Friday 28 August

1. Thanks to everyone in the JGHS community for your understanding and support as we settle back into the routine of school. The biggest change we made in our working practices during this past week was the expectation that all would wear face coverings whilst in busy areas of the school. I’m pleased to see that this been strongly supported by all in our community and has been extended across all of Scotland’s secondary schools.
2. In relation to pupils seeking exemptions from wearing a face covering,  the following procedure will apply:
3. If you would like your child to be exempt from this expectation, please email the school office Admin@jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk or your child's Pupil Support Leader stating your child's name and reason for exemption.
1. The Pupil Support Leader will then email school reception where a personalised exemption card will be prepared. (Cards will be ready from 0830 on Tuesday 1 September)
2. This card will only have your child's name and class on it and will support your child demonstrate their exemption without having to go into any details.
4. Earlier this week I met with our Pupil Voice leaders to reflect on progress and explore how we might further develop what we are doing to keep everyone safe.  We talked about the challenges around social distancing in communal spaces around the school and also whilst queuing at local shops. There isn’t an easy or obvious answer to this so we agreed to reflect and discuss at our next meeting. In the interim, all agreed that pupils would be encouraged to wear face coverings where social distancing was more difficult to achieve.
5. Please encourage your son/daughter to dress appropriately for the unpredictable Scottish weather. Classroom windows will be opened to allow air circulation and, other than in really wet weather, pupils should be outdoors at breaks and lunchtimes.  
6. I’m pleased that our S1 photographs went ahead on Wednesday morning as planned. In order to comply with Council Guidelines, these were taken in an outdoor space. The resulting photographs look terrific. After the draft ‘Proofs’ are delivered to school we will distribute these to you and share how you can order (online) copies as suits.
7. All refunds from cancelled Spring/Summer excursions have now been processed on ParentPay. Thank you all for your patience.
8. At this time of year we would expect common colds to become more widespread.  
1. Please continue to access the NHS Guidance so that you will know when you should get tested for Covid19.
2. As a school we will err on the side of caution if/when any pupil displays one or more of the three recognised Covid 19 symptoms.
3. As always, email or phone the school if your child Is absent and do tell us if your family is waiting to be tested for Covid19. This is recorded differently in the school’s attendance register.
4. Remember to tell us the results of the Covid19 test and when your child is returning to school.
9. As we settle into a new school year we are aware you may be clearing out old revision books, success guides, textbooks etc.  If you would like to donate any of these items then we have set up a tray in the entrance foyer where your child could drop them off.  Due to our current situation, these resources cannot be shared as easily between students.  Therefore, any donations would be much appreciated by our Support for Learning Department and Equity and Attainment Hub.
10. Look out for emails from our Parent Council. We have a very strong and active Parent Council and I would encourage you to get involved and engaged. The next meeting will be online and is scheduled for the evening of Tuesday 22 September.  

 

My quote for the week: ‘There is no education like adversity’. (Disraeli)

 

Best wishes to all for a restful and safe weekend.

 

Donald j Macdonald

Headteacher

Friday 21 August

Firstly, my sincere thanks to all members of the JGHS community for your ongoing support as we re-form as a school community after a 5 month break. This past week has gone mainly to plan but there have been a few challenges. Pupils and staff are adjusting to new routines and, as circumstances and guidelines from the Scottish Government and the City of Edinburgh Council evolve, we will continue to adapt how we operate as a school. Please be reassured that our overriding priority is to keep everyone safe. All of our procedures and protocols will be kept under continuous review.

 

What’s working well?

 

1. The positivity of pupils and their willingness to follow Health and Safety procedures
2. Our attendance has been very high throughout the week. (95%)
3. Our new S1s are settling in well and are enjoying High School. Our S6 befrienders/buddies have been stars!
4. A one-way system operates effectively at ‘rush hour’
5. All are regularly washing and sanitising hands.
6. Desks and chairs are disinfected for each class changeover.
7. Classrooms have been reorganised to ensure pupils are all facing in the same direction and to maintain a 2m distance between teachers and pupils.
8. All pupils are outside in the fresh air at breaks and lunchtimes. During inclement weather, indoor spaces, by year groups, may be accessed.
9. All pupils have worn face coverings whilst visiting local shops. (We phoned the shops at midday today to find out!)
10. Parents are following the guidelines in keeping children off school when any of the Covid symptoms are being displayed. NHS Guidance
11. Litter, across the school campus, is down by 99%.

