Schools in the Scottish Borders

The schools service is responsible for the education of almost 18,000 children across the Borders. Education is delivered through 9 secondary schools, 65 primary schools (46 with nursery units) and a number of private and voluntary sector nursery providers.

Gym shoes lined up in rows

Our schools consistently demonstrate high levels of attainment - well above national average. A number of the schools have support centers to help children with additional needs and offer part-time and full-time placements. We are pleased with this position but not complacent. We have five clearly articulated aims for the schools service that are focused on delivering continuous improvement. These are:

to develop the best learning and teaching experience for all that delivers high standards of achievement, creativity, motivation and ambition
to utilise our resources wisely to deliver effective, efficient and empowering learning environments for all
to promote inclusion and ensure equality of opportunity and access for all and to all areas of the service
to forge highly effective and productive partnerships and working practices with learners, staff, parents, professional colleagues and communities
to encourage and develop citizenship in ways that actively promote participation, confidence, responsibility pride and ambition

Further information on our aims and Local Improvement Objectives can be seen in 'Better - next steps for schools 2007 - 2010' the document that links national legislation and priorities, through SBC's Corporate and Community Plans, departmental business plans to school improvement plan.

Consultation on holiday/term dates and the asymmetric week - Updated 28 Feb 2008

A consultation on possible changes to the pattern of holiday/term dates and consideration of schools moving to a 4.5 day week, starts on Monday 21 January 2008. The consultation has been extended and will run until 15 May 2008. Everyone with an interest is encouraged to participate. A copy of the consultation document is available to download - but it needs to be printed in colour to see the full effect of the proposals. The document will also be available in libraries and schools. A summary version is also available with just the text only (this can be printed in single colour).

Parental Involvement

We wholeheartedly support and encourage the involvement of parents in their child's education. In August 2007 the Parental Involvement Act became effective, giving parents new rights and education authorities new responsibilities to ensure that parents can become involved in their child's education. All evidence shows that when parents are involved in supporting their child’s education, children do better. The new Act builds on the good work that has already been done by parents, schools, School Boards, PTAs and other groups.

The act has three key themes:

learning at home
home/school partnership
parental representation - the new Parent Councils

Consultation on the development of a strategy for parental involvement in the Borders - updated Feb 2008

A working group has been established to develop a strategy for parental involvement. The Group is made up of parents, SBC head office staff and headteachers. The aim of this strategy is to build on previous good practice and create opportunities for parents, schools, young people, communities and the Council to work together.

We have now launched a 12 week consultation with parents, pupils, Parent Councils and staff on the contents of its new Parental Involvement Strategy. Speaking about the consultation today, Cllr Catriona Bhatia, Executive member for Education said, “Partnerships with parents is recognised as one of the key strengths of our schools in the Borders and this new strategy will help us build on this. The change in legislation from School Boards to Parent Council has been very significant with new statutory responsibilities for the council. The consultation document sets out how SBC will meet these new responsibilities and encourage and support the involvement of parents in their child’s education throughout school life.” Work on developing this document has been led by a group of parents from schools right across the Borders, with support and contributions from headteachers, senior education officers and representatives from Community Learning and Development; Social Work and NHS Borders. Copies are available in schools and libraries and can be downloaded here. The cost of developing the strategy, including the consultation work, has been fully funded by the Scottish Government as it is a direct requirement of the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act, 2006. The closing date for responses is 9 May 2008.

Parent Forums and Parent Councils

All parents are now automatically members of the Parent Forum at their child’s school. As a member of the Parent Forum you will be encouraged to support events and activities at the school, get involved in your child’s learning and be consulted on or take part in setting up the school’s Parent Council. Each school in the Borders (with the exception of Burnfoot Community School which has decided to retain its existing parent body) now has a Parent Council. Further details on Parent Councils is available from each school's headteacher.

On Saturday 17th November a Welcome Event, attended by almost 100 parents council members from across the Borders was held at Council HQ. The presentation that formed the agenda is available for download.

The Scottish Government's parental involvement support team has published a series of leaflets (left) to guide and help Parent Councils - these can be downloaded from Parentzone (external link).

At the first meeting of the working group, a visual record (below) was made of what parents and school staff wanted to see in the strategy, giving guidance to authority staff to ensure the strategy was meaningful and useful for parents.

Our Schools

To find out more about individual schools in each area, please select one of the

areas below: Two boys reading and working together

You can also find information on any other school in Scotland (external link).

Pupil Numbers (updated October 2007)

Twice a year the department publishes school roll forecasts for each school and information on the number of pupils each school can accommodate - the schools capacity forecasts.

General Information

For more general and policy information about our schools, please select one of the links below:

Leaflets for parents

A series of information leaflets have been developed for parents on the following topics:

Admission to the Authority's schools

The Exclusion Process

The Exclusion Appeals Process

Composite Classes in SBC Primary schools

Resolving complaints about schools.

Reports

Standards & Quality Report - new April 2008

A copy of the latest Standards & Quality report for Education is now available. This report looks at the activities of the whole department from schools and libraries to community arts and sports. It summarises the work and achievements of our pupils, staff and outlines the areas for development in 2008 and beyond.

Download the new report here

View the news release about this report

Last year's report for the 12 months to January 2007

Statistical information on pupil exclusions and pupil abuse of staff in school - updated March 2008

A copy of the report which provides statistical information on pupil exclusions and pupil abuse of staff in school as approved by the Education Executive on 11 March 2008 is now available.

The purpose of this report is to provide:

statistical information on exclusions from school and abuse of school and support staff.
outline the steps being taken to protect staff and provide better statistical information.

Download the report here.

View the news release about this report.

Access All Areas Report

A report entitled Access all Areas which looks at inclusion and accessibility through the eyes of Borders school children was launched on Thursday, 13th September at Kingsland Primary School in Peebles. The report brings together the views of over 750 pupils who have taken part 12 consultations over the last three years set up by SBC and Children in Scotland. It provides a unique insight into how pupils view their school lives and in particular, what really makes a difference to pupils who require additional support during their education.

Quality Improvement Framework

Scottish Borders Council has developed a comprehensive Quality Improvement Framework for schools which provides the framework for continuous improvement and a robust framework of support and challenge. This is an extremely lengthy document but you can view the whole document or individual sections.

Parentzone (external link) - the website which aims to develop partnerships between parents and schools.

Eco-friendly Kids (external link) - website jam-packed with ideas and tips for you and your children to help protect the environment.

samples of art-class masterpieces