a recognised school. The Board of Management of a school is obliged to have an attendance policy which promotes attendance awareness and good practice and provides for monitoring and reporting of same. The original CBS Primary Organisational Sub-committee for “Attendance” was set up in March 2005. Since then the policy has been reviewed annually with input from our H.S.C.L. Officer and S.C.P. Project Worker.

The Committee now consists of Nigel Griffin (D.P.), Mairéad Sheehan (S.C.P.) Project Worker & Gillian Kearney (H.S.C.L.).

RATIONALE.
It was decided to develop this policy because –

The law states that all children are required to attend school every day.
It is the responsibility of every parent/legal guardian to make sure that their son attends every day.
It leads to better results at school.
It leads to better career opportunities when pupils leave school.
It leads to a better understanding of the material being taught in class.
It results in increased self-confidence and self-esteem.
A good attendance pattern facilitates a positive transition into secondary school.

RELATIONSHIP TO OUR “SCHOOL VISION”
Our vision is that “Through positive learning experiences, each child will be stimulated to achieve his full potential, face life confidently and respectfully, mindful of his responsibility to the wider community.”
Therefore, our school cherishes all pupils equally and in order to achieve their true potential they need to be
present at school. We emphasise the need to develop fully, as this cannot be achieved, without regular school attendance.
AIMS.
To promote good attendance through the following:-

Rewarding students with good or improved attendance records.
Identifying pupils with poor attendance in school.
Developing links between the school and the families of pupils with poor attendance, through cooperation with our S.C.P. Project Worker, Mairéad Sheehan and Gillian Kearney (H.S.C.L.) Co Ordinator.
Identifying and removing obstacles to good attendance.
Implementation of a staged approach to tackling absenteeism among our targeted pupils in co-operation with our S.C.P. Project Worker, Mairéad Sheehan and Gillian Kearney (H.S.C.L.) Officer.
Identifying pupils with patterns of late arrivals and early leaving.

CONTENT

Introduction
Children will not reach their full academic potential if they do not attend school regularly. The following strategies have been put in place to help foster an appreciation of learning and good attendance.

ROLLA
Roll Call - The Roll Call will be taken each day in all Mainstream Classes between 9.55am and 10am. Pupils presenting to school after this time will be marked absent unless the school has been informed by Parent/Guardian, prior to this time, giving a reason for the pupil’s late arrival.

REWARDS
A).For the General Student Body:-
Rewards will be presented for good and improved attendance i.e.: -

1 day or less up to February Mid-term
1 day or less from February Mid-term to summer holidays, discounting absences prior to February.
Reward stickers will be attached to the pupil’s mid-term break and summer holiday reports by class teachers.
Record of boys not presenting with absent notes will be recorded on Aladdin (Tracking System).
Teachers will issue early leaving and late arrival slips.

For Mid-term Reports the attendance will be graded as follows:

0-1 day absent - Excellent + Sticker
2-3 days absent - Good
4-6 days absent - Fair
7+ days absent - Needs attention

B).For our Tracker Pupils:-

Aladdin (computerised attendance system) checked by S.C.P. Project worker, Mairéad Sheehan on a fortnightly basis until February, to ascertain attendance and weekly thereafter. Teachers will check boys not presenting with absent notes.
Monthly prize for boys involved up to February. Each boy will get a prize for every month of full attendance. This takes place in Family Room for class groupings 2nd - 6th.
Prior to February break and at the end of the academic year boys with improved attendance are treated to a party during school time.
Teachers will inform a member of the Committee if they have concerns regarding the attendance of a pupil not already on the tracking list.

Identification of Students with poor attendance
Tracker pupils will be chosen on the basis of their previous year’s attendance. Information on the attendance of incoming 1st class pupils will be sought from child's previous primary school(s), however, 1st class pupils will not be included in the tracking project except in instances where the Attendance Committee deem it necessary. The option of adding a first class pupil will be examined in December. Parent(s)/ Legal Guardian(s) will be informed by letter when a child is added to the Attendance Tracking Programme.

Special weighting will be given to pupils from the Traveller Community.
Tracker list will be reviewed every December and Easter, with a view to removing or adding children to the tracking programme.
Children removed from the list will still be monitored.
In certain instances where there are concerns about a pupil, he may be chosen as a Tracker Pupil regardless of his previous year's attendance figures. Parent(s)/Legal guardian(s) will be informed by letter in these instances.
Identification of patterns of late arrivals / early collections on the Aladdin System will also be a factor in identifying Traveller children.

Implications of absenteeism

A). For the General Student Body:
Regardless of the child’s circumstances, there is a standard procedure regarding communication of a child’s attendance between the home and the school.
Appropriate contact will take place between the school and parents/guardians of these children.

For pupils absent without a valid note from Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s), the teacher will inform the Parent(s)/ Legal Guardian(s) by homework journal/letter and request a valid note. (CF letter request).
For pupils absent for 15 days or more Mairéad Sheehan will write to Parent(s)/ Legal Guardian(s) informing them of the number of days missed. In this letter Parent(s)/ Legal Guardian(s) will also be offered the opportunity to visit school to discuss the implications regarding the TUSLA (Child and Family Agency) with Gillian Kearney and avail of supports which can be offered to them. Mairead Sheehan SCP will notify Deputy Principal regarding this. (CF letter non trackers 15+)
For pupils absent for 20 days or more the teacher will inform Mairéad Sheehan /Deputy Principal, who will inform TUSLA (Child and Family Agency) and notify Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) of this by letter. (CF letter non tracker 20+)
A referral form for pupils absent for 25 days will be sent, if deemed necessary, to TUSLA and a letter will be sent informing parents/legal guardians of this. In certain cases a referral may be made prior to the pupil reaching 25 days absent, if the Attendance Committee deem it necessary.

Teachers will also notify Mairéad Sheehan, Gillian Kearney or Deputy Principal if they have concerns regarding a particular child’s attendance, late arrival / early leaving patterns.
Mairéad will check Aladdin fortnightly for boys who are not presenting with absent notes. The teacher will inform Mairead Sheehan of this. Where there are concerns about a pupil’s attendance at any time they may be added to the tracker list. Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) will be informed about this by letter. Where concerns remain, a referral form may be submitted to TUSLA (Child and Family Agency). This referral may be made at any point of the staged approach.

For Tracker Pupils – The Staged Approach

10 days absent – Enda McCafferty (phone call) to offer support and explain “Staged Approach”.
15 days absent – S.C.P. Project Worker Mairead Sheehan to send a letter informing Parent(s)/ Legal Guardian(s) of the actual number of days absent. Gillian Kearney will follow up with a phone call to arrange a meeting to offer support. (CF tracker 15+)
20 days absent – S.C.P. Project Worker Mairead Sheehan to send a letter to Parent(s)/ Legal Guardian(s) informing them of the number of days absent and that we are obliged to contact TUSLA (Child and Family Agency). (CF tracker 20+)
25 days absent – Referral form, signed by Principal, will be submitted to TUSLA (Child and Family Agency) by the Attendance Committee. A letter will be sent to Parent(s)/ Legal Guardian(s) informing them of this. (CF tracker 25+) Gillian Kearney (HSCL) will follow up with a phone call to arrange a meeting with the Parents/Legal Guardians.

Note: Where there are concerns about tracker pupils, TUSLA may be contacted at any point of the Staged Approach.

Record/Communication
Each child's attendance record will be recorded on the midterm and end of year report cards.
Attendance, behaviour and academic records of children who transfer to another primary school will be passed to the Principal of the school by post as soon as we receive written notification of transfer.
Attendance, behaviour and academic records of children who transfer into CBS Primary Mitchelstown will be sought directly from the previous school. Attendance, behaviour and Academic records of pupils transferring to Secondary School will be sent to the school once enrolment has been confirmed.

Procedures
Notes are required from Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) after any absence full/half day. Notes should be on a separate letter or on space provided on homework journal. Parents collecting children during the school day for any period must sign the “Sign In”/”Sign Out” book in Reception. Parent(s) dropping their children to school late will also sign this book. Early leaving and late arrival slips will also be applicable in these cases. (c.f. Early Leaving / Late Arrival Slips)

Success Criteria

Success of policy implementation will be assessed through staff / parent / pupil feedback.
Improvements in attendance of children with poor history of attendance.
Figures compiled by Mairéad Sheehan (SCP) on the Tracker Pupils’ termly attendance.

Roles and Responsibilities
Policy will be developed and monitored by the School Attendance Committee, M. Sheehan, G. Kearney and Nigel Griffin, ratified by Board of Management and implemented by the whole staff.

Review
This Policy will be reviewed on an annual basis.

Acceptable Use Policy
Information Technology (September 2016)

The aim of this Acceptable Use Policy is to ensure that pupils will benefit from learning opportunities offered by the school’s Internet resources, in a safe and effective manner. Internet use and access is considered a school resource and privilege. Therefore, if the school AUP is not adhered to, this privilege will be withdrawn and appropriate sanctions – as outlined in the AUP – will be imposed.

It is envisaged that school will revise the AUP annually. Before signing, the AUP should be read carefully by Parent(s)/Guardian(s), to ensure that the conditions of use are accepted and understood.

This Policy was most recently reviewed in April 2016 by N. Griffin, J. Weir and M. Breen.

School’s Strategy
The school employs a number of strategies in order to maximise learning opportunities and reduce risks associated with the Internet. These strategies are as follows:

General

Internet sessions will always be supervised by a teacher.
Filtering software and/or equivalent systems will be used in order to minimise the risk of exposure to inappropriate material.
The school will regularly monitor pupils’ Internet usage by checking history.
Students and teachers will be provided with training in the area of Internet safety.
Uploading and downloading of non-approved software will not be permitted on PCs and iPads.
Virus protection software will be used and updated on a regular basis.
The use of personally owned memory sticks, CD-ROMs, or other digital storage media in school requires a teacher’s permission.
Teachers permission will be obtained prior to a pupil opening emails, particularly emails with attachments.
Students will treat others with respect at all times and will not undertake any actions that may bring the school into disrepute.

World Wide Web

Students will not intentionally visit Internet sites that contain obscene, illegal, hateful or otherwise objectionable materials.
Students will report accidental accessing of inappropriate materials in accordance with school procedures.
Students will use the Internet for educational purposes only.
Students will not copy information into assignments without acknowledging the source (plagiarism and copyright infringement).
Students will never disclose or publicise personal information.
Downloading materials or images not relevant to their studies, is in direct breach of the school’s acceptable use policy.
Students will be aware that any usage, including distributing or receiving information, school-related or personal, may be monitored for unusual activity, security and/or network management reasons.
Teachers will research any You Tube videos, prior to class usage.

