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Parental Engagement Toolkit

Welcome to Clydeview Academy’s Parental Engagement Toolkit! This resource has been designed to support parents in fostering strong partnerships with the school and creating the best possible learning environment for your child.

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Our commitment to engaging with parents and carers continues with our refreshed Parental Engagement Strategy and Toolkit. Click on the link to find out more.

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Clydeview Academy Parental Engagement Strategy

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Thanks for Visiting our Toolkit

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Easily create surveys and polls to collect customer feedback, measure employee satisfaction, and organize team events.

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Parental Partnerships Planner 2025-2026

At Clydeview Academy, we value strong partnerships between parents, carers, and the school. This planner outlines key events, meetings, and opportunities for parental engagement throughout the academic year.

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https://parentsportal.scot/pportal//

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ParentPay is the leading online payment service for schools. Cashless payments & dinner money administration for schools, families & local authorities.

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Getting in Touch

At Clydeview Academy, we believe open communication is the foundation of strong partnerships. Here’s how you can connect with us:

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Use this link to access resources for supporting learning at home

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Our Social Media

Why Follow Us?

Stay Informed: Get real-time updates on school activities, important announcements, and key dates.

Celebrate Success: Join us in celebrating the achievements of our pupils, staff, and wider school community.

Get Involved: Learn about upcoming events, opportunities for parents, and ways to engage with the school.

Follow Us On:

X (Twitter): @Clydeview_A
For event updates, school highlights, and daily reminders.

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In this section you will find our home learning policy and other links to support learning at home

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Check out this FAQs section to answer some of your queries

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Newsletters | Clydeview Academy, Gourock

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https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/in/public/cydeviewacademyinverclyde/uploads/sites/5822/2025/04/23132242/roadmaps_depts.pdf

We are excited to share with you our new roadmaps, which clearly outline how the Broad General Education (BGE) phase aligns with and supports progression into the Senior Phase and National 3, 4 and 5 qualifications. These roadmaps are designed to provide clarity and reassurance about your child's progress through the BGE in each subject area.

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School Policies | Clydeview Academy, Gourock

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At Clydeview Academy, our uniform policy reflects our values of Ambition, Respect, and Commitment. Wearing the uniform fosters a sense of pride and belonging within the school community and prepares pupils for the expectations of life beyond school.

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The Parent Council

The Clydeview Academy Parent Council is a vital part of our school community, providing parents with a voice in school decisions and creating opportunities to support pupils' learning experiences.

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Parent Council | Clydeview Academy, Gourock

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Easily create surveys and polls to collect customer feedback, measure employee satisfaction, and organize team events.

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Use this portal to access the supports for reducing the cost of the school day

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Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) from August 2024

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EMA is a weekly allowance, payable fortnightly during term-time, to all eligible young people who meet the criteria.

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Here, you can access the Inverclyde portal for applying for free school meals and clothing grants

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If you wish to apply for free meals for the remainder of the current academic year, ending 28 June 2024, please contact Education Services, on the number shown below.
Who can apply for a clothing grant and free school meals?

From August 2024, all children in P1-P7 have automatically qualified for free school meals.

However, if you wish to be considered for the clothing grant, or your child is or will be in S1 - S6, you must submit an application form. You may qualify for a clothing grant if one of the following statements applies to your family circumstances:

You are currently in receipt of:

Income Support (IS);

Income Based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA);

Any income related element of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA);

Child Tax Credit, but not Working Tax Credit, and your income is less than £19,995 (in 2024/2025) as assessed by HMRC;

Working Tax Credit and/or Child Tax Credit and have an income of no more than £15,051 (in 2024/2025) as assessed by HMRC;

Universal Credit, where your take home pay does not exceed £1,199,

or

you are seeking asylum and receiving support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999;

or

you look after a child/children as part of a formal Kinship Care agreement, registered by Social Work Services.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What if I share custody of my child with another person and/or the school system shows a different address from the one shown on the application form?

If we have a question about where your child lives, we will contact you using the information that you have provided on your application form. You will be asked to provide evidence that you receive child benefit for your child. This information is accessible on HMRC website at: - www.gov.uk/child-benefit-proof. Please note: bank statements are not accepted as evidence that you receive Child Benefit.

