GIBSONGIBSON PRIMARY SCHOOL PRIMARY SCHOOL

GOVERNORS’ REPORT 2013/2014GOVERNORS’ REPORT 2013/2014

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CHAIRMAN’S REMARKSCHAIRMAN’S REMARKS

Dear Parents

I am pleased to present to you the 2013/2014 Governors’ Report for Gibson Primary School. This report only provides a short summary of the work completed in school however it does highlight the excellent standard of education that is associated with Gibson Primary School.

We are extremely proud of Gibson and the strong community ethos that exists. The behaviour of our children and the support of parents are exceptional and we believe it is one of the things that make our school special.

Our children continue to make significant progress academically, socially and emotionally and they are presented with a wide variety of opportunities each academic year. This is only possible due to the commitment of our staff and we as Governors wish to pay tribute to them.

The Parent Teacher Association’s support has continued with enjoyable and profitable fund raising activities being organised throughout the school year. Their enthusiasm and commitment have provided many of the necessities which we all take for granted.

Whilst we have had a successful year we are aware there will be many challenges ahead of us; however we will continue to strive to ensure that Gibson Primary School maintains its high standards, in providing a happy, balanced environment ensuring our children get the best possible start to their education.

On behalf of all of the members of the Board of Governors, I wish the staff and pupils at Gibson Primary School every success in the 2014/15 school year.

Canon Robert Clarke (Chairman of the Board of Governors)

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THE BOARD OF GOVERNORSTHE BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Transferors’ Representatives: Transferors’ Representatives:

Canon R Clarke (Chairman)Vacant Mrs A HamillMr W D Reilly

Western Education & Library Board Representatives:Western Education & Library Board Representatives:

Mr J Gilmour (Vice Chairman)Mrs E Waterson

Parents’ Representatives: Teacher Representative:Parents’ Representatives: Teacher Representative:

Mr M Beattie Mrs B JobbMrs E Pinkerton

Principal:Principal:

Mr K Sterritt (Non voting member of the Board)

The Board of Governors is required to meet 3 times each year but in practice meetings occur more often than this. During 2013/2014, the Governors met regarding their responsibilities for:

1. The Delivery of the Northern Ireland Curriculum

2. Staff Appointments, Attendance & Welfare

3. Admissions Policy and Open Enrolment

4. Self Evaluation and School Development Planning

5. Policy Review

6. Budget Management

7. Performance Review & Staff Development

8. Promoting Positive Behaviour

9. Salary Review

10. Responding to Department of Education and WELB Initiatives

11. Child Protection and Safeguarding measures

12. Reporting to parents

The four-year term of office of the new Board began in November 2009 and was reconstituted during the Spring term of 2013/14.

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We would like to pay tribute to two of our Governors who are standing down at the end of this academic year, namely Mrs E Pinkerton and Mrs E Waterson.

Mrs Pinkerton served as a Governor for 4 years while Mrs Waterson served as a Governor for 13 years.

Their hard work, commitment and professionalism made both ladies a large asset to the school.

The Rev J Cowan, Mrs L Armstrong and Mr R Loughlin have been elected to sit on the Board of Governors during the next term of office. We look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.

ENROLMENTENROLMENT

During 2013/14, our enrolment was 282 (excluding the Speech and Language Unit and WELCOME Centre) and the average daily attendance was 95%. This attendance rate is indicative of the positive attitude which our pupils have to good attendance.

At the end of June, a total of 16 pupils received certificates for full attendance throughout the year.

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CHILD PROTECTIONCHILD PROTECTION

Our Child Protection Policy is available to view on our school website and is circulated to all new parents annually. It is also available in paper copy upon request. Child protection procedures continue to be fully implemented and criminal background checks are carried out on all newly appointed staff and volunteers.

Mrs Hamilton is the designated teacher for child protection and Mrs Shortt is the deputy designated teacher for child protection. All staff received updated child protection training in August 2013.

Children are regularly reminded to take care during assemblies or in class.

TEACHING STAFF AND IN-SERVICE TRAININGTEACHING STAFF AND IN-SERVICE TRAINING

In the 2013/14 school year, our teaching staff consisted of the Principal, Vice Principal, 11 class teachers, 2 job share teachers in charge of the Speech and Language Unit, a teacher in charge of the WELCOME Centre and an Outreach teacher for Speech and Language difficulties.