Email

Students will use approved class email accounts under supervision by or permission from a teacher.
Students will not send or receive any material that is illegal, obscene, defamatory or that is intended to annoy or intimidate another person.
Students will not reveal their own or other people’s personal details, such as addresses or telephone numbers or pictures.
Students will never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they only know through emails or the internet.
Students will note that sending and receiving email attachments is subject to permission from their teacher.

Internet Chat

Students will only have access to chat rooms, discussion forums, messaging or other electronic communication fora that have been approved by the school.
Chat rooms, discussion forums and other electronic communication forums will only be used for educational purposes and will always be supervised.
Usernames will be used to avoid disclosure of identity.
Face-to-face meetings with someone organised via Internet chat will be forbidden.

School Website/Blog

Pupils will be given the opportunity to publish projects, artwork or school work on the World Wide Web in accordance with clear policies and approval processes regarding the content that can be loaded to the school’s website.
The website will be regularly checked to ensure that there is no content that compromises the safety of pupils or staff.
Website using facilities such as guest books, notice boards or weblogs will be checked frequently, to ensure that they do not contain personal details.
The publication of student work will be co-ordinated by a teacher.
Pupils’ work will appear in an educational context on Web pages with a copyright notice prohibiting the copying of such work, without express written permission.
The school will endeavour to use digital photographs, audio or video clips focusing on group activities. Content focusing on individual students will not be published on the school website without parental permission. Video clips may be password protected.
Personal pupil information including home address and contact details will be omitted from school web pages.
The school website will avoid publishing the first name and last name of individuals in a photograph.
The school will ensure that the image files are appropriately named – will not use pupils’ names in image file names or ALT tags if published on the web.
Pupils will continue to own the copyright on any work published.

Personal Devices
Pupils using their own technology in school, such as leaving a mobile phone turned on or using it in class, sending nuisance text messages, or the unauthorized taking of images with a mobile phone camera, still or moving is in direct breach of the school’s acceptable use policy.
In certain circumstances, with the Teachers permission, personal devices may be allowed in class.

Legislation
The school will provide information on the following legislation relating to use of the Internet which teachers, students and parents should familiarise themselves with:

Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2003
Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998
Interception Act 1993
Video Recordings Act 1989
The Data Protection Act 1988

Support Structures
The school will inform students and parents of key support structures and organisations that deal with illegal material or harmful use of the Internet.
Parents are encouraged to have passwords for Social Media for monitoring children's usage.

Sanctions
Misuse of the Internet may result in disciplinary action, including written warnings, withdrawal of access privileges and, in extreme cases, suspension or expulsion. The school also reserves the right to report any illegal activities to the appropriate authorities.

Child Safeguarding Statement - May 2018
C.B.S. Primary, Mitchelstown, is a primary school providing primary education to pupils from First to Sixth Class.
In accordance with the requirements of the Children First Act 2015, Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017, the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools 2017 and Tusla Guidance on the preparation of Child Safeguarding Statements, the Board of Management of C.B.S. Primary, Mitchelstown, has agreed the Child Safeguarding Statement set out in this document.

The Board of Management has adopted and will implement fully and without modification the Department of Education & Skills’s Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools 2017 as part of this overall Child Safeguarding Statement.
The Designated Liaison Person (DLP) is Mary O'Callaghan, Principal
The Deputy Designated Liaison Person (Deputy DLP) is John Weir, Acting Deputy Principal
The Board of Management recognises that child protection and welfare considerations permeate all aspects of school life and must be reflected in all of the school’s policies, procedures, practices and activities. In its policies, procedures, practices and activities, the school will adhere to the following principles of best practice in child protection and welfare:

The school will:

recognise that the protection and welfare of children is of paramount importance, regardless of all other considerations;
fully comply with its statutory obligations under the Children First Act 2015 and other relevant legislation relating to the protection and welfare of children;
fully co-operate with the relevant statutory authorities in relation to child protection and welfare matters
adopt safe practices to minimise the possibility of harm or accidents happening to children and protect workers from the necessity to take unnecessary risks that may leave themselves open to accusations of abuse or neglect;
develop a practice of openness with parents and encourage parental involvement in the education of their children; and
fully respect confidentiality requirements in dealing with child protection matters.

The school will also adhere to the above principles in relation to any adult pupil with a special vulnerability.

The following procedures/measures are in place:

In relation to any member of staff who is the subject of any investigation (howsoever described) in respect of any act, omission or circumstance in respect of a child attending the school, the school adheres to the relevant procedures set out in Chapter 7 of the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools 2017 and to the relevant agreed disciplinary procedures for school staff which are published on the DES website.
In relation to the selection or recruitment of staff and their suitability to work with children, the school adheres to the statutory vetting requirements of the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 and to the wider duty of care guidance set out in relevant Garda vetting and recruitment circulars published by the DES and available on the DES website.
In relation to the provision of information and, where necessary, instruction and training, to staff in respect of the identification of the occurrence of harm (as defined in the 2015 Act) the school:
- Has provided each member of staff with a copy of the school’s Child Safeguarding Statement
- Ensures all new staff are provided with a copy of the school’s Child Safeguarding Statement
- Encourages staff to avail of relevant training
- Encourages Board of Management members to avail of relevant training
- The Board of Management maintains records of all staff and Board member training
In relation to reporting of child protection concerns to Túsla, all school personnel are required to adhere to the procedures set out in the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools 2017, including in the case of registered teachers, those in relation to mandated reporting under the Children First Act 2015.
In this school the Board has appointed the above named DLP as the “relevant person” (as defined in the Children First Act 2015) to be the first point of contact in respect of this child safeguarding statement.
All registered teachers employed by the school are mandated persons under the Children First Act 2015.
In accordance with the Children First Act 2015, the Board has carried out an assessment of any potential for harm to a child while attending the school or participating in school activities. A written assessment setting out the areas of risk identified and the school’s procedures for managing those risks is attached as an appendix to these procedures.
The various procedures referred to in this Statement can be accessed via the school’s website, the DES website or will be made available on request by the school.

Note:
6. This statement has been published on the school’s website and has been provided to all members of school personnel, the Parents’ Association and the patron. It is readily accessible to parents and guardians on request. A copy of this Statement will be made available to Tusla and the Department if requested.
7. This Child Safeguarding Statement will be reviewed annually or as soon as practicable after there has been a material change in any matter to which this statement refers.

This Child Safeguarding Statement was adopted by the Board of Management on 22.05.2018.

Code of Behaviour (September 2016)

Rationale:
This Policy was drafted to ensure that our current Code of Behaviour complies with guidelines for schools per NEWB 2008.

Relationship to our “School Vision”:
Our vision is that “Through positive learning experiences, each child will be stimulated to achieve his full potential, face life confidently and respectfully, mindful of his responsibility to the wider community”.
We aim that our school has a happy, secure atmosphere, a place in which children can develop to their full potential. Thus, we provide a framework, which promotes constructive behaviour and discourages unacceptable behaviour. The ideal is that pupils will acquire skills of self-discipline.

Principles of Discipline Policy:
At C.B.S. Primary, we maintain excellent discipline. Our rationale centres around positive affirmation and encouragement. There are times, when it may be necessary to impose sanctions, to maintain good order and to discourage offenders. Our school Code of Behaviour has been drawn up by all teaching staff, in consultation with Parent Council and approved by the Board of Management. It is devised with regard for the health, safety and welfare of all members of our school community. The code is reviewed / audited annually, incorporating feedback from all the partners in education, per NEWB guidelines.

Aims of Code of Behaviour: In line with our school vision:-

That a stimulating teaching and learning environment will exist for all.
The maintenance of good order throughout the school and respect for our school environment.
In line with our Mission Statement - Development of self-discipline in pupils based on consideration, respect and tolerance for others.
To ensure the safety & well being of all members of the school community.
To assist parents and pupils in understanding the systems and procedures that form part of the Code of Behaviour and to seek their co-operation in the application of these procedures.

Good Behaviour:
Good behaviour is encouraged, recognised and rewarded.

Rewards for good behaviour can include –

C.B.S. Primary Reward Cards (posted).
Points schemes in classes.
Reward Schemes in classes.
Good behaviour charts.
Oral praise.
Written praise – homework notebooks, reports.
Small prizes, merit lists, stars, stickers.
Extra privileges – jobs etc.
A quiet word/gesture to show approval.
Visit to another class or Principal/Deputy Principal for commendation.
Recognition by whole school at Assembly.

School Rules:
For pupils, rules are kept to a minimum and positively stated.

The following notice is displayed in all classes and around the school:-

Line up properly.
Keep our school tidy.
Play safely.
Walk quietly on corridors.

Ask yourself:
“Is the school a better place because I am here”?

Guidelines for Behaviour in the School:

Respect and Courtesy:
Pupils are expected to treat staff, fellow pupils and visitors with respect and courtesy at all times. Any behaviour that interferes with the rights of others is unacceptable.

Behaviour in Class:
Pupils are expected to …

Have all books and required materials.
Work to the best of their ability and present written exercises neatly.
Show respect for teachers, ancillary staff and classmates.
Show respect for school property, other children’s property and their own belongings. In cases of deliberate damage, Parent(s)/ Legal Guardian(s) will be requested to cover cost of repairs or replacement.
Attend school regularly and be punctual.
Wear correct school uniform. (On grounds of Health and Safety, pupils are not allowed wear rings, earrings or other jewellery).

Behaviour out of Class:
Pupils must keep to the following play areas –
Classes 1st, 2nd, - School yard
Classes 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th - In the new hard core area marked out. All other areas are out of bounds. In good weather, the field behind our school is subdivided as a play space, for all classes. Pupils must not behave in any way, which endangers themselves or others. Any form of threatening behaviour, disrespect or bad language is unacceptable.

Strategies and Sanctions:
Sanctions will be applied according to seriousness of the offence and can include:

Reprimand/Reasoning (including advice on how to improve).
If on yard, name and behaviour may be recorded in yard book.
Temporary separation from peers. “Time Out”
Note to Parent(s)/ Legal Guardian(s) in homework journal.
Meet with Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s)
Loss of privileges, loss of participation in extracurricular activities.
“Discipline sheet” also signed by Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s). Modified version for pupils with SEN.
Referral to another teacher.
Referral to Principal/Deputy Principal.
Individual Behaviour Plans.
Referral to B.O.M., in cases of repeated or serious breach of Code of Behaviour.
Every effort will be made to have an emotionally disturbed child referred for psychological assessment. Help will also be sought from support services within the wider community.

If Homework is not completed/done well- teacher may refer pupil to Assistant Principal, J. Weir

Prior to Enrolment:
Prior to registering a pupil, the Principal will provide Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) with a copy of the school’s Code of Behaviour. The Principal will, as a condition of registering the child, require his Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) to always confirm, in writing, that they have read the Code of Behaviour, so provided, and that they shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure compliance with the Code.

