Partners in learning
News
New After School Club Website
25/04/2012 21:38
Congratulations to the After School Club on the launch of their brilliant new website which is available here.
It’s well worth checking out as there is a great selection os useful information and downloads on the site and you can also sign for the After School Club newsletter.
It’s well worth checking out as there is a great selection os useful information and downloads on the site and you can also sign for the After School Club newsletter.
Victoria Primary Website
30/03/2012 21:10
Victoria Primary school has a great new website which has all sorts of information about the history of the school and the work of their Parent Council and PTA. Victoria is our neighbouring school and is also the oldest working school in Edinburgh.
P7 show
09/02/2012 23:00
Congratulations to everyone involved in the P7 show tonight. I was absolutely brilliant from beginning to end.
The P7 performers and the P6 choir were fantastic and everyone involved should be really proud of the final result.
The P7 performers and the P6 choir were fantastic and everyone involved should be really proud of the final result.
HMIE Inspection Report
23/08/2011 20:37
Following their visit to the school in June, HMIE has issued the report on the inspection of the school and it is an extremely positive report. Receiving one evaluation of Excellent and four evaluations of Very Good means that this is an outstanding report and all of the teaching staff deserve huge credit for these results.
Steve Hodgson
May Newsletter
13/05/2011 14:38
We have just released a newsletter for the new term highlighting the large P1 intake expected for the next school year. As the article discusses we have been communicating with the department of Children and Families on this issue and there is an archive of the emails available here.
You may have seen an article written by Edinburgh head teacher Rod Grant, head of Clifton Hall School on the use of team teaching in Edinburgh Schools. This article highlights the benefits of team teachers but also the risks that it can be used simply as a cost-saving measure.
You may have seen an article written by Edinburgh head teacher Rod Grant, head of Clifton Hall School on the use of team teaching in Edinburgh Schools. This article highlights the benefits of team teachers but also the risks that it can be used simply as a cost-saving measure.
Parent Council AGM
06/10/2010 19:26
The Parent Council AGM takes place next Wednesday, the 13th of October at 7:00pm in the staff room.
All parents are welcome to attend. The agenda will include a report on the work of the Parent Council over the past year, discussion of issues that any parents wish to raise, and approval of the accounts and appointment of the auditor.
All Parent Council meetings are open to all parents/carers and new members are welcome to join the council at any time. We hope that as many people as possible are able to come along to hear about our achievements during the year and to find out a bit more about the things that the Parent Council are involved in within the school. You can also contact Paul Jeffrey, Parent Council chair on 0131 554 1091 or by email at mailto:mail@trinityparentcouncil.org.uk.
While we are interested in any new members, we would particularly welcome parents with children who have just started in P1 or are new to the school.
We hope to see you there.
All parents are welcome to attend. The agenda will include a report on the work of the Parent Council over the past year, discussion of issues that any parents wish to raise, and approval of the accounts and appointment of the auditor.
All Parent Council meetings are open to all parents/carers and new members are welcome to join the council at any time. We hope that as many people as possible are able to come along to hear about our achievements during the year and to find out a bit more about the things that the Parent Council are involved in within the school. You can also contact Paul Jeffrey, Parent Council chair on 0131 554 1091 or by email at mailto:mail@trinityparentcouncil.org.uk.
While we are interested in any new members, we would particularly welcome parents with children who have just started in P1 or are new to the school.
We hope to see you there.
Edinburgh Learning Festival
29/05/2010 17:21
Today four children from Trinity (2 from P7 and 2 from P1) spoke at the Edinburgh Learning Festival which took place at the Hilton Grosvenor Hotel.
The children spoke about their view of Curriculum for Excellence under the topic What Will Curriculum for Excellence Mean For Us as part of the the introductory session, along with the Adviser to the Scottish Government and the Director of Children and Families in Edinburgh.
All four children were confident and eloquent in their contribution to the festival and were warmly congratulated by the ‘professionals’ on the panel.
Well done to all involved.
The children spoke about their view of Curriculum for Excellence under the topic What Will Curriculum for Excellence Mean For Us as part of the the introductory session, along with the Adviser to the Scottish Government and the Director of Children and Families in Edinburgh.
