ANNALONG PRIMARY SCHOOL31 Kilkeel Road

AnnalongCo DownBT34 4TH

Telephone: 028 437 68340 Fax: 028 437 68867E-mail: agoucher539@c2kni.net

Principal: Mr A Goucher B.Ed. Dip. SE Vice-Principal: Mrs G Stevenson B.Ed. (Hons) MA

Governors’ Report 2010– 2011

Dear Parent/Guardian,

I am pleased to have this opportunity to present the Governors’ Report on Annalong Primary School for the 2010 – 2011 school-year.

The report details issues of importance relating to the school during the year and will also be available on the school website.

Yours faithfully,

Mr. A. GoucherSecretary to the Board of Governors

Board of Governors 2009 – 2013

Sector/Type: Controlled Primary – 10 members

ChairmanRev. S.A. Finlay

SecretaryMr A. Goucher

Transferor (Trustee) Representatives (4)Rev. S.A. FinlayRev. W. Press

Mrs E. HillMr R. Edwards

SELB Representatives (2)Mr A. Stevenson

Mr W. Burns

Parent Representatives (2)Mrs W. HannaMrs K. Graham

Teacher RepresentativeMrs D. Morris

PrincipalMr A. Goucher (non-voting Member)

What are their main responsibilities?

The Governors are ultimately responsible for the overall management of the school. They are required to meet a minimum of three times each year but in practice normally meet more often than this.

Some of their duties include:

The oversight of the curriculum The control of the budget The provision of information to parents The selection of staff The maintenance of the premises (shared with SELB) The Admissions Policy Fostering links with the local community and pursuing the objectives of mutual

understanding.

Staffing Complement 2010 – 2011

Teaching Staff:

Mrs. G. Stevenson P.1 Vice-Principal – Music Co-ordinator

Mrs K. McKibbin P.2 WAU (assistance)

Mrs. D. Morris P.3 Numeracy Co-ordinator, SENCo & Teacher -Tutor

Mrs. J. Greenaway P.4 Literacy & PE Co-ordinator

Mrs. L. Freel P.5/6 I.C.T. Co-ordinator

Mrs. R. Cunningham Principal Release

Mr. A. Goucher P.6/7 Principal – WAU coordinator

Ancillary Staff:

Mrs D. Cunningham Secretary

Mrs L.A. Horner Caretaker

Miss K. Beck Classroom Assistant (P1) Miss N. McCullough Classroom Assistant (P2)

Mrs M. Ochiltree Senior Supervisory Assistant

Mrs E.Chambers Supervisory Assistant

Mrs J. Haugh Supervisory Assistant

Mrs C. Mills School Crossing Patrol

Calendar of Events 2010 – 2011

Autumn Term

August: Staff Preparation Days/World Around Us review September: Inspection visit by new District Inspector

Installation of facilities in support of disability access/use Extended School activities resume

Leisure Centre – Swim P.5/6 Music Tuition resumes

Eco-School Action Team meets P6 Sharing Education Programme (SEP) resumes Friends’ Group AGM

October: InCAS online assessments. Primary 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 Schools Environmental Calendar Competition Tollymore FP Visits

Harvest assembly

November: Annual Parent Interviews Governors’ Annual Report issued Eco-School Action Team meets Christmas Coffee, Cakes & Craft – Friends’ Group

Shimna College Open Day – P.7.

December: Annual Carol Service – Presbyterian ChurchChristmas Panto – Snow White & the Seven DwarfsChristmas Movie & Munch-Friends’ Group

Spring Term

January: Consultation re choice of new school uniform P.7 Day – Kilkeel

Extended School activities resume

February: Extended Schools Cluster – Ulster Orchestra, “Adopt a Musician.” School Book Fair School garden re-launch Friends’ Group, “Break the Rules Day.”

March: Girls’ Hockey team win Mid-Ulster Hockey Tournament Pupils help set world record on World Maths Day School Photographer

World Book Day – Character hand competition Cage Soccer visits school

April: Cycling Proficiency begins Easter Assembly

Summer Term

May: New school Gallery opensAnnual Class AssessmentsExtended School activities resume

End of Key Stage Assessment (P4 & P7) Soccer Tournament June: ICT Accreditation certificates awarded Pupil Profiles issued. All classes. Sports Day Zoo Trip End of year disco

School Liaison

The school continues to benefit from the support of an enthusiastic Friends’ Group. The Group organised what has become a well-established Christmas Craft Fair. In addition,Links with other schools are also now firmly established with resulting benefits.

