Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 18th June 2007.

Minutes of Meeting held on Tuesday 13th March 2007.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 22nd January 2007.

Agenda for Meeting to be held on Monday 22nd January 2007.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 6th November 2006.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 25th September 2006.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 19th June 2006.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 20th June 2005.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 30th May 2005.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 21st March 2005.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 6th December 2004.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 13th September 2004.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 28th June 2004.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 21st June 2004.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 14th June 2004.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 26th April 2004.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 1st March 2004.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 26th January 2004.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 27th October 2003.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 15th September 2003.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 3rd July 2003.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 16th June 2003.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 12th May 2003.

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 10th February 2003.

 

Botriphnie School Board
Botriphnie Primary School
Drummuir
Tel: Botriphnie School: 01542 810207
Clerk: 01542 810344

Minutes of the School Board meeting held on Monday 18th June 2007.

DRAFT

1) Present:

Fiona Morrison (Chair), Gillian Findlay (Headteacher), Shona Cockill, Norma Rendall, Mandy Gordon, David McWilliam (Clerk).

2) Visitors:

Patricia Howie.

3) Welcome and Apologies:

The Chair welcomed those present. Apologies were received from Fiona Metcalfe and Irene Duncan.

4) Adoption of Minutes

Acceptance of the minutes of the meeting of the 13th March 2007 was moved by Norma Rendall and seconded by Shona Cockill.

5) Matters Arising

None

6) Head Teacher's Report

	Staffing - Ms Normand, who has been a teacher at Botriphnie for 4 years will be leaving the school at the end of term. The Headteacher spoke highly of her contribution as a teacher and a friend and said that she would be sorely missed by staff, pupils and parents alike. There would be a collection from staff, parents of children currently at the school and parents of past pupils to mark the occasion. Contributions should be sent to the Headteacher. As well as being a class teacher, Ms Normand was a Support for Learning teacher. The two posts will be advertised separately and it is expected that two new members of staff will be appointed. The closing date for applications is 28th June 2007. Mrs Joan Ross, who is a temporary Support for Learning auxiliary, will also be leaving at the end of term. She too will be greatly missed.
	Pupil Numbers - The pupil numbers for the forthcoming session will be: P1 1 P2 5 P3 8 P4 10 P5 7 P6 3 P7 4 They will be taught as two groups, P1 to P3 and P4 to P7. This will mean that the senior group will comprise 24 pupils, up from 15 in the current session.
	Maintenance - Some tarring work has been carried out to fill in holes in the playground.
	John Muir Award - This has gone very well. It has been time-consuming for the staff but it has been most enjoyable.
	Concert: An end of term concert will be held in the Village Hall on the evening of Monday 25th June. The performance will start at 6.45pm and all are welcome to attend. After the concert, refreshments will be served. The adults will be asked to remain in the Hall for a short meeting about the Parent Forum/Council which will take over from the School Board in August. During this period the children will be entertained in the school.

7) Parent Forum/Council

The next step of moving from a School Board to a Parent Forum and Parent Council was discussed at some length. It was decided that:

	The name of the new organisation will be Parents of Botriphnie School (PoBS).
	All parents/carers of children attending Botriphnie School will, by law, automatically be members of the Parent Forum. The Parent Council will consist of one parent/carer from each family - parents/carers may alternate in attendance as they wish.

 

8) Clerks Report / Correspondence

	A letter was received from Educational Services requiring that the Accounts be audited and closed by the 30th June. It was decided that a cheque for the monies remaining in the School Board account would be given to the Headteacher for inclusion in the school funds.
	Notification was received from Educational Services that a meeting of School Board Representatives will be held at Elgin High School at 7.30pm on Wednesday 20th June. The Clerk will attend.

9) A.O.C.B

None.

Date of next meeting Monday 25th June in the Village Hall after the School Concert.

 

Botriphnie School Board
Botriphnie Primary School
Drummuir
Tel: Botriphnie School: 01542 810207
Clerk: 01542 810344

Minutes of the School Board meeting held on Tuesday 13th Mar. 2007.

1) Present:

Fiona Morrison (Chair), Gillian Findlay (Headteacher), Norma Rendall, Mandy Gordon, Fiona Metcalfe, David McWilliam (Clerk).

2) Visitors:

None.

