School Assembly and Dismissal
Assembly time is 9.30 a.m. The school gates will open to receive children at 9.20 a.m. No responsibility is accepted for pupils arriving before this time. Dismissal time is 2:10 p.m. for Infants and 3.10 p.m. for all other classes. Parents, whose children do not travel to or from school by school bus, should arrange to have their children met at the school gates by the person appointed to escort them home.
Parent / Teacher Meetings
- Individual Parent/Teacher meetings are held annually, usually before the end of Oct. Each parent will be given an appointment a few days in advance of these meetings. On these days children are usually dismissed from school at a slightly earlier time. In accordance with Dept. of Education guidelines, those meetings will be held after school hours. A report on your child’s progress in school will be provided at these meetings.
School Uniform
All children should wear the school uniform; grey v-neck jumper, grey trousers/skirt & socks, pale blue shirt/blouse and red tie.
The School P.E uniform is; Plain navy tracksuit and light blue polo shirt to be worn on swimming/P.E. days or as may be advised from time to time by the teacher. Please note hoodies are not allowed for safety reasons. Suitable footwear should also be worn. Many types of footwear are unsuitable for school wear, as they are often bulky and create a tripping hazard for children.
Please label your child’s clothes, especially jumpers and coats.
Please get younger children shoes with velcro straps as they cannot manage laces.
Attendance
Good attendance is a priority in our school.If you bring your child late, leave early, or your child is absent from school, you need to put a written explanation in your child’s homework journal. The Teacher has to take an attendance roll every day and put in a “Reason for absence”
Under the Education Welfare Act 2000, parents must let the school know if their child is absent and why.The school is obliged to report the non-attendance of any pupil who misses 20 days or more in any school year, including sickness and hospitalizations, to the Education Welfare Board.
Please see Statement of Strategy for pupil attendance on our Policies page. If you are taking your child out of school for an extended period, please communicate directly with your child’s teacher.
Medical Conditions
Please ensure that the school is notified of any medical conditions etc. that your child may suffer from (See section on enrolment form re. Relevant information and also the Statement on the Administration of Medicines which is available on request) Please contact the school’s Board of Management if your child has any medical condition that requires the administration of medication during school hours.
A child should never have medicine in their possession in school.
Additional Education Needs
The school currently has access to the services of the National Educational Psychological Service [NEPS] and every effort will be made to make psychological assessment available to pupils where it is considered necessary. As a result of the most recent departmental provision for learning support, this school now has two full time Special Education Teachers and a shared SET [5 hours per week].
If a child experiences learning difficulties in class, the teacher will bring this to the attention of the parents at the earliest possible opportunity. Standardised Tests are administered in all classes on an annual basis. Drumcondra literacy, Irish, numeracy and spelling tests are administered from 1st to 6th class; the Belfield Infant Assessment Profile is used in Junior Infants and the Middle Infant Screening Test in Senior for Infants.
The Non-Reading Intelligence Test [NRIT] is administered to pupils at 2nd, 4th and 6th Class levels. For parents of children attending the school the first time, please notify the school of any special requirements or considerations in relation to your child as early as possible, so that the necessary supports or services may be sourced and put in place.
The National Council for Special Education now has responsibility for the provision of services to children with Special Education Needs. Those needs may be identified by means of an assessment carried out by an educational psychologist, speech therapist or other health-care professional. Application must be madeby the school to the local Special Education Needs Organiser [SENO]. The SENO makes a decision regarding the necessary services and arranges with the School for their provision where a child qualifies for such services.
Social, Personal & Health Education [SPHE]
- A Relationship and Sexuality Education programme will be implemented in the school as part of the overall SPHE programme. This programme has input from Board of Management, Parents and Teachers. Parents will be afforded the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the content of the Programme prior to its delivery to the children.
- An outside experienced facilitator will be employed to assist in the delivery of the more sensitive sexual areas of the programme in the senior classes. As a parent/guardian, you will have the right to view the content of the programme. Parents may decide to exclude their child/ren from this part of the SPHE programme, in which case they assume personal responsibility for the delivery of this aspect of their child’s education.
- The Stay Safe programme is also taught in Bekan School.
Movement on school grounds
Pupils are expected to assemble at the school and exit from the school in an orderly manner, using only the entry and exit points designated by the school principal and teachers. Pupils are expected to exercise caution when entering and exiting school grounds and when boarding buses. Pupils should never cross gates or walls or walk along boundary walls while entering or exiting the school grounds.
Parking
Parents are also requested to avoid causing obstruction to the free movement of buses, and in particular not to park in such a way as to block access to the school. In general, all those involved in transporting children to the school should park only on the school side of the road and to leave the parking area marked ‘BUS ONLY’ free for the school buses at school assembly and departure times. An adult should escort first-time pupils, who come to school by car, to and from the classroom or the school gates.
Information / Communication
All information/communication or anything of a sensitive or confidential nature between school and home should be emailed to your child’s teacher.