The Extended Schools Cluster arrangement is now in its second year. A programme of Speech & Language Therapy resumed with pupils from Annalong, St. Mary’s & St. Colman’s Primary Schools benefiting.

The schools also “adopted,” a member of the Ulster Orchestra, undertaking a project which involved making percussion instruments and forming a “percussion orchestra.” A performance took place involving pupils from the 3 schools. This proved to be a very successful event. Our thanks to Mrs Stevenson who coordinated the project.

The Sharing Education Programme, (modern languages), continued under the guidance of Miss L. O’Hare, Shimna College. We are grateful to Shimna College and Miss O’Hare in particular for their support. Approximately 20 schools in the South Down area are involved in this project.

Organisation, Development and Administration

The 2010-11 school year is the second year of the current 3 Year Whole School Development Plan, (available to view on our website). The views of staff, pupils, governors and parents were sought in preparation for the current Plan. The Plan addresses key aspects of the school’s development proposals during the period and is subject to annual review.

The 2010 – 11 School Year Development Planner sets out issues for development in greater detail on a termly basis.

Premises

The SELB approved and oversaw the installation of disabled facilities in the school to include an access ramp to the main entrance and the building of a hygiene room. These new facilities will enable us to meet the needs of all pupils & visitors to the school.

The Nursery & P2 play area was also tidied with the removal of tree stumps, reseeding and levelling of ground before installing a protective fence.

The Eco-school Action Team focused its efforts on the continuing redevelopment of the school garden. Garden tools and storage were purchased in preparation for spring planting. Unfortunately, the unseasonably dry weather meant that seeds did not germinate and few seedlings developed into plants.

With support from the Friends’ Group, a new PA system was installed in the school hall. This will enhance future school performances.

REVIEW OF THE 2010 – 2011 SCHOOL YEAR

Staffing

The staffing compliment remains largely unchanged. Mrs K. MCCullagh joined the school as a Special Educational Needs Assistant.

Curriculum

The New Northern Ireland Curriculum is now in place throughout the school.

The objectives of the New Curriculum are as follows:

To develop the young person as an individual.

To develop the young person as a contributor to society &

To develop the young person as a contributor to the economy & environment.

We welcomed new District Inspector, Mrs Kay Magennis to the school on 20th September. The Inspector was pleased to note that both the school and nursery had, “many positives.”

Mrs Maginnis confirmed that the standards achieved by the children ranged from average to above average at the end of Key Stage 2 (P7).

She observed that staff were hard-working & conscientious with teamwork clearly in evidence. She noted that classroom assistants were generally well deployed and worked well with the teachers and children in their care.

Mrs Maginnis also noted that the children were settled and very mannerly.

The school welcomes such positive feedback and advice. We were encouraged by the Inspector’s visit and will build on the guidance provided.

The issue of pupil assessment was identified as a priority for development. In addition to online (InCAS) diagnostic assessment, pupils in primaries 3 to 7 also undertake written summative assessments in May of each year.

The installation of Assessment Manager software and training in its use has enabled staff to analyse pupil attainment, track progress over time and more accurately assess pupil needs and how these might be met.

The World Around Us Area of Learning also continues to be a focus for development. New topics have been devised and implemented. These are reviewed and amended as necessary.

Pupils in Primaries 4 & 7 took part in the ICT Accreditation scheme for a second year. All pupils were successful in achieving a Level of Attainment as a result of their hard work. The scheme was overseen by Mrs Freel.

As a result of our participation, the school has been officially recognised as able to assess ICT for accreditation purposes.

The primary education phases have been reorganised to reflect the requirements of the New NI Curriculum as follows:

Foundation Stage. Primaries 1 & 2.

Key Stage 1. Primaries 3 & 4.

Key Stage 2. Primaries 5, 6 & 7.

School Sports

The girls’ hockey team again took part in the Mid-Ulster Hockey Championships. For a second year, the girls retained the Mid-Ulster Hockey Shield. Our congratulations to the girls and hockey coach, Mrs Greenaway.

The boys’ Soccer team were also runners-up in the small-schools tournament in January. Again, congratulations to the boys and their coach, Mrs Greenaway.

Extended School Activities

Annalong Primary School was granted Extended School Status in April of 2006. The aim of the programme is to extend the range of activities and experiences offered to pupils and the wider community before and after school.

The SELB also approved a plan to redevelop the school garden, which is seen as a long term project, given the many ideas that have been suggested. This year we have been able to purchase a range of tools and other equipment for use in the school garden.

