Extended Absence

The aim of our Activity programme is to give children the chance to experience and learn new skills or expand and develop existing skills. We try to ensure that children gain enjoyment, healthy exercise, new skills and hopefully the motivation to take those activities they enjoy with them into adult life. Extra-Curricular activities give children the chance to experience different teachers and teaching styles and reap the benefits from this. The programme also gives teachers a chance to give of their knowledge and expertise not only in their teaching subject but also from whatever interests and experience they have.

We offer over 50+ different activities and these include:

 FOBISIA (Federation of British International Schools in Asia) Sports training for events.

 Team Sports such as basketball, football, T-Ball and volleyball

 Drama

 School Newspaper/ Podcasting

 Taekwondo

 Athletics

 Languages: Thai/Mandarin/French

 Arts and Crafts

 Instrumental and Singing lessons

 Horsemanship, Swimming, and Golf may also be offered

Field Trips

Children participate in school field trips throughout the year. These trips are connected to the learning that is taking place in class and are designed to engage and stimulate children to promote discussion and inquiry. Class Teachers will inform you of upcoming trips on Firefly at the beginning of each half term.

Before the trip takes place, class teachers will provide parents with a detailed letter and consent form. Children without parental consent remain at school and attend a different class.

Homework

We believe that Primary age children should participate in a few relevant and appropriate tasks outside of the school environment in order to reinforce, consolidate and extend learning. These tasks will consists of : daily reading and practicing spelling and times tables. Homework should promote the learning partnership between home and school and encourage self-organizational skills and independent learning.

St. Andrews has a diverse community and a wide range of languages and cultures are represented within our staff, children and parents. We value this mosaic of diversity. We believe that it is important to educate our community so that we all understand the uniqueness of our own culture and our interconnectedness with the culture of others. Additionally we value the culture of Thailand as our host country. We utilise our connectedness through the curriculum and with the members of our community who reside within it. Throughout the year we celebrate various important cultural events including Loy Kratong and Songkran.

English as an Additional Language (EAL)

EAL students are classified using the Neale Scale into Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced users. Five fully qualified primary teachers are employed to meet the needs of the school population. Bill Minty is the EAL Coordinator and he works along-side teachers supporting these children. He can be contacted at wminty@standrews-schools.com if you wish to discuss any issue in regard to EAL. The Head of Primary meets regularly with the EAL Coordinator to discuss specific children and the programmes that are run in the primary school. Parents, whose children are on the EAL register, pay additional fees for this service.

Emergency Evacuation

Established procedures exist for staff and children to follow in the event of a need to evacuate the school buildings. In such circumstances, the safety of all community members on campus is of paramount importance.

Emergency evacuation procedures can be found on laminated posters in every classroom. All members of the community are expected to follow them once the alarm bell has been rung. Please proceed to the designated assembly points and wait for instructions. Children and teachers regularly practise these procedures in case of an unlikely event occurring.

Extended Absence

Parents are kindly requested to advise class teachers if children are likely to be absent from school for an extended period of time. Whilst it is not easy to replicate the school-learning environment when you are away, teachers may be able to provide work or some guidance for the student’s continued learning whilst they are absent from school.

Instrumental Music

An instrumental music programme is offered to all children from Year 1. These children have tuition after school, at lunchtime or are taken from classes by the instrumental music teacher at differing times over the week so children do not miss the same lessons. Children are expected to ‘catch up’ the lessons they miss. There is an additional cost for instrumental music instruction. We currently offer tuition in piano, violin, guitar and singing.

Sport plays an important part in our children’s lives. Many teams are organised for internal and external competition. Training for these competitions happens during extra-curricular activities, at lunchtime or after school. The PE Department will notify parents of up-coming competitions, so you are fully informed.

Learning Support (Special Educational Needs)

Special Educational Needs caters for children who are:

 Educationally able – Exceptional Learners

 Children who need support to achieve expectations.

The numbers of children registered continually changes as does their need for support. One teacher and five learning support assistants (LSA) are currently employed to work with these children. Their support comes in the form of either pull-out or in-class activities depending on individual needs and the task that they have been allocated. The Head of Primary meets regularly with the Learning Support Coordinator to discuss specific children and the programmes that are run in the Primary School. There is a specific process that teachers are required to follow in regard to SEN and parents are involved once several intervention strategies have been tried.

Once the school has tried several intervention strategies and a child is still not making considerable progress we will call on more specialised help.

In the past we have used educational psychologists, speech therapists and occupational therapists. They produce extensive reports that teachers are guided through and help teachers implement strategies and activities that help your child make the progress required to succeed. The families involved incur all costs.