At School:
Our Board of Management has made arrangements that pupils are supervised at C.B.S. Primary, from 8.45a.m. The Board of Management can accept no responsibility for pupils before they enter school grounds i.e. yard areas. The Board of Management can accept no responsibility for pupils, prior to 8.45 a.m. On safety grounds, we strongly advise that your son is not at school, until, at least, 8.45 a.m. On no account, can ball be played prior to this.
At 8.45 a.m., the bell will sound for pupils to go into their class lines. On fine days, boys will be escorted to play areas by supervising adult(s) – otherwise, pupils will walk in an orderly fashion, under direction of supervising adult(s), to classrooms.
School Time Table is adjusted to accommodate eating of breakfast.
When the bell rings for assemblies at 8.55 a.m., 10.45 a.m., and 1.00 p.m., pupils must –

Stop playing
Walk in an orderly fashion to class lines
Line up properly.

At all assembly / dismissal times, any instructions or directions, given by supervising staff, are to be complied with.
At 2.40 p.m. pupils will line up in class lines and walk with teacher and supervising adults to exit of school yard. The school can accept no responsibility for pupils once they have left the school grounds (i.e. outside school yard boundaries), except for official school organised activities. Written permission from Parent(s) / Legal Guardian(s) will be requested, when children remain in school for official after - school activities.
During school hours, if a child leaves the school premises, without permission, every effort will be made, by staff “in loco parentis”, to ensure child’s safety.

We emphasise the necessity of making arrangements that your child/children go to and from school safely.

Whole School Approach In Promoting Positive Behaviour:

Roles and Responsibilities:
At C.B.S. Primary, we take a whole school approach in the promotion of positive behaviour. Staff and parents alike are provided with a copy of our Code of Behaviour. All members of our school community are expected to promote positive behaviour. This is reviewed on a yearly basis. Issues which arise are brought up, as required, at meetings of staff, B.O.M. and Parent Council. Our Student Council also gives feedback at their fortnightly meetings.

Staff:
Teachers and all staff members, play important roles in implementing, evaluating and updating the Code. Our Code of Behaviour is reviewed regularly.
New members of staff are directed to consult our Code of Behaviour. Children with SEN, presenting with Behavioural difficulties, will be catered for under the guidance of their I.L.P., drawn up by all who deal directly with the child. If necessary, elements of the I.L.P. which may concern other/all members of our staff, will be highlighted at staff meetings, to ensure consistency in our whole school approach.
Individual class rules are decided between class teachers and pupils at the beginning of each school year, usually in the context of a circle time discussion/brainstorming session.

The School’s SPHE curriculum is used to support the Code of Behaviour. It aims to help our children develop communication skills, appropriate ways of interacting / behaving and conflict resolution skills. It also aims to foster self-esteem, help children accommodate individual differences and develop citizenship.

Board of Management:
The Board of Management is consulted in reviewing and ratifying the Code of Behaviour.
The Board of Management supports all staff regarding provision of opportunities for staff development.
Serious breaches of our Code of Behaviour are referred to our Board of Management.

Role of Parent(s) / Legal Guardian(s):
On enrolment, the Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) of each child is/are issued with a copy of our Code of Behaviour and is /are required to sign that they have read and accepted its terms. This is specifically indicated on the Enrolment Form for C.B.S. Primary. Our Code of Behaviour is also available on our website and reference is made to it as part of our SPHE Programme (Myself & Others). Parent Council Reps are involved in regular reviews of the Code.

Communication with Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s):
Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) will be involved at an early stage, rather than as a last resort. Communication may be verbal or written, depending on circumstances.

Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) will be informed when their child has behaved particularly well.
When there is a serious misdemeanour, a note will be sent to Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) to be signed and returned.

Habitual misdemeanours, Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) will be requested, by class teacher, to visit the school.

Major misdemeanours – Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) will meet Principal/Deputy Principal and class teacher.
Matter may be referred to Board of Management.

Communicating with parents is central, to maintain a positive approach dealing with children. Parents and teachers may jointly develop strategies to address specific difficulties, in addition to sharing a broader philosophy, which can be implemented at home and in school.
A high level of co-operation and open communication is an important factor towards encouraging positive behaviour in our school. Structures and channels designed to maintain a high level of communication among staff and between staff, pupils and parents have been established and are reviewed regularly.
Parents are encouraged to talk, in confidence, to teachers about any significant developments in a child’s life, in the past or present, which may affect the child’s behaviour.

Pupils Involvement:
Pupils are afforded the opportunity to draft their own classroom rules through our SPHE Programme, at the beginning of each school year.

During our Assemblies, aspects of our Code of Behaviour are re-enforced to our school community.
Our Newsletter is used to convey aspects of our Code of Behaviour to the wider school community.
Our Student Council is given the opportunity to voice suggestions or concerns of the student body. This comes mainly from suggestion boxes in each classroom. Concerns are then dealt with at fortnightly Student Council meetings, and / or are brought to whole staff attention at staff meetings and / or to Parent Reps at Parent Council meetings.

Children with Special Needs:
All children are required to comply with the Code of Behaviour. However, the school recognises that children with special needs may require assistance in understanding certain rules. Where required, specialised behaviour plans will be put in place in consultation with Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s), the Class Teacher, Support Teacher(s), Special Needs Assistant (where applicable) and / or Principal. School staff will work closely with home to ensure that optimal support is given. Cognitive development will be taken into account. Professional advice e.g. from psychological assessments etc, will be invaluable. The children in the class or school, may be taught strategies to assist pupils, with special needs, adhere to the rules and thus provide peer support. This will be done in a supportive safe way, acknowledging and respecting differences in all individuals.

Positive strategies for Managing Behaviour:

Yard Supervision:

Teachers are contracted for supervision duties and are timetabled / roistered for same.
S.N.A.’s assist teachers with supervision.
All areas of our playgrounds are supervised, at all times, during break times.
Each class grouping has its own specific play area.
All supervising staff are supplied with a monthly schedule of supervision, which includes provision for wet days.
Games, puzzles, books etc., are available to pupils in each class, in the event of staying indoors.
Pupils are supervised going to and returning from their play areas, according to our Supervision Policy.
Pupils remaining inside, due to illness, will wait outside our staffroom / office area, where they will be provided with seating and games/books.
Misdemeanours on yard are subject to our strategies and sanctions.
Accidents on yard, will if necessary, be recorded in our Incident Book.
Children leaving the yard to use the toilet, will inform supervising Teacher/SNA.

Other areas in the School:

Our school rules apply to all areas of our school grounds. Children are reminded of these rules regularly in class, in the comings and goings around the school and at Assembly.

School related activities:
We expect the highest standards of behaviour from our pupils both in school and during school related activities, outside of school. To this end, we re-iterate our expectations to our pupils before any school related event. Issues which may pose disciplinary / behavioural problems in the course of an event, are addressed in a communication letter to parents/guardians, prior to the event.

Keeping Records:

Records will be kept by teaching staff and SNA’s, (where applicable) in a factual and impartial manner. Incidents/patterns of behaviour of concern will be discussed, as appropriate, at SEN/ISM/whole staff meetings, or directly with Principal/Deputy Principal.
Incidents on yard may be recorded on Junior & Senior yard books.(Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) may be informed of this through homework journal.
Matters of concern arising from these records, will be conveyed to Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s), through individually arranged meetings with Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s), Parent/Teacher meetings or through twice yearly reports.

Procedures re: Suspension/Expulsion:
For gross misbehaviour or repeated instances of serious misbehaviour, suspension may be considered. The Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) concerned will be invited to come to the school to discuss their child’s case. Aggressive, threatening or violent behaviour towards a member of our school community, would be regarded as serious or gross misbehaviour. Where there are repeated instances of serious misbehaviour, the Chairperson of the Board of Management will be informed. Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) will be requested, in writing, to attend at the school, to meet with Chairperson and the Principal/Deputy Principal/ Relevant Teacher. If Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) do not give an undertaking that the pupil will behave in an acceptable manner in the future, the pupil may have to be suspended, for a period.
Prior to suspension, where possible, the Principal/Deputy Principal, will review the case, in consultation with teacher(s) and other members of the school community involved, with due regard to records of previous misbehaviours, their pattern and context, sanctions and other inventions used and their outcomes and any relevant medical / specialist's information. Suspension will be in accordance with the terms of Rule 130-5, (Amended as per Circular 7/88), of the Rules for National Schools) and the Education Welfare Act 2000.
In the case of gross misbehaviour, where it is necessary to ensure that order and discipline are maintained and to secure the safety of all, the Board of Management may authorize the Chairperson or Principal/Deputy Principal, to sanction an immediate suspension, for a period, not exceeding three school days, pending a discussion of the matter with the Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s).

Expulsion may be considered, in an extreme case, in accordance with Rule 130 –6 (Amended as per Circular 7/88) and the Education Welfare Act 2000. Before suspending or expelling a pupil, the Board of Management shall notify the Local Welfare Education Officer, in writing, in accordance with Section 24 of the Education Welfare Act.
Under the Education Act, 2000, “A student shall not be expelled from a school before the passing of twenty school days following the receipt of a notification under this section by an educational welfare officer”.

Appeals:
Under Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998, parents are entitled to appeal to the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Science, against some decisions of the Board of Management, including (1) permanent exclusion from a school and (2) suspension for a period, which would bring the cumulative period of suspension to 20 school days, or longer, in any school year.

Appeals must generally be made within 42 calendar days, from the date the decision of the school was notified to the Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s).
Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) will be informed by the Chairperson of Board of Management of their entitlement to appeal a decision of the Board of Management in relation to suspension or expulsion. Parent(s) / Legal Guardian(s) will, in this case, be given a copy of circular 22/02. In this case, the Board of Management in conjunction with Principal/Deputy Principal, will prepare a response if, and when, an appeal is being investigated by the Department of Education & Skills.

Removal of Suspension (Reinstatement):
Following or during a period of suspension, the Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) may apply to have the pupil reinstated at the school. The Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) must give a satisfactory undertaking that a suspended pupil will behave in accordance with the School Code of Behaviour. Principal/Deputy Principal /Board of Management must be satisfied that the pupil’s reinstatement, will not constitute a risk to the pupil’s own safety or that of the other members of the school community. The Principal/Deputy Principal will facilitate the preparation of a behaviour plan by relevant staff for the pupil, if required, and will re-admit the pupil formally to the class.

Communication Policy (September 2016)

This Policy was originally developed by the staff of C.B.S Primary School, the Board of Management and the Parents Association in the school year 2014.
It was reviewed in 2016.

Its purpose is to provide information and guidelines to all partners at C.B.S. Primary. The family and home are central to the holistic development of each child. All partners should strive to be mutually supportive and respectful of each other so that the child can best benefit from his education.

