Bannockburn Primary School
Newsletter
March 2023
A note from Mrs Cleland
I can’t quite believe that we
have reached the end of our
spring term already. It has been
a very busy and successful term.
I would like to thank Mrs
McFarlane and the Social Justice
Ambassadors for organising a
fabulous Comic Relief fun day.
The learners at Bannockburn
Primary School raised an
amazing £353.20 for Comic
Relief.
A big thank you to our Parent
Council and parent volunteers
who organised a very successful
half term disco in February. It
was lovely to see so many of
our learners attend the event.
Our Parent Council have also
made a generous contribution
to the development of our P1-3
maths home learning packs.
Mrs Oates has been able to
replenish the packs with some
new resources. We hope our
learners enjoy using them.
It was lovely to meet many of
you at our Parents evenings last
week, I am sure that you will
agree that our learners have
been working hard and making
progress in their learning.
I would like to extend a warm
welcome to Mrs Maxwell who
has been appointed as
permanent class teacher in the
autism provision.
I hope you all have a wonderful
Easter holiday and I look
forward to welcoming learners
back on Monday 17 April 2023.
Health and Safety Update
I would like to take this
opportunity to remind you that
we are a nut free school. Can
you please ensure that learners
do not bring any food that
contains nuts into school as
some of our learners and staff
have serious nut allergies.
To ensure the safety of our
learners we ask that they do not
wear jewellery during PE
lessons. We also ask that finger
nails are kept short and that
learners are not wearing false
nails or nail extensions to
school.
Mobile Phones and Smart Watches
There is an increase in the number of
pupils who are bringing their mobile
phones and smart watches to school.
These will be collected by the class
teacher in the morning, kept in a safe
place and returned at the end of the
day.
AP Coffee Afternoon
It was lovely to see some of our
families attend the coffee afternoon on
Wednesday 28 April. This gave the
opportunity for parents and carers to
meet the staff and see some of the
changes that have been made in the
provision recently.
Bannockburn Primary School
Newsletter
March 2023

Online Safety: Top Tips

Going on line is a huge part of young people’s lives so it’s important to talk to them about
online safety. We are aware that many of Will a
our learners are using a variety of online
platforms. We hope that you find the following information helpful when supporting your
families to stay safe online.

Chat to them about what they like to do online

The best way to find out what your child is doing online is to talk to them and have regular conversations so that
online safety is part of everyday discussion. Ask them open-ended questions like “What’s your favourite game of
app to play on?”.

 Listen to what they have to say and show an interest. They could give you a demo of their favourite app or
show you their favourite YouTube or TikTok account.
 They will probably be able to teach you things you don’t know! This will also give you an opportunity to
chat about any safety settings they might already have in place.
 Regular conversations with your child will encourage them to come to you if they ever need support or
advice.

Talk about who they are in contact with online

There are lots of different ways that children can talk to people online – messaging apps, on social media,
and less obvious ways such as online gaming. Talk to your child about who they are talking to and what
they are sharing with them.

 Use settings to help limit who can contact your child.

 Remind your child that they shouldn’t share personal information with people they don’t know
online.
 Let your child know they can come to you or another trusted adult if any conversation makes
them feel uncomfortable.
Bannockburn Primary School
Newsletter
March 2023
Help manage what they see online

Parental controls and privacy settings can help you manage how your child spends time online and help to keep
them safe.

 Device settings – manage things like location sharing, screen time and in-app purchases. Most tech and
gaming companies have dedicated pages to support with setting these up.
 App or game settings – in-app tools that can help to keep your child’s account private and manage who
they’re talking to. You can normally find information on these in account settings or directly on the
platforms website.

Remember it’s ok to ask for help!

Remember you don’t have to be an online safety expert. If your child asks you a question you don’t know the
answer to or speaks to you about a negative experience they had online, here are some of the things you could do:

 Visit NSPCC online safety hub: nspcc.org.uk/online safety

 Call NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 to speak to an advisor
 Ask another parent
 Speak to your

Attendance at school is important for a number of reasons including raising the attainment
and achievement of our learners. We monitor the attendance of our learners on a regular
basis, those who have less than 90% attendance will be contacted in writing by Mrs Cleland to
advise and highlight possible next steps. We are aware that absences do happen and ask that
you contact the school office to advise of any absences so that these can be recorded
correctly.
Bannockburn Primary School
Newsletter
March 2023

 Please ensure that learners are bringing a bottle of water to school to drink in class
throughout the day. Learners will have the opportunity to fill their bottle when required.
Energy drinks and hydration drinks such as Prime, Lucozade Sport and Body Fuel are not
permitted.
 We are noticing an increased number of dogs in the playground before and after school.
Please be aware that dogs are not permitted in the playground.

Diary Dates

 Friday 31 March 2023 – School closes for spring break.

 Monday 17 April 2023 – School opens to staff and pupils.
 Friday 28 April 2023 – School closed to pupils (Staff Development Day)
 Monday 1 May 2023 – School closed to staff and pupils (Local Holiday)
 Monday 8 May 2023 – School closed to staff and pupils (Local Holiday)