In-service training was once again a high priority for all our staff with a wide variety of courses attended. The five ‘Baker’ days in August and five Staff Development Days were used to plan and prepare for quality learning and teaching and to address specific issues identified in our School Development Plan. A general overview of training received is included in the table below. Regular staff, senior management and year group meetings ensured consistency of educational experiences for all children.

Member of StaffMember of Staff Training Course TitleTraining Course Title

Miss E Aiken Heartstart Update Training

Mrs B Hamilton Heartstart Update TrainingFirst Aid at Work Training

Mrs W Irwin Standardised Moderation in Using MathematicsFronter Training

Mrs B Jobb Fronter Training

Miss J Adams Numicon Training

Mrs C McKernan CRED Roadshow

Mrs J Johnston ASD Training

Mrs K McFall ASD Training

Mrs S Shortt Leadership for SENCOSEN Thinking Skills & Personal Capabilities Training

Mr K Sterritt

Leadership ConferencePrincipal’s ConferenceStand Out Boys Project OverviewC2k Manager Training

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STAFFSTAFF

The Governors very much appreciate the efforts of all members of staff in helping provide an environment in which our children can fulfil their potential. The high standards achieved by the pupils are a reflection of the excellent work from all our staff.

TEACHING STAFFTEACHING STAFF

Principal Mr K Sterritt

Year 1 teacher Miss J Adams

Year 1 teacher (Job Share) Mrs Y Aiken/Mrs H Russell

Year 2 teacher Mrs V O’Hara

Year 2 teacher Mrs L Simpson

Year 3 teacher Mrs C McKernan

Year 3 teacher Dr S Herron

Year 4 teacher Mrs C Porter

Year 4/5 teacher Mrs C Black

Year 5 teacher Mrs R McKnight

Year 6 teacher Mrs B Jobb

Year 7 teacher Mrs B Hamilton

Year 7 teacher (Vice Principal) Mrs W Irwin

WELCOME Unit teacher Mrs S Shortt

Language Unit teacher Mrs E Davidson/Mrs Patterson

Language support teacher Mrs C Mulveen

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NON TEACHING STAFFNON TEACHING STAFF

1 Executive Officer (34 hours per week) Mrs D Clarke

1 Clerical Assistant (10 hours per week) Mrs L McFarland

1 SEN Classroom Assistant (32.5 hours per week) Mrs I Neil

1 SEN Classroom Assistant (30 hours per week) Ms K Picking

1 SEN Classroom Assistant (27.5 hours per week) Mrs V McFarland

1 SEN Classroom Assistant (27.5 hours per week) Mrs K McFall

1 SEN Classroom Assistant (20 hours per week) Mrs Y Williams

1 SEN Classroom Assistant (25 hours per week) Mrs J Johnston

1 Classroom Assistant (21.25 hours per week) Miss E Aiken

1 Classroom Assistant (16.25 hours per week) Miss A White

1 Classroom Assistant (16.25 hours per week) Mrs L Watson

1 Building Supervisor (36 hours per week) Mr S Gilfillan

5 Supervisory Assistants 3.75 hrs per week

3 Cleaners 12.5 hrs per week

1 Cleaner 8 hrs per week

1 School Crossing Patrol 12.5 hrs per week

Gibson is fortunate to have such highly motivated and talented staff who work tirelessly to ensure that our pupils have access to the best educational experiences possible.

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SCHOOL FINANCESCHOOL FINANCE

The Financial Report presented below refers to the money allocated to the school through the Board’s L.M.S. formula. Responsibility for the management of this budget lies with the Principal and Board of Governors. Staffing continues to be the main outlay with 84% of our total budget allocation being used for teaching and non-teaching staff.

