Say NO to bullying

I am sure we have all experienced some of the abuse portrayed in this short clip. It is not acceptable. As teachers, parents and young people we can help eradicate this type of behaviour by saying NO, what you said is wrong.

Young carers

At this week's junior assemblies Tracey Stewart from Edinburgh Young Carers' Project (a voluntary organisation working with and on behalf of young carers throughout Edinburgh) came in to speak to our pupils about the important roles that many young people have in looking after others. This helped raise awareness among staff and pupils about the challenges faced by many young carers in our school.

More details of what they do can be found on their website.

Welcome to 2015

Dear Parent/Carer

Welcome to 2015

 

I hope you a had a wonderful break over the festive period with families and friends and I take this opportunity of wishing you a very happy 2015. It was lovely to see pupils back in school today, as eager and enthusiastic as any teenagers can be after a two week break at this time of year.

As was shared at a recent Parent Council meeting and with all pupils at assemblies, I am pleased that the ‘no homework during holidays’ policy (pupils in S1-3 incl.) was well received by pupils. I am convinced that pupils also need holidays to r

echarge the batteries and to spend quality time with family and friends.

Pupils in S4, 5 and 6 will shortly be starting their prelims so, unfortunately for them, they will have had to spend part of their holiday towards revising for their exams. We will share the prelim results with pupils and parents by the time Parents’ meetings are scheduled in February. This will allow sufficient time for ‘lessons to be learned’ and efforts to be focused towards the final exams in May and June.

We are currently on schedule to move into the new Teaching Block from 3 April and, to that end, the school will be closed for pupils on the following days. Please note the additional ‘holidays’ for pupils on:

Thursday 2 April 2015                     All Pupils

Tuesday 21 April 2015                     All Pupils

Wednesday 22 April 2015             S1-3 only

Thursday 23 April 2015                   S1-3 only

New Year Staffing news:

Mr Martin (Physics) will be leaving us this week to take up a similar position closer to home in the West of Scotland. Interviews for this vacancy to take place next week.

Mrs Allan- Brown (Biology) joined us on5 January.

Mrs Brown (Librarian) gave birth to Ada on Boxing day. Ms Wilson will cover during the maternity leave.

Mr Hay (Chemistry) became a father to Sam on Christmas Eve.

Ms Oatman started with us a Learning Assistant on Monday 5 January.

Ms Kowalczyk started with us a Learning Assistant on Monday 5 January.

Ms Matheson (Geography) returned from maternity leave on 5 January.

And finally, it was pleasing to note that some newspapers have carried a story portraying our school in a very positive light. http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/jan/01/tatler-guide-best-state-schools

Of course as a school we are not complacent. In 2015 we look forward to moving into the first of three ‘State of the Art’ buildings and continuing to evaluate what we do against a backdrop of best practices from around the world and feedback from you, our parents and pupils.

Best wishes to you and your families for a successful, healthy and fulfilling 2015.

Donald j Macdonald

(Headteacher)

Top State Schools in UK

How pleasing it was to receive notification that Gillespie's was included in the Tatler list of 22 top performing state schools in the UK. I am informed that, in addition to exam results, the ethos of the school and the extra curricular provision we offer is also among the best.

Well done and congratulations to everyone associated with Gillespie's. Your varied contributions help make it a special school to be part of.

Copied from 'The Telegraph. 1 January, 2015)

Wealthy parents are prioritising places at sought-after state schools over “shiny preps”, according to the high-society bible Tatler.

The “smuggest mummies” are not those at the gates of top independent schools but those with a place at the best state primaries, it is claimed.

Paying for an education “doesn’t always mean value” and often the right school “isn’t the most expensive one”, Tatler said.

The comments were made as the magazine published its second ever “state schools guide” – listing celebrating the most desirable primaries and secondaries in Britain.

Some 34 schools are listed in the guide – part of the latest issue of the magazine released on Friday – up from 30 at the same time last year.

Related Articles

•  
• Inside Tatler: Posh and proud
  09 Dec 2014
• Middle-classes 'forced out of private schools' as fees soar
  06 Jul 2014
• Bid to stop private schools being 'filled by rich foreigners'
  08 Feb 2014
• Number of pupils in private schools drops amid rising fees
  25 Apr 2013

Those named included Fox primary in Notting Hill, west London, which got the best results in England for last summer’s SATs tests taken by 11-year-olds.
The Grey Coat Hospital school – an all-girl Church of England comprehensive in Westminster – was also listed for the first time after it emerged that Michael Gove, the former Education Secretary, was to enrol his daughter. David Cameron is also understood to be considering the school for his own daughter.
Tatler – the 300-year-old magazine celebrating the lifestyle, fashion and politics of high-society – has traditionally been associated with independent schools, publishing a private education guide for the last decade.
But in early 2014 the magazine took the unusual step of releasing a list of the most sought-after state schools for the first time.
The latest edition, which features 12 primaries and 22 secondaries, said last year’s guide received an “overwhelmingly positive reaction” from its readers.
“Cost doesn’t always mean value: sometimes, the right choice isn’t the most expensive one,” the guide says. “The most important thing is to look at all your options and research, research, research.”
It praises the “superb heads, stupendously dedicated teachers, articulate, smartly turned-out pupils, top-notch academic results [and] sensational facilities” at the top state schools.
“Parents have queued up to sing the praises of their children’s schools (these days, the smuggest mummies aren’t those at the gates of the shiny preps – they’re the ones who’ve snagged a place at the best state primaries),” the guide says.
PRIMARY SCHOOLS
Bousfield Primary, London SW5
Fox Primary, London W8
West London Free School Primary, London W6
William Tyndale Primary, London N1
St Peter’s Catholic Primary, Hampshire
Botley CofE Primary, Hampshire
St Stephen’s CofE Primary, Bath
Trinity CofE Primary, Gloucestershire
Dunchurch Boughton CofE Junior, Warwickshire
Meadowside Primary, North Yorkshire
Bourne Abbey CofE Primary, Lincolnshire
South Morningside Primary, Edinburgh
SECONDARY SCHOOLS
The Grey Coat Hospital, London SW1
The Henrietta Barnett School, London NW11
Highbury Grove, London N5
Holland Park School, London W8
Waldegrave School, Middlesex
The Coombe Federation, Surrey
Dame Alice Owen’s, Hertfordshire
Cherwell School, Oxford
Cranbrook School, Kent,
The Costswold School, Gloucestershire
King’s School, Hampshire
Sir William Borlase’s Grammar, Buckinghamshire
Bishop Wordsworth’s, Wiltshire
St John’s Marlborough, Wiltshire
Gillingham School, Dorset
Hardenhuish School, Wiltshire
Sexey’s School, Somerset
Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge
The Ecclesbourne School, Derbyshire
St Aidan’s CofE High, North Yorkshire
The King’s School, Lincolnshire
James Gillespie’s High School, Edinburgh