School Ethos / Characteristic Spirit:
In keeping with the spirit of Edmund Ignatius Rice, we endeavour to create an atmosphere of inclusiveness. Our school places great importance on a strong sense of team-work and co-operation among teachers, pupils, ancillary staff, Parents and Board of Management. We emphasise the need to give children every opportunity to develop patterns of good behaviour. Our aim is to accommodate individuality, while acknowledging the right of each pupil to education, in a disruption-free environment. We actively promote a sense of responsibility towards the wider community.

Parent(s)Legal Guardian(s) are encouraged to:

Develop close links with the school.
Participate in meetings in a positive and respectful manner.
Collaborate with the school in developing the full potential of their children.
Share the responsibility of seeing that the school full-fills its Mission Statement, Aims and Vision.

Structures in place to facilitate open communication & consultation with Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s):

Meeting for Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) of incoming pupils - June.
Parent/Teacher meetings, one to one, prior to mid-term October break.
Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) receive written school reports of each pupil mid-term February.
Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) receive written school reports of each pupil - mid June.
Meetings with Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) whose children have Special Needs.
Principal / Deputy Principal are highly visible and available at assembly and dispersal time.
Written communication via homework journals and notes home.
Through the Parents Council, parents are invited to discuss and contribute to the drafting and review of all School Policies. Decisions taken to change current policies and procedures or to introduce new ones will be made known to all parents in written format, via the school newsletter.
Regular newsletters keep Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) up to date with school events and happenings.
School website / blog.
Twitter Account.
Electronic dashboard at entrance.
Text A Parent service deployed as required.
Homework journal 1st - 6th class, used to relay messages which are signed between Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) and Teachers. Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) requested to sign diary each night to certify that homework has been completed.
Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) are invited to events throughout the year e.g. Sports Day, School Masses, Graduation Night etc. etc.
Involvement of Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) in the Religious "Alive O Programme" section for Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s).
Participating in Shared Reading Project every Spring term.
H.S.C.L. Officer works with all Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) throughout year with issues - invites to visit school.
Structured programme of activities for Parents/Legal Guardians.

If a Parent/Legal Guardian wishes to consult a teacher, he/she can contact the school secretary to arrange a suitable time.

It is vital that the school is immediately informed if family events / situations occur that cause anxiety to your child and therefore may adversely affect his education. In all matters pertaining to the well being and education of pupil, only the Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) named on the enrolment form will be consulted by staff.

Parent / Teacher Meetings:
Formal Parent / Teacher Meetings will be held once a year for all classes (Circular 14/04). Where possible, they will be held in the first term, towards the end of October for all classes. They will be initiated by school staff and details regarding time etc. will be worked out by Class Teacher. Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) will be given the opportunity to select preferred times (night or after school) on a note from the Class Teacher. The school will attempt to co-ordinate times where siblings are concerned. Meetings may take place in classrooms or support rooms. The Teachers use prepared guidelines for the meetings and collaborate in advance about the progress of individual children. A short written record of the meeting is maintained by each teacher.

The purpose of the Parent / Teacher Meeting is:

To establish and maintain good communication between the school and Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s).
To let Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) know how their children are progressing in school
To help Teachers/ Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) get to know the children better as individuals
To help children realise that home and school are working together
To share with the Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) the problems and difficulties the child may have in school
To review with the Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) the child's experience of schooling
To learn more about the child form the Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) perspective
To identify areas of concern
To identify ways in which Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) can help their children
To negotiate jointly decisions about the child's education
To inform the Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) of standardised test results according to school policy

Circular 56/2011 Re. the implementation of the national literacy and numeracy strategy has been adopted by the Board of Management. References to parent/school communication are:

Reporting to Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s):
Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) have the primary responsibility for their children's learning and development. Schools can strengthen the capacity of Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) to support their children in this way by sharing meaningful information with Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) about the progress that children are achieving in the education system. The information needs to draw on the different sources of evidence that staff use, such as conversations with the learner, data collection and documented progress on objectives and milestones reached in their short and long term planning, examination of students own self assessment data (SAL Folders), documented observations of the learner's engagement with tasks, outcomes of other assessment tasks and tests, and examples of students work. In turn Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) will often be able to enrich staffs knowledge of their student's progress, through providing further information about students learning at home.

Report Card Templates:
Schools should help Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) to understand fully the evidence of learning that the school reports to them, especially information from standardised tests. The NCCA has provided a range of standard report templates to assist schools in reporting information about progress of primary pupils to Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s), including information from standardised tests. The NCCA report card templates were developed through a process of consultation with schools and parents can take account of research commissioned by the NCCA.

The report cards provide for reporting in four key areas:

The child's learning and achievement across the curriculum
The child's learning dispositions
The child's social and personal development
Ways in which Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) can support their child's learning.

C.B.S. Primary uses the report card template (available at www.ncca.ie) for
reporting to Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) on students progress and achievement for end of year reports.

Formal Meetings:
Formal timetabled parent/teacher meetings take place in October. However, if a Parent/Legal Guardian wishes to arrange a meeting at any stage during the year to discuss their child, they may do so by prior appointment.

All communication sent from the school will be sent to the child's home address, as given on the enrolment form, unless otherwise requested by Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s).
In the case of separated parents, requests can be made by both parents to meet their child's teacher(s) individually for parent/teacher meetings.

Formal Meetings - IEPs
Formal timetabled parent / staff meetings on the subject of the Individual Education Plan will also take place in October. IEP's are reviewed each February/March. However, if a Parent/Legal Guardian wishes to arrange a meeting at any stage during the year, to discuss their child, they may do so by prior appointment.

Informal Parent / Staff Meetings:
We encourage communication between Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) and school staff. However, incidental meetings to discuss a child's concern/progress are discouraged on a number of grounds.

Staff cannot adequately supervise his/her class while at the same time speaking to a Parent/Legal Guardian.
It is difficult to be discreet when so many children are standing close by
It can be embarrassing for a child when his/her Parent/Legal Guardian is talking to staff member at a classroom door or other public area in the school.

Occasions occur where a parent needs to speak to a staff member urgently. Sometimes these meetings need to take place, without prior notice. The Principal will aim to facilitate such meetings making every effort to ensure that the children in class do not lose out on any of the teaching / learning time.
In the interests of safety, if parents wish to drop in lunch boxes, sports gear etc, this can be done through the secretary's office, as it is important to keep class interruptions to a minimum.

Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) are strongly discouraged from taking pupils out of school during term time in order to facilitate family holidays.

Complaints Procedure:
Complaints are infrequent but the school would wish that these would be dealt with informally, fairly and quickly. The agreed complaints procedure to be followed in primary schools, has been adopted in full by our Board of Management and is included in this Policy booklet.

Behaviour of all Partners in the School:
Positive and respectful communication is of high importance to our school. This not only extends to the children but to all the school community, the staff, Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) and visitors to school. Adults in the school community have a responsibility to ensure their own behaviour models the types of behaviour expected of children.

All adults involved on our school community are expected to speak to each other with respect.

Shouting or using aggressive tones are not acceptable. If a stake holder displays anger or aggression to another member of the school community, they may be asked to remove themselves from the building. In certain cases, the Gardaí may be called.

All adults are expected treat our children with respect while on the premises.
Teachers should not be asked to speak about another parents' child. Teachers will respect your child's right to privacy so it is asked that Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) respect other children's rights to privacy.
When stakeholders meet, it is important to respect that the time of meetings should be kept to a reasonable amount of time. Times of meetings should be agreed beforehand and these should be respected.
Teachers are generally available to listen to a quick issue in the morning and after school. However, should a Parent/Legal Guardian need to have a discussion or meeting, an appointment should be made at a convenient time for both parties. This ensures that issues can be resolved. Classes begin at 9.00am and finish at 2.40pm. This time should not be interrupted, in the interests of all children.

Safety, Health and Welfare at Work:

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act became operative on 1 November 1989. It is an important piece of legislation for B.O.M.s and for those who work in schools, as schools and colleges were brought under the scope of safety legislation for the first time.
It is recognised that school staff may be at risk from violence in the form of verbal abuse, threats, assaults or other forms of intimidation. This behaviour may come from pupils, Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s), other staff members or visitors to school.
In this respect all staff should be aware of DES Circular 40/97 which deals with the procedures to follow if they have been subjected to any of the above behaviours. A copy of this circular along with the Schools Health & Safety Plan, is available from the School.

From C.B.S Primary Ratified Policy on Special Education Needs Assistants - Section 4 Work Practices.

There is a confidentiality clause in the SNA Contract.

Communication:

SNAs are expected to commit to the schools culture of open communication with all the educational parties.
SNAs will implement and co-operate with Department of Education and Skills directives including new arrangements for parent/teacher meetings, staff meetings (where applicable) and the standardised school year. Special Needs Assistants will engage with parents of special needs pupils in both formal and informal structures as required and directed by school management.
As part of each year, SNA meet if required, with Class Teacher/Special Class Teacher/ Resource Teacher, their assigned pupil and his Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s). If this/these meeting(s) is/are to take place during school hours, arrangements will be made to avoid disruption to class teaching.

Team Work and Collaboration:
The SNA may report a pupil's progress/ behaviour to Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s), only in a pre-arranged structured meeting, accompanied by Class Teacher / Special Class Teacher / Support Teacher.

Evaluation Review and Dissemination:
This policy is available from the school. This policy and its implementation will be reviewed by the B.O.M. once in every school year, mindful of feedback of all in the school community.

Roles and Responsibilities:
All members of our school community have a responsibility to ensure this policy is implemented.

National Agreed Complaints Procedure:

Adopted in full by Board of Management of C.B.S. Primary.

Important note: Revised procedures for processing complaints by Parent(s) / Legal Guardian(s), will be prescribed for all schools under Section 28 of the Education Act 1998. When available, the revised procedures will be sent to each school and will replace the procedures printed here. Please ensure that the correct and up to date Procedures are used. At the time of going to print these procedures are still the only agreed procedures.
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation and the Catholic Primary School Managers’ Association reached agreement in 1993, on a procedure for dealing with complaints by parents against teachers. The purpose of the procedure is to facilitate the resolution of difficulties where they may arise in an agreed and fair manner. The agreement lays out in five stages the process to be followed in progressing a complaint and the specific timescale to be followed at each stage.

Introduction
Only those complaints about teachers which are written and signed by parents/guardians of pupils may be investigated formally by the Board of Management, except where those complaints are deemed by the Board to be:
(i)    on matters of professional competence and which are to be referred    to the Department of Education;
(ii)        frivolous or vexations complaints and complaints which do not    impinge on the work of a teacher in a school; or
(iii)    complaints in which either party has recourse to law or to another    existing procedure.

Unwritten complaints not in the above categories may be processed informally as set out in Stage 1 of this procedure.

