Sgioba Coimhearsnachd Darach
Darach Community Team
Our dedicated team supporting every Gaelic Medium learner through pastoral care, learning and community.
What the Community Team does
Darach Community is home to all of our Gaelic Medium Education (GME) pupils, where language, culture and identity are at the heart of what we do. The Community Team looks after the wellbeing, attendance, attainment and progress of every pupil in the Community: S1 to S3 pupils, and Gaelic Medium pupils in S4 to S6.
Our Pupil Support Leaders keep a personal connection with pupils and families and are the first point of contact for pastoral matters, tracking attendance and attainment. Behind that sits a team working together so that no pupil’s needs are handled by one person alone.
Our weekly team meeting
Once a week, the Community Team sits down together to talk through our pupil caseload. It is the engine of how we support Darach pupils.
Caseload review
We go through the pupils we are currently supporting: how they are getting on, attendance, attainment, wellbeing, and what has changed since we last met.
Joined-up decisions
Pastoral, learning support and Gaelic Medium staff share what they know and agree next steps together, so a pupil and their family get one consistent plan rather than several separate conversations.
Early intervention
Meeting weekly means small concerns are picked up quickly. We would always rather act early and gently than wait for a problem to grow.
A typical meeting
- Review. We start with the pupils already on our caseload and what has changed since last week.
- Share. Pupil Support Leaders, Support for Learning colleagues and the Community Head share what each of us knows.
- Agree. We decide what targeted support is needed and who will lead on it.
- Follow up. Actions are reviewed at the next meeting, and families are kept informed by their Pupil Support Leader.
What we look at
- Attendance and punctuality
- Attainment and progress
- Wellbeing and any additional support needed
- New pupils joining the Community
- Transitions, including from the Gaelic primary school
Supporting Gaelic Medium pupils and families
Darach Community has a particular responsibility to Gàidhlig-speaking pupils and their families. That includes supporting the growth of the Gaelic Medium community at the school, helping pupils settle in as they move from the Gaelic primary school, and making sure Gaelic Medium learners get the same quality of pastoral support as every other pupil in the school.
Working with families
We work in partnership with parents and carers. Your child’s Pupil Support Leader is happy to meet you when it helps, and where a young person needs more than the school can offer alone we work with other agencies, following the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) approach.
If something is worrying you, please get in touch early. A short conversation now is almost always easier than a long one later. You can find the school’s contact details on our Contact us page.
Meet the team
Mrs Donna MacIver
Depute Head Teacher & Community Head
Iar-Cheannard & Ceannard Coimhearsnachd Darach
Leads Darach Community as Community Head. Chairs the Community meeting with the Pupil Support Leaders and Support for Learning colleagues, agreeing targeted support for individual pupils, and oversees attendance and punctuality across the Community. Also leads the development of Gaelic Medium Education at the school.
Mr Alasdair Alexander
Pupil Support Leader
Ceannard Taic Sgoilearan
First point of contact for pastoral matters. Tracks attendance and attainment, meets parents and specialist agencies when needed, and supports the Gaelic Medium community, including transition from the Gaelic primary school.
Mr Ronan Docherty
Pupil Support Leader
Ceannard Taic Sgoilearan
First point of contact for pastoral matters. Tracks attendance and attainment, meets parents and specialist agencies when needed, and supports the Gaelic Medium community, including transition from the Gaelic primary school.
Miss Maria Moreno
Teacher, Support for Learning
Works with class teachers on strategies that help learners with additional needs access the curriculum, in partnership with parents, support staff and other professionals.