 

What’s been challenging?

1. Moving safely around crowded corridors with too few pupils wearing face coverings
2. Pupils gathering in large groups outside of school at break and lunchtimes is unsettling for members of the wider community.
3. Reassuring pupils, parents and staff who are anxious about being in a very large and busy school.
4. Making alternative arrangements for some senior pupils who are (currently) not allowed to take classes in neighbouring schools.
5. Offering the full range of activities in practical subjects such are Sciences and PE are limited at present
6. Not being able to hold assemblies for large groups of pupils.

What will we do next week that’s different?

1. From 0800 on Monday 24 August all adults and pupils must wear face coverings indoors whilst moving around between classes. Masks, face coverings and visors are available free of charge to anyone who has lost or forgotten their face covering. (This decision applies to JGHS and is based on feedback from pupils, parents and staff. Pupil Voice leaders, teaching unions and the school’s Health and Safety committee were all consulted and have unanimously endorsed this approach)
2. We will review expectations of pupils in regards to distancing when they are out and about in the community during breaks and lunchtimes.

 

Miscellaneous

 

1. S1 Photographs will be taken on the morning of Wednesday 26 August.
2. School Trips (March to July 2020) refunds are now being processed. (Apologies for the delay)
3. The dining room is up and running, A full range of snacks at reasonable prices is available at both break and lunchtimes.
4. Teachers are currently being consulted on what changes could be made to courses and ongoing assessments so that exams can go ahead in May/June of 2021.
5. I will email all pupils directly over the weekend.

 

And finally,

 

My quote for the week: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain.

 

Best wishes to all for a lovely and safe weekend.

 

Donald j Macdonald

Headteacher

Friday 14 August

Firstly, thank you to everyone for helping us reintroduce all of our pupils to school based learning after such a lengthy absence from school. Overall, the pupils have been brilliant! Teachers report that pupils have been terrific and are aware that many are anxious about what needs to be done to catch up.

 

It has been a privilege to welcome everyone back and see them all interacting with old and new friends.  I was delighted to find that 100% of those pupils I spoke with had masks with them and 99% had their own hand sanitiser.  Local shops are happy too, but wary of the very large numbers next week.

 

I’m hoping that all pupils are feeling ready and raring to go when all are back on Monday. All pupils should be on the school campus by 0830 am and in classrooms by 0840 am.

 

Notes

1. Bring a face covering to school. School policy on the wearing of face coverings will continue to evolve.
2. All are encouraged to bring their own hand sanitiser
3. Our school canteen is up and running. PIN or cash can be used
4. Information in relation to extra-curricular activities (PE, Music etc) will follow in the next few days.
5. Local shops will significantly limit the numbers of pupils in the premises at any one time.
6. Bringing a packed lunch is recommended.

 

 

And finally, I’d like to wish all a lovely weekend.

 

Donald j Macdonald

Headteacher

Tuesday 11 August

Dear Parent/Carer,

 

We look forward to warmly welcoming pupils back to school from tomorrow onwards. 

 

Week beginning 10 August	Monday 10	Tuesday 11	Wednesday 12	Thursday 13	Friday 14
	In-Service STAFF ONLY	In-Service STAFF ONLY	S1 & S2 PUPILS ONLY (S6 Buddies will be invited to also attend)	S3 & S4 PUPILS ONLY	S5 & S6 PUPILS ONLY
AT HOME			S3-S6 PUPILS	S1, S2, S5 & S6 PUPILS	S1-S4 PUPILS
Week beginning  17 August	Monday 17	Tuesday 18	Wednesday 19	Thursday 20	Friday 21
	All pupils in school from 830 am	All pupils in school from 830 am	All pupils in school from 830 am	All pupils in school from 830 am	All pupils in school from 830 am

 

Understandably, pupils will be a bit nervous and anxious so please do reassure them that staff have been working hard towards getting everything ready for their safe return.  A great deal of thought and effort has gone into making the school as safe as possible for all and preparing lessons that will gently reintroduce all to school based learning.

