Parents' night

This evening was my opportunity to wear my parent's hat and meet with my daughters' teachers in order to find out how they are getting on and to discuss what, as parents, we can do to further support the work of the school. Pleasingly, both girls are progressing well. Importantly, they enjoy learning and have good relationships with others across the school. The teachers we met tonight were superb. They clearly knew our daughters' strengths and weaknesses, and, through Personal Learning Plans, next steps in learning were being planned in consultation with the girls and ourselves. What was particularly impressive and reassuring was how aware and alert the staff were of the girls' personalities and idiosyncrasies and how their teaching methods were adapted to take account of these.

All the teachers we met spoke enthusiastically of Curriculum for Excellence and it was clear that 'richer', 'deeper' and 'connected' learning and a concerted effort among staff to develop the four capacities is at the heart of what is practised at Tollcross.

When we got home, the girls were eager to find out what we had learned about them. It was lovely to share with them how pleased we were with their efforts and the progress they were making.

Reflecting on what I learned this evening I feel that Secondary teachers have much to learn from our Primary colleagues. Perhaps, in the secondary context in recent months, too much time and energy has been spent on discussing examinations and when schools should start teaching content that is at National Level 5. These are distractions. What we must continue to focus on is ensuring that we have the best teachers in our classrooms with the best resources that can be found. Our children will need to have the best possible education in order to compete in an increasingly competitive world. 'An t-ionnsachadh òg an t-ionnsachadh boidheach'.

School successes

Our U15 boys basketball team have been crowned Scottish champions after defeating North Berwick High School in the final 50 – 44. This is the 3rd year in a row that this group of players have won the Scottish Cup!!

This follows closely on the heels of school successes in Chess (Scottish champions and now into the last 8 schools in the UK),Under 18 Rugby (Scottish champions) and Gaelic Film Awards. Well done to all of our pupils and thanks to the parents who continue to do a sterling job in encouraging and supporting those involved.

Learning Languages

''If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.''(Nelson Mandela)


James Gillespie's rightly prides itself on the diversity of cultures that we have in our ranks. By way of example, at an S1 assembly two weeks ago, there were claims to at least fifteen languages being spoken by at least one of the pupils. We are so fortunate to have this rich cultural base to build on.

Building on the language experience in the home, I am really keen to ensure that we offer as many opportunities to learn and deepen language skills as possible. To that end I met with languages staff today to explore how we can continue to offer Urdu as a certificated subject. In recent years the numbers taking Urdu has dropped, thus, in these difficult times, the case to continue Urdu has weakened. I am delighted that given an increased interest this year, we will be able to offer Urdu to those S2 who have selected it as a course of study at Nationals 4 and 5 in S3 from June. Results in Urdu have been strong over the years and I have every confidence that it will go from strength to strength.

In addition to Urdu, other languages currently taught at Gillespie's include: French, German, Spanish, Mandarin and Gaelic. In the coming years I consider it essential that every pupil is given the opportunity to develop skills in at least one other language other than what is spoken at home. Scotland is a relatively small country that relies heavily on developing markets with other countries. I have no doubt that graduates with an ability in languages will be advantaged in the highly competitive jobs market that prevails.

Basketball final

Good luck to our Boys' under 15 basketball team who have progressed to the Scottish Schools' final. Having comfortably defeated Lourdes Academy last week, the final will be contested on Tuesday 27 March with a 1.30 Pm tip off.
Max Allison 3M3
Tony Low Macrae 3M2
Thomas Skinner 3M2
Sam Stott 3M2
Hector Will 3M2
Lars Fisher 3M4
Joe Highet 3M4
Samuel Leishman 3R1
David Bharrat 3K2
Calum Peterson 4K1
Dylan McDonald 4K1

Spring sunshine

Sunshine stimulates the production of serotonin which promotes a good mental outlook and fights Seasonal Affective Disorder. It also stimulates the pineal gland which produces melatonin. Melatonin is one of the chemicals that operates our bodies clocks and helps with sleep function. Ninety percent of our vitamin D comes from exposure to the sun.

At break and lunchtime today it was lovely to see pupils sitting outside in various nooks and crannies around the campus enjoying time with friends in the Spring sunshine. I was also really pleased to see that teachers took advantage of the weather by taking classes outside and using various parts of the school grounds rather than staying in classrooms. Those pupils I spoke to were enthusiastic and thought it was great to get out and work in the sunshine. Here's hoping that this fine weather continues throughout the Easter period.