Stage 1:
1.1    A Parent/Legal Guardian who wishes to make a complaint should,    unless there are local arrangements to the contrary, approach    the class teacher with a view to resolving the complaint.
1.2   Where the Parent/Legal Guardian is unable to resolve the complaint with the class teacher she/he should approach the Principal with a    view to resolving it.
1.3    If the complaint is still unresolved the parent/guardian should raise the matter with the Chairperson of the Board of Management, with a view to resolving it.
Stage 2:
2.1    If the complaint is still unresolved and the parent/guardian wishes    to pursue the matter further she/he should lodge the complaint in
   writing with the Chairperson of the Board of Management.
2.2    The Chairperson should bring the precise nature of the written complaint to the notice of the teacher and seek to resolve the matter between the parties within 5 days of receipt of the written    complaint.

Stage 3:
3.1    If the complaint is not resolved informally, the Chairperson should, subject to the general authorisation of the Board and except in those    cases where the Chairperson deems the particular authorisation of    the Board to be required:
(a)    supply the teacher with a copy of the written complaint; and
(b)    arrange a meeting with the teacher and, where applicable, the    Principal Teacher with a view to resolving the complaint. Such a    meeting should take place within 10 days of receipt of the written    complaint.

Stage 4:
4.1        If the complaint is still not resolved the Chairperson should make a        formal report to the Board within 10 days of the meeting                referred to in 3.1(b).

4.2    If the Board considers that the complaint is not substantiated the teacher and the complaint should be so informed within three days of the Board meeting.

4.3    If the Board considers that the complaint is substantiated or that it warrants further investigation it proceeds as follows:
(a)    the teacher should be informed that the investigation is proceeding    to the next stage;
(b)    the teacher should be supplied with a copy of any written evidence    in support of the complaint;
(c)    the teacher should be requested to supply a written statement to    the Board in response to the complaint;
(d)    the teacher should be afforded an opportunity to make a    presentation of case to the Board. The teacher would be entitled to    be accompanied and assisted by a friend at any such meeting;
(e)   the board may arrange a meeting with the complainant if it considers such to be required. The complainant would be entitled to be accompanied and assisted by a friend at any such meeting; and
(f)    the meeting of the Board of Management referred to in (d) and (e)    will take place within 10 days of the meeting referred to in 3.1(b).

Stage 5:
5.1    When the Board has completed its investigation, the Chairperson should convey the decision of the Board in writing to the teacher and the complainant within five days of the meeting of the Board.
5.2    The decision of the Board shall be final.
5.3    This Complaints Procedure shall be reviewed after three years.
5.4   CPSMA or INTO may withdraw from this agreement having given the other party three months’ notice of intention to do so.

In this agreement ‘days’ means schools days.
C.F. Section 29 of Education Act

Data Protection Policy 2018

Introductory Statement
The school’s Data Protection Policy applies to the personal data held by the school’s Board of Management (BOM), which is protected by the Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018 and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The policy applies to all school staff, the Board of Management, parents/guardians, students and others (including prospective or potential students and their parents/guardians and applicants for staff positions within the school) insofar as the measures under the policy relate to them. Data will be stored securely, so that confidential information is protected in compliance with relevant legislation. This policy sets out the manner in which personal data and special categories of personal data will be protected by the school

C.B.S. Primary operates a “Privacy by Design” method in relation to Data Protection. This means we plan carefully when gathering personal data so that we build in the data protection principles as integral elements of all data operations in advance. We audit the personal data we hold in order to

be able to provide access to individuals to their data
ensure it is held securely
document our data protection procedures
enhance accountability and transparency

Data Protection Principles
The school BOM is a data controller of personal data relating to its past, present and future staff, students, parents/guardians and other members of the school community. As such, the BOM is obliged to comply with the principles of data protection set out in the Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018 and GDPR, which can be summarised as follows:

Obtain and process Personal Data fairly

Information on students is gathered with the help of parents/guardians and staff. Information is also transferred from their previous schools. In relation to information the school holds on other individuals (members of staff, individuals applying for positions within the School, parents/guardians of students, etc.), the information is generally furnished by the individuals themselves with full and informed consent and compiled during the course of their employment or contact with the School. All such data is treated in accordance with the Data Protection legislation and the terms of this Data Protection Policy. The information will be obtained and processed fairly

Consent

Where consent is the basis for provision of personal data, (e.g. data required to join sports team/ after-school activity or any other optional school activity) the consent must be a freely-given, specific, informed and unambiguous indication of the data subject’s wishes. C.B.S. Primary will require a clear, affirmative action e.g. ticking of a box/signing a document to indicate consent. Consent can be withdrawn by data subjects in these situations

Keep it only for one or more specified and explicit lawful purposes

The BOM will inform individuals of the reasons they collect their data and the uses to which their data will be put. All information is kept with the best interest of the individual in mind at all times

Process it only in ways compatible with the purposes for which it was given initially

Data relating to individuals will only be processed in a manner consistent with the purposes for which it was gathered. Information will only be disclosed on a ‘need to know’ basis, and access to it will be strictly controlled.

Keep Personal Data safe and secure

Only those with a genuine reason for doing so may gain access to the information. Personal Data is securely stored in the case of manual records and protected with computer software and password protection in the case of electronically stored data. Portable devices storing personal data (such as laptops) are encrypted and password-protected.

Keep Personal Data accurate, complete and up-to-date

Students, parents/guardians, and/or staff should inform the school of any change which the school should make to their personal data and/or sensitive personal data to ensure that the individual’s data is accurate, complete and up-to-date. Once informed, the school will make all necessary changes to the relevant records. Records must not be altered or destroyed without proper authorisation. If alteration/correction is required, then a note of the fact of such authorisation and the alteration(s) to be made to any original record/documentation should be dated and signed by the person making that change

Ensure that it is adequate, relevant and not excessive

Only the necessary amount of information required to provide an adequate service will be gathered and stored

Retain it no longer than is necessary for the specified purpose or purposes for which it was given

As a general rule, the information will be kept for the duration of the individual’s time in the school. Thereafter, the school will comply with DES guidelines on the storage of Personal Data relating to a student. In the case of members of staff, the school will comply with both DES guidelines and the requirements of the Revenue Commissioners with regard to the retention of records relating to employees. The school may also retain the data relating to an individual for a longer length of time for the purposes of complying with relevant provisions of law and or/defending a claim under employment legislation and/or contract and/or civil law.

Provide a copy of their personal data to any individual on request

Individuals have a right to know and have access to a copy of personal data held about them, by whom, and the purpose for which it is held

Scope
The Data Protection legislation applies to the keeping and processing of Personal Data. The purpose of this policy is to assist the school to meet its statutory obligations, to explain those obligations to School staff, and to inform staff, students and their parents/guardians how their data will be treated.

The policy applies to all school staff, the Board of Management, parents/guardians, students and others including prospective or potential students and their parents/guardians, and applicants for staff positions within the school insofar as the school handles or processes their Personal Data in the course of their dealings with the school.

Definition of Data Protection Terms
In order to properly understand the school’s obligations, there are some key terms, which should be understood by all relevant school staff:

Personal Data means any data relating to an identified or identifiable natural person i.e. a living individual who is or can be identified either from the data or from the data in conjunction with other information that is in, or is likely to come into, the possession of the Data Controller (BOM).

Data Controller is the Board of Management of the school.

Data Subject - is an individual who is the subject of personal data.

Data Processing - performing any operation or set of operations on data, including:

Obtaining, recording or keeping the data,
Collecting, organising, storing, altering or adapting the data
Retrieving, consulting or using the data
Disclosing the data by transmitting, disseminating or otherwise making it available
Aligning, combining, blocking, erasing or destroying the data

Data Processor - a person who processes personal information on behalf of a data controller, but does not include an employee of a data controller who processes such data in the course of their employment, for example, this might mean an employee of an organisation to which the data controller out-sources work. The Data Protection legislation places responsibilities on such entities in relation to their processing of the data.
Data Processors currently utilised by the school are Aladdin, Google Drive and Martin & Co. Accountants.

Special categories of Personal Data refers to Personal Data regarding a person’s

racial or ethnic origin
political opinions or religious or philosophical beliefs
physical or mental health
sexual life and sexual orientation
genetic and biometric data
criminal convictions or the alleged commission of an offence
trade union membership

Personal Data Breach – a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to personal data transmitted, stored or otherwise processed. This means any compromise or loss of personal data, no matter how or where it occurs

Rationale:
In addition to its legal obligations under the broad remit of educational legislation, the school has a legal responsibility to comply with the Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018 and the GDPR.

This policy explains what sort of data is collected, why it is collected, for how long it will be stored and with whom it will be shared. The school wishes to put in place safe practices to safeguard individual’s personal data. It is also recognised that recording factual information accurately and storing it safely facilitates an evaluation of the information, enabling the Principal and Board of Management to make decisions in respect of the efficient running of the School. The efficient handling of data ensures that there is consistency and continuity where there are changes of personnel within the school and Board of Management

Other Legal Obligations
Implementation of this policy takes into account the school’s other legal obligations and responsibilities. Some of these are directly relevant to data protection.

For example:

Under Section 9(g) of the Education Act, 1998, the parents of a student, or a student who has reached the age of 18 years, must be given access to records kept by the school relating to the progress of the student in their education

Under Section 20 of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, the school must maintain a register of all students attending the School

Under Section 20(5) of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a Principal is obliged to notify certain information relating to the child’s attendance in school and other matters relating to the child’s educational progress to the Principal of another school to which a student is transferring. C.B.S. Primary sends, by post, a copy of a child’s Passport, as provided by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, to the Principal of the Post-Primary School in which the pupil has been enrolled

Where reports on pupils which have been completed by professionals, apart from C.B.S. Primary staff, are included in current pupil files, such reports are only passed to the Post-Primary school, or Primary School to which child is transferring, following express written permission having been sought and received from the parents/guardians of the said pupils

Under Section 21 of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, the school must record the attendance or non-attendance of students registered at the school on each school day

Under Section 28 of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, the School may supply Personal Data kept by it to certain prescribed bodies (the Department of Education and Skills, Túsla, the National Council for Special Education and other schools). The BOM must be satisfied that it will be used for a ‘relevant purpose’ (which includes recording a person’s educational or training history or monitoring their educational or training progress; or for carrying out research into examinations, participation in education and the general effectiveness of education or training)

Under Section 14 of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, 2004, the school is required to furnish to the National Council for Special Education (and its employees, which would include Special Educational Needs Organisers) such information as the Council may from time to time reasonably request

The Freedom of Information Act 2014 provides a qualified right to access to information held by public bodies which does not necessarily have to be “personal data”, as with data protection legislation. While most schools are not currently subject to freedom of information legislation, (with the exception of schools under the direction of Education and Training Boards), if a school has furnished information to a body covered by the Freedom of Information Act (such as the Department of Education and Skills, etc.) these records could be disclosed by that body, if a request is made to that body

Under Section 26(4) of the Health Act, 1947 a School shall cause all reasonable facilities (including facilities for obtaining names and addresses of pupils attending the school) to be given to a health authority who has served a notice on it of medical inspection, e.g. a dental inspection

Under Children First Act 2015, mandated persons in schools have responsibilities to report child welfare concerns to TUSLA- Child and Family Agency or in the event of an emergency and the unavailability of TUSLA, to An Garda Síochána
Relationship to characteristic spirit of the School:
C.B.S. Primary seeks to:

enable students to develop their full potential
provide a safe and secure environment for learning
promote respect for the diversity of values, beliefs, traditions, languages and cultures in society

The school wishes to achieve these aims/missions while fully respecting individuals’ rights to privacy and rights under the Data Protection legislation.

