Holy Family Primary School
Boghead Road, Kirkintilloch, G66 4EN
Tel: 0141 955 2212
Email office@holyfamily.e-dunbarton.sch.uk
Visit their website at http://www.holyfamily.e-dunbarton.sch.uk

Holy Trinity Primary School
New Dyke Road, Kirkintilloch, G66 2JW
Tel: 0141 955 2219
Email: office@holytrinity.e-dunbarton.sch.uk
Visit their website at https://www.holytrinity.e-dunbarton.sch.uk

St Machan's Primary School
St Machan's Way, Lennoxtown, G66 7HG
Tel: 0141 955 2205
Email: office@st-machans.e-dunbarton.sch.uk
Visit their website at http://www.st-machans.e-dunbarton.sch.uk
 

We have strong and supportive links with our 3 partner primary schools and these continue to develop within the CfE curriculum. Working in close collaboration we aim to continue developing the partnership involving pupils, parents and teachers.

Pupils

• Are visited in their primary schools by teachers from St. Ninian’s so that they will already know some teachers before they come to us, and so that teachers can be familiar with, and can build upon, the excellent work being done by pupils in our primary schools.
• Are invited for a two day induction visit to St. Ninian’s during the third term of Primary 7. During the visit they follow the timetable and get a taste of life in their new school.
• Have the opportunity to participate in the Easter Academy, organised by Strathclyde University, for 3 days at the beginning of the Easter holidays.
• P6 and P7 pupils participate in a curricular visit to the school and experience 3 subject areas over a period of 3 weeks; Science, ICT and Art in P6, Science, Music and Home Economics in P7. 

Parents

• Learn about our school from the handbook.
• Are invited to attend meetings with the Head Teacher and other senior staff e.g. in September there is an open evening for the parents of new entrants during which each department displays its resources and materials.
• Receive copies of newsletters issued by the school.
• Are encouraged to play a full and rewarding part in the partnership which seeks to deliver the very best education to their children.
• Relevant staff attend pupil reviews when appropriate. 

Teachers

Links with our associated primaries are well established. There are regular meetings of the Depute Head Teacher S1/S2 and the Head Teacher with the Primary Head Teachers. Principal Teachers of subject are often invited to address these meetings on issues of current interest. The PT Support for Learning from St Ninian’s meets appropriate colleagues in our associated primaries in order to make arrangements to assist pupils with learning difficulties. Teachers exchange details of the courses taught and the materials used so they are conversant with the curriculum of both sectors. This co-operation is particularly evident in the development of the CfE programme.  Primary teachers are most welcome to visit St Ninian’s with their pupils and become involved in the work we do. 

Primary teachers discuss with the Depute Head Teacher (lower school) and the Pupil Support staff at St Ninian’s the strengths and weaknesses, the attainments and skills mastered by individual pupils. This effective transfer of information means that we have a picture of strengths, aptitudes, special talents and areas of difficulty for each child. Thus we can help our entrants to settle quickly and build upon the work done by primary colleagues. 

Pupil Support staff interview each new first year pupil before October to ensure that they have settled into school life. Contact is made with parents if any serious issues arise. 

There are at present close links between our associated primaries and the Modern Languages, English and Maths Departments. Members of these departments visit the primaries and work closely with the P7 teachers observing what materials are being used and identifying strengths of pupils. As a result of the Schools of Ambition Programme, more time will be allocated to the primary schools from the Modern Languages Department. At present the PT Modern Languages and associated primaries have agreed a common programme that matches national guidelines and a checklist of outcomes which enables us to identify the strengths of each pupil in French and allow the Modern Languages department to match resources to each pupils prior attainment.

As part of the Intervention Programme in East Dunbartonshire, St Ninian’s was chosen last year as a pilot secondary school. The English Department worked closely with the Intervention Team and with associated primaries in taking this forward.

Groups of Primary 6 pupils visit St. Ninian's for 3 consecutive Tuesday mornings and attend classes in Science, ICT, and Art in P6; and Science, Home Economics and Music in P7.

Groups of Primary 7 pupils visit the Library for a morning to learn library skills.