Attendance

Monday's Evening News reports that Edinburgh Council, is, for the first time, planning to prosecute parents for failing to send their children to school. I think that this sends a very clear and decisive message to parents and children that attendance at school is very important and does matter. Excellent attendance at school is essential if pupils are going to realise their potential. Additionally, developing a good work ethic in the formative years sets pupils up for life.

In the coming months, I will be looking very carefully at the attendance record of a small minority of Gillespie's pupils who are causing concern. As a rule of thumb, any pupil who is off school on more than three occasions in a session or misses more than 5 days over the course of a session should be challenged to improve. Pupils who have known medical issues, will, as is currently the case, receive the support they need to ensure that they do not fall behind in their studies. In an increasingly competitive employment market, I consider that schools have a duty to expect the highest of standards from all pupils.

Skill force

Earlier today, along with some colleagues, I met with representatives from Skill Force. Skill Force is an Educational charity working with 13-19 year old young people. The staff they employ are mainly ex-service personnel who draw on a range of personal experiences. It is our intention at Gillespies to work with organisations such as Skill Force in order to augment our current provision thus aiming to ensure that all of our pupils develop the skills they need to compete in an increasingly competitive jobs market.

Working with an increasing number of schools across the UK, Skill Force deliver a curriculum and related activities that provide young people with the knowledge, skills, experience and long term personal support and most importantly, the self belief to aspire and achieve. Throughout my years in teaching I have learned that some young people realise their potential more effectively when opportunites are offered outside the (traditional) classroom. By way of example, many schools are rediscovering that outdoor learning is hugely enriching and advantageous for pupils. Curriculum for Excellence encourages schools to be creative and imaginative in finding the ways that best allow young people to learn and to grow. I am delighted to be leading Gillespies at a time when so many opportunities are being made available to make learning more relevant and fun for everyone.

In the coming weeks we will firm up plans for an enriched curriculum for a number of pupils in our current S2 and S3.

Visit from former pupil

We were delighted to welcome Rupert Breheny back to Gillespie's today. Rupert left Jghs in 1988 to pursue a Biology degree at St Andrews and, after graduating, gained experience in a variety of areas including being a marine biologist in sunnier climes and teaching in London. In 1996 Rupert developed his first website and in 2006 gained employment with a new and growing company by the name of Google. He went on to become the first British webmaster with Google and is now one of a worldwide team of 70 tasked with maintaining and developing the Google that is now a household name. Rupert spent time this afternoon working with classes in our computing department and shared his enthusiasm for computing and the world of technology with pupils. In Rupert's own words: 'It was a real treat to tread the old corridors again and a genuine honour to speak to the classes whom I found to be genuinely attentive and very switched on indeed. You have some very smart cookies there.'

Sincere thanks to Rupert for getting in touch and taking the time to share his enthusiasm and experiences with us. Thanks in particular to Mrs Barrass and also Mrs Brown for facilitating the visit.

Youth Forum

At the end of today I met with Mairi, Antonia and Mia (all in S5) in order that they could tell me about their involvement with the Edinburgh Youth Forum. The Edinburgh Youth Issues Forum is a partnership with young people and the City of Edinburgh Council and its partners to discuss and influence citywide youth issues and services. The Forum is open to all young people in the city aged 11-21.

They shared with me that the Youth Forum meets once a month to discuss community issues. Supporting them in their efforts are various partner agencies and local councillors. I was really impressed at how impassioned the girls were about wanting to make a difference to their local community. Areas we spoke about included litter and youth unemployment. The girls suggested that they might contact local employers to try and persuade them to offer opportunities to school leavers in the summer. I think this would be a novel approach and is one we agreed to return to in more detail.

Four universities join elite Russell Group

Recently, following an information evening for parents of our S2 pupils, a parent contacted me in regard to a query on entrance qualifications for undergraduate sciences' courses. She made mention of what the 'Russell Group' universities were seeking.

Subsequently I learned that the Russell Group represents some of the most prestigious universities in the UK - and will now have 24 members. The most recent to join this group are: Durham, Exeter, Queen Mary, University of London, and York.

The other Russell Group universities are Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Imperial College London, King's College London, University College London, Leeds, Liverpool, London School of Economics, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Queen's University Belfast, Sheffield, Southampton and Warwick.