Personal Data
The Personal Data records held by the school may include:

Staff records:

Categories of staff data:

As well as existing members of staff (and former members of staff), these records may also relate to applicants applying for positions within the school, trainee teachers and teachers under probation. These staff records may include:

Name, address and contact details, PPS number.
Name and contact details of next-of-kin in case of emergency.
Original records of application and appointment to promotion posts
Details of approved absences (career breaks, parental leave, study leave, etc.)
Details of work record (qualifications, classes taught, subjects, etc.)
Details of any accidents/injuries sustained on school property or in connection with the staff member carrying out their school duties
Records of any reports the school (or its employees) have made in respect of the staff member to State departments and/or other agencies under Children First Act 2015

Purposes:

Staff records are kept for the purposes of:

the management and administration of school business (now and in the future)
to facilitate the payment of staff, and calculate other benefits/entitlements (including reckonable service for the purpose of calculation of pension payments, entitlements and/or redundancy payments where relevant)
to facilitate pension payments in the future
human resources management
recording promotions made (documentation relating to promotions applied for) and changes in responsibilities, etc.
to enable the school to comply with its obligations as an employer, including the preservation of a safe, efficient working and teaching environment (including complying with its responsibilities under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005)
to enable the school to comply with requirements set down by the Department of Education and Skills, the Revenue Commissioners, the National Council for Special Education, TUSLA, the HSE, and any other governmental, statutory and/or regulatory departments and/or agencies
and for compliance with legislation relevant to the school.

Location and Security procedures of C.B.S. Primary:

Manual records are kept in a secure, administration office only accessible to personnel who are authorised to use the data. Employees are required to maintain the confidentiality of any data to which they have access.
Digital records are stored on password-protected computer with adequate encryption and firewall software in a locked office.
The school has the burglar alarm activated during out-of-school hours.

Student records:

Categories of student data:

These may include:

Information which may be sought and recorded at enrolment and may be collated and compiled during the course of the student’s time in the school. These records may include:
- name, address and contact details, PPS number
- date and place of birth
- names and addresses of parents/guardians and their contact details (including any special arrangements with regard to guardianship, custody or access)
- religious belief
- racial or ethnic origin
- membership of the Traveller community, where relevant
- whether they (or their parents) are medical card holders
- whether English is the student’s first language and/or whether the student requires English language support
- any relevant special conditions (e.g. special educational needs, health issues, etc.) which may apply
Information on previous academic record (including reports, references, assessments and other records from any previous school(s) attended by the student
Psychological, psychiatric and/or medical assessments
Attendance records
Photographs and recorded images of students (including at school events and noting achievements) are managed in line with the accompanying policy on school photography.
Academic record – subjects, class assignments, examination results as recorded on official School reports
Records of significant achievements
Whether the student is exempt from studying Irish
Records of disciplinary issues/investigations and/or sanctions imposed
Other records e.g. records of any serious injuries/accidents, etc.
Records of any reports the school (or its employees) have made in respect of the student to State Departments and/or other agencies under Children First Act 2015.

Purposes: The purposes for keeping student records include:

to enable each student to develop to his/her full potential
to comply with legislative or administrative requirements
to ensure that eligible students can benefit from the relevant additional teaching or financial supports
to support the provision of religious instruction
to enable parents/guardians to be contacted in the case of emergency or in the case of school closure, or to inform parents of their child’s educational progress or to inform parents of school events, etc.
to meet the educational, social, physical and emotional requirements of the student
photographs and recorded images of students are taken to celebrate school achievements, e.g. compile yearbooks, establish a school website, record school events, and to keep a record of the history of the school. Parents/Guardians permission is sought for this in writing as part of the enrolment process.
to ensure that the student meets the school’s admission criteria
to ensure that students meet the minimum age requirement for attendance at Primary School.
to ensure that any student seeking an exemption from Irish meets the criteria in order to obtain such an exemption from the authorities
to furnish documentation/information about the student to the Department of Education and Skills, the National Council for Special Education, TUSLA, and other schools, etc. in compliance with law and directions issued by government departments
to furnish, when requested by the student (or their parents/guardians in the case of a student under 18 years) documentation/information/references to second-level educational institutions.

(Location and Security procedures c.f. School Location and Retention of Data Table Appendix A)

Board of Management records:

a)Categories of Board of Management data:

Name, address and contact details of each member of the Board of Management (including former members of the Board of Management)
Records in relation to appointments to the Board
Minutes of Board of Management meetings and correspondence to the Board which may include references to individuals.

b)Purposes:

To enable the Board of Management to operate in accordance with the Education Act 1998 and other applicable legislation and to maintain a record of Board appointments and decisions.

Location and Security procedures c.f. School Location and Retention of Data Table Appendix A

Other Records: Creditors

Categories of Board of Management data:

The school may hold some or all of the following information about creditors (some of whom are self-employed individuals):

name
address
contact details
PPS number
tax details
bank details and
amount paid

Purposes: The purposes for keeping creditor records are:

This information is required for routine management and administration of the school’s financial affairs, including the payment of invoices, the compiling of annual financial accounts and complying with audits and investigations by the Revenue Commissioners.

(Location and Security procedures c.f. School Location and Retention of Data Table Appendix A)

Other Records - Donors:

Categories of Board of Management data:

The school may hold the following data in relation to donors who have made charitable donations to the school:
•   name
•   address
•   telephone number
•   PPS number
•   tax rate
•   signature and
•   the gross amount of the donation.

Purposes: The purposes for keeping creditor records are:

Schools are entitled to avail of the scheme of tax relief for donations of money they receive. To claim the relief, the donor must complete a certificate (CHY2) and forward it to the school to allow it to claim the grossed up amount of tax associated with the donation. The information requested on the appropriate certificate is the parents’ name, address, PPS number, tax rate, telephone number, signature and the gross amount of the donation. This is retained by the School in the event of audit by the Revenue Commissioners.

Location and Security procedures c.f. School Location and Retention of Data Table Appendix A)

CCTV images/recordings-
CCTV is installed in C.B.S. Primary
---- cameras are installed externally on the outside walls of the building.
---- cameras are installed internally; e.g. In the foyer covering the main entrance to the school and on corridor areas.
These CCTV systems may record images of staff, students and members of the public who visit the premises.
The viewing station is in the main school administration office

Purposes:
Safety and security of staff, students and visitors and to safeguard school property and equipment.

Security:
Access to images/recordings is restricted to the Principal, Deputy Principal and B.O.M. of the school. Recordings are retained for 28 days, except if required for the investigation of an incident. Images/recordings may be viewed or made available to An Garda Síochána, pursuant to Data Protection Acts legislation.

There is notification signage to alert all that CCTV system is in place.

STANDARDISED TESTING RESULTS:
The school will hold data comprising of standardised testing results and reports in respect of its students. These include class, mid-term, annual and continuous assessment results and the results of Standardised Tests

Purposes:
The main purpose for which these examination results are held is to monitor a student’s progress and to provide a sound basis for advising them and their parents or guardian about educational attainment levels and recommendations for the future. The data may also be aggregated for statistical/reporting purposes, such as to compile results tables. The data may be transferred to the Department of Education and Skills, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and other schools to which pupils move.

Links to other policies and to curriculum delivery
Our school policies need to be consistent with one another, within the framework of the overall School Plan. Relevant school policies already in place or being developed or reviewed, shall be examined with reference to the Data Protection Policy and any implications which it has for them shall be addressed.

The following policies may be among those considered:

Pupil Online Database (POD): Collection of the data for the purposes of complying with the Department of Education and Skills’ pupil online database.
Child Protection Procedures
Anti-Bullying Procedures
Code of Behaviour
Enrolment Policy
ICT Acceptable Usage Policy
Assessment Policy
Special Educational Needs Policy
Book-Rental Policy
Critical Incident Policy
Student Council, Health Promoting Schools Committee, Green Schools Committee.
Attendance Policy
SCP Programme Policy
Play / Art Therapy

Processing in line with a data subject’s rights
Data Protection legislation enables parents / guardians to enquire whether schools are processing information about them and, if so, to access that information. It enables these individuals to ensure that personal information about them is being fairly processed and if not, to have that personal information rectified or erased.

Dealing with a data access request
Individuals are entitled to a copy of their personal data on written request
The individual is entitled to a copy of their personal data
Request must be responded to within one month. An extension may be required e.g. over holiday periods

No fee may be charged, except in exceptional circumstances, where the requests are repetitive or manifestly unfounded or excessive
No personal data can be supplied relating to another individual, apart from the data subject
Data Processors
The Data Processor(s) is / are any person or persons given access to personal data held by the Data Controller for processing. This would include agencies such as Aladdin, Databiz, Accountants, etc. who process information on behalf of the Data Controller. The Data Controller outsources the data to be processed to a Data Processor.

Note that transfers of personal data to agents of the school, who are carrying out operations upon the data on behalf of the school and not retaining it for their own purposes, do not constitute 'disclosures' of data for the purposes of the Act. Examples of such transfers would include the transfer of staff data to a separate payroll company for payroll administration purposes, and the transfer of personal data from a school to a school administration agency, e.g. Aladdin etc.

These data processors use data re. C.B.S. Primary only in ways consistent with the purpose or purposes for which it is kept.
This data disclosed only in ways consistent with that purpose or purposes

Personal Data Breaches
All incidents in which personal data has been put at risk must be reported to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner within 72 hours
When the personal data breach is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, the BOM must communicate the personal data breach to the data subject without undue delay
If a data processor becomes aware of a personal data breach, it must bring this to the attention of the data controller (BOM) without undue delay.

