Darroch - shaken, not stirred.

Since the beginning of last week, our senior school has 'decanted' to Darroch. Overall, the move has gone well and the pupils and staff are now settling into new routines and adapting well to their new surroundings.

The following information was obtained from the official Darroch website which is maintained by a proud and growing former pupils' association.

 ‘Darroch School was built in 1908 but was originally called Gilmore Place Primary School.  However in 1928 the Education Committee decided to convert the school into a three year secondary school to be named after the late chairman of the committee, Professor Darroch, and was retitled Darroch Intermediate School.  A couple of years later in 1932 it was renamed as Darroch Technical and Commercial School.’

By the 1950’s it was called Darroch Junior Secondary School and when it eventually closed in the early 1970’s the title had been truncated to Darroch Secondary School. In the intervening years Darroch has accommodated a number of other schools whilst they were being rebuilt.

Perhaps Darroch’s most famous FP is Sean Connery.  Most people I know regard Sean as the best ever Bond. As a Bond fan, I’m inclined to agree.

End of first week

We are now at the end of the first completed week for pupils and whilst, all appears to be up and running, we will now need to review our progress and, where we can, make some adjustments. Over the next two days I will be visiting classes at both Lauderdale and Darroch to speak with pupils and staff about the first week. The three questions I will be asking are:
1) What's working well?
2) What's been tricky and
3) What changes should we make.

Armed with this information I will then meet with senior staff and assess which of the current arrangements are causing concern and what changes we will make.

During the past week the pupils and staff have been superb. There have been some glitches but all have been patient and used common sense and initiative to resolve settling in issues.

Parents are invited to drop me a note or contact me by email to share any feedback they have at this stage. I will report on progress on this blog and in the next newsletter which is scheduled to go out in 2 weeks time.

Pupils return

The second full day with pupils is now complete and I am delighted that we are now quickly settling into a very positive and purposeful way of working at both the Darroch site (for S4,5 and 6) and at Lauderdale (for S1,2 and 3). The staff and the pupils have been magnificent in spite of a few teething difficulties, that have limited our capability to communicate both within and outwith the school. Now that our ICT has been repaired we can, once again, access emails and use ICT for teaching, registration etc. As is often the case, one doesn't appreciate the value of something until it is not available. This is very much the case with our ICT. Teachers and pupils now expect to have ready and easy access to the 'World wide web' to enhance all that they do and take advantage of the many benefits that electronic devices present.

All pupils are quickly familiarising themselves with their new classrooms and, in some cases, their new teachers. There is a real buzz around the school as we settle back into our routines and picking up where we left off in June.

New term

Staff have been very busy over the past few days in anticipation of pupils returning to school after the summer holiday. Returning to school this year though is quite different.

From tomorrow, our senior pupils (those in years 4,5 and 6) will be based at Darroch for many of their classes. Pupils in years 1,2 and 3 will have all their classes at the Lauderdale Campus.

I am delighted that both schools are ready for 'business as normal', thanks to the hard work of staff and those who have supported us. We have had some technical difficulties with 'phones and accessing email and I know that this has caused frustration for parents and pupils who have tried to contact us over the summer,and particularly last week when the exam results were received. Sincere apologies to all who have been inconvenienced by this. 'Phones were restored early last week and I am hopeful that our email communication and access to web based resources will be fully restored in the next few days. In the meantime we will endeavour to work through the backlog of email and we'll do our best to respond to all who have contacted us.

I am very pleased with the results overall and especially so in S5 where the percentage success rate for gaining 3 or more Highers is the highest in the past 5 years. Similarly, in S6, we have had record numbers achieving passes in Advanced Highers. Well done to everyone associated with our school community.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will warmly welcome all pupils back to school, especially our 200 new S1s as they embark on their 'Journey to Excellence' with us at the High School. Pupils should view our 'Homepage' for details of where to report for registration on Wednesday 14 August.

'It takes a village to raise a child' (Old African proverb).

Recovering from chronic fatigue

To mark the start of the school holidays we've had friends staying with us for the past two days. What has been remarkable about this get together is having the opportunity to witness the incredible recovery that their 16 year old daughter has made in the past two months. This girl has been suffering from chronic fatigue for the past two and a half years; the illness has resulted in her dropping out of school and becoming a virtual recluse trapped in her tiredness and severely curtailed lifestyle.  Family routines have been turned upside down whilst a succession of tests and treatments proved fruitless. To add to the sense of loss and frustration she was a top performing pupil with varied musical and sporting interests in common with many of her peers and friends. 

  Following several sessions with a trained therapist, this girl's life has taken a dramatic turn for the better. Her recuperation continues but seeng her looking like her former gregarious and energetic self has been wonderful. What a magical start to the summer holiday. 