INCOMEINCOME EXPENDITUREEXPENDITURE

Budget Share

TOTAL

858,077

858,077

Salaries :- TeachersNon teaching staffFuel OilElectricityWaterToilet RequisitesMaintenance of buildingsGrounds Maintenance & WorksFurniture & FittingsEquip Books & MaterialsLicence FeesProfessional FeesRepair/MaintenanceWindow CleaningWaste DisposalDSO CleaningContributionTransfer of Board VehiclePrinting & StationeryAdvertisingTelephonesSundry Expenses

Other Income

TOTAL Savings C/F

TOTAL EXPENDITURE

641,79176,9229,956

11,4381,5161,4716,3232,243

31316,313

90204140 550

1,84136,724 2,940

4544,5602,2021,003

103

-48,648

770,45187,626

858,077

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SCHOOL FUND ACCOUNTSCHOOL FUND ACCOUNT

The Governors would like to express their appreciation of the work done by Colhoun & Watson, Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors in auditing these accounts, free of charge. Full copies are available on request from the school office. A summary of our income and expenditure is included below.

INCOMEINCOME EXPENDITUREEXPENDITURE

General IncomeBook ClubsProfit from Class PhotographsTransfer Tests and BooksStaff OutingChristmas ShowsSchool Trip – EdinburghCharity Fundraiser Breakfast Club ProfitCookstown TextilesChristmas CardsTom SweeneyChristmas ExperiencePTA IncomeCredit Union DonationNI Group Motor Caravanners ClubWELCOME SweatshirtsSportNI FundingMusic TuitionPTA Donation

TOTALTOTAL

5,1831,809

295240321615

11,8852,941

488200

1,073131864

5,90550

460180

4,0192,0757,000

45,734

General ExpenditureClass OutingsBook ClubsTransfer Tests and Books MaintenancePitney BowesSubscriptions Staff Outings School Trip –EdinburghBank ChargesChristmas Shows ExpensesTransport – School Trips etcDonationsChristmas CardsPTA ExpensesSweatshirts (Welcome)Music TuitionPurchase of iPADSWomen’s AidDonation to British Heart FoundationDonation to Clic Sargent

TOTALTOTALSURPLUSSURPLUS

OVERALL TOTALOVERALL TOTAL

1,9561,4341,809

12320

546202440

12,694140111

2,085170774

1,114180

1,9607,128

2401,000

750

34,87610,858

45,734

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THE CURRICULUMTHE CURRICULUM

Gibson Primary School continued to provide a broad and balanced curriculum as detailed in the Northern Ireland Curriculum. As well as the traditional areas of learning the focus for all our teaching is on the development of our children’s skills and level of understanding. We assess pupils’ progress in Communication, Using Mathematics and Using ICT.

Our Health Education programme continues to encourage children to bring healthy ‘breaks’ to school and emphasises the importance of eating fruit and drinking milk and water through our Healthy Breaks Initiative and Munch Box Challenge.

Peripatetic staff from the Board’s Music Service provided tuition in strings, woodwind and brass for a selection of our Y5, 6 and 7 pupils.

Through a detailed review by all staff of our strengths and areas for development we focus on key targets and specific strands within our School Development Plan. During the past number of years, we have been focused on the development of Literacy, Numeracy and ICT. Last year we focused on developing ICT, Literacy & Numeracy levelled work.

Special Educational NeedsSpecial Educational NeedsAt Gibson Primary School we support all our pupils to fulfil their potential and all reasonable steps are taken to provide access to an education which provides them with this opportunity regardless of special educational need or disability.

The Code of Practice consists of five stages. A child can progress to stage five at which point a statement of SEN is issued by the WELB. During the school year 2013/14 our school’s S.E.N. register consisted of 58 pupils in our mainstream school and 23 pupils in our Language Units.

The breakdown of children at the various stages (including our 22 children from our 2 specific Speech and Language Units) was as follows: Stage 1: 4 Stage 2: 22 Stage 3: 46 Stage 4: 2 Stage 5: 7

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Mrs Shortt continued as our Special Needs Co-ordinator and a large emphasis was placed on analysing all children’s progress in order to challenge any underachievement. Additional support has been offered to a wide variety of children.

Both our Language Unit and The WELCOME Centre continue to cater for up to 12 pupils who require specialist teaching and speech therapy. These pupils are fully integrated into various school activities. During the year, eleven pupils returned to their local schools having made good progress in the Language Unit.

COMMUNITY RELATIONSCOMMUNITY RELATIONS

While the Community Relations Programme no longer receives funding from the WELB we continue to enjoy close working relationships with St. Mary’s Primary School, Killyclogher. To further enhance our Community Relations work we engaged with Co-operation Ireland and were involved in their ‘Generations for Peace’ programme with St Dympna’s Dromore.