3) Welcome and Apologies:

The Chair welcomed those present and apologies were received from and Shona Cockill and Irene Duncan.

4) Adoption of Minutes

Acceptance of the minutes of the meeting of the 22nd January 2007 was moved by Fiona Metcalfe and seconded by Fiona Morrison.

5) Matters Arising

Staffing - The Headteacher reported that Lindsay Wood had been appointed as a Support for Learning Auxiliary.

200 Club - The Headteacher's appeal for new members for the 200 Club was successful and the number of members now stands at 202!

Eco Schools - As reported at the January meeting, the school's submission to the Eco School competition was returned undelivered due to incorrect postage. By the time it was returned it was too late to re-submit it for the competition but the organisers agreed to accept it as an entry. The School has now received its Certificate for taking part.

6) Head Teacher's Report

	School Roll - A new pupil will be starting at the school on Monday, bringing the school roll to 37 pupils. This child's sister was also enrolled and will start after the summer holidays.
	Staffing - Mrs Eleanor Gordon, who has worked at the school as Playground Auxiliary, Lunchtime Supervisor and Cleaner for some 30 years, will be retiring at Easter. The Headteacher spoke highly of her contribution and announced that there would be a collection from staff, parents of children currently at the school and parents of past pupils to mark the occasion. Contributions should be sent to the Headteacher.
	Report Cards - The staff have been working long hours preparing Pupil Report Cards to be sent out this week.
	Budget - A number of items have been purchased, including Meccano, exhausting the School budget for this year. The School Board donated £350 to enable the School to purchase a digital projector.

7) School Forum/Council

The issue of managing the transition from a School Board to a Parent Forum and Parent Council was discussed at some length. At a School meeting of Parents and members of the School Board on Monday 5th March Mr John Trodden, Quality Improvement Officer, Educational Services, had given an interesting and informative discourse on the new Parental Involvement Act and had outlined the sequence of events that must take place before the dissolution of School Boards in August of this year.

The first step in this process is to hold a Planning Meeting of parents and other interested parties to decide how to proceed. The Scottish Executive has provided a template for a constitution but there is considerable leeway for each school to decide what best suits their particular circumstances and it is important that as many parents as possible be involved in this process. Consequently the

 Headteacher undertook to invite all parents and other interested parties to a Planning Meeting to be held at Botriphnie Primary School at 6.30pm on Tuesday 20th March.

8) Clerks Report / Correspondence

Additional copies of the "Parents as Partners" were received.

9) A.O.C.B

Libraries: The Headteacher circulated the Moray Council Libraries Best Value Review: Consultation Document. This proposes that:  Findochty, Kinloss, Dufftown, Rothes and Hopeman to be closed. Burghead transfered to Burghead Primary School and opening hours extended from 11 to 14 hrs per week. Portknockie transfered to school. Aberlour opening hours extended from 16 to 24 hrs per week. Fochabers, provision of a new public/school library at Milne's High School. The full consultation document and an online comment submission form are available at http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_50047.html.

Date of next meeting Tuesday 20th March at 6.30 pm. Note that this will be a Planning Meeting to start the transition from a School Board to a Parent Forum and Parent Council.

 

Botriphnie School Board
Botriphnie Primary School
Drummuir
Tel: Botriphnie School: 01542 810207
Clerk: 01542 810344

Minutes of the School Board meeting held on Monday 22nd Jan. 2007.

(Meeting rescheduled from 11th Dec. 2006.)

1) Present:

Fiona Morrison (Chair), Gillian Findlay (Headteacher), Shona Cockill, Fiona Metcalfe, David McWilliam (Clerk).

2) Visitors:

None.

3) Welcome and Apologies:

The Chair welcomed those present and apologies were received from Norma Rendall, Mandy Gordon and Irene Duncan.

4) Adoption of Minutes

Acceptance of the minutes of the meeting of the 6th November 2006 was moved by Shona Cockill and seconded by Fiona Metcalfe.

5) Matters Arising

Progress on School Improvements - The carpeting of the school hall is now complete. The proposed modifications to the sinks and doors and the addition of shelving are still outstanding but the Clerk of Works has undertaken to progress it. 

Recycling Bins - There has been no further progress.

Christmas Pantomime Visit - This went very well and was much enjoyed by all who attended.

Songs of Praise - The school violinists took part in the Rotary Club Songs of Praise in St. Rufus Church and performed very creditably.