Information on the running of the school is communicated to parents through quarterly newsletters, website, text message and twitter. Please visit our website @ www.bekanschool.iefor up to date information. Please ensure that you inform the school if you have changed your mobile phone number/email in order to receive relevant messages. I
Parents may email the school at office@bekanschool.ie
Breaks
Please note that because of COVID-19 restrictions , there is a special timetable in place to facilitate class bubbles and social distancing. Please visit our COVID-19 section of the website for updates.
Mid-morning – 11.00 a.m. to 11.10 a.m.
Main lunch break – 1. 00 to 1.30 p.m.
Normally, it is expected that a child who is well enough to come to school is well enough to go out to play at break times. A note is required if, for some exceptional reason, a child needs to remain inside during those times or if he/she needs to leave school early. Please ensure that your child has suitable clothing depending on weather e.g. hat, coat, gloves etc. during wintertime.
Healthy eating
It is important that your child has a nourishing lunch in school. We actively encourage healthy eating and, for this reason, crisps, chewing gum, sweets, chocolates or fizzy drinks are not allowed in school. As part of the school’s healthy eating policy, parents are encouraged to include foods which are known to promote good health e.g. bread, fruit etc.
As the School has Green School Status, the use of re-usable plastic lunch boxes and bottles, rather than disposable cartons, wrappers etc. is encouraged to reduce the amount of litter produced in the school.
Health Concerns
We ask all parents/guardians to be vigilant in checking for common problems that affect school-going children, e.g. Head-lice, any form of rash, infection etc. and to inform the school immediately.
While we encourage regular attendance, a child who is clearly unwell will not benefit by being in school. Under no circumstances should a child be in possession of any kind of medicines or prescription drugs when coming to school. If a child is unwell he/she should not be in school.
Some children may need to have medication administered on a long-term basis for a chronic or ongoing medical condition e.g. asthma. In all such cases, the parents/guardians of the child should contact the school Board of Management to see if suitable agreed arrangements can be put in place to facilitate the administration of such medication. No teacher may administer prescribed medicines to any pupil except on the authorisation of the Board of Management.
The parents/guardians of the child may be requested to sign an indemnity form where a member of staff has agreed to carry out the administration of such medicines. This requirement may only be arranged in consultation with the Board of Management and a teacher may only administer medication at the request of the Board. (A separate policy on Administration of Medicines has been drawn up and is available to any parent/guardian on request.)
Home / School Contact
If your child is unhappy or encountering problems in school, please feel welcome to come and discuss the matter, first with the class teacher. Please make an appointment with the teacher in advance by phoning the school secretary at 094-9380311 or email office@bekanschool.ie
Appointments with Principal
In general, any communication regarding the child should be first addressed to the class teacher. Because of the administrative workload attaching to the duties of a teaching principal, it is necessary to make an appointment for consultation with the Principal. Please contact the school secretary at office@bekanschool.ie in this regard.
Homework Policy [Summary]
It is impossible for a teacher to give homework that is equally suitable for all children in a large, and frequently mixed, class situation. Some children can finish work in a relatively short time while others struggle on for much longer.
Nobody wants children to be unnecessarily pressurised by homework, nor do we wish homes to be upset by this pressure. At the same time we do not want parents to be deprived of a valuable form of parent/school contact and the opportunity to participate and play an important role in the development of their child’s educational progress.
Homework also provides children with the opportunity to revise and consolidate the work that they have been doing in school. It is also desirable that a child would have experience in studying independently prior to progressing to second level education, as this will be an essential skill at this stage.
Clearly, a compromise is required. We rely on parents to decide, if a child is experiencing difficulty, when the child has spent enough time at homework. A short note in the homework journal will suffice to indicate that a genuine effort was made. Always communicate with the class teacher if your child is experiencing persistent difficulty with homework.
- The following summary of the school’s homework policy guidelines, drawn up in consultation with parents, may be of help. [Policy available on request]
- Give the child some time to relax and play after school
- Have a designated period for homework
- Turn off the T.V. during homework time.
- Sign the homework notebook when the work is finished (Check that the homework was written down and completed. Journals should be signed at least weekly in the case of senior students, and more frequently in the case of junior students.)
- Look for any comments from teacher from previous day/week
- Homework is not only given in written form. Memorisation e.g. spellings, tables etc. is also very important.
- Attention to neatness and presentation is important.
Phone Use
Students are not normally permitted to carry mobile phones in school. A member of the school staff will contact parents or convey messages from parents to children if necessary. Exceptions to this rule may be made only at the discretion of the Principal or a designated Staff Member.
If mobile phones are found in children’s possession, they will be confiscated and returned only to parents.
Complaints and Enquiries
For all general enquiries regarding the school: – Contact school secretary.
Any enquiries in relation to specific children or teachers should be addressed in the following manner:
- The parent should contact the class teacher and discuss the complaint, query etc.