Learning Support Assistants (LSA)

These assistants are employed specifically to help children who are on the SEN register. They are the direct responsibility of the Learning Support Coordinator. Their hours are from 8.00 am until 4.00 pm. Learning Support Assistants have an extensive job description that includes preparing for lessons, teaching small groups and supervision.

Library

The library supports the information and recreational reading needs of the primary school community. The Library is the large building in the middle of the campus. Parents are asked to help their children be responsible borrowers by encouraging them to keep books in a set place and return them on time. Any book that is not returned to the library within seven days becomes overdue. Notices are sent out regularly from the library to remind borrowers to return the item before new books may be borrowed. Users will be charged for the replacement cost of any lost books. The library is open from 8.00am until 4.00pm daily.

All items that come from home should be labelled clearly with your child’s name. Lost property will be sent to the School Secretary in the front office. Periodically lost items are displayed in the foyer to encourage children to ‘find’ their losses. By labelling everything your child brings from home you are assuring it is returned as soon as it is found.

Medical Care and Information

A clinic staffed by registered nurses is located on the ground floor of the administration building. A log is kept of all treatment and parents are notified of every visit a child makes. If accident or injury occurs, the nurse will call you as soon as possible.

Illness

We are concerned about your child’s health and safety at all times. We try very hard to make sure they have a safe environment to work and play. We would also like St. Andrews to be a healthy place to work and we ask you to keep your child at home if they are ill or have a fever. Any infectious diseases or any change in your child’s health status should be communicated to the school as soon as possible.

Please make sure that all absences from school are communicated in written form – both notes and email are acceptable.

Injuries

The School Nurse will call parents in the event that a child needs to go home due to illness or injury. In the event of a serious injury or illness, the nurse will contact you so your child can be transported to hospital for further attention. (Bangkok Pattaya Hospital or Bangkok Rayong Hospital) If necessary, the nurse or designated person will accompany your child to the hospital and meet you there.

Medication at School

The School Nurse must administer all medication during school hours. Please make sure this advice comes in a written note with your name clearly stated at the bottom including your signature. All medicines must be in their original container, clearly labelled in English/Thai with your child’s name and dosage to be given. A few over-the-counter medications (i.e. Panadol, Ibuprofen) are available and can be given if parental permission is on file.

Medical Records

It is very important that the School Nurse has complete, updated medical records for all children. Please complete and submit the medical forms with your enrolment forms and keep us updated of any new conditions or immunisations. Also, be sure to keep the school updated with work, home and mobile numbers of parents/guardians and emergency contact information.

If a child is suspected of having head lice the child will be sent to the school nurse by the class teacher. The school nurse will check the child’s head and if live lice are found the parents will be contacted to collect the child so they can be treated with the recommended shampoo. Once a child has been treated they may return to school after the School Nurse has been informed by the parent.

The School Nurse will check all class members once lice has been discovered or reported from that class. Classes with siblings will also be checked at this time. Once again any children who are found with live lice, the parents will be contacted to collect the child so they can be treated with the recommended shampoo. All other children will be issued with a school letter to take home alerting parents of head lice in their child’s class, so their child can be monitored.

Illnesses and Exclusion from School

Exclusion times for the following illnesses are:

Measles 7 days from the appearance of rash

German Measles

Chicken Pox 5 days from the appearance of rash

5 days from the appearance of rash

Mumps

Sores 10 days from onset of symptoms

Must be fully covered and approved by nurse

Ring Worm

Head Lice Must be fully covered and approved by nurse

Until treated

Hand Foot and Mouth Virus 5-7 days from first symptoms

Virus Temperature above 37.5 degrees Celsius

Sun Sense

A small amount of sun can be healthy but too much can lead to painful burns and sun-stroke. We are continually planting trees to improve shade on the campus and providing artificial shade for your child to play in.

All children are expected to have a hat to wear outside and to carry a water bottle from lesson to lesson and at break times. Your child may drink at any time and there are times when we will ask them to drink to prevent dehydration. We also provide inside play options every lunch hour so your child can take a break from the sun.

Mobile Telephones

We firmly discourage any mobile phones at school and do not support their usage at this age level. There is an office phone and we will call you if we believe your child needs you rather than us. Please support us and encourage your child to leave his/her cell-phone at home.

Please inform the school in writing with plenty of time before children leave the school. This enables us to ensure reports and transition papers are completed and ready to pass onto your child’s new school. It also enables teachers to spend time, in class, with children to discuss any social or emotional issues that may come with transition to a new school or country.

Parents absent from Home

On rare occasions you may have to leave home. During this time we would advise that you appoint a temporary guardian who is responsible for your child during this absence. This guardian will act in loco-parentis. This person may have to work with the school regarding your child’s social, emotional or intellectual development, support the school in dealing with issues that arise and take responsibility in case of accident or injury.