All four children were confident and eloquent in their contribution to the festival and were warmly congratulated by the ‘professionals’ on the panel.
Well done to all involved.
Trinity Primary on BBC News
23/03/2010 22:17
Trinity Primary was on BBC News today, used as a location to film an item about the rise in school placing requests in Scotland.
The clip is available on the BBC Scotland website.
The clip is available on the BBC Scotland website.
Reduction in proposed budget cuts
06/02/2010 21:32
You may have read the news on Friday that the Children and Families department announced that the 2.5% budget cut for 2010/2011 has now been reduced to 1% and this sands a "clear message that schools are being treated as the highest priority".
There's no doubt that a 1% cut is better than a 2.5% cut, but this is the second year that the Administration have claimed a victory for backing down from a large proposed cut which they themselves proposed only a few weeks earlier.
This 1% is still a cut, on top of the existing 'efficiency savings' of 1.5% and schools will still have to find extra money to fund these and the additional costs of maternity cover, water, refuse collection etc which have been transferred to the school. Please continue to write or email our local Councillors voicing your opposition to school budget cuts.
There's no doubt that a 1% cut is better than a 2.5% cut, but this is the second year that the Administration have claimed a victory for backing down from a large proposed cut which they themselves proposed only a few weeks earlier.
This 1% is still a cut, on top of the existing 'efficiency savings' of 1.5% and schools will still have to find extra money to fund these and the additional costs of maternity cover, water, refuse collection etc which have been transferred to the school. Please continue to write or email our local Councillors voicing your opposition to school budget cuts.
Curriculum for Excellence Parent Toolkit launched
28/01/2010 22:37
The Curriculum for Excellence Parent Toolkit - an online and print resource designed to help practitioners speak to parents with confidence was launched on Wednesday 27 January 2010 by Michael Russell MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning.
The Parent Toolkit hosts PowerPoints, a core script, parent questions, leaflets, film clips and images and templates that you can use and customise. In print, there is a quick guide for you and your colleagues to keep handy, posters for your school and leaflets that parents can take away from events or meetings. The leaflets and film clips take best practice examples from the Curriculum for Excellence website — one each in nursery, primary and secondary — and bring them to life for parents.
There is a link to the site on the links page.
The Parent Toolkit hosts PowerPoints, a core script, parent questions, leaflets, film clips and images and templates that you can use and customise. In print, there is a quick guide for you and your colleagues to keep handy, posters for your school and leaflets that parents can take away from events or meetings. The leaflets and film clips take best practice examples from the Curriculum for Excellence website — one each in nursery, primary and secondary — and bring them to life for parents.
There is a link to the site on the links page.
Budget Cuts
26/01/2010 21:03
The City Council is prosing to cut the budget to our schools by 2.5% for the next three years. This is on top of 1.5% embedded “efficiency savings” and additional costs that have been passed on to schools as ‘back-door’ budget cuts.
This would mean a budget reduction of around £50,000 for Trinity Primary in 2010/2011. It may mean losing all the things that help our school live and breathe — for example new books and other materials, and extra activities special to the school. Across Edinburgh, Head Teachers estimate that it would mean the loss of 75 full time posts.
Please check the Parent Council website and see how you can help campaign against these cuts.
This would mean a budget reduction of around £50,000 for Trinity Primary in 2010/2011. It may mean losing all the things that help our school live and breathe — for example new books and other materials, and extra activities special to the school. Across Edinburgh, Head Teachers estimate that it would mean the loss of 75 full time posts.
Please check the Parent Council website and see how you can help campaign against these cuts.
Steve Hodgson
Fort Closure
26/12/2009 20:57
The City of Edinburgh Council has voted to close Fort Primary School and offer all the Fort children a place at Trinity Primary School. Trinity’s Parent Council is very disappointed at the Council’s decision to merge Fort and Trinity. We strongly believe it is the wrong decision for all our children and was not taken in their best interests. It is very disappointing that all our Administration Councillors (Steve Cardownie, Elaine Morris, Marjorie Thomas and Rob Munn) chose not to vote in accordance with their constituents’ wishes but for their own political convenience. We are sure that parents will remember this.