As queries will delay your application, please ensure all change of details are given to the school your child attends as quickly as possible during the school year.

How much is the clothing grant?

For the academic year 2024/2025, Inverclyde Council's clothing grant will be £150 for each school aged child in your household.

When can I apply?

You can apply now.

The last date a clothing grant application will be considered for the 2024/2025 academic year is 31 May 2025. Free school meals can be applied for until the last day of term in June 2025.

How do I apply?

Applications can be submitted electronically, using the link on Inverclyde Council's website from a PC or a mobile device.

If you do not have access to the internet, please contact the Customer Service Centre, on 01475 712844, where a member of staff will be pleased to assist.

When will my child receive free school meals?

If your application is approved during the summer holidays, free school meals will be available on the first school day back after the summer break.

For applications received at any other time, meals will be available from the first school day after Education Services have approved the application.

When will I hear about my clothing grant application?

To make sure you receive your clothing grant before schools return in August, please submit your application with the appropriate evidence of your qualifying benefit by mid-July 2024.

At all other times, clothing grant payments will be made directly into the bank account you have provided and normally around 10 days after we have a fully completed application and the appropriate evidence of your qualifying benefit.

Please ensure your bank account accepts payment by BACS transfer. If it does not, payment will be returned to the Council and your grant will be delayed.

If your child is over the school leaving age and has decided to return to school, the clothing grant payment will not be released until it has been confirmed your child has returned to school following the summer break - this means you will not receive payment for this child before the beginning of the school academic year in August 2024.

If we are unable to approve your application, we will contact you using the email address provided on your application form. If we are unable to reach you using email details, we will try your phone number. If we are still unable to reach you, we will aim to write to you within 2 weeks of submission of your application. During busy periods this may take a little longer.

Where an application cannot be approved using the information originally submitted, we will contact you to inform you of this. If we have not heard from you within 4 weeks of this request, we will assume you do not wish to proceed with the application and your paperwork may be destroyed. If you later decide to proceed with an application, you may be asked to reapply.

Will I receive confirmation that my application has been approved or that payment has been made?

Due to the volume of applications received, we are unable to reply to individual applicants to confirm receipt or authorisation of an application.

Where an electronic application has been submitted successfully, a notice will appear on your screen with a message confirming submission. Please take a screenshot of this message. Should there be any issue with your application, we will ask for this message as confirmation that an application has been submitted.

An email will also be generated automatically and sent to the email address you have given on the application form. Please retain this email. Should there be any issue with your application, we will ask for this email as confirmation that an application has been submitted.

If you have not received your payment within 2 weeks of submission AND you have not received an acknowledgment, AND we have not contacted you for further information in that time, please contact us on 01475 712850 (option 2) or email EMA.HO@inverclyde.gov.uk UNLESS your child was born before 1st October 2008.

If any of your children were born before 1st October 2008, the clothing grant will not be released until the school have confirmed they have returned to school AFTER the summer holidays, as they are no longer in compulsory education. You should however receive an electronic acknowledgement when you submit the on-line application.

When will I receive my clothing grant, if my child is going into S5 or S6 in August?

As we need to confirm that your child has returned to school and will remain in school during the 2024/2025 academic year, clothing grants are paid after the start of the school term in August.

What if my circumstances change?

You should immediately notify Education Services of the changes by sending an email to EMA.HO@inverclyde.gov.uk. Alternatively, a letter can be sent to Education Services, Wallace Place, Greenock PA15 1JB.

What if my income levels change from month to month?

When making an application you will be asked to confirm that the income level shown on the supporting document, submitted with the application is what you expect your income level to be for the full academic year.

If, at any point in the academic year, your income exceeds the thresholds shown above you should immediately notify Education Services of the changes by sending an email to EMA.HO@inverclyde.gov.uk. Alternatively, a letter can be sent to Education Services, Wallace Place, Greenock PA15 1JB.

What if I lose my qualifying benefit?

You should immediately notify Education Services of the changes by sending an email to EMA.HO@inverclyde.gov.uk. Alternatively, a letter can be sent to Education Services, Wallace Place, Greenock PA15 1JB.