6) Head Teacher's Report

	School Roll - A pupil left school last week, thereby reducing the current school roll to 36 pupils. It was noted that by re-designating the Gym as a classroom the notional capacity of the school had been increased from its previous 42 pupils to 50 pupils. One new pupil has been enrolled for next session.
	Staffing - The Headteacher will be interviewing on Friday 26th Jan. for a Support for Learning Auxiliary.
	Thematic Audit - On Monday 13th Nov, John Trodden and Graham Milne visited the school and carried out a Thematic Audit for Enterprise in Education. The feedback received rated the school as GOOD in all areas audited. The Board members congratulated the Headteacher on this achievement. A copy of the feedback report is attached.
	Violin Lessons - The violin teacher, Jane Alexander, mentioned to Miss Findlay that many of her older pupils were being encouraged to join the Strathspey Fiddlers. Whilst agreeing that this was a good opportunity for the pupils to play in a Scottish Fiddle group, it often causes her problems as she tries to prepare pupils for their school exams at Standard Grade and Higher.
	Music Teacher - Shelagh McKay, a visiting specialist of music, has been appointed to cover McCrone time. This cover allows P4-7 teachers some non contact time.
	Recorders - The school used to have about 20 spare recorders but they had been handed out to pupils and had not been returned. The Headteacher appealed to all parents to return any they can find.
	Maths - The issue of pupils having to retake the Level D maths test when they move to K.G.S. has continued to cause concern at Botriphnie and other Primary schools. The matter was raised at a recent A.S.G. meeting but it was felt that K.G.S. staff were reluctant to address the issue.
	School Forum/Council - School Boards will cease to exist in August this year and will be replaced by Parent Forums. All parents of children at a school will automatically be members of that school's Forum. They will have great flexibility in how they organise themselves but will be encouraged to create a Parent Council which will be a small body, roughly equivalent to the School Board, to represent all Forum members. It will be the responsibility of the current School Board, aided and guided by John Trodden's staff, to manage the transition. After some discussion it was decided that the Headteacher would contact John Trodden to invite him to attend the next School Board meeting to help the Board to create a timetable of events leading to a smooth transition in August.
	Parental Involvement in Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher Appointments - The deadline to responding to this consultation document was 26th Jan. It was felt that parents were already adequately involved in this process and that no response was required.
	Eco School - The school's submission to the Eco School competition was returned undelivered due to incorrect postage. By the time it was returned it was too late to re-submit it for the competition but the organisers agreed to accept it as an entry although, of course, it was not eligible for a prize.
	200 Club - A letter was sent out to members of the Drummuir community inviting them to support their local primary school. This has been very successful in bringing in 17 new members to date. We now have 195 members, just 5 to go.

7) Clerks Report / Correspondence

The Clerk reported on the meeting held in Aberlour on Thursday 18th January to discuss how to support the eight schools (East End, Cabrach, St Peter's, Portknockie, Knockando, Logie, Inveravon and Crossroads) in the first stage of the review as a result of their roll having fallen below the 60% trigger level. It was agreed at the meeting that representatives from all Primary Schools in Moray should do everything in their power to support the threatened schools.

8) A.O.C.B

None

Date of next Meeting to be decided in conjunction with Mr. Trodden.

 

 

Agenda

School Board meeting to be held at 6.30pm on Monday 22nd Jan. 2007.

Welcome and Apologies.

Adoption of Minutes of Previous Meeting.

Matters Arising.

Head Teacher’s Report.

	Setting up Parent Councils
	Parental Involvement in Head Teacher and Deputy Head Teacher Appointments
	Thematic audit for Enterprise in Education Feedback
	Guidelines for Homework

Correspondence/Clerks Report.

A.O.C.B.

Please note that most of the government documentation can be obtained at -

http://www.parentzonescotland.gov.uk/

 

 

Botriphnie School Board
Botriphnie Primary School
Drummuir
Tel: Botriphnie School: 01542 810207
Clerk: 01542 810344

Minutes of the School Board meeting held on Monday 6th Nov. 2006.

1) Present:

Fiona Morrison (Chair), Gillian Findlay (Headteacher), Norma Rendall, Mandy Gordon, Shona Cockill, Fiona Metcalfe, David McWilliam (Clerk).