Providing information over the phone
An employee dealing with telephone enquiries should be careful about disclosing any personal information held by the school over the phone. In particular, the employee should:

Ask that the caller put their request in writing
Refer the request to the Principal / Deputy Principal for assistance in difficult situations
Not feel forced into disclosing personal information

Implementation arrangements, roles and responsibilities
The BOM is the data controller and the Principal / Deputy Principal implements the Data Protection Policy, ensuring that staff who handle or have access to Personal Data are familiar with their data protection responsibilities

The following personnel have responsibility for implementing the Data Protection Policy:

Name                       Responsibility
Board of Management:           Data Controller
Principal / Deputy Principal:       Implementation of Policy
All Staff                       Implementation of Policy
All School Community in so far as the measures relate to them.

Ratification & Communication
Ratified at the BOM meeting on 22.01.2019 and signed by Chairperson. Secretary recorded the ratification in the Minutes of the meeting. Contents will be communicated to all staff at staff meeting - full Policy will be on School Plan and on Google Drive for access.

Monitoring the Implementation of the Policy
The implementation of the policy shall be monitored by the Principal / Deputy Principal, staff and the Board of Management

Reviewing and evaluating the Policy
The policy will be reviewed and evaluated after 2 years, or as deemed necessary. On-going review and evaluation will take cognisance of changing information or guidelines (e.g. from the Data Protection Commissioner, Department of Education and Skills or TUSLA), legislation and feedback from parents/guardians, students, school staff and others. The policy will be revised as necessary in the light of such review and evaluation and within the framework of school planning

This version formulated through consultation -   October/November/December 2018

Ratified by B.O.M. at Board of Management Meeting - 22.01.2019

Enrolment/Admission Policy– Roll Number 17639W. (November 2018)

Introduction:

The Board of Management of the above school, sets out this policy, in accordance with the provisions of the Education Act 1998. The Board of Management trusts that by so doing, parent(s) / legal guardian(s) will be assisted in relation to enrolment matters and that furthermore, the Chairperson of the Board of Management, Martin Kelly and the Principal Teacher, Mary O’Callaghan or Deputy Principal Nigel Griffin will be happy to clarify any further matters arising from the policy.

General Information:

Name: Christian Brothers Primary School

       Address: Brigown, Mitchelstown, Co. Cork, P67 FY81

       Tel: 025/24505       Fax: 025/85408

       E-mail: [email protected]

       Website: www.cbspmitchelstown.com

C.B.S. Primary is a Catholic school, under the patronage of the Bishop of Cloyne.

Staff in the school is as follows:

- Administrative Principal
- Mainstream Class Teachers
- Support Teachers for pupils with Special Needs
- Special Class designated for pupils with A.S.D. established September 2018
- SNA’s
- Shared H.S.C.L Co-ordinator
- S.C.P. personnel (cluster arrangement)

The school caters for boys from 1st – 6th classes. The special class

structure was originally set up in 1989 to cater for children with a mild level of learning disability. A Subsequent special class catering for children with behavioural and emotional difficulties was established 2006. As of school year 2018/2019, these classes suppressed.

The school depends on the grants and teacher resources provided by the

Department of Education and Science and operates within the regulations laid down, from time to time by the Department. .

The school follows the curricular programmes prescribed by the Department of Education and Science, which may be amended from time to time, in accordance with sections 9 and 30 of the Education Act.

Within the context and parameters of Department regulations and

programmes, the rights of the patron as set out in the Education Act, and the funding and resources available, the school supports the principles of:

Inclusiveness, particularly with reference to the enrolment of children with a disability or other special educational need;
Equality of access is the key value that determines the enrolment of children in our school. No child is refused admission for reasons of ethnicity, special educational needs, disability, language/accent, gender, traveller status, asylum seeker/refugee status, religious/political beliefs & values, family or social circumstances.
Equality of access and participation in the school;
Parental choice in relation to enrolment;
Respect for the diversity of values, beliefs, traditions, languages and ways of life in society.

General school timetable is as follows:

Opening time   -   9.00a.m.
Break       -   10.30 – 10.45a.m.
Lunch       -   12.30 - 1.00p.m.
Classes end   -   2.40p.m.

Information Booklet and Policy Booklet incorporating, Attendance, AUP (Acceptable use of Internet, Code of Behaviour, Anti Bullying, Complaints Procedures, Communication, Mobile Phone and RSE, is given to all parent(s) legal guardian(s) when enrolment process begins.

Rationale:
This Policy aims to ensure that the appropriate procedures are in place to enable the school:

To make decisions on all applications in an open and transparent manner, consistent with the Ethos, the Mission Statement of the school and legislative requirements.

To ensure members of our school community have an understanding of the procedures of enrolment policy for all pupils, including those with Special Education Needs.

To put in place a frame work which will ensure effective and productive relations between students, parents and teachers where a student is admitted to the school.

Context:
The school supports the principle of equality for all students regarding access to and participation in the school. The school respects the diversity of traditions, values, beliefs, languages and ways of life in society. The school acknowledges the right of parents to send their children to a school of the parent’s choice. Decisions in relation to applications for enrolment are made by the Board of Management, in accordance with school policy. The Board will notify Parents of their decision within 21 days of receiving such information. As a general principle and in so far as practicable, having regard to the school’s enrolment policy, children will be enrolled on application, provided that there is space available. (See note below on Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004).
The Board will have regard for relevant Department of Education & Skills guidelines in relation to class size and staffing provisions and/or any other relevant requirements concerning accommodation, including physical space and the health and welfare of children.

It is a condition of enrolment that parent(s) / legal guardian(s) sign acceptance of the school's Code of Behaviour and agree to abide by its terms.

Policy Considerations:
The Board of Management of CBS Primary School reserves the right of admission if such admissions contravene Departmental guidelines on class size etc.

The Board of Management of CBS Primary, in its Policy of admissions/enrolment, respects the rights of the existing school community and the children already enrolled. Consequently, the Board of Management reserves the right to determine the maximum number of children in each class, bearing in mind:

Inclusion of children from Special Classes to Mainstream Classes
Health & Safety concerns regarding staff and children
Available classroom space
Multi-grade classes
Educational needs of the children
Children with special needs
Department of Education & Skills class size directives
Appropriate supports and resources available
Time of school year

Roles and Responsibilities in developing & implementing this Policy:

Board of Management:

To ensure that a Policy is in place and that it is reviewed as and when necessary.
To appraise this Policy with regard to its suitability and the effectiveness of its implementations and to make recommendations for improvement where appropriate
To decide on appeals by parents or students with respect to any decision(s) made by the Principal / Board.
The Board of Management of a school is obliged under section 19(3) of the Education Welfare Act 2000 to make a decision, in writing, in respect of an application for enrolment within 21 days and to inform the parents in writing of that decision.

Role of Principal/Deputy Principal:

To formulate draft policy, in consultation, with the teaching staff, students, parents, Board of Management.
To monitor its implementation and to ensure that it is reviewed.
To appraise the Policy with regard to its suitability and the effectiveness of its implementation and to make recommendations for improvement, where appropriate
Prior to registering a child, to provide the parents of an applicant with a copy of the school’s Code of Behaviour and insure that the parent confirm, in writing, their acceptance of the Code of Behaviour and an assurance that they shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure compliance with the Code by the child
To provide, on request, to any parent of a child registered in the school, a copy of the Code of Behaviour

Role of Teaching Staff:

To co-operate with the implementation of the Policy
To bring concerns about Special Needs, curricular matters and other relevant information to the attention of the Principal, Deputy Principal or SEN Team.
To appraise this Policy with regard to its suitability and the effectiveness of its implementation and to make recommendations for improvement, where appropriate.

Role of Students:

To co-operate fully with the school in the implementations of the Policy
To offer suggestions for improving the service to all pupils

Role of Parents:

To support the Policy and co-operate fully with the school in its implementation
To bring to the attention of the school authorities any concern they may have in relation to the school’s provision for the educational needs of their child
To appraise this Policy with regard to its suitability and the effectiveness of its implementation and to make recommendations for improvement where appropriate.
It is a condition of enrolment that parent(s) / legal guardian(s) sign acceptance of the school's Code of Behaviour and agree to abide by its terms.

   PROCEDURES

         The procedures outlined below for the purposes of enrolment are kept under regular review by the Board of Management

      1.   Application Procedure:
Parents who wish to enrol pupils in our school will be required to complete and return a standard written Enrolment Form with an original Birth Cert/Adoption, Baptismal Cert may also be required(if necessary). In general, incoming first class are enrolled on September 1st / beginning of new school year, whichever is earlier. Newsletters re the forms are circulated via our feeder school, Bunscoil na Toirbhirte and are also available from the school’s office, by request. An Information Night is held, each year for the benefit of parent(s)/guardian(s) of incoming pupils.

      2.   Provision of key information by parents.
Certain information will be required by the school when a child is being enrolled. A specific enrolment application form is provided by the Board for the purpose. The information will include:

Pupil’s name, age and address.
Childs PPSN (as of March 2015, as required for Primary On-line Database)
Names and addresses of pupil’s parent(s)/ legal guardian(s).
Contact telephone number(s).
Contact telephone numbers in case of emergency.
Details of any medical conditions which the school should be aware of.
Religion.
Previous schools attended, if any, and reasons for transfer, if applicable.
Any other relevant information (including any such further information as may be prescribed under the Education Welfare Act (2000) or Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (2004).
Consent from parent(s) / legal guardian(s) for 3 named people, who will collect children from school.

3. Decision - making
In the event that applications for enrolment exceed/is expected to exceed the number of places available, the Board will exercise its discretion in the application of certain criteria. The criteria may include any of the following, though not necessarily in that order.

Whether there are siblings of the proposed new entrant already attending the school
Ages of the children
Parish boundaries/Diocesan policies
First come, first served
Children of staff members
Lottery
Consideration for children of ethnic minorities, including travellers, refugees, asylum seekers etc.
Ethos considerations – (Equal Status Act/Section 7).
Any other

Appeals:

Where a Board of Management refuses to enrol a student in a school, the parent(s) / legal guardian(s) of the student, has a statutory entitlement under section 29 of the Education Act (as amended by Section 4 of the Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2007, to appeal that decision to the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills. A Committee is established to hear the appeal with hearings conducted with a minimum of formality. In most cases appeals must be dealt within 30 days. Where appropriate, the Secretary General may give whatever directions to the Board of Management that are considered necessary to remedy the matter complained of.

Details on appealing decisions on enrolment under section 29 of the Education Act (as amended by Section 4 of the Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2007) are available on the Departments Website at www.education.ie

Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) are informed of their entitlement to appeal a decision of the Board of Management in relation to enrolment, suspension or expulsion. In the event of an appeal, parent(s) / legal guardian(s) will be given a copy of Circular 22/02 and related forms, by the Chairperson of the Board of Management.
The Chairperson of the Board of Management will prepare a response, if and when, an appeal is being investigated by the Department of Education & Skills (Section 12, Circular 22/02 – Processing of an Appeal).