 

Special thoughts are with our new S1s and their families as they, tomorrow, start at High School. I’m sure they will be both especially nervous and excited tonight but all will be fine. 

 

I’d like to revisit a couple of areas I referred to in my email on Sunday.

 

Break and lunchtimes  

1. Limited break time snacks and school lunches will be available. 
2. S1s must stay on the school campus; all other pupils may visit local shops at breaks of lunchtimes. Queuing in local shops is likely to be a slow process. 
3. School lunches are offered at a fixed price of £2.70. Exceptionally, cash may be used but we would prefer that the cashless technology is used. S1s will received their PIN codes in the next few days.
4. Lunches will be provided on a ‘grab and go’ basis with appropriate distancing and one way queuing in place.
5. It is strongly recommend that all bring packed lunches.
6. All pupils on free school lunches will be provided with a lunch in the dining room. 

 

Other

1. Pupils must all bring face coverings (or masks) with them to school. 
2. Face coverings (E.g. masks) are mandatory in local shops, on public transport and in some areas of the school. (Staff will advise pupils on this)
3. Pupils with respiratory conditions will be supported in wearing masks throughout the day. 
4. The school will not be providing masks to pupils other than in a situation where a pupil is displaying C19 symptoms.
5. Pupils should have clothing that is suitable for Edinburgh in August.  (E.g. Thunderstorms and sunny spells are to be expected throughout August).
6. Pupils may find it helpful to bring their own hand sanitiser. This will help in avoiding any issues with allergies to the gel that we provide and will also reduce queues at hand sanitiser units.

 

 

On a completely different matter, I apologise for the time it has taken us to refund parents for cancelled trips. The administration around this has been completed; we are awaiting the funds being transferred to ParentPay so that parents can be refunded. In normal times, this would only take a few days. 

 

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any immediate queries. Do bear in mind that we will aim to cover a lot of the queries you may have in the initial briefings for pupils so you may wish to delay contacting us until your child has been in school for the first day.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Donald j Macdonald

Headteacher

Sunday 9 August 2020

 

9 August 2020

Dear Parent/Carer,

School Re-opening Update

I hope you all had a restful summer break and are looking forward to school re-opening from Wednesday 12 August. As I mentioned in my communication on Wednesday 5 August, we expect to welcome all pupils back to school in a phased way next week.

We anticipate that pupils will be returning to school next week feeling anxious and nervous about what lies ahead. Our new S1s will also be excited about transitioning to High School. Pupils who achieved less well than they had hoped with their SQA results will have the added uncertainty related to possibly changing career intentions and courses whilst waiting for appeals to be processed.  I was really pleased to receive recommendations from our Pupil Voice leaders following their analysis of the findings of our Pupil Health, Wellbeing and Resilience survey carried out in June. This gives us a very clear steer on the pace, content and tone of lessons to be delivered by teachers in the first few weeks. In particular, pupils need to be reassured that all will be supported to catch up on any work that they didn’t manage to cover whilst they were learning from home.

The schedule for pupils returning to JGHS is as follows:

Week beginning 10 August	Monday 10	Tuesday 11	Wednesday 12	Thursday 13	Friday 14
	In-Service STAFF ONLY	In-Service STAFF ONLY	S1 & S2 PUPILS ONLY (S6 Buddies will be invited to also attend)	S3 & S4 PUPILS ONLY	S5 & S6 PUPILS ONLY
AT HOME			S3-S6 PUPILS	S1, S2, S5 & S6 PUPILS	S1-S4 PUPILS
Week beginning 17 August	Monday 17	Tuesday 18	Wednesday 19	Thursday 20	Friday 21
	All pupils in school from 830 am	All pupils in school from 830 am	All pupils in school from 830 am	All pupils in school from 830 am	All pupils in school from 830 am

 

 I would now like to give you a bit more information about what will happen next week and what measures we are putting in place to minimise the risk of the coronavirus being passed from one person to another.