2) Visitors:

None.

3) Welcome and Apologies:

The Chair welcomed those present and apologies were received from Yvonne Stewart.

4) Adoption of Minutes

Acceptance of the minutes of the meeting of the 25 September 2006 was moved by Mandy Gordon and seconded by Norma Rendall.

5) Arising from Minutes

Miss Findlay corrected the section on Keith Grammar School. The section -

Keith Grammar School - Disquiet was again expressed that First Year pupils at Keith Grammar School were still having to retake the Level D maths test which they had taken before leaving Botriphnie school. Miss Findlay said that she had spoken with her Quality Improvement Officer Vivienne Cross and had been told that they were not happy with the transition in the Maths Department She will raise the matter with one of the Deputy Headteachers. Action: Miss Findlay.

should read -

Keith Grammar School - Disquiet was again expressed that First Year pupils at Keith Grammar School were still having to retake the Level D maths test which they had taken before leaving Botriphnie school. Miss Findlay said that she had spoken with her Quality Improvement Officer Vivienne Cross and had been told that there was an Action Plan in place to address this situation. Miss Findlay will raise the matter with one of the Deputy Headteachers. Action: Miss Findlay.

The change is shown in italics.

6) Matters Arising

Progress on School Improvements - The proposed modifications to the sinks and doors and the addition of shelving were still in the paperwork phase so work had not yet commenced. This will be paid for by the Education Services. The carpeting of the school hall will have to be paid for from the school budget (about £2,030).

Interactive White Board - Miss Findlay said that the school would like to obtain an Interactive White Board but that they were expensive and she hoped that sponsorship might be obtained to provide at least part of the cost. She observed that there was no great hurry for this because she was not sure that the technology was fully mature. Some discussion followed on possible sponsors.

Recycling Bins - It was reported that negotiations aimed at locating recycling bins on Drummuir Estate land between Tocher Terrace carpark and Ardgaithney garden had apparently failed and there seemed to be no other suitable site in the village. Miss Findlay said that the corner of the school carpark nearest the Village Hall would be acceptable. This site had previously been considered but had been discounted on two accounts; it would give adults a legitimate excuse to hang around in the vicinity of the school playground, and access was such that the bins would have to be manhandled to the roadside. However, having failed to find an alternative site it was agreed to pursue the matter further. The clerk will contact Shona Dryburgh (Moray Council Waste Minimisation Officer) and if she agrees that the site would be acceptable in terms of access, Miss Findlay will seek approval from the Education Services.

7) Head Teacher's Report

	Interviews have been held for the post of classroom assistant and Mrs Joan Ross has been appointed. Mrs Beverly Ross is continuing at the school in the role of a SfL auxiliary. This is a temporary post at present.
	A very successful Halloween Party was held and was greatly enjoyed by children and parents alike.
	Pupil Council elections involving children from P3 – P7 were held prior to the October Break and the following children were voted onto the Pupil Council. P7 Joseph Brocklehurst P6 Katie Morrison, Kieran Stewart P5 Katriona Anderson, Dylan Marshall, Sammy Mitchell P4 Rebecca Metcalfe, Brooke Howie P3 Eilidh Low, Jamie Theodoreson At their first meeting they discussed - The Hallowe’en party Carpeting the hall Charities to support Pushing and shoving in the playground Marking off the football pitch The minutes of the meeting are on the school notice board.
	Parent Appointments will take place on Thursday.
	The Christmas treat this year will be a visit to the pantomime Cinderella at HMT in Aberdeen on Tues 19th December. There will also be a visit to Satrosphere, which is a hands-on science experience. The cost of the panto will be £7.50 and Satropsphere will be £3.50. The school will meet the cost of the bus which will be in the region of £200.
	On Monday 13th Nov, John Trodden, QIO responsible for Enterprise and Graham Milne, Enterprise in Education officer, will visit the school. They will be talking to staff, pupils and the HT about opportunities for Enterprise in the school. They will also be putting out a questionnaire to a selection of parents. The following areas fall under the heading of Enterprise. Visitors to the school Jobs people do Out of school visits Community Work Environmental projects Healthy activities Confidence Building Presentations/concerts Fundraising Pupil Council Responsibility Enterprising teaching
	The school violinists have been asked to play at the Rotary Songs of Praise in St Rufus Church at 7.00 on Sun 17th Dec.