It is also your responsibility to make sure that your child's school has the most up-to-date contact information for you. This helps reduce delays to your application.

Secondary School Transport Grant

If you are entitled to a clothing grant and free school meals for your child, you may also qualify for a transport grant. You do not have to provide a separate application form.

The transport grant is currently £7.25 per week during term time. It is provided to assist with the costs of transporting your child to and from school. If your child attends St Columba's HS, separate arrangements will apply.

To qualify for the transport grant, your child must be a secondary school pupil living between 1 and 2 miles from their catchment school and be entitled to clothing grant and free school meals for the 2024/2025 academic year.

Where to get help:

Phone us on 01475 712844 or
Email us at EMA.HO@inverclyde.gov.uk or
Write to us at Education Services, Wallace Place, Greenock. PA15 1JB

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Clothing Grant and Free School Meals 2024/2025

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Advice on applying for school clothing grant and free school meals for 2024/2025

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Parental Partnerships Planner 2025-2026

At Clydeview Academy, we value strong partnerships between parents, carers, and the school. This planner outlines key events, meetings, and opportunities for parental engagement throughout the academic year.

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In here you can access information about Inverclyde's schools' transport policy

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Changes in home to school transport arrangements

The Education and Communities Committee agreed in September 2019, changes to the mainstream school transport policy. This was following a series of engagement events with parents.

In preparation for these changes, we wrote to parents of pupils affected providing them with advanced notice of one of the following:

that they will be unaffected by the changes;

due to consistent measuring of qualifying distances (over 2 miles from their catchment school) or the availability of an acceptable walking route, that they will no longer qualify for free school transport from August 2020;

in the case of St Columba's High School pupils, the arrangements which need to be made to reserve a place on a subsidised bus from August 2020;

the arrangements for pupils who are in receipt of free school meals / clothing grant who live over one mile away from their catchment secondary school, and the payment of a transport grant from August 2020.

In the coming weeks, we will work with schools to provide maps of acceptable walking routes to schools to assist those who will no longer receive free transport from August in order that they can plan their routes to and from school.

It is worth remembering that there is no change to the qualifying distances to school transport or to the ASN transport policy and Inverclyde's policy remains more generous than what is statutorily required of us. The policy will now be applied in in a more consistent and equitable way which affects a number of pupils across our schools.

Parents in receipt of free school meals / clothing grant will be entitled to a transport grant from August 2020 if their child lives beyond 1 mile from their secondary catchment school, which is an enhancement to the current policy. Details of this will be provided to them when they apply in the summer.

Below, you can find FAQ's to help you understand some of the changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. I have just received a letter about my child's school transport, what's changing?
The qualifying distances for free school transport have not changed.
This means that if your child is in primary school and they live over one mile from their catchment school, free transport is provided.

For pupils who live more than two miles from their catchment secondary school, free transport is provided.

However for a number of years and for a variety of reasons we have provided school transport for some secondary pupils who live under two miles from their school which was outwith the current policy. This was because there was no acceptable walking route to school or because the location of their school building had been changed.

2. Why is this happening now and when will any changes take effect?

The Council agreed in September 2019 to make it fairer for all pupils by applying the policy in a more consistent way. We have been working since then to reduce any unfairness in the school transport system.

As part of this work we have used a more accurate measuring tool called GIS (Geographic Information System) to make sure we have accurate measurements from the school gate to your home by an acceptable walking route. We have also identified a number of acceptable walking routes which were previously not available.

For those pupils who are not entitled to free school transport, maps will be made available at their child's school in the next few months to give parents and pupils enough notice and time to plan their route to and from school from the start of the new school term in August 2020.

3. What is an acceptable walking route and who decides?

Inverclyde Council assess Walked Routes to School using national guidance. The assessment of a walked route is carried out at a time when children would normally be making the journey to or from school and is conducted on the basis that reasonable caution and basic road safety rules will be followed by people using the route and that the child will be accompanied by a responsible adult if required. In line with the guidance, three practical elements are assessed to identify whether or not a walked route is acceptable -

Footways and Paths - these must have an adequate useable walking width and be of hardstanding (e.g. tarmac, aggregate, beaten earth, etc.)