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIESEXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIESOur extensive range of extra-curricular activities is due to our dedicated staff who give freely of their time to organise them. We were able to supplement these as we acquired funding from SportNI.

These took place between 3.00 pm and 4.00 pm last year and included the following :-

Football Rugby Hockey Football Rugby Hockey Orienteering Netball ICT Club Orienteering Netball ICT Club Gardening Art Club Scripture Union Gardening Art Club Scripture Union Cycling Proficiency Speech & Drama Cookery Club Cycling Proficiency Speech & Drama Cookery Club

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KEY STAGE ASSESSMENT OUTCOMESKEY STAGE ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES

All Primary Schools are required to assess pupils’ progress in English and Mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 4) and Key Stage 2 (Year 7).

Due to industrial action not all schools submitted End of Key Stage levels however the Department of Education has provided a calculated Northern Ireland Average based on respondents. As highlighted in the table below, our pupils continued to perform very positively with all results being above the Northern Ireland Average.

Levels Language and LiteracyLanguage and Literacy Mathematics and NumeracyMathematics and Numeracy

Key Stage 1Key Stage 1

Level 2 or above 92% 95%

NI Average 91% 92.2%

FSM Banded 90.3% 90.9%Key Stage 2Key Stage 2

Level 4 or above 80% 89%

NI Average 79.8% 80.3%

FSM Banded 76.8% 74.9%

REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2013/14REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2013/14

During the 2013/14 school year, our pupils were involved in a variety of interesting activities. The following is a summary of some of the notable events and achievements which are worthy of special mention.

September 2013 started with 36 new pupils in our two Year 1 classes. All of the children settled very quickly into the school routine.

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Our canteen continued to play a central role in our school and they hosted the traditional Year 1 breakfast. They also played a pivotal part in the school’s 40th Anniversary celebrations. This proved to be a highly successful event with over 300 pupils and parents joining us for a special ‘ruby red’ themed breakfast. It also demonstrated how generous all those connected to Gibson are as we were able to donate £1,000 to the British Heart Foundation as a direct result of this event.

As always the pupils and parents contributed to a number of charities with The RAFA Wings Appeal receiving over £200 and again our Shoebox Appeal was very well supported with over 150 boxes being donated and transferred to ‘The Samaritan Purse’ by Mrs McKnight. Our annual fundraising event took place in October which raised an incredible £3000 for our charities.

Our choir performed Christmas carols at the local nursing homes much to the delight of the residents. Three Christmas Shows were performed for their parents by Year 3, Year 4 and by Year 7. As usual, these were very well attended and the children excelled themselves with some outstanding performances. Mrs Porter’s and Mrs Black’s Year 4 pupils and their parents took part in our annual Paired Reading

Programme. Again, this proved very successful and it resulted in the children reading a wide variety of new material and developing greater interest and fluency in their reading.

Gibson’s links with the community were strengthened this year as we again played host to the Omagh Half Marathon. This event was extremely popular with over 3000 participants.

Our annual school trip for Year 6 and 7 children took place in March with over 40 pupils heading to Edinburgh. As always the trip proved to be the highlight of the year for all those who went. The children and staff were complimented on numerous occasions about the high standard of behaviour and manners exhibited by everyone.

In April, pupils from Years 1 to 6 took part in the verse speaking section of Omagh Feis and, again, some outstanding performances were recorded.

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All classes within the school went on outings to various parts of the province throughout the year. These trips are an excellent opportunity of extending learning beyond the classroom and developing children’s skills.

In sport, we had another very successful year with much to celebrate. All of our teams again competed with commitment, determination and a high degree of skill.

Our girls’ hockey teams qualified for the Northern Ireland Mini Hockey Tournament Finals held at Lisnagarvey and returned with silverware by winning the shield competition.