This link to the relevant section of the City of Edinburgh Council website provides more background and detailed information on the advice provided to schools. As each school’s environment and context can be quite different it is to be expected tha there will be some variation in practices across the schools.

Staggered return to school – pupil arrangements for S2 – S6

S1 arrangements were sent out by email on Thursday 6 August.

Wednesday 12 August – only S1 & S2 pupils attend this day

  S2 pupils arrive as normal on campus by 8:30

b)      All to be in their Key Adult classes by 8:40 – rooms listed below

c)      Pupils will remain with Key Adult to collect timetables, health & safety information and other guidance for the duration of Period 1 and 2

d)      Pupils will attend timetabled classes for the rest of the day 

 

Thursday 13 August – only S3 & S4 pupils attend this day 

 

       S3 and S4 pupils arrive as normal on campus by 8:30

b)      All to be in their Key Adult classes by 8:40 – rooms listed below

c)      Pupils will remain with Key Adult to collect timetables, health & safety information and other guidance for the duration of Period 1 and 2

d)      Pupils will attend timetabled classes for the rest of the day

 

Friday 14 August – only S5 & S6 pupils attend this day

S5 and S6 pupils arrive as normal on campus by 8:30

b)     All to be in their Key Adult classes by 8:40 - rooms listed below

c)      Pupils will remain with Key Adult to collect timetables, health & safety information and other guidance for the duration of Period 1

d)      Pupils will attend timetabled classes for periods 2 & 3

e)      All will be dismissed from 12:00

1R1	2.24	2R1	Humanities 1	3R1	Tech 5
1R2	2.27	2R2	Lab 2	3R2	Tech 3
1R3	Lab 8	2R3	Lab 1	3S1	Humanities 5
1S1	1.25	2T1	2.04	3S2	Tech 4
1S2	Humanities 4	2T2	2.31	3S3	2.18
1S3	0.07	2T3	1.26	3L1	0.13
1T1	Lab 10	2W1	0.11	3L2	1.27
1T2	2.15	2W2	2.10	3T1	1.30
1T3	2.19	2L1	Spark 1.10	3T2	1.28
1W1	2.05	2L2	Spark 0.06	3W1	0.12
1W2	Lab 4	2L3	2.07	3W2	2.11
1W3	2.33	2S1	2.06	3W3	1.32
1L1	1.34	2S2	2.01
1L2	2.29
1L3	Lab 7
4R1	Lab 6	5L1	Lab 5	6R1	2.02
4R2	2.32	5L2	1.35	6R2	Humanities 6
4R3	Library	5L3	2.20	6S1	Spark 1.08
4L1	1.36	5R1	1.31	6S2	PE classroom
4L2	Lab 3	5R2	0.01	6T1	2.23
4S1	Spark 0.03	5S1	Humanities 2	6T2	2.25
4S2	Lab 9	5S2	2.28	6W1	2.22
4W1	Forum	5T1	Spark 0.04	6W2	2.16
4W2	Theatre	5T2	2.09	6L1	2.17
4T1	Tech 1	5W1	0.05	6L2	2.08
4T2	0.03	5W2	Spark 1.09
4T3	1.23

 Minimising risk of infection

The following are some examples of the control measures and actions taking place to minimise the risk of virus transmission within the JGHS community. On returning to school, all staff and pupils will be briefed on the responsibilities we have as individuals in keeping everyone safe. This will include reference to:  

 1.      Regular hand washing

2.      Physical distancing, and

3.      Wearing of masks

 

 Pupils displaying symptoms. Pupils displaying symptoms whilst at home should remain at home until the young person concerned has been tested and been given the all clear. If pupils display symptoms whilst at school, we will contact parents/carers to arrange for the child to return home. The following link takes you to the relevant section of the NHS website for up to date advice and information on how to arrange for testing. Soap and water will be available in all toilet areas.