Meetings galore

The first meeting of the day was with my senior team. Starting the day like this provides an opportunity to share updates on key areas and also allows us to pool our efforts where this is needed. I also gave an update on key points from yesterdays' secondary headteachers' meeting.

At 0900 I met with Alex and Bethany to get feedback from the pupil council meeting and to discuss fundraising plans for the coming weeks. Other areas discussed included: Schoolbags, venues for pupil council meetings, access to email, quiet areas for seniors to study and proposed changes to our use of ICT when wifi is installed later this year. I was really interested in the view expressed by some of our pupils that they would prefer to continue with jotters and pens/pencils rather than more than use portable computers in classrooms. This is something that we will need to consider very carefully as the costs involved in providing a portable electronic device for all pupils could be considerable. Based on this (limited) feedback from our pupil council the limited finances we have may be better spent on more traditional resources.

One of the frustrations reported to me by pupils is the number of websites that are currently blocked by the council firewall. Pupils would, for example, like to be able to transfer essays from home to school by email, rather than using pen drives. Current firewall configurations prevent pupils from accessing Hotmail, Gmail, Virgin Media etc. During the next ICT upgrade will be an opportunity for the Council to reflect on and possibly revise current levels of filtering. Most pupils now have access to their emails on their phones so why make life more complicated by denying access to them on school computers?

After further meetings with various colleagues I particularly enjoyed a meeting I had with Professor Muneer from Napier University. Amongst various possible collaborative projects with Napier University we will be exploring how some of our students can learn more about Prof Muneer's pioneering work in the area of renewable engineering.

In the afternoon I met with headteachers from our associated primary schools. At this meeting the main item on the agenda was planning towards how best we can support the current P7s who will join us in S1 at JGHS in August later this year.

Whilst I was driving home after writing up my notes from all of today's 8 meetings I was reminded of a 'PS' on an email I once received from a colleague after I'd invited her to meet with me. It read: 'Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings, they did it by killing all those who opposed them.' Perhaps I'll suggest we should meet up to reflect on this.

Mandarin

Tonight's S2 parent consultations was well attended and I hope that parents considered the evening to be useful in terms of allowing them to help pupils make better informed choices as they select courses for S3. It was great to see such a good turnout at such an important event.

A number of pupils and parents have contacted me in the last week or two to enquire if we will be offering Mandarin or Chinese studies next session. I would be keen to develop Mandarin in our school and will do this if there is sufficient interest among pupils. A knowledge of Mandarin and/or Chinese culture will undoubtedly benefit pupils in the future.

James Gillespie's HS trust

The James Gillespie's Trust was established to provide support and funding for educational and extra-mural activities within James Gillespie's High School and its community. In addition, the Trust fosters strong links with past pupils.

On Saturday 3 March former pupils of JGHS were invited back to the school. This gave our alumni an opportunity to renew friendships and to share reminiscences. I really enjoyed listening to the stories from pupils, and especially from the more senior members. All those I met spoke proudly of our school and agreed that JGHS had prepared them well for life. Topics we talked about included: School uniform, entrance exams, the school hat(!), the school song, Miss Andrew (former Headmistress), discipline, evacuation during the war and school lunches. One particular lady (Nan Stewart,aged 95)who attended from 1926 - 1934 shared vivid and fond memories of her school days.

Many thanks to Jean Knox for organising this very successful and enjoyable event.

School bags

As Friday is my day on call I picked up a few issues today. Surprisingly, four pupils were referred to me as they did not bring their school books and materials with them to school. This took me aback as I did not expect to have pupils at Gillespie's who are so disengaged from their learning. I recently wrote to parents to clarify our expectation that all pupils are expected to carry a school bag of an appropriate size (large enough for an unfolded A4 jotter is a rule of thumb)to and from school. Pupils who, for whatever reason, are unable to comply with this request will be asked to report to me on Monday morning to discuss the matter. I feel it is essential that every pupil is given the opportunity to engage fully in all lessons and be able to complete homework. Those who are unable to afford a schoolbag will be provided with one. I have noticed that the pupils who are in the habit of not carrying a bag are the very ones who need to work harder to catch up with the others.

Spring fling

Last night's 'Spring fling' concert at the high school was wonderful. I really enjoyed listening to the variety of different instruments being played and the wide age range of performers who entertained us so well. I am certain that our younger primary school performers, who were excellent ambassdors for their schools, will have benefitted from sharing a stage with our more senior pupils. I would like to offer sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to making last night such a success. In particular, well done to Mrs O'Brien and Ms Millar.