The school is also part of an Extended Schools cluster with St. Colman’s & St. Mary’s Primary schools. A programme of speech & language therapy Thank you to everyone involved with the programme.

Eco-Schools

The Eco-schools Action Team is now in its third year. The Action Team has turned its focus towards the school garden, (see above). Plans included a competition to encourage ideas as part of a redesign of the garden. Many excellent ideas were put forward by the children and some will find their way into the garden as a result.

The Team aims to obtain an Eco-Schools Green Flag as a result of its efforts.

InCAS Assessment & Annual Reports

Assessment of pupil progress is in place for children from primaries 3 to 7. On-line assessments (InCAS) provide a detailed breakdown of pupil attainment and are an invaluable diagnostic tool.

In addition, Progress in Maths & English assessments were also introduced for children from Primaries 3 to 7.

Annual Reports detailing a child’s progress in relation to Cross-curricular skills & Areas of Learning were issued to all children for the first time.

The school continued to award pupils in Primaries 4 & 7 Levels of Attainment in both Literacy & Numeracy as follows:

Key Stage 1 (P4) level 2 or above .

Subject Annalong Primary School

Northern Ireland Average

English – Boys 75% 92%English – Girls 100% 96%Maths – Boys 87.5% 93%Maths – Girls 100% 96%

Key Stage 2 (P7) level 4 or above.

Subject Annalong Primary School

Northern Ireland Average

English – Boys 100% 76%English – Girls 100% 85%Maths – Boys 80% 80%Maths - Girls 100% 83%

The results tables, (above), clearly reflect the tremendous achievements of the children as they progress through the school. We are grateful to the staff of Annalong Primary School for their dedication and hard work. We also want to acknowledge the help and support of parents/guardians as partners in their children’s education.

To meet the requirements of the NI Curriculum, annual Interviews were held in November 2009. The outcomes of online assessments (InCAS), taken by pupils from Primary 3 to 7 were reported to parents at these interviews.

In June all pupils received an Annual Report using a new format reflecting the requirements of the new curriculum and common to all Northern Ireland schools.

Individual Educational Plans are prepared for pupils needing a little extra help. Parents are invited to meet with the class teacher on a termly basis.

The annual pupil attendance rate was 96%

SCHOOL FUND

April 2010 - March 2011

Income ExpenditureSurplus 2009/10 +£1565.91

Killowen £1,810.00Musical £1,975.00 Healthy Break £860.75Panto £1,374.00 P5, 6 & 7 Swim £681.40Swim £858.50 Panto £1206.50

Textile Recycling £598.05 Classic Coaches £600.00W5 £407.00 W5 £291.90

Opus Digital £511.75 Call Parents £155.74Zoo visit £445.00 Zoo visit £258.60

Music Tuition £1140.00 Pens Plus £164.50Mini’s Music £168.00 Mini’s Music £240.00Museum visit £163.00 Fleeces & t-shirts £171.00

Christmas Lunch £340.00 Drumming workshop £240.00Musical DVDs £599.50 Petty cash £148.55

Teddy Bears’ Picnic £100.00 Musical costumes £573.35P1/Nursery beach £95.50 Musical £132.01

Healthy Break £977.50 Face paints £40.00Bookfair £1047.52 Bookfair £976.55

Drumming workshop £76.00 Musical DVDs £700.00Truancy Call £28.98 Gold Rose £160.00Barnardos £55.80 Belfast Telegraph £67.32

KS2 Bibles £480.00Cornmill visit £39.00

wigs £38.47Hair products £22.76

Staging materials £65.00ADF Partytime £180.00

Staging materials £26.99Ulster Hockey Union £12.00

Snow shovels £45.92Nursery resources -

Library £193.52

Playground resources £223.97Garden landscaping £319.01

School Garden prizes £40.91Book tokens £40.00

Super Gridclub £41.78 Shine Athletic

Certificates£27.50

Small Schools Soccer £18.00Steps (P7) £44.97

Teddy Bears’ Picnic £70.00Skip hire £176.25

Data protection £35.00Book People £20.00

Website Photography £180.00Milk underpayment £8.77

Cleaner £11.99BEBC Music £67.92

Christmas meal deposit £360.00Book People £20.00Top Handys £124.98

Just 4 U Books £40.00ICT Accreditation £28.00

Bank charge £32.00Total + £14337.01 Total - £10,702.88

Balance/Carry over: + £3634.13