8) Clerks Report / Correspondence

The Clerk reported on the School Board Representatives meeting held at Milne High School, Fochabers on Wednesday 1st November.

The meeting was very well attended and was to be in three parts -

1. Update of the Moray attainment position.

2. Update on The Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act.

3. A Question & Answer session after tea.

Attainment - George Sinclair, Head of Educational Development Services, gave a presentation on school attainment levels for both Primary and Secondary schools in Moray. It was rather confusing with masses of figures and little time to assimilate them. A handout was provided giving Primary school attainment figures for Reading, Writing and Maths for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006. This showed that the Moray Average for these three subjects had decreased slightly over the three years. (A copy of the handout is attached to this copy of the minutes.) No handouts were provided on the performance of the Secondary schools but it was promised that they would be sent out later. They have not yet been received. The overall conclusion seemed to be that Moray was not doing very well in the top 5th and 6th years but in other respects was holding its own or advancing relative to comparative authorities.

Parental Involvement - John Trodden, Quality Improvement Officer, gave a presentation on the impending change from School Boards to Parent Forums and Parent Councils. There is a one-year transition period and in August 2007 the legislation governing School Boards will be rescinded and the new legislation governing Parent Forums and Councils will come into force. The aim is to encourage parents to become much more involved in the education of their children. It seems to be tacitly acknowledged that not many parents will have the time or inclination to become deeply involved in in-school activities but great emphasis is placed on the fact that their interaction with their children within the home has a profound effect on the educational development of the children. A copy of the slide presentation is enclosed with the minutes. Two copies of a Toolkit will be sent to all schools, one for the school and the other for the School Board, explaining how the changeover will be implemented. This information is also available on the web at www.parentzonescotland.gov.uk.

Question & Answer - The previous two presentations overran to such an extent that the Q&A session was cancelled.

8) A.O.C.B

Miss Findlay reported that she hoped to arrange for a music teacher to attend the school to provide a music lesson for all pupils every week.

There will be a School Closures meeting in Elgin Town Hall (lounge area) commencing at 7pm on Thursday 9th November. Botriphnie School is not on the current threatened list but nine other schools are and it is vital that they be given our full support. The list comprises Cabrach, Crossoroads, Elgin East End, Inveravon, Knockando, Logie, Portknockie, St Peter's and Tomintoul. Anyone able to attend this meeting is encouraged to do so.

Date of next Meeting Monday 11th December 2006 at 6.30pm.

 

Botriphnie School Board
Botriphnie Primary School
Drummuir
Tel: Botriphnie School: 01542 810207
Clerk: 01542 810344

Minutes of the School Board meeting held on Monday 25th Sept. 2006.

1) Present:

Fiona Morrison (Chair), Gillian Findlay (Headteacher), Norma Rendall, Mandy Gordon, David McWilliam (Clerk).

2) Visitors:

Yvonne Stewart.

3) Welcome and Apologies:

The Chair welcomed those present and apologies were received from Shona Cockill, Irene Duncan and Fiona Metcalfe.

4) Adoption of Minutes

Acceptance of the minutes of the meeting of the 22 May 2006 was moved by Mandy Gordon and seconded by Norma Rendall.

5) Matters Arising

Summer Fair - The Summer Fair was a great success and raised over £800 for school funds. The weather was excellent and having the young people playing their violins in the playground had been very popular. The Board members extended their sincere thanks to all those who helped or took part in any way. It was noted that relatively few members of the local community had attended, despite the fact that a note had been delivered to every house, and that in future it would be of benefit to have the advertising board erected in the Village a few days before the event. It was suggested that it might be better to hold the next fund raising event in the Longmore Hall, Keith where a larger turnout could be expected. Another possibility was to have a car boot sale on the lines of that run so successfully by the Inchberry community.

Keith Grammar School - Disquiet was again expressed that First Year pupils at Keith Grammar School were still having to retake the Level D maths test which they had taken before leaving Botriphnie school. Miss Findlay said that she had spoken with her Quality Improvement Officer Vivienne Cross and had been told that there was an Action Plan in place to address this situation. Miss Findlay will raise the matter with one of the Deputy Headteachers. Action: Miss Findlay.