June newsletter

Please follow this link to our June newsletter.

http://jghsnews.blogspot.co.uk/

China trip 2013

Good luck to 50 intrepid explorers who are currently in Beijing, China. This is the first year that we have run this particular trip; I'm sure it will be a great success.

A text from Mr Irvine, received earlier today,

reads as follows:

We finally arrived at the Rainbow Hotel in Beijing on Friday, around 1 am local Time. After a short sleep we were up again. I was really pleased to see the students trying typical Chinese breakfast food, the small white dumplings were delicious. We are now on a bus heading north, a 60km bus journey, to the Great Wall. We are having a lesson on Chinese language, characters and culture en route. 
Unfortunately my iPad seems unable to access my China Blog when I am in the hotel. I will try my best to keep you updated on our Chinese adventure.

We are running this trip jointly with Liberton High School - my former school.

Poor white children do worst at British schools

Earlier this evening I came across this comment on 'The Times' website by a gentleman in response to an article entitled: 'Poor white children do worst at British schools'. It makes interesting reading and offers a bit more depth to the discusion on school attainment than normally appears in the press.

I find the  reports from Ofsted and similar sources on the performance of children in education to be seriously lacking in depth and perhaps understanding. I was born during the second world war and raised in a coastal town port area. The school catchment took in children from all over the world. And yes, there was serious poverty. However, some children from the lowest districts did very well. Some because of the encouragement of their parents to do well at school and a few who, despite the lack of interest from the parents, were determined to escape the poverty and the depressed areas where they lived. For these the Grammar schools were the escape route to a better life. Some of the boys who were very intelligent had no encouragement at home to study and the emphasis was for them to leave school and start earning so they could contribute to the upkeep of the family. There were many boys who were not academic but were skilled with their hands or in other ways. Yet again some were not very bright but many were kindly and well behaved. The majority were very valuable young people who, with the right kindness and encouragement would develop to be very useful and worthy people in our society. Academic achievement is not the only marker of value and worthiness, and poverty is not the only reason for the lack of success. A lot is to do with the feeling of confidence and the sense of self worth or the absence of these life elements.
If we move forward to my 40's there was a period when I became a volunteer tutor on the County adult literacy and numeracy scheme. The reasons for illiteracy were complex and the level of illiteracy was severe, with some unable to spell even three letter words. These students were not stupid or thick, and it was a great reward to see the students develop. I am reminded of a few cases as an example. The first was a man who used to make model steam engines from scratch as a hobby. He used to buy the blueprints of locos and because he could not read he used to get a friend to read all the technical notes on the drawings out to him. He remembered (because he had to) all the notes, usually from several drawings, so that he could build the engines, which he did superbly. I remember well a lady student who was so thrilled when for the first time she could read Christmas and birthday cards and know who they had come from, and also be able to read the instructions on food packaging and washing powder etc. There was a local scrap metal merchant who was very wealthy, illiterate and who wanted to learn to read; his motivation was the feeling of shame. But perhaps the saddest thing of all were the teenagers, the door latch children, who had little attention or guidance from either parent, because both were working. These children brought themselves up by their own shoe strings. Typically in many of their houses there were no books to be seen or even contained anywhere in the house. There could be a lot of material goods and the latest electronic gadgets - but no books. Often there was no peace and quiet in which to settle down to read or do homework.
I am in my 70's now so my views will be out of date in many respects. However, the lack of money itself does not necessarily mean a child is held back. The culture and atmosphere in the home, in school and in society is a very big influence towards success or otherwise. It is unfair on teachers to publish inspection reports which do not fully take into account and openly admit the wider influences in a child's life. It would be good to read a detailed response from Sir Michael Wilshaw which acknowledges and shows his depth of understanding of the deeper issues affecting the education success of school children. Over to you Michael Wilshaw and indeed all others who can make suggestions for actions with more positive outcomes for the children- it is the outcomes that matter and not the theories.

Farewell to the outgoing S6

On Friday evening, in the warm June sunshine, we bade farewell to our wonderful S6 pupils. saying farewell to the outgoing pupils is always special but particularly so this year as this is the last session in the current campus buildings.  The evening began with a champagne reception for serving staff, parents and S6. Following this, pupils were led off the campus for the last time by one of our pipers and onto the coaches that awaited in Lauderdale Street. Pupils and staff then enjoyed a sumptuous meal at the nearby Grosvenor Hotel.

The final words from my farewell speech were as follows:

''None of us knows what lies in store for each of us. What you do and where you go will be a combination of choice and chance. I have no doubt that Jghs has prepared you well as rounded individuals for all the uncertainty and excitement that lies ahead. 