Admission day / date

In general, first class/new entrants will be admitted to C.B.S. on September 1st / beginning of new school year, whichever is earlier. However, the Board makes provision for enrolment of pupils throughout the school year, dependant on family circumstances etc.

Enrolment of children with Special Needs (c.f. under policy for Special Needs).

In relation to applications for the enrolment of children with special needs, it is open to the Board of Management, to request a copy of the child’s medical and/or psychological report or where such a report is not available, to request that the child be assessed immediately. The purpose of the assessment report is to assist C.B.S in establishing the educational needs of the child, relevant to his disability or special needs and to profile the support services required, as well as addressing the training needs of staff.

Following receipt of the report, the Board may assess how the school could meet the needs specified in the report. Where the Board deems that further resources are required, it shall, whenever possible, prior to enrolment, request the SENO (NCSE) to provide the resources required to meet the need of the child as outlined in the Psychological / Specialist Report / Medical Report. These resources may include, for example, access to, or the provision of any or a combination of the following: visiting teacher service, special needs assistant, specialized equipment or furniture, placement in special class, suitable accommodation, transport services or other.

The school shall meet with the parents of the child to discuss the child’s needs and the school’s suitability or capability in meeting those needs. If necessary, a full-case conference involving all parties shall be held, which may include parents, principal, class teacher, support teachers, special class teacher, resource teacher for special needs, SENO, and other Specialists, as appropriate.

It may be necessary for the Board of Management of C.B.S. Primary to decide to defer enrolment of a particular child, pending:

The receipt of an assessment report; and/or
The provision of appropriate resources by the Department of Education and Skills to meet the needs of the individual child specified in the Psychological and/or medical report ,while mindful of the right to education and safety of the whole school population.
Special Needs Organiser for this area, Ruth Elwood will be involved in all stages of above.

National Council for Special Education, c/o St. Patrick's Boys School, New Road, Mallow, Co. Cork. 022 57620

Pupils transferring

Pupils may transfer to C.B.S. at anytime, subject to school policy, available space and in certain cases, the approval of the Department of Education and Skills. The Board of C.B.S Primary, under the provisions of the Education Welfare Act 2000, will require information concerning attendance and child’s/children’s educational progress from previous school(s) attended. C.B.S. Primary will issue a letter to previous school when a pupil is enrolled here.

Code of Behaviour

The Schools Code of Behaviour is given to all parent(s) / legal guardian(s) of incoming pupils. The section of the enrolment form pertaining to this should be signed, returned to the school when document is read. It is a condition of enrolment at C.B.S. Primary that parent(s) / legal guardian(s) sign acceptance of the schools Code of Behaviour and agree to abide by its terms.

Evaluation

The Board of Management will monitor the implementation of all aspects of the Policy and review and amend the Policy as required, with particular emphasis based on:

Effective management placed on application process.
Clarity and transparency relating to the process.
Applicants informed in good time re. the status of their application, particularly in the case of refusal to enrol.
Feedback from partners in education.
In light of experience of Implementation.
Changes in Regulations per Department of Education & Skills.

Review Procedure

The Policy will be reviewed regularly in the light of experience. Any staff member, Board member, parent, guardian or student who is unhappy with the content or the implementation of any school policy, may request, a review at any time, and such a request will be dealt with as quickly as possible.

Policy re: use of Mobile Phones (April 2016)

Rationale: it was deemed necessary to formulate policy on use of mobile phones for the following reasons –

Parents felt their children in primary school are too young to have their own mobile phone at school.
Staff anxious to ensure minimum disruption to class time.
Equity at school.
Health and Safety reasons.

This policy was formulated by In-school Management Team, Student Council Representatives, Parent Representatives, as per Parent Council and in consultation with Board of Management.

Content:
Having consulted widely with partners in education, it was agreed that no child would bring a mobile phone to school. This is an integral part of our schools Code of Behaviour. Pupils have access to the school phone during school hours. Pupils have access to the school mobile phone, (number at the front of this booklet), when on school organised activities.

Agreed sanctions are: -

On first occasion, mobile phone will be taken from pupil and returned at end of school day.
Second (and subsequent) occasions, mobile phone will be taken from pupil and must be collected from school, by Parent/Legal Guardian.

Relationships and Sexuality Education (R.S.E) Policy (May 2016)

R.S.E. Programme and context of ethos.
R.S.E Programme is developed within the context of the core values and ethos of C.B.S. Primary. Our Catholic young people share with their parents the good news of human worth and dignity in the light of the life of Christ. Parents are the prime educators in the moral education of children. Our school supports and deepens their work.

Nowadays, children are exposed to many influences from outside the home and the school e.g. music, books, magazines, television and films. It is important, therefore, that as they grow older they should receive a positive and prudent education in matters sexual. (Declaration on Christian Education). Sexual education will not be reduced to information about sex, rather an aspect of the education of the whole personality. This involves helping our pupils to form good relationships with others and respect for one self and others. The love and message of Jesus is central to the values we wish to foster. The Alive O series is currently being implemented at C.B.S. Primary.

Aims of R.S.E. Policy
Relationships and Sexuality Education is an integral part of social and personal health education. It is intrinsically linked to home, school and the wider community.

The aims of the programme in our school are as follows:-

To enable children to develop positive healthy attitudes and values towards their sexuality in a moral, spiritual and social framework which reflects our Catholic ethos.
To help children develop healthy friendships and relationships.
Foster self esteem.
Growth and development of personal and social skills.
To promote knowledge of and respect for reproduction.
To equip children with appropriate language for their holistic development.
Demystify some of the acquired assumptions around physical development and sexuality.
To promote mature and responsible attitudes.
To foster inclusive and respectful use of language. Discourage use of sexual terminology in an offensive way as a means of belittling, intimidation or humiliation of others- The language that is promoted at C.B.S. Primary is one that nurtures all as unique and valuable.
These matters will be given particular attention in the section “myself and others” which deals with solving conflict right through all classes. Contesting some of the crude and incorrect associations with particular words and phrases will enable pupils counteract them in their own talk, actions & behaviours.

Integration with other curricular areas.
Many of the objectives of R.S.E are similar to those in other curricular areas thus much of the content is at present, treated in a cross curricular manner. R.S.E. shares content with language, the arts, physical education, history, geography, science, environmental and religious education. This curriculum overlap will develop in a spiral fashion, as the child gets older.

Summary of content.
From Classes 1st to 6th, the programme is divided into two major areas or strands namely; Myself – and Myself and Others. In the main, the class teacher will take responsibility for implementing the school – based element of the programme. The themes are continually revisited to provide consistent, structured and comprehensive delivery. Parents are the first teachers of their children. They hand on values on attitudes to each new generation. C.B.S Primary aims to work together with parents in this important job. Children come from widely varying home backgrounds and have very differing experiences. Sensitivity will be required in dealing with some situations.

1st and 2nd classes

Myself.        I am unique.

Self esteem   Developing self confidence. Joining new clubs, experiences.

My body       As I grow I change, compare with baby photographs – when I was            younger.
           Increased responsibility. Growing.

Names of private body parts given:
1st Class vocabulary used:   Urine, Penis, Womb.
2nd Class vocabulary used:    Vagina, Breastfeeding.

Keeping safe
Real and imagined dangers.
Observational skills.

Myself and others.

Myself and my family – trust
Myself and my friends – skills of friendship
Myself and other people – communicating, sharing and co-operating, resolving conflict.

3rd and 4th classes.

Myself

Accepting myself
Individual differences, all need to feel valued, recognise talents, self- confidence, need for privacy.

Physical Development
How much sleep we need, healthy eating, personal hygiene.

Growing and Changing
The wonder of new life

Birth and new life
Preparing for new life.
Names of private body parts girls:
3rd Class vocabulary used: Womb, Breastfeeding, Breast Milk, Umbilical Cord, Navel, Vagina, Urethra, Hips.
4th Class vocabulary used: – Breasts, Pubic Hair.

Personal safety
Strategies – bullying, responsibilities, telling.

Myself & others

Families
Roles, responsibilities

Friendships
Peer pressure, body images. Roles of males, females in society. Stereotyping – gender equity, sport.

Relating to others
Communicating – tolerance, accountability, resolving conflict, assertiveness, negotiation.

5th & 6th classes

Myself

Accepting myself
Mistakes in a positive way, strengths and weaknesses.

Self esteem
Developing self confidence

Personal hygiene &Personal safety
How to help others, making decisions

Physical Development
My body grows and changes:

5th class vocabulary used: fertilised eggs, unfertilised eggs,menstruation, periods, towel, pads, puberty, breasts, pubic hair, fallopian tube, uterus, cervix, ovary, vagina, testicles, scrotum, penis.

6th class vocabulary used: all of 5th plus - wet dreams, erection, egg, sperm, conception, sexual intercourse, missing periods, pregnancy, pubic hair, penis entering vagina, teat/nipples.

The Committee realises that this policy is not all encompassing. The educational context for the Committee is to ensure that the content is geared to be age appropriate. Certain topics such as contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, homosexuality etc. are part of the curriculum laid out at Second Level. Doubtless children will be inquisitive re these types of issues – such questions should be addressed by parents, on a need to know basis. In these instances, parents may liaise with teachers,

Resources which will be used to implement the Programme

Resource materials for Relationships and Sexuality Education (Dept. of Education & Science).
The Alive O Programme Religion – the aims of which are :-
- To help pupils to identify major aspects of their growth since birth.
- To help pupils to understand that life begins before birth at the moment of conception.
- To help pupils realise that human growth, both before and after birth, is part of God’s plan and to encourage them to see this as good, as all creation is good.

Primary Education Health series.

Parents
It is envisaged these lessons will be timetabled for one hour (possibly 2x30mins) during each school year. These will take place in the final term. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from these classes if they wish. This request should be in writing to your sons’ class teacher. In this case supervision will be arranged in another classroom.

Implementation
This Policy was originally ratified in February ’06 by Board of Management and has been implemented in full from that date.

Dissemination of policy
In accordance with Department of Education guidelines, this policy is being made available to the general parent body, teaching staff and members of the Board of Management. The policy is further circulated to all Parent(s) / Legal Guardian(s) on incoming pupils prior to enrolment.

References
References the committee used to draft this policy are as follows:

Developing a Policy for R.S.E in Catholic schools – a document issued to the Catholic Primary schools September 1997 prepared for the Episcopal Commission for Cathechetics.
Alive O and Religion education text books currently in use currently and previously used.
Department of Education and Science circulars.
Relationships and Sexuality Education an aspect of social, personal and health education. - Curriculum Guidelines for Primary schools (infants to sixth class)

Ratification and Communication
Policy reviewed and ratified by B.O.M. on – 17th May 2016.

The above are available for your perusal at C.B.S. Primary.
Please give notice that we can have documents readily available for you.
Thank you. R.S.E. Policy Committee