In-Service days

Terms Dates (all dates are inclusive)

The academic year 2026-27

School Holidays (all dates are inclusive)

In-Service days

Terms Dates (all dates are inclusive)

Parents and carers enrolling their child(ren)in any stage of primary school should contact their catchment school directly.

As part of the enrolment process, parents/carers will also be required to upload photos of verification documents in support of the application. These are:

• A copy of your child’s birth certificate. You can also order a birth certificate on our Order a Certificate page.
• Council Tax notification letter - If you don't have a paper bill, you can download a copy of your council tax bill from within your online account. You will find a link to the Online Account on our Council Tax page. The council tax notification letter must be your most recent bill, issued for 2023/24.
• Evidence of current address - a gas/electric bill, driving licence, phone bill, or benefits letter to confirm your child lives within the catchment area. These documents must not be more than 6 months old. If you receive e-billing for your utilities, you can upload these files as documents instead of printing or taking photos of them.
• Medical assessment (if applicable)

In normal circumstances, all pupils applying for a place at their catchment school will be guaranteed a place. However, if there is an over-subscription of pupils for the number of P1 places available, the school will get back in touch with these parents.

To find out which school is your catchment primary school, please use our catchment checker and contact the school directly. A list of primary schools can be found on our Primary schools page. For further information and support, please email education.services@fife.gov.uk.

For more information about choosing a school, the Scottish Government has produced a publication called 'Choosing a School' This provides guidance for parents on the placing request system.

At our Primary schools we offer two weekly menus that are available on alternating weeks. These menus have been designed to provide nutritious choices that ensure a balanced diet over the week, providing at least one third of the daily nutritional requirements of pupils.

Primary One to Five - save over £475 a year!

All children in Primary One to Primary Five are entitled to a Free School Meal.  Children in Primary Six and Seven that are not eligible for the Free School Meal Entitlement program can also enjoy the same Two Course Meal choices for just £2.50 per day.

Pupils can have soup or dessert with the main meal as part of a two course lunch, this also includes a drink of either milk or water. They are also entitled to a piece of fresh fruit.

For our main meal options we always have a vegetarian option and plated salad or filled roll/sandwich options with a choice of fillings. (V - Vegetarian, Ve - Vegan).

Visit our Online school payments page for more information on how to order your meals. We use a secure online payment system called iPayimpact which offers parents/carers a convenient and flexible way to order and pay for a range of school services.

Special Diets

Should your child have a specific dietary requirement e.g. a specific food that they cannot eat for health or religious reasons, please complete the online Specific Dietary Requirement Form. The school cook and manager will arrange to meet with you to discuss how best to fulfil your child’s needs.

If your child prefers a vegetarian diet there is a selection of suitable dishes on the menu every day and you don’t need to complete a Specific Dietary form.

Fife school meals do not use any ingredients containing nuts, but some products may be made in a non-nut-free environment. You can check the recipes online.

Useful documents

• Primary Menu 2024-25 - English
• Primary Menu 2024-25 - Polish
• Primary Menu 2024-25 - Punjabi
• Primary Menu 2024-25 - Romanian
• Primary Menu 2024-25 - Ukrainian

Free School Meals and School Clothing Grants

We can provide free school meals and a school clothing grant if you are on a low income. The school clothing grant is £130 per child for primary school pupils and £160 per child for high school pupils.

To qualify for free school meals and a school clothing grant you must receive one of the following:

• Income Support
• Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based)
• Employment and Support Allowance (Income Related)
• Child Tax Credit only with annual income below £19,995
• Child Tax Credit & Working Tax Credit with annual income up to £9,552
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999
• Universal Credit, with monthly earned income of not more than £796
• Long Term Incapacity Benefit  (school clothing grant only)
• Widows Allowance -  if not in full-time employment (school clothing grant only)
• Child Tax Credit & Working Tax Credit with annual income below £19,995 (school clothing grant only)
• Universal Credit, with monthly earned income of not more than £1,666 (school clothing grant only)

You can also receive free school meals and clothing grant if you care for a child as part of a kinship care agreement.