My final words I draw from the great Nelson Mandela for whom we wish a speedy recovery from his current illness. He said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

To all of the outgoing S6 I invite you to go now and change the world and make it a better place. ''

Donald John Macdonald (Headteacher)

Farewell

Serving and former colleagues enjoyed a lovely meal tonight in the Bruntsfield Hotel to mark the retiral of four special colleagues. To Mrs Woods, Ms Malcolm, Mrs Young and Mr Pennell, we wish a very long and happy retirement.

The Spark

Two months ago, Emma (S2 pupil) came to see me to discuss an initiative which she was keen to develop. Emma - calmly and very sensibly -explained to me that my newsletter was ok but it's format and content didn't really appeal to pupils. She suggested that a more pupil friendly newsletter was needed. The recently published 'The Spark' 
http://www.jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk/pupils/THE%20SPARK-1.pdf 
is evidence of what Emma's team has produced over the past 8 weeks! 

Proud to be from Edinburgh

Earlier today we visited this memorial site with 35 Jghs pupils. 

History trip to Belgium

On our second day of our History 'Trenches Trip' Janie Rose Cowan shares her reflections on her first two days. 

We started yesterday by taking a boat ride around Brugges. It was such a beautiful city. We then went to the trench of death. Today, (Sunday 19 May) we started off by going to a cemetery. It was really emotional and very sad to see just a tiny proportion of the soldiers that died. After that, we went on on to the Flanders Field Museum. We learned about some of the soldier's tragic stories about being in the First World War. We also visited the Sanctuary wood. It was actually really terrifying to what it must have been like for the soldiers in the First World War in the trenches.

The thing that struck me most was just the sheer number of gravestones in the cemeteries that we went to. It was so sad and a really emotional day. 

Digital learning in schools

One of the issues that schools are grappling with currently is that of digital learning and especially 1:1 learning for pupils. The following link is worth looking at as it takes you to a summary of the main opportunities and challenges.   One to one digital learning

Ubuntu

At yesterday's conference for Edinburgh Council school leaders mention was made of 'Ubuntu' by Steve Munby our main speaker. Given Gillespie's strong links with South Africa I was intrigued to find out more. What I found out was fascinating. 

As I have become older and wiser I find myself becoming a much stronger advocate and practitioner of restorative approaches to managing behaviours than was the case in my earlier career. Becoming a parent has also influenced how i work and relate with children. I have found a restorative approach to be much more effective in changing and sustaining improvements in teenagers' behaviours in the long term. There remain however in our schools and society at large a significant group that believes in a system based on proportionate and often severe punishment. Perhaps that explains why as a country Scotland has the shameful distinction of incarcerating the highest proportion of its citizens in Europe. 

The following extract from Wikipedia explains what the Ubuntu philosophy is about.

Tim Jackson refers to Ubuntu as a philosophy that supports the changes he says are necessary to create a future that is economically and environmentally sustainable.

Judge Colin Lamont expanded on the definition during his ruling on the hate speech trial of Julius Malema.

Ubuntu is recognised as being an important source of law within the context of strained or broken relationships amongst individuals or communities and as an aid for providing remedies which contribute towards more mutually acceptable remedies for the parties in such cases. Ubuntu is a concept which:

1. is to be contrasted with vengeance;
2. dictates that a high value be placed on the life of a human being;
3. is inextricably linked to the values of and which places a high premium on dignity, compassion, humaneness and respect for humanity of another;
4. dictates a shift from confrontation to mediation and conciliation;
5. dictates good attitudes and shared concern;
6. favours the re-establishment of harmony in the relationship between parties and that such harmony should restore the dignity of the plaintiff without ruining the defendant;
7. favours restorative rather than retributive justice;
8. operates in a direction favouring reconciliation rather than estrangement of disputants;
9. works towards sensitising a disputant or a defendant in litigation to the hurtful impact of his actions to the other party and towards changing such conduct rather than merely punishing the disputant;
10. promotes mutual understanding rather than punishment;
11. favours face-to-face encounters of disputants with a view to facilitating differences being resolved rather than conflict and victory for the most powerful;
12. favours civility and civilised dialogue premised on mutual tolerance.

'If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk together'

I had the opportunity to attend the Edinburgh Learning Festival this morning at Hibs football stadium. This is an annual event that serves to celebrate the fantastic work that takes place across all of Edinburgh Council's schools.

The morning began with a warm welcome from Gillian Tee our director. Gillian set the tone for a positive and uplifting morning by sharing with us the very encouraging feedback from the soon to be published report on our Children and Families work in Edinburgh. I was delighted to hear that Edinburgh has made enormous progress in supporting our most vulnerable young people.

I was reminded of a quote from the late Princess Diana who focussed may peoples' thinking on those who are disadvantaged. 

'Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life - a kind of destiny. Whoever is in distress can call on me. I will come running wherever they are'. (Princess Diana)

The main speaker of the day was Steve Munby, recently elected as CEO of CfBT Education Trust.