6) Head Teacher's Report

Classroom Assistant - There have been 13 applicants for the post but interviews have not yet taken place

School Improvements -

	Last year the School Board donated £400 to the school and this has been spent on books.
	The sinks in the large classroom are to be changed. The sinks in the infant area are to be removed and two are to be added at the other end. They are also to be lowered to a height more suitable for children.
	Shelves are to be fitted near the computers to alleviate the chronic shortage of storage space there
	The two wooden top panels of the door to the hall are to be replaced by glass panels in the interests of safety.
	Now that the school hall is being used as a classroom the bare wood floor is proving unacceptably noisy. If using the Village Hall for P.E. proves to be a good long-term solution it would be beneficial for the floor be carpeted. Miss Findlay will assess the situation until Christmas and, providing the use of the Village Hall seems satisfactory, she will write to Mr Farquhar requesting that the room be carpeted. Action: Miss Findlay.
	Parents have agreed to take recyclable material accumulated at the school to  Council recycling bins at Keith or Dufftown. This will help the school in its aim to get Eco School status. The stages are Bronze, Silver and Green Flag and when the Bronze status is achieved the school will receive an award of £250.
	It is hoped that recycling bins can be provided in Drummuir Village and the strip of land between Tocher Terrace car park and Ardgaithney has been identified as a suitable location. Moray Council is in negotiation with Drummuir Estate, who own the land, for permission to locate the bins there.

7) Clerks Report / Correspondence

The Clerk reported on the conference "A Future for Rural Primary Schools?" held by The Rural Schools Network in Elgin Town Hall on Saturday 23rd September. The official attendance figures were that 69 attended, representing 12 Moray Forum action groups. Participating speakers included Richard Lochhead M.S.P.who opened the conference, Charles Bestwick from Rothiemay who is the local representative of the Rural Schools Network, Sandy Longmuir who is the co-ordinator and initiator of the Scottish Rural Schools Network, Professor Neil Kay who is an economist at Strathclyde University and said that research in the USA had shown that small schools, far from being a financial liability actually produced better educational results which later paid back handsomely into the national economy, and Mervyn Benford of the National Association of Small Schools. All were excellent speakers and the general conclusion was that they were winning the argument by convincing Ministers that the real facts supported the principle that small rural schools should be closed only after detailed and far-reaching analysis. This was followed by a Q&A session where the speakers were joined by Fiona Hislop MSP (Shadow Minister for Education), Richard Baker M.S.P., Dave Petrie M.S.P. and Nora Radcliffe M.S.P. The overall conclusion was that it was an excellent conference but that the pressure needed to be maintained.

School Board Representatives Meeting - A letter had been received from Mr J. Trodden of Educational Services, Moray Council advising that a meeting with School Board Representatives will be held at Milne's High School, Fochabers on Wednesday 1st November at 7pm. The agenda is -

1. Update of the Moray attainment position by George Sinclair, Head of Educational Development Services.

2. Update on The Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act by John Trodden, Quality Improvement Officer.

School Board members wishing to attend should inform the clerk on 01542-810344 so that he can submit Botriphnie School's list by 13th Oct.

8) A.O.C.B

Now that the School Hall is used as a classroom, the nearby Village Hall is used for P.E. The new owners of the Village Hall, Drummuir & Botriphnie Community Trust, intend to refurbish and extend the Hall to bring it up to modern standards and concern was expressed that this might lead to it being unavailable for a period during the renovations. Miss Findlay will write to the Trust directors clarifying the school's requirements and request that any work affecting availability should be carried out during the summer months when the children will either be on holiday or will be able to use the Recreation Field for P.E. Action: Miss Findlay.

The School will be holding a Halloween Party for the children on the 31st October.

There followed some discussion on the recent media reports sparked by an open letter in the Telegraph on 12th September showing that 11 year old children today are cognitively two or three years behind what children of the same age would have been 15 years ago.

Date of next Meeting Monday 6th November 2006.

 

 

Botriphnie School Board
Botriphnie Primary School
Drummuir
Tel: Botriphnie School: 01542 810207
Clerk: 01542 810344

A board meeting will be held in Botriphnie Primary School on Monday 25th September at 6.30pm.

AGENDA

1) Welcome and Apologies
2) Adoption of Minutes
3) Matters Arising
4) Summer fair
5) Clerks Report/Correspondence
6) A.O.C.B
7) Date of next meeting

Botriphnie School Board
Botriphnie Primary School
Drummuir
Tel: Botriphnie School: 01542 810207
Clerk: 01542 810344

Minutes of the School Board meeting held on Monday 19th June 2006.