 If staff or pupils test positive, we will work closely with NHS Lothian to ensure that the latest Test and Protect procedures are adhered to.

 Hand washing Pupils will be asked to regularly wash their hands throughout the day. To assist with this, hand sanitiser dispensers will be placed around the school and signage encouraging handwashing will be on display. Wall mounted hand sanitisers will be placed at all entrance/exit doors.

 Physical distancing The Government advice for the 100% return of pupils to school is that pupils do not require to observe 2m distancing with each other. However, pupils will be asked to adhere to 2m distancing with adults and a one-way system will be in operation in the school to support this. Appropriate signage is in place to ensure that the system is easy to follow. Staff will be asked to ensure that they model the 2m distancing with other adults and pupils where possible.

 Where appropriate, pupils will be kept apart when in classes and, if possible, pupil desks will be arranged to face the front.

 Wearing of face masks Current Government advice is that school pupils do not need to wear face masks whilst at school. We recommend that pupils wear face coverings and hope that many will choose to do this.

 It should be noted that in certain parts of the school (e.g. queuing in the dining room) pupils will be required to wear face coverings. Pupils must wear face coverings on public transport and in shops.

 Cleaning of school The entire school will be disinfected on Sunday 9 August. JGHS will be treated with medical grade electrostatic spraying technology and a patented chemical which is significantly more effective than regular cleaning as it kills the virus and eliminates human error with missed areas through manual cleaning i.e. Walls, ceilings, under chairs and tables etc.

 All areas of the school will be cleaned before the start of every day, using methods and cleaning products in line with the national guidance. A cleaner will be on site throughout the day to ensure that toilets and communal areas are cleaned.

 Curriculum Coverage We will aim to resume ‘normal’ Teaching and Learning as soon as is practicable.  Teachers will adapt lesson delivery styles to take account of evolving guidelines and always with the intention of minimising the risk of virus transmission. Where practical work is part of lessons, teachers will be following Government and Council guidelines.

 All pupils should ensure they bring with their own well stocked pencil case. Pens, pencils etc. may not be shared with other pupils.

 Punctuality From Monday 17 August, pupils must be on campus no later than 8.30 am. When latecoming occurs, other pupils are adversely affected. Pupils who persist in arriving late to class after breaks or lunchtimes will be offered support to change their ways.

 PE Classes PE activities will resume as soon as it is deemed safe to do so. Current guidelines allow for some outdoor physical activities to take place.

 Home Education In line with government guidelines, all pupils are expected to attend school full time from Monday 17 August. Parents who wish to educate their children at home can access the relevant advice on what to do here.

 Extra-curricular We will re-introduce extra-curricular activities (Music, PE etc.) when we get the go ahead from the Council

 Assemblies There will be no pupil gatherings of more than 50 until the government guidelines change.

 Break and Lunchtime arrangements There will be a more limited lunch menu for the first few days. Pupils are encouraged to bring packed lunches. This will help in avoiding queuing in the school dining room and local shops. Other than in very inclement weather, pupils will be asked to spend breaks and lunchtimes outside. There will be some staggering of breaks to support physical distancing amongst pupils. Details will be shared with pupils as part of the induction process.

 S1 pupils may not leave the school campus at any time during the school day.

 S2 to S6 pupils may spend breaks and lunchtimes off campus but should be mindful of their presence in increased numbers on the local community.

.What should your child bring to school? 

 1.      Please bring a school bag with pens and pencils.  

2.      A water bottle (Please have pupil’s name on)

3.      Snacks and packed lunch for social times 

4.      There is no need to bring PE kit at present

5.      A face covering/mask

6.      Hand sanitiser. (We will have hand sanitiser and soap and water available across the school, but it will help avoid queues if pupils bring their own).

 Over the coming days, as circumstances evolve, we will keep parents/carers informed of changes. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us at Admin@jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk

 I’d like to conclude by wishing everyone a safe and successful 20/21 school session.

Donald j Macdonald

Headteacher