However, this is not the time to go over the arguments again.
What this campaign has shown is what a strong parent body we have. You have helped to run an excellent campaign and we have worked hard to ensure that Trinity’s case was as objective as possible and backed by strong, independent research rather than misleading statistics, omissions and spurious comparisons. The letters and emails which you and Fort parents have written to the Council and local Councillors challenged the Council’s position and forced the politicians to take our concerns seriously. Many of you attended the public meeting at Trinity and witnessed the weakness of the Council’s position and were articulate and passionate in defending our children’s educational needs. We came very close to succeeding.
There will be some difficult times ahead; however if we all work together as we did during this campaign, Trinity will continue to be a successful school for all our children. Trinity will welcome all the Fort children who choose to come here. The staff of both schools will work hard to ensure the merger takes place as smoothly as possible and the children receive the best possible education. The two Parent Councils have worked closely throughout this campaign and will continue to work together to support the integration.
Thank you for your continuing support.
However, this is not the time to go over the arguments again.
What this campaign has shown is what a strong parent body we have. You have helped to run an excellent campaign and we have worked hard to ensure that Trinity’s case was as objective as possible and backed by strong, independent research rather than misleading statistics, omissions and spurious comparisons. The letters and emails which you and Fort parents have written to the Council and local Councillors challenged the Council’s position and forced the politicians to take our concerns seriously. Many of you attended the public meeting at Trinity and witnessed the weakness of the Council’s position and were articulate and passionate in defending our children’s educational needs. We came very close to succeeding.
There will be some difficult times ahead; however if we all work together as we did during this campaign, Trinity will continue to be a successful school for all our children. Trinity will welcome all the Fort children who choose to come here. The staff of both schools will work hard to ensure the merger takes place as smoothly as possible and the children receive the best possible education. The two Parent Councils have worked closely throughout this campaign and will continue to work together to support the integration.
Thank you for your continuing support.
2008 Attainment Results
11/11/2009 17:24
Congratulations on Trinity achieving another very good set of attainment results last year in reading, maths and writing, 91%, 92% and 96% respectively.
Such success deserves to be celebrated, and for those that did not see the Evening News article, Trinity achieved the best results of all the primary schools in Edinburgh for writing - and was up among the best for reading and maths.
I know that there is much wider achievement in many forms at Trinity, but wanted to draw the Parent Council's attention to this.
On behalf of the Parent Council, I would like to thank and congratulate all the staff, pupils and parents on an excellent set of results.
Such success deserves to be celebrated, and for those that did not see the Evening News article, Trinity achieved the best results of all the primary schools in Edinburgh for writing - and was up among the best for reading and maths.
I know that there is much wider achievement in many forms at Trinity, but wanted to draw the Parent Council's attention to this.
On behalf of the Parent Council, I would like to thank and congratulate all the staff, pupils and parents on an excellent set of results.
Andrew Macmillan
Parent Council AGM
19/10/2009 18:25
The Parent Council AGM took place last week and has seen some changes in the Parent Council.
A number of members who have served on the Parent Council for the last two years have stepped down and we would wish to thanks them for all their efforts and support over the last two years. Margaret Mortimer who has served as community member on the School Board and then the Parent Council has stepped down and we would also like to thank here for many years of service to the school. Margaret is replaced by Tom Kerr from the Trinity Community Council.
With 6 members of the council stepping down we would like to invite any parents interested in joining the Parent Council to become new members. Parent Councils were recognised in law in August 2007 and have the following roles:
If you feel you could help the Parent Council or would just like to be more involved in your child's education please get in touch via email to the Chair through the contact page or by emailing Steve Hodgson.
We would particularly welcome parents from the P1 year group as well as any other parents who are interested.
A number of members who have served on the Parent Council for the last two years have stepped down and we would wish to thanks them for all their efforts and support over the last two years. Margaret Mortimer who has served as community member on the School Board and then the Parent Council has stepped down and we would also like to thank here for many years of service to the school. Margaret is replaced by Tom Kerr from the Trinity Community Council.