- If the matter is not resolved following this consultation, the teacher and parent will consult the school principal.
- Should the matter require further attention, following consultation with the Principal, a meeting may be arranged between the above parties and Chairperson of the Board of Management. A formal complaint should be presented to the Board in writing and any complaints, involving hearsay or other individuals, will not be considered by the Board.
Under the Education Act, all schools are required to follow the Children First Guidelines on Child Protection as laid down by the DES (Dept. of Education and Skills). Designated Liaison persons (generally school Principals) and Deputy Liaison persons are appointed in all schools .Please see our Child Safeguarding Risk Assessment on our policies section of the website. Teachers have the responsibility to report suspicions of abuse of children to the relevant authorities (normally the HSE Social Services Dept.).The Guidelines outline the procedures to be followed by teachers in relation to the reporting of suspected child abuse. Click on this link to access Children First guidelines A letter outlining the school’s obligations under Child Protection legislation is issued to all parents on enrolment of children. Parents are asked to sign and return the relevant section of the letter. The Principal must provide a report at each Board of Management meeting, informing the Board as to whether any report has been made to the HSE in relation to child protection issues or if any advice has been sought in this regard.Child Protection
Behaviour
We ask the co-operation of parents in implementing the code of behaviour as effectively as possible. A clear understanding of the code and the need for its existence is important for all pupils. See Code of Behaviour and Anti-Bullying Policy on our Policy page.
In light of recent technological developments and the rise in the growth of social media and communications, the issue of online or ‘cyber bullying’ has given rise to problems, particularly for parents of teenage or pre-teenage children. Parents are asked to be vigilant with regard to cyber bullying as many children routinely use smartphones which also give access to these services and are much more difficult for parents to monitor or supervise outside of school time.
School Transport
Bus Éireann provides transport to certain children living within the school catchment area. Further information on entitlement to this transport is available from the School Transport Section, Bus Éireann, Ballina, Co. Mayo.
While the supervision of behaviour and related matters on school buses is primarily a matter for the transport providers, the school actively encourages and promotes an awareness of the need for responsibility, respect and personal safety among students travelling to and from school. Children who travel to school by bus should be encouraged, from a very early stage, to follow safety guidelines e.g. boarding the bus in an orderly manner, sitting in their seats while the bus is in motion, wearing seat belts at all times, avoiding any unruly behaviour likely to distract the bus driver, crossing the road carefully etc.
It is very important to notify the school if your child is being collected by someone other than the person who would normally collect him/her e.g. at home time, for dental/medical appointments or other. The school should also be aware of any person[s] who should not have access to the school e.g. by court order or other legal requirement.Alternative arrangements for collecting children
Assessment and Reporting to Parents
The school carries out regular assessments across the curriculum. Standardised testing in the areas of Literacy and Numeracy is now mandatory in all primary schools at 2nd , 4th and 6th Class levels . Standardised testing in these areas, however, is carried out in all classes from 1st to 6th on an annual basis. Belfield Infant Assessment Profile is administered at the end of Junior Infants and for Senior Infants [MIST] is carried out during the second term.
The results of those tests are communicated to parents at parent/teacher meetings and also by written report at the end of each school year. At the end of the school year the school is obliged to forward the results of standardised tests to the DES. The school has adopted the NCCA [National Council for Curriculum and Assessment] guidelines in communicating written reports to parents.
The NRIT test [Non-Reading Intelligence Test] is carried out in 2nd , 4th and 6th Class in early February of every year.
Teacher designed tests are used in other Curricular areas on an ongoing basis.
Development of School Policy
In consultation with Management, Parents & Staff a number of policy statements have been drawn up dealing with various curricular and organisational aspects of school life and have been ratified by the Board of Management. These are reviewed and amended as required to take account of changing circumstances, changes in legislation or other requirements. Copies of these are available to all parents/guardians of children enrolled in the School from the School on request or downloaded from our website,. [See list of main areas below].
- Curricular
- Policy Statements relating to Curricular Subject areas; English, Irish, Maths, Physical Education, SESE [Social, Environmental and Scientific Education], Music, Visual Arts, SPHE [Social, Personal and Health Education] & RSE [Relationships and Sexuality Education]
- Recording and Assessment
- Special Education Needs and Learning Support
- School Self Evaluation Report
- School Improvement Plan
- Organisational ~ Main areas include e.g.
- Administration of Medicines
- Attendance Policy
- Child Protection
- Class Allocation Policy
- Code of Behaviour and Anti-Bullying
- Enrolment Policy & Enrolment Form
- Emergency Closures
- Equality of Opportunity
- Health & Safety
- Healthy Eating
- Information & communications technology skills
- Information Booklet
- Internet Acceptable Use
- New Staff Booklet
- School Transport Code of behaviour
- Mobile Phones
- Substance Use
- Supervision
- Swimming Lessons – Guidelines
- Use of School by Outside Agencies