All children in primary 1-5 can receive a free school meal without an application however, you must still apply to receive free school milk and a school clothing grant.

During the October Holidays

Parents and carers of children who receive Free School Meals based on benefit entitlement will get a payment of £24.00 per child (£2.40 per day) for the October holidays. There is no need to apply for this payment, it will be made into your bank account on Wednesday 9th October.

Scottish Child Payment

Scottish Child Payment applications are now open for children aged 6 – 15.

It is important that you make your application as soon as possible. If you already receive Scottish Child Payment for a child under 6 but you have older children you must contact Social Security Scotland to let them know.

You can apply online at www.mygov.scot/scottish-child-payment which should take around 10 to 20 minutes in total. Before applying, you'll need:

• the dates of birth of any children you have
• your partner's details, if you have a partner
• your bank details, if you have an account

If you cannot apply online, you can apply by calling Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222. Please be aware that lines may be busy, due to the number of children and families who are newly eligible for this benefit, therefore it may take longer than normal for calls to be answered.

For more information on managing your benefits, living on a budget or help to find work, please see our Benefits Section.

Fife schools follow Curriculum for Excellence, a national framework which is providing our children with learning experiences and opportunities to prepare them for learning, life and work in a changing world. Children learn actively in eight different curricular areas following a curriculum designed by each school to reflect their particular needs and circumstances.

All schools follow the same principles in designing the curriculum, aimed at ensuring that children have the experiences and opportunities to become:

• Successful Learners
• Confident Individuals
• Effective Contributors
• Responsible Citizens

Literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing are addressed throughout the curriculum and children's wider achievements are fully recognised and celebrated, reflecting the value given to wider learning and children’s experiences out of school.

Children are fully consulted throughout their learning and in decisions about what they learn and how they learn it. There are opportunities throughout the school year for parents to receive information and be consulted upon the curriculum children are following, particularly in relation to more sensitive aspects of learning.

Religious and moral education is a core subject for all pupils attending primary and secondary schools in Scotland. Schools also provide opportunities for religious observance in order to promote the spiritual development of the school community. Parents can choose to withdraw their children from participation in religious education or religious observance. Parents wishing to do this should contact the headteacher. The school will make arrangements for pupils to participate in a suitable alternative activity.

Further information about the curriculum is available on the school website, and more general information regarding Curriculum for Excellence can be found at Parentzone, a national resource developed by Education Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.

During the school year a variety of After School Clubs run which children are encouraged to attend.

We encourage our pupils to be actively engaged in school life and children have the opportunity to be involved and express their opinions through a variety of forums; Parent Council (Infant, Junior and Senior) Eco group, charitable events, Open Afternoons for parents and carers.

School improvement

Our Standards and Quality Report and School Improvement Plan Priorities are shared with all stakeholders. Copies of these documents are available on school websites or at www.fife.gov.uk/schools-statutory-information.

Instrumental instruction

Children who show musical promise may qualify for instrumental instruction. The types of instrument offered by Fife Education and Children's Services are violin, viola, cello, double bass, clarsach, woodwind, brass, piano/keyboard, bass guitar, guitar, percussion, chanter and pipe band drumming. The type of instrument available differs from school to school and generally only one type will be available to children in a school.

More information about the music service is available at www.fife.gov.uk/musicservice

Please tell the Headteacher if you do not wish your child to be considered for instrumental instruction.

Assessment is a vital part of learning and teaching at all stages of a learners’ education journey through the Broad General Education (BGE) Nursery to S3 and in the Senior Phase S4-S6. It should be an ongoing process and involve the learner making decisions about their next steps. This takes two forms, assessment that happens at the end of a block of learning that checks how much a child has understood (summative) and assessment that is continuous (formative).

