ATTENDANCE POLICY
Education is a long-term process which requires commitment over time. The Union Preparatory School appreciates the support of parents in ensuring that students attend school regularly.
We recognize that some of the experiences of life in Saudi Arabia particularly planned vacations create challenges for some families, but with term dates being published well in advance, we would expect family holidays to be scheduled at times when the School is closed.
When parents take students out of school for holidays, the teachers are not obliged to provide work in order to catch up. When students are absent through illness, the school will provide as much support as possible.
PARENTS WILL:
• Ensure their children attend school unless medically unfit
• Communicate with the class teacher by e-mail or letter to explain the absence on the child’s first day back at school.
ADMISSIONS POLICY
The Union Preparatory International School accepts any nationality into the the school. The medium of instruction throughout the school is English.
Applications are accepted for any place that the school anticipates being available.
To be considered for entry, please complete the Registration Form and submit it along with other documentation requested, to the Principal’s Office.
FIRE POLICY
• To have an effective and proactive system of fire prevention, aimed at identifying those circumstances that could lead to a fire if not recognized.
• To have a well-organized means of safe evacuation of all persons on the premises and from all buildings to a point of safety in the event of any emergency.
THE ARRANGEMENTS
• Fire detection systems, such as smoke alarms, appropriately positioned in key areas.
• Various information signs clearly displayed to enable all persons to follow a safe route to the nearest exit in the event of a fire.
• Various instruction and warning notices posted on fire doors, fire exit points and external locations to ensure that exit routes are not restricted or blocked.
• A system of carrying out fire drills involving all staff and students on the premises to ensure the safe and swift evacuation to a pre-designated point of safety.
• A schedule of service and maintenance of all fire extinguishers on the premises to prevent deterioration of the functionality of the extinguisher.
RESPONSIBILITIES
ALL STAFF HAVE THE FOLLOWING RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Take responsibility for any students under their charge at the time of any fire or emergency and ensure they are safely guided out to a pre-designated assembly point.
• Keep all fire exit routes clear and free from obstacles and waste materials.
• Fully co-operate in any evacuation drills.
• Take note and comply with all signs posted around the premises.
• Maintain vigilance for any potential fire hazards and to report them at the earliest opportunity.
SCHOOL CLINIC POLICY
Aims and Objectives: The key aim of the clinic is to provide a medical service to students and staff who are ill or injured during the school day.
All laws relating to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be respected. In support of the key objective of providing a comprehensive approach to health issues for our school community the clinic will:
• Screen students on admission to the school using the Medical Admission Form attached to the Registration Form.
• Manage the immediate assessment of sick or injured children. The clinic will be staffed by a qualified nurse.
• Have procedures in place deal with accidents and medical emergencies including the transfer of students to a hospital.
• Administer medication as per policy.
• Provide serviceable first aid boxes in an around the school and for field trips.
• Monitor and report accidents and their causes.
• Ensure all medical supplies and equipment are serviceable and well stocked.
• Promote sun awareness strategies
• Care for sick children
RECORDING
All students and staff treated in the clinic will be recorded in a log book with time of arrival, name, class a brief diagnosis and the treatment given. All medication brought into school by students must be kept in the Clinic. The medication should be accompanied with a note form the parents detailing dosage and time to be administered.
Some students receive daily or regular medication, this is kept in the Clinic and dispensed as necessary. When medication need replacing because it has run out or is out of date, a letter is sent to the parents via the child.
Treatment of Head Injuries
Ice is applied to the site of the head injury, level of consciousness is checked regularly. Students are checked to ensure they are equal to reacting. In the case of minor head injury the child is kept for 20 minutes. More serious cases are kept until the nurse is confident to send the child back to class or, if the child’s condition gives cause for concern, parents will be contacted immediately and given advice.
Conjunctivitis
Any child who is found to have red/pink or sticky eyes is sent home until a diagnosis is made by a doctor and treatment started. Students up to Grade One are sent home.
Head Lice
If a child is found to have live lice in their hair, parents will be contacted and child is sent straight home with advice regarding treatment needed. Prior to returning to class, the child will be checked to ensure the hair is free of eggs. If eggs are still present, there will be daily hair checks and phone calls to parents until all eggs are removed.
Sending Students Home Early
When it is decided that a child is unfit to return to class and needs to be sent home, parents must be contacted and asked to collect the child from the Clinic. Parent(s) must be contactable at all times and are expected to collect sick children within the hour.
If a driver is sent to collect the child, they must have a photo ID and collect the child from the clinic. Children will never be sent home in any vehicle other than those where they are accompanied by a parent, employed driver or a staff member.
Medical alert list and Asthma list.
