Uniform
The Trinity Academy uniform is a white (or black) shirt and a Trinity Academy tie, plain black trousers or skirt, black jumper, cardigan or sweatshirt (with no logo other than that of the school) and plain black footwear. If leggings are worn then a skirt must be worn on top. Black jeans are accepted as long as there’s no coloured stitching.
All pupils will be issued with a Trinity Academy tie at the start of their induction week in S1. The tie will have been provided for them by the Parent Council as a welcome to the school. If a replacement is ever needed then ties can be purchased from the school office for £5.
Blazers are optional but encouraged. They can be purchased from branches of Aitken and Niven. The S1-S3 blazer is plain black and S4-S6 has gold piping. Parents report them being resilient, synthetic and crumple free, surviving rain and schoolbag scrunching! A cheaper acceptable alternative is to purchase a Trinity Academy badge and sew this onto a supermarket blazer. You may be able to source good quality second hand blazers through the Parent Council facebook page.
The start and end of the day
The school day starts with a warning bell at 8.25am before Registration which is at 8.30am. The day ends at 3.20pm Monday to Thursday and 12.35pm on a Friday.
Timekeeping is really important and parents can really help here by trying to reinforce this message and get the school day off to a punctual start. If your child is ill, advise the school of this on the Absence Line before 8.30am: 0131 478 5050 then option 1.
Key message:
It’s worth putting the absence line number into your phone contacts to save scrabbling around for it when the situation inevitably arises! It’s also available through the ‘Information’ tab on the school app.
Registration
Registration is for five minutes from 8.30am-8.35am. During registration the class register is taken, absence notes for out-of-school appointments may be handed-in and relevant information from the school bulletin is shared with pupils.
Pupils will be with their registration class for most subjects through S1 and S2.
Timetable
During their transition days in June, pupils will be issued with a timetable. However it is worth noting that there may be some changes to this when they start S1 in August as there could be staffing changes or the make-up of classes may alter when catchment requests are resolved during the summer months.
Some subjects may be in blocks, for example a child could study geography up to Christmas and history after Christmas, or vice versa.
Periods are 50 minutes long and can be single or double. There are seven periods in a day (four on a Friday along with Learning for Success).
Most classes in S1 and S2 are mixed ability with the exception of Maths. Modern Language classes are set in S2. Setting is broad and allows for movement between classes. In S3, setting takes place more widely but depends upon the number of classes attending a subject at the same time. Setting decisions are based on pupil assessment information such as:
- Information from Primary school (for S1 classes)
- Standardised test scores in literacy and numeracy (pupils sit these in P7 and S3)
- End of unit tests and continuous assessments in all subjects.
Breaktime and Lunchtime
Breaktime is at 10.15am for 15 minutes. Lunchtime is at 1:00pm for 40 minutes. Lunch can be taken in the school canteen where a varied menu includes hot meals and paninis. Packed lunches can be brought in and eaten in the dining hall.
Students pay for canteen purchases using their Young Scot Card (which acts as a cashless card). £2.70 per day is enough to cover a main course and a drink. Funds can be added by parents/carers using ParentPay or by the pupil themselves at the self-service terminal with bank notes or coins (but not 1p/2p/5p/10p), or via the school office using any denomination. The Young Scot Card may also be used to obtain discounts at many shops, such as Co-op, Topshop, Schuh, Pizza Hut.
Applications for free school meals 2019/2020 and can be found on the council website. Please do register for free school meals if your child is eligible. Money for free meals is put automatically on to pupils’ Young Scot cards.
At the start of S1 and usually up to the September mid-term (Monday holiday) S1 pupils are not allowed off the school premises. Thereafter, they are permitted off the school premises at lunchtime.
It’s really important for the school that pupils’ behaviour is good when they are off the school premises. The school is very keen to have good relationships with all local community members, and this can be harmed by littering or rowdy behaviour.
Lunchtime is also a time when some clubs take place, for example music groups. The library is another place where pupils can go to at this point in the day.
Library
The school library is situated off the entrance foyer and all pupils are automatically registered onto the library database from their first day at Trinity Academy. Books can be taken out for up to three weeks at a time. Pupils can take two books out at first and this can be increased once they have proved reliable at returning them!
The library is open throughout the school day from 8.15am to 4.15pm i.e. before school and after school and throughout break times and lunchtimes. All S1 pupils have a library/reading period once a week during English and there will be the opportunity to use the library in other subjects too. During their library/reading period pupils are invited to get involved in Reading for Gold, a three-tier reading scheme (Bronze, Silver, Gold) with a written task to be completed each time a book is finished.
Houses / Assemblies
Each pupil is allocated to a ‘house’ at Trinity (Skye, Arran and Orkney) and your child will stay in the same house throughout their time at high school. There are regular year group and house assemblies throughout the school year. The section on ‘Support Needs’ notes how the house structure is used for Pupil Support.
Mobile phones
Pupils are allowed mobile phones at school and in some classes these are good ways of taking photos of set work. Mobile phone personal use is, of course, not allowed during classes. Parents can help with this by not contacting pupils about non-urgent matters during the school day.
Lockers
There are lockers which cost £15 a year. A returnable deposit of £5 is payable for locker keys. A form requesting a locker needs to be signed by the pupil and a parent/guardian. This can be collected from and returned to the school office.
Ill health
If your child becomes unwell during the school day they should report to the school office. You will be contacted if it is felt that they need to go home.
Medical and other appointments
Parents should let the school know that their child will be absent for any appointment during the day. A letter to the Registration Teacher should be handed in although as back-up (in case it’s not handed in by the pupil) you could also email the school office. The pupil signs out at the office and signs back in when they return to school.
Problems
If a pupil is experiencing any problems they could talk to their registration teacher or to their Pupil Support Leader.