Summative Assessment

This is used to check how successful the learner has been at the transferring skills taught across all areas of the curriculum. It is one way of gathering evidence for reporting to parents or measuring learners progress and achievement. This supports the teacher to make professional judgements about a learners’ progress when used alongside evidence gathered from formative assessment. Standardised assessments are also used when appropriate to gather evidence on their progress in comparison to a cross section of children of a similar age.

Formative Assessment

This supports our learners to know what they are learning, how they will recognise if the learning has taken place and what steps they can take to bridge the gap between what they know and need to learn by this process. Teachers are skilled in using a variety of techniques to formatively assess their learners progress and take this into consideration when making professional judgements about successes and next steps for each learner.

Assessment evidence allows teaching staff to track the progress learners are making and to adapt their practice appropriately. This assessment evidence is then used to support learners who require additional support for learning or for those who require additional challenge in learning. It is important that evidence gathered through assessment be used to improve learning and teaching in our school. We are committed to involving learners and their parents in learning and to report on progress they are making.

In the Senior Phase (S4 – 6) continuous assessment is supplemented by formal examinations, at some levels, and practical tests/investigations. Much of the work of National Qualification courses is internally assessed by the school itself and forms part of the final award. In addition to Unit Assessments for National Qualifications, Preliminary Examinations take place in National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses. These give all learners the chance to practice sitting a formal examination which matches the ‘real thing’ closely and it also gives them a formal diet of examinations which mirror the experience of final exams in April to June each year.

Reporting

It is very important to keep you informed of your child’s progress at school. This allows you to have an understanding of your child’s strengths and next steps in learning. Reporting takes many forms and is used to both give feedback on achievements and next steps and to create an agenda for discussion between learners and their peers, their teacher and with parents at formal parent meetings. When reporting on a learners’ progress this should be positive, specific, supportive and give a clear overview of learning progress. Feedback will be provided for parents at parents’ meetings and in formal written reports. Formal written reports will be based on the various ways in which we report formally and informally throughout the school year. Reports provide an overall summary of progress, achievements and next steps in learning in line with Curriculum for Excellence.

Schools formally report to parents through our Parent Teacher interviews twice a year. A written report is provided in June each year.

Feedback

Pupils will receive feedback from their teachers in a number of ways. Teachers and pupils will engage in learning conversations on a daily basis as they discuss experiences and achievements. Pupils may also receive feedback in the form of written comment in their jotters from their teacher and/or from peers. Feedback will be constructive, telling the pupil what they have done well and what they should do next to continue improvement. We encourage pupils to take note of feedback and to act on it.

School transport

Getting to school

Under your own steam

The healthiest and most fun way for children to get to school is by walking, cycling and scooting. Making more use of active travel options will improve their physical and mental health too.

By bus

Any primary school child who lives more than 1 mile from their catchment school is entitled to free school transport. Secondary pupils get free transport to their catchment school if they live more than two miles away.  See below for more details.

Drop off

If you are thinking about using a car to get to/from school remember that parking near schools is strongly discouraged for safety reasons. Look for alternative drop off points, away from the school, where you and your children can walk the remaining distance.

Transport entitlement

Approximately 13,000 pupils travel daily to school on transport arranged by Fife Council.

Our policy is to provide transport for:

• primary school children who live more than one mile away, and
• secondary school children who live more than two miles away from their catchment school.

You are only entitled to transport to your catchment school, if you are going to a different school through a placing request you may not be entitled to school transport.

You can check if you will get transport to school, by clicking on one of the four maps.

If you are entitled to travel on a school bus, you will be allocated a bus and issued with a travel pass. Lost or damaged passes should be reported to the school office. Pupils who do not live on a bus route may be entitled to travel by taxi or minibus for all or part of their journey.

All enquiries relating to school transport should be directed to the school office.