Lighting - there must be provision of lighting which lights the footway or path

Crossing points - we will consider lines of sight, crossing times, traffic gaps and traffic counts in our assessment.

If the identified route satisfies the criteria it is considered to be an Acceptable Walked Route to School. A bespoke 'Walked Route to School' map can be provided for anyone who is unsure of the recommended route from their home to their child's school and we are working to develop an online system which will allow for easier access to walked routes.

Parents are asked to note that the issue of personal safety is a subjective test and is not considered as part of the walked route assessment as it is for the parent to determine what they deem safe for their child and what subsequent action to take to address their concerns (i.e. arrange accompaniment, or make alternative transport arrangements).

4. Who was consulted?

We undertook a series of consultation events in June 2019 in each of the secondary schools in Inverclyde to talk through the proposals such as moving to bus passes and having more accurate ways of measuring distances. All parents were invited to attend. We then used the feedback from these events to help us plan for the changes we are now making.

5. My child is currently entitled to free school transport because of their additional support needs/medical needs, how will this affect them?

There will be no change if your child currently receives free school transport because of their additional support needs/medical needs.

6. My child is entitled to free school transport but you are going to provide them with a bus pass instead of a place on a dedicated bus. Why?

The current transport policy states that free transport could be provided in the form of a bus pass. The Council continues to identify routes where it is possible for bus passes to be used on a public service route. Not all free transport will be provided by a bus pass.

A bus pass is only considered where:

there is an adequate, reliable bus service which will get your child to school on time and home at the end of the day;

there is an acceptable walking route to the bus stop; and

where no changes of bus is necessary (for example, changing bus services in a town centre).

We are working with local bus companies to make sure arrangements are in place before we issue a bus pass. One of the advantages of a bus pass on a public service route is that it can be used outwith the school day and at weekends.

7. My child is not entitled to free school transport and my letter is asking me to register interest in a place on a subsidised bus service. What does this mean?

If you have received a letter stating you are not entitled to free school transport, in a few cases and because of the nature of the route to school, parents will be asked firstly to register their interest which we will confirm with you in May 2020. We will provide a subsidised bus if there is sufficient demand and it is cost effective to do so. Parents will be charged termly for each child in advance to reserve a place on the bus at a cost of £7.25, per child, per week. If there is no demand, the service will be withdrawn.

We recognise that if you have more than one child travelling on a subsidised bus, there will be a significant increase in costs. Therefore, if this reflects your circumstances, please contact the office on 01475 712850 or e-mail at transport-asn.hq@inverclyde.gov.uk

8. My child currently receives free school meals and a clothing grant. How will these changes affect me?

In September 2019, the Council improved the provision for free school transport for pupils in receipt of free school meals and a clothing grant. Parents of pupils who live beyond 1 mile (instead of 2 miles) from their catchment secondary school and who receive free school meals and a clothing grant will also receive a transport grant (currently £7.25 per week, per child). More details of this will be provided when the clothing grant leaflets and application forms are made available before the summer holidays.

9. I did not receive a letter for all my children. Why?

There may be circumstances where one or more of your children have been using transport, but were not registered to do so. Please contact us if this is the case.

10. Will I be able to register for a seat on the bus for individual days/journeys?

No. In order for the Council to achieve best value in our bus contracts and keep costs down, we need to purchase contracts on at least a termly basis.

11. Will privilege passes still be available?

If there are spaces available, where possible privilege places will be allocated. This will be in September/October.

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A guide to school transport - how we can help get your child to school

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This is the Inverclyde schools' portal. In here you can access everything you need to know about Inverclyde's education procedures

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Here you can find out everything you need to know about schools within Inverclyde. For the most up to date information during Covid-19 visit our related pages at www.inverclyde.gov.uk/coronavirus

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As residents of Inverclyde we can access online mental health support and advice from Kooth

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Kooth is your online mental wellbeing community. Access free, safe and anonymous

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Families can self-refer to Action For Children for counselling

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Safe and happy childhoods

We protect and support children and young people, providing practical and emotional care and support. We ensure their voices are heard, and campaign to bring lasting improvements to their lives.

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We protect and support children and young people, providing practical and emotional care and support. We campaign to bring lasting improvements to their lives