CfBT Inspection Services - delivering high quality inspections on behalf of Ofsted

CfBT Inspection Services - delivering high quality inspections on behalf of Ofsted

CfBT Inspection Services - delivering high quality inspections on behalf of Ofsted

CfBT Inspection Services - delivering high quality inspections on behalf of Ofsted

Steve's speech was outstanding!  There  were many highlights in what he said but the following quotations stood out for me.

'Everyone likes to be understood and valued; no one has a simple and uncomplicated life'.

'In schools that are making progress there is an emphasis on consistency and shared best practices'.

'Power without love is reckless and abusive and love without power is sentimental and anaemic'

In his presentation he considered what the characteristics of successful leaders are and what schools should do to improve.

His presentation concluded with him sharing this poen by Willam Ayton.

And in the end we follow them-
not because we are paid, not because we might see some advantage,
not because of the things they have accomplished,
not even because of the dreams they dream
but simply because of who they are:
the man, the woman, the leader, the boss
standing up there when the wave hits the rock,
passing out faith and confidence like life jackets,
knowing the currents, holding the doubts,
imagining the delights and terrors of every landfall;
captain, pirate, and parent by turns,
the bearer of our countless hopes and expectations.
We give them our trust. We give them our effort.
What we ask in return is that they stay true.

Decant information evening

Thank you to the very large number of parents who attended our decant information evening tonight. This meeting gave us the opportunity to share our planning and how learning and teaching will be delivered over the next three years from August. From August our school will split into two with most senior classes taking place at Darroch - approximately 12 minutes from our main campus.

We will follow up on the points raised this evening in order to ensure that risks to the smooth running of the school are minimsed.

Areas of concern raised by parents tonight included:

• The impact of noise during this year's SQA exams
• Teaching time lost whilst pupils are in transit between the school and Meadowbank
• The potential diminished positive impact of seniors around the school
• Support for staff
• Risk of injury to pupils crossing roads whilst in transit between Darroch and the main campus
• The importance of ensuring that S6 have access to a comon room
• Travel arrangements to and from Meadowbank 

I hope that we managed to allay the concerns raised this evening. The issues raised and our responses will be placed on the school website early next week.

Mod successes

Well done to everyone who participated at the Edinburgh local mod which was held at Liberton High School on Saturday 13 April. The lovely sunshine contributed to a very enjoyable and successful day.

Not only was I hugely impressed with the quality of the performances but also with the numbers that continue to grow. Pleasingly a growing contingent from Jghs took part and featured strongly among the prizes. Nach nath a rinn sibh uile!  2013 Results

Welcome back

I'd like to welcome everyone back from what I hope was a thoroughly enjoyable Easter break. Pupils and staff have quickly re-established their routines in what will be another busy and stimulating summer term.

I'm sure that all of the work will pay dividends when the results are known in early August. I know that parents and teachers will continue to cajole, encourage and generally do whatever is needed to ensure that all do their best. 

For pupils in S4,5 and 6 this time of year will be extremely busy as they are all in the throes of preparing for the Sqa exams which are due to start imminently.

Nicola Sturgeon visit - by Emma Hamilton (S2)

A few weeks ago Emma came to see me to discuss an idea she'd had. Emma very articulately and confidently explained that Gillespie's needed a more pupil friendly means of capturing and sharing news with pupils. She went on to suggest that what was needed was a newspaper produced specifically for pupils by pupils. She further added that she was the person to lead on this initiative.  I suggested to Emma that she should, over the February break, create a draft of what she was envisaging. A few days after the break Emma delivered to me a very impressive draft of what the proposed paper would look like. To assist Emma in setting up her team and with some the logistics. Am delighted that Mrs Kirkwood has agreed to mentor this budding team of journalists.  Ths is Emma's first article.  

''On the 12th of March, Nicola Sturgeon came to visit our school – James Gillespie’s High School. She came to discuss votes for 16 years olds with some of the students that will be able to vote in the referendum in two years time. She said that “If you can get married and have children at 16, why can you not vote?” She also disagrees with those who say the votes will be wasted if 16 year olds are allowed to vote, arguing that many 16 years olds are mature enough to make the right decision for Scotland.

One very important question was asked, “How does this work? By allowing 16 year olds to vote means registering children who are younger than 16.  What about Child Protection?”

You could hear all of the camera crew and photographers holding their breath, waiting for her reply. But she came out with a quick and confident answer – there will be a distinct register for young people, with sensitive information protected. She added that the potential risk of any leaking of such information would be discussed at Holyrood.

It was an enjoyable morning for the people who were involved and furthermore it helped our School Newspaper come up with its name: The Spark, named after Muriel Spark, the writer of ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.’

We would like to thank Ms Inglis and Miss Haliday for this opportunity and Ms Sturgeon herself for this interesting morning.

Emma Hamilton

The Spark''