With 6 members of the council stepping down we would like to invite any parents interested in joining the Parent Council to become new members. Parent Councils were recognised in law in August 2007 and have the following roles:
- Support the school in its work with pupils
- Represent the views of all parents
- Encourage links between the school, parents, pupils, pre-school groups and the wider community
- Report back to all the parents in the school
If you feel you could help the Parent Council or would just like to be more involved in your child's education please get in touch via email to the Chair through the contact page or by emailing Steve Hodgson.
We would particularly welcome parents from the P1 year group as well as any other parents who are interested.
SNP Leith Residents' Survey
11/08/2009 21:11
You may have received a survey form from Leith SNP this week asking you to complete it and return it them via freepost. Among the questions they are asking for our view on they specifically ask “Are there any issues in Leith that want tackled”.
If you are concerned about the proposed closure of Fort Primary and the transfer of all the children from there to Trinity in 2010/2011, this my be a good opportunity to raise this issue with the party who form part of the coalition in control of the city council. This is, of course, the same party that previous made an election commitment to significantly reduce class sizes. The commitment they made to P1 class sizes of 18 seems impossible to reconcile with the anticipated P1 class size of 38 at Trinity if this proposal goes through!
If you are concerned about the proposed closure of Fort Primary and the transfer of all the children from there to Trinity in 2010/2011, this my be a good opportunity to raise this issue with the party who form part of the coalition in control of the city council. This is, of course, the same party that previous made an election commitment to significantly reduce class sizes. The commitment they made to P1 class sizes of 18 seems impossible to reconcile with the anticipated P1 class size of 38 at Trinity if this proposal goes through!
Steve Hodgson
New campaign Website
06/08/2009 17:57
We have just launched a new website specifically to deal with the proposal to close Fort Primary and transfer all the children to Trinity. Any news about the proposal and the consultation will be posted there, along with links to news stories about the proposal and updates about the Fighting for Fort campaign.
The site includes a timeline of events since the proposal was announced, news of key public figures such as our MP and MSP who are supporting the campaigns and highlights many of the reasons why this proposal is bad for Trinity and makes little sense financially.
Finally, we need your help with this campaign! The parent councils of both schools recognise that this proposal is not in the best interest of the children from either school but it’s also important that we demonstrate that there is widespread opposition to the proposal. Please check the new website periodically to see how you can help.
The site includes a timeline of events since the proposal was announced, news of key public figures such as our MP and MSP who are supporting the campaigns and highlights many of the reasons why this proposal is bad for Trinity and makes little sense financially.
Finally, we need your help with this campaign! The parent councils of both schools recognise that this proposal is not in the best interest of the children from either school but it’s also important that we demonstrate that there is widespread opposition to the proposal. Please check the new website periodically to see how you can help.
Steve Hodgson
Website Updates
19/07/2009 20:39
As a result of the Parent Council website moving to a new server, you will need to update the RSS feed if you use this to receive alerts on updates to this blog. The URL for the RSS feed is available here.
The website has also been update to include a new contact form to allow messages to be sent directly from the website.
The website has also been update to include a new contact form to allow messages to be sent directly from the website.
Steve Hodgson
Proposed Fort Closure
14/06/2009 20:36
Like all parents, we were surprised to receive a letter last week about plans to close Fort Primary School and for all pupils to be offered a place at Trinity. Details of the proposal are available at the Council website.
This has not come as a complete surprise as it has previously been proposed that Fort and Trinity should merge and Fort has been under capacity for some time. The previous proposal for a merger was dismissed as without any merit and there is a long history of the council proposing school closures and mergers in this area.
The council’s proposal is that they want to remove surplus capacity from the school estate to provide best value for money by closing those schools where the current role is significantly under the notional capacity and making savings by the sale of the land. They acknowledge that the school population will start to grow again in the future but that there will be pockets where there are too many school places.
It’s important to highlight that this is not the case with the proposed Trinity/Fort merger. The council’s own report anticipates that the school population in this area will grow by as many as 150 places due to developments in the harbour area and it is proposed that Fort is re-opened to accommodate this growth. This means there will be no capital raised from sale of the land and probably costs involved to convert the building to a Children and Families area office in north Edinburgh as proposed.