Bus service and timetable information can be found on the school website or by visiting Travel Fife

Related Publications

• Information for parents/carers of children and young people who travel to school by bus
• Responsibilities of parents and carers of children and young people who travel to/from school by bus
• Walked Routes to Schools - Assessment Policy
• Guidelines for the School Transport of looked after and accommodated children and young people
• Transport Request Form LAC - 2024-25
• Annual Statement Seatbelts 2024-2025
• Mainstream Primary Transport Request Form

Contact

Emai: SchoolTravel.Enquiries@fife.gov.uk

Additional Support for Learning Strategy

Our Education Service has an Additional Support for Learning Strategy which outlines priority tasks identified to help meet the needs of learners with additional support needs across all education establishments in Fife.

All children in Fife have the right to attend their local school. It's the role of the school to support all children, including those who may need additional support.

Supporting Learners' Service

Some children and young people need more support in school to help them to learn. Additional support may be needed for a short time or a longer period; a smaller number of pupils need additional support throughout their time at school. Additional support needs (ASN) can be present from birth or can occur at any point in a young person’s life and may arise for a number of reasons:

• The learning environment
• Family circumstances
• Health and care needs
• Social and emotional factors

The kind of additional support we give is wide and varied and depends on the individual child. The Supporting Learners’ Service can help schools to meet the needs of learners who have an ASN. The Supporting Learners’ Service is made up of multiple teams.

Additional Support Classes (ASCs) and special schools

For a few children with additional support needs it may be that the local school is not the best option for the child. The most appropriate schooling may be within an additional support needs class or a specialist school. Before a decision is made, we will work with families to ensure the best for their child.

Pupil Support Service

The Pupil Support Service is part of a multi-agency support team which help pupils who are experiencing significant challenges in their lives. We want to make sure education is available to these pupils, regardless of their personal circumstances. This includes supporting children for whom inclusion in school and their communities can be problematic.

We have well-developed procedures to identify, assess and respond to the additional support needs of pupils. We encourage both parents and the young person to be involved in any decisions. School staff work in close partnership with a range of other agencies to support children and young people.

We are proud of the quality of the support that we offer to pupils.

If you have concerns about your child’s progress or their additional support needs, please speak to the Headteacher in your child’s school.

You can also contact Enquire – the Scottish advice service for additional support for learning. Operated by Children in Scotland, Enquire offers independent, confidential advice and information on additional support for learning through:

• their website – www.enquire.org.uk
• a telephone helpline – 0345 123 2303
• an email enquiry service – info@enquire.org.uk

Enquire also provide a range of clear and easy-to-read guides and fact sheets explaining everything from ‘additional support in the early years’ to ‘what planning should take place for moving on from school’.

School Transport for children and young people with Additional Support Needs

Fife Council provides transport for approximately 1000 children and young people with additional support needs.

Transport is also provided for approximately 100 children and young people who are looked after and accommodated by Fife Council.

Transport Entitlement

Fife Council policy is to provide free transport for a primary aged child attending their catchment area school who lives more than one mile away and for a secondary aged child attending their catchment area school who lives more than two miles away.

The distance criteria apply to all children and young people including those with additional support needs.  However, children and young people who live within the distances set by Fife Council may be considered for free school transport.

Where the need for travel assistance is specifically identified as part of the multi-agency planning process a formal application will be submitted by the school.   All enquiries should be directed to the school office.

Travel assistance for children and young people who are looked after and accommodated is identified by their social worker and requested by submitting a formal application.  All enquiries should be directed to the social worker.

The type of transport provided will be based on the individual needs of the children and young people and Fife Council will always seek to provide the most appropriate, cost effective provision.

The transport for these children and young people is provided between the home address and the school.  Transport to other addresses and to accommodate respite care is not normally granted.

The parents / carers of children and young people who are entitled to travel assistance will receive information about the type of transport being provided including operator details.

Related Publications

• Guidance on the Safe Transportation of Wheelchairs
• Guidance on the Safe Use of Wheelchairs and Vehicle-mounted Passenger Lifts
• Guidelines for the School Transport of looked after and accommodated children and young people
• Information for parents/carers of children and young people who travel to school by bus
• Responsibilities of parents and carers of children and young people who travel to & from school by bus