Please write a letter to the school, addressed to the Head of Primary, informing us of that decision and the guardians contact details.

Parent Involvement

We welcome all parents into the school. Please feel free to be a part of our learning environment. Please speak to your child’s Class Teacher if you would like to help out. You can become more involved with our school in the following ways:

Class Parent

This person can have a liaison role between the class teacher and the parent body to help the classroom run smoothly. The class parent may assist the class teacher by finding out about things in the community, helping to find other parent helpers for field trips and in-class activities and generally assisting.

Class Helpers and Parent Reading Buddies

Some parents come to class and help by taking individual and small groups of children, or listening to children read. Specific tasks are planned and prepared by teachers and the parent follows the teacher’s plans.

Field Trip Helpers

Parents will volunteer to participate in activities that are outside the school campus. As a volunteer you can expect to have plans and to know the objectives and the behaviour expectations of the children before you leave. You will often be expected to supervise a small group of children and complete a set task.

Sharing Sessions

Classes frequently ask parents to attend school to participate in class activities. These sessions are either formal or informal and are organised by both the children and their teachers. Your role is to turn up and enjoy!

Learning Journeys, Exhibitions and Displays of Work

Parent Teacher Conferences take place at the end of the first and second term. The meetings provide parents with an opportunity to discuss children’s progress. A non-contact day is allocated for this purpose. Parents are provided with End of Term Report and are allocated an appointment time in writing before the Parent Teacher Conference day.

Personal Items at School

Children get excited when a new craze starts and they may wish to bring this toy or item to school to share with their friends. When these items come to school they are sometimes lost, broken or swapped unwisely. Teachers then have to spend time trying to resolve these issues instead of teaching your child. Often there is no resolution to these problems and it causes undue stress both at school and at home.

We would therefore prefer that these items stay at home. If you allow your child to bring these items to school, we will not take responsibility for them. Your child will be responsible for any losses or damage.

Play Times – Outdoor and Indoor Options

There are designated areas of play for groups of children in the Primary school. Each area has its own set of expectations. Nursery, Kindergarten and Reception children play inside the U-shape of their buildings. Years 1 to 4 play on the field adjacent to Block 1 and the Year 5 and 6 children play on the hard court and training pitches. The foyers of Block 1 and 2 are open for children to play in for half of the lunch break. This gives children an opportunity to get out of the heat if they wish to do so.

Playgrounds and Break Duty

Primary staff members are scheduled on duty during break time. Staff members on duty will:

 Monitor behaviour

 Apply the school consequences for inappropriate behaviour

 Report accidents/injuries to the School Nurse

 Listen to students and be fair in dealing with them

 Intervene early in any observed misbehaviour

 Cordon off any unsafe area/equipment

St. Andrews is committed to the professional development of their staff be they professional or support staff. To this end, Teachers attend workshops locally and internationally. Some of this development happens on non-contact days when children are on holidays and some occurs whilst school is in session. A Substitute Teacher will be employed to cover your child’s class while the Classroom Teacher is away if this professional development is scheduled during class time. Professional development sessions are held monthly in the Primary School. A staff meeting is put aside for this purpose and teachers implement this professional development in their classrooms.

Reporting Procedures

In addition to providing regular, valuable feedback to children, a schedule of regular reports ensures that parents remain informed about their child’s progress. Teachers also contact parents to report on achievement or to inform parents of concerns or changes in their child’s progress.

We encourage discussions about learning to occur with the teacher, child and parent together as this encourages responsibility and continued learning. However parents are welcome to arrange an appointment with their child’s teacher at any time should they wish to talk about their child’s learning alone. We ask that parents do not ask for a meeting without prior arrangement in order to allow teachers to focus on teaching and learning during the school day.

In addition to meetings requested by parents and teachers the following are scheduled reporting times:

 Settling-in Reports – After one month at school each new child receives a settling in report. This report tells you how your child has adapted to the new schooling situation.

 At the end of each term, teachers complete a report on each child’s progress. In Term One this is followed up with a Parent Conference. In Term Two this is followed up with a Studentled Conference.

 In Term Three a report is completed by teachers. This report is copied and sent home. This report reflects on the child’s development and progress throughout the year.

School Photographs

Each year photographers come to school to take photos of all the children. These photos are then made available to parents who are interested. We will keep you informed of dates and times for this event through the school newsletter.

Security

The school hires security staff, who work at night and during the day. The Head of Security is Khun Manit. He can be found on the security desk as you walk on the campus. A sticker system operates for vehicles. Guests to the school are required to sign in at the entrance.