1) Present:

Fiona Morrison (Chair), Shona Cockill, Gilliam Findlay (Headteacher), Irene Duncan, Fiona Metcalfe, Norma Rendall, David McWilliam (Clerk).

2) Visitors:

None.

3) Welcome and Apologies:

The Chair welcomed those present and apologies were received from Mrs Y. Stewart and Mrs M. Gordon.

4) Adoption of Minutes

Acceptance of the minutes of the meeting of the 22May 2006 was moved by Shona Cockill and seconded by Fiona Metcalf.

5) Matters Arising

Summer Fair - The Summer Fair will take place on Tuesday 27th June from 6pm until 8pm at the school. The following stalls have been proposed -

	Barbeque
	Chocolate Stall
	Face painting
	Bric-a-Brac
	Raffle
	Guess where the golf ball is
	Cocktail Bar (fruit and lemonade and jelly sweets)
	Plant Table
	£1 Stall
	Cake & Candy Stall
	Teas coffee shortbread
	Target Basketball
	Guess the last three numbers on a £20 note
	Thrift shop
	Various games

Donations have been received from Glenfiddich Distillery, Walkers and LH Stainless with a number of others having been promised.

Fiona and Shona reported on the Save Our Schools meeting organised by Philip McLean and held at Aberlour on 1st June.

6) Head Teacher's Report

Mrs Jane Farquhar joined Botriphnie Primary as Classroom assistant on 22nd June but resigned on 30th June. The reason for the resignation was not known.

Miss Findlay visited Cabrach School on the occasion of their award of Green Flag (Eco school) status. Botriphnie School had already done some of the work towards Eco school status and hoped to get their Bronze soon.

Miss Findlay presented the school per-capita spending for 2005/2006.

7) Clerks Report / Correspondence

The Clerk presented a report on the School Board Representatives meeting held at Milnes High School, Fochabers on 29th May. The two main topics of discussion were -

The relatively poor achievement at S5 and S6 in Moray compared with comparator authorities.

The issue of over-capacity in Moray schools and predictions that rolls would fall over the next few years. The Senior Management Team were proposing that an investigation would be automatically triggered when a school roll fell below 60% of its functional capacity. This was not well received by the school board representatives.

It was agreed that the clerk should draft a letter of objection to the proposal that an investigation would be triggered if a school roll fell to 60%, on the grounds that the issue was too complex for such a simplistic trigger level. Action: Clerk.

The clerk reported on some discussions with Drummuir & Botriphnie Community Trust on the issue of Registering an Interest in some pieces of land in the vicinity of the Village, in particular the piece that was used until recently as the School Playing Field.

Scottish School Board Association - The Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Bill has passed through Parliament and will become an Act in July 2006. Its objective is to increase parental involvement in their child's education. It also repeals the 1988 School Boards (Scotland) Act so School Boards will cease to exist and will be replaced by Parent Councils. However, there will be a transitional year and School Boards will continue until August 2007, after which they will be superseded by Parent Councils.

The new Act means that all parents of children at a school will automatically be members of a Parent Forum. This Forum will be responsible for establishing a Parent Council to represent all parents in supporting the school. The Parent Council's remit will include providers of pre-school education, and the school's head teacher will have a right and a duty to attend meetings. To see the whole bill go to http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/bills/45-scottishSchools/b45s2-aspassed.pdf

8) A.O.C.B

The school trip on the Keith Dufftown Railway, followed by a walk to the Giant's Chair, was a great success and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The visit to Landmark was also a resounding success.

A bouquet of flowers was delivered to Yvonne Stewart on the occasion of her retirement from the post of Clerk to the School Board.

Fiona Morrison reported that a number of parents had been disappointed to learn that the First Year pupils at Keith Grammar School had taken the Level D maths test. They had taken this test before leaving Botriphnie a year ago and should now be at Level E standard. Miss Findlay will make enquiries. Action: Miss Findlay.

Date of next Meeting Monday 11th September 2006.

 

Botriphnie School Board
Botriphnie Primary School
Drummuir
Tel: Botriphnie School: 01542 810207
Clerk: 01542 810344