Any child with a medical condition (e.g. diabetes, epilepsy, allergies etc) are put on the Medical Alert List. Children with Asthma are on the Asthma List.
Administration of Medication
Authorization for a nurse to administer over-the-counter medication to students is indicated by signing the Parental Consent on the Registration Form. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure the Nurse is informed in writing of any known sensitivities to medications.
HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY
The school regards the promotion of Health and Safety measures as a mutual objective for all management, staff and students at all levels, who use the School premises.
• Establish and maintain a safe and healthy environment throughout the school.
• Establish and maintain safe working procedures among staff and students.
• Make arrangements for informing staff of relevant safety procedures.
• Property to be inspected once per term).
• Ensure that there are appropriate procedures in place to ensure safety with regard to traffic at the start and finish of the school day. These procedures must be communicated to parents.
• Arrange for the withdrawal, repair or replacement of any item of furniture, fitting or equipment identified as being unsafe
• Provide warning signs as appropriate.
• Ensure that any accidents, whether or not an injury occurs, are reported to the Nurse in the School Clinic.
MOST COMMON HAZARDS
- Obstructed doors
- Obstructed electrical panels.
- Obstructed aisles and corridors
- Inappropriate storage of combustible or flammable materials
- Slip and trip hazards
- Electrical hazards
- Guards removed in mechanical and fan rooms are not replaced.
LEARNING AND TEACHING POLICIES
THE AIMS OF THIS POLICY ARE TO:
- Support and put into practice the aims and values as expressed in the Mission Statement.
- Embrace a culture throughout the School that expects teachers to reflect on their pedagogical practice.
- State the expectations of the School with regard to teaching and learning.
- Ensure all teaching reflects the learning needs of the students.
- Ensure that students attain their full potential as learners.
- Help students develop into learners who are respectful, supportive, adaptable, independent and effective communicators.
- Maintain an environment in which students feel valued, happy and successful.
- Share good practice effectively across the whole School.
- Provide the basis by which programes can be developed to monitor effectiveness of teaching and learning across the School.
The aims for teaching and learning are that all students will be:
- Valued, appreciated and respected.
- Exposed to various teaching styles to cater for different learning needs
- Involved in a variety of individual group and whole class activities.
- Immersed in problem solving and creative thinking skills
- Actively involved in decision-making within the classroom.
- Lifelong learners.
TEACHERS SUPPORT THE LEARNING AND TEACHING POLICY STATEMENT BY:
- Delivering an adapted form of the Curriculum Framework for Alberta, Canada.
- Promoting a culture in which diversity is appreciated and valued.
- Considering themselves as lifelong learners.
- Encouraging students to become confident, resourceful einquiring and independent learners.
- Promoting students self-esteem in order to help them build positive relationships with others.
- Nuturing students’ emotional, intellectual, creative and physical well-being.
- Stimulating students’ curiosity and love of learning.
- Giving students’ the confidence to take risks, to persevere and to learn from mistakes.
- Collaborating with colleagues to design, implement and review a stimulating curriculum ensuring that the teaching styles, resources and tools students’ encounter are varied and challenging, offering opportunities for the highest standard of personal achievement by student across the ability range.
- Planning lessons that are informed by the way students learn.
- Reviewing and revising the curriculum based upon input from staff, and appropriate national and international accrediting bodies.
- Using a variety of assessment for learning procedures to inform both students’ and teacher of what has been achieved and what need to happen next.
- Utilising displays and rewards systems to motivate, reinforce concepts and value students’ work.
- Providing lessons which are structured and paced to make effective use of the time available.
- Being alert to opportunities for learning outside the planned curriculum which benefit both social and intellectual learning.
- Celebrating excellence and achievement/effort.
- Promoting global citizenship and foster and appreciation of ethical behavior
IN PROVIDING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR LEARNING, THE SCHOOL WILL SEEK TO PROMOTE:
• A safe atmosphere supported by the effective use of strategies to encourage appropriate behaviour.
• Good management of class time.
• Purposeful enjoyment.
• High self-image and self-esteem.
• High challenge.
• A confident and positive atmosphere in which to learn.
• Frequent use of praise
• A celebration of host culture.
FEEDBACK TO STUDENTS SHOULD:
- Build every students’ self-esteem through sensitive constructive comments.
- Where possible, be immediate.
- Encourage, motivate and reward.
- Support students’ development and progress
- Be explicit.
- Identify misunderstandings or gaps in learning.
- Be relevant to the aims of the lesson.
Feedback to parents:
Parents have a fundamental role to play in helping students to learn. We provide feedback and communicate with parents through:
- Regular reports
- Parent Teacher Conferences
- School diaries
- Newsletters