Changes to the organisation of mini rugby meant that records of matches were not kept instead the teams participated in a fun blitz style tournament. Despite these changes our school team again won all matches at our local blitz and were fortunate enough to be one of the first schools to play at the redeveloped Ravenhill. Again Sports Day was extremely well supported and a huge thanks must go to all parents and friends who supported both events. As usual the level of commitment and behaviour of all children involved was of the highest standard. Mellon House won the overall House competition regaining the cup from Wilson who won it last year. The individual winners from Y4 – Y7 were:

Y4 Girls - Erin Moore Boys - Timothy Donnell - Georgia ForbesY5 Girls - Olivia Pinder Boys - Thomas KellyY6 Girls - Sandra Bartowiak Boys - Corey Wood - Joel HetheringtonY7 Girls - Nicola Moore Boys - Christopher Allen

Pupils representing all year groups submitted very impressive entries for the Schools Section at Omagh Show in June 2014. This year a number of classes submitted a selection of art work which won the best exhibit in their age group.

At the end of term, we held a special assembly for our Year 7 children who were presented with their Record of Achievements and their next school tie as a special present for them to wear in Year 8 – thanks must go to Wattersons for contributing to the cost of these gifts. We also had our annual Leaver’s Lunch where the Year 7 children brought their parents along with them for lunch in our canteen.

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PARENT TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATIONPARENT TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION

The Parent Teachers’ Association sees two teachers elected onto the committee with Mr Sterritt holding a non voting position. Once again the Annual General Meeting was held in October. The following parents and teachers were elected to serve on the committee:-

Mr Richard Pollock (Chairperson) Mr Hilary England (Vice Chair)

Mrs Sandra Heatherington (Hon. Secretary) Mrs Rosalind McKnight (Ass. Sec)

Mrs Yvonne Reid (Hon. Treasurer) Mrs Wendy Irwin (Ass. Treasurer)

Mrs Edna Pinkerton Mrs Louise Camac

Mrs Lorraine Armstrong Mrs Charlene Logue

Mr Chris Martin Mrs Hazel Allen

Mrs Alison Johnson Mrs Angela Loughlin

Mrs Valerie Wood Mrs Samantha Bradley

Mrs Aryin Armstrong Mrs Caroline Thompson

Mrs Edelle McIvor Mrs Amanda Graham

Mrs Michelle McKinley Mrs Maggie Pinder

Mr Philip England Mrs Paula Armstrong

Throughout the year, the Committee met regularly to organise an interesting programme of events. Under the Chairmanship of Richard Pollock, the committee members worked tirelessly to ensure that events were meticulously planned. Their hard work contributed greatly to the success of the following events:-

OCTOBEROCTOBERPTA Annual General MeetingHallowe’en Disco – This year saw the continuation of our Halloween party for Year 1 – 4 children which was held before the traditional disco for Year 5 – 7 children.

DECEMBERDECEMBERDecember is always a busy month with our annual fun day, school decoration and Santa’s arrival and Christmas Shows. This year he had to be rescued from the school roof by the Fire Brigade!We also held the first ever Gibson Christmas Experience which saw sheep, donkeys and lots, lots more visiting Gibson!

FEBRUARYFEBRUARYOur annual quiz sheet competition was held. This raised over £627.Plans for our School Fair were initiated.

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MARCHMARCHOur annual School Fair was held on Wednesday 20th March and again proved to be our biggest fundraiser. This is undoubtedly because of the tremendous support of all parents and children and extreme generosity of local businesses who continue to sponsor us and donate items.

JUNEJUNEOur Fun Night thankfully enjoyed very pleasant weather which added to the enjoyment of all involved. Again an excellent night was had and this event showed up everything that is good about both our school and our PTA with a huge variety of fun events. This year Elaine and Georgia Waterson judged the fancy dress competition to mark Mrs Waterson’s retirement from the Board of Governors.

This year over £7000 worth of iPads were purchased by the PTA for our children to use. Details of how all the money raised was spent are included in the School Account section of this document. A big thank you must go to all our sponsors. These events demonstrate only a small section of the invaluable work of our PTA. Considerable planning and hard work goes into each and every event and only highlights a small section of the tremendous work of the Parent Teachers’ Association!

The Governors and staff are greatly indebted to the Parent Teachers’ Association for this financial contribution and thank the Committee members for their excellent support to teachers and pupils throughout the year.

This completes our Governors’ Report for the 2013/2014 school year. As you can see, Gibson Primary School has a lot to celebrate and remember in the course of one year. We are extremely proud of the achievements of all of our children and we would like to thank all of our parents for your ongoing support.