What would be the impact on Trinity?
It is proposed that all the children currently at the Fort will be offered a place at Trinity. This means that Trinity’s roll would increase from around 337 at present to around 438 on current numbers. Trinity’s notional capacity, on the Council’s own figures, has been 415 for a large number of years. In the Council’s recent paper on the closure, this has jumped up to 456, providing a further 41 notional “spaces” at Trinity.
How has this been achieved?
This would lead to Increasing class sizes to their maximum in most or all year groups including even larger classes with team teaching. Using the council’s own figures from 2008, if this proposal goes ahead Trinity will become the most overcrowded school in Edinburgh.
The newsletter also highlights a number of other potential areas that would be affected in addition to the level of overcrowding.
What can you do?
You will receive a newsletter containing more detail about this proposal from the parent council this week. Please make other parents aware that this is coming out (we would love it if everyone read this blog and subscribed to the mailing list but this isn’t the case) and take the time to read it.
This has not come as a complete surprise as it has previously been proposed that Fort and Trinity should merge and Fort has been under capacity for some time. The previous proposal for a merger was dismissed as without any merit and there is a long history of the council proposing school closures and mergers in this area.
The council’s proposal is that they want to remove surplus capacity from the school estate to provide best value for money by closing those schools where the current role is significantly under the notional capacity and making savings by the sale of the land. They acknowledge that the school population will start to grow again in the future but that there will be pockets where there are too many school places.
It’s important to highlight that this is not the case with the proposed Trinity/Fort merger. The council’s own report anticipates that the school population in this area will grow by as many as 150 places due to developments in the harbour area and it is proposed that Fort is re-opened to accommodate this growth. This means there will be no capital raised from sale of the land and probably costs involved to convert the building to a Children and Families area office in north Edinburgh as proposed.
What would be the impact on Trinity?
It is proposed that all the children currently at the Fort will be offered a place at Trinity. This means that Trinity’s roll would increase from around 337 at present to around 438 on current numbers. Trinity’s notional capacity, on the Council’s own figures, has been 415 for a large number of years. In the Council’s recent paper on the closure, this has jumped up to 456, providing a further 41 notional “spaces” at Trinity.
How has this been achieved?
- The Council has, while carrying out a survey for energy performance, reassessed Trinity and, without advising the school or Parent Council, decided that it can now accommodate 15 classrooms, rather than the previous 14 rooms
- This may mean losing the science room, support for learning room and current library and IT suite or the possibility of children being taught in temporary accommodation such as Portakabins.
- How has this been achieved with no investment at the school when both Trinity's and Fort's roll have increased since 2008.
This would lead to Increasing class sizes to their maximum in most or all year groups including even larger classes with team teaching. Using the council’s own figures from 2008, if this proposal goes ahead Trinity will become the most overcrowded school in Edinburgh.
The newsletter also highlights a number of other potential areas that would be affected in addition to the level of overcrowding.
What can you do?
You will receive a newsletter containing more detail about this proposal from the parent council this week. Please make other parents aware that this is coming out (we would love it if everyone read this blog and subscribed to the mailing list but this isn’t the case) and take the time to read it.
- There is a survey included in the newsletter to get feedback on this proposal. Please complete this and send it back to the Parent Council ℅ the school office. It you oppose this proposal it’s really important that we hear back from you.
- Please email or write to the local councillors and MPs. Contact details are available on the downloads page.
- Contact the parent council to let us have your views. A big response from parents would itself be a good message to send to Edinburgh Council.
Additional In-Service Days
07/06/2009 20:58
You might recall that there was recently a consultation exercise on the additional in-service days proposed for Curriculum for Excellence. The Children and families department have announced that the additional In-Service days will be on 19 May 2010 and 25 May 2011. The school will therefore be closed to children on those dates.
These two dates have been added to the calendar on this website.
These two dates have been added to the calendar on this website.
Steve Hodgson
Newsletter from the Parental Involvement Unit
15/05/2009 21:44
The latest newsletter from the City of Edinburgh’s Parental Involvement Unit has just been issued and is now available on the downloads page.