Testing times

It’s that time of year again when pupils up and down the country will be agonising over their preparations for exams.  Parents too will be anxious and doing their best to support pupils do their best on the day of the exam.

Here are a few thoughts oh how to do your best.

Before

• ·         Have a revision plan and keep to it.
•       Find a quiet place to work in that is free from distractions.
• ·         Before each exam try and get a good night’s sleep.
• ·         Throughout the exam period eat healthily and take regular exercise.
• ·         Practise past exam papers, either on your own or with friends.
• ·         Don’t waste time on facebook etc when you should be working.
• ·         Don’t try and revise with a television on. Listening to music can be ok and may help you concentrate.
• ·         Where appropriate, make a time plan for each exam. Take account of the marks available for each question.
• ·         If you are concerned about something you don’t understand come into school and get help from a teacher.
• ·         Classmates can be a good source of support and advice.
• ·         Make sure you have the equipment you need for each exam.
• ·         Know exactly the date, time and location for each exam and build this into your revision plan.

During

• ·         If you are feeling nervous or a bit tense, take a few deep breaths.
• ·         Once in the exam hall, make sure you read the questions carefully.
• ·         During very long exams you may need to drink water. (Check in advance that you are allowed)
• ·         Answer the question in the paper in front of you – stay focussed.
• ·         With essay questions, plan out a structured answer in bullet-point.
• ·         If a particular question is very difficult, it may be better to leave it and return to it later. (It is likely that others will also find it difficult).
• ·         When working must be shown, make sure you do this. In numerical exams most of the marks are allocated to working rather than a final answer.

After

• ·         After each exam try to get some exercise and fresh air.
• ·         Don’t spend precious time analysing what you wrote and what you forgot to write.
• ·         Do your best - no one can ask for more than that.
• ·         If you get the exam results you need for your chosen career then celebrate.
• ·         If you don’t get the exam results you need for your chosen career then get advice and make a plan to get back on track. You can celebrate when you’ve done this.

Best wishes and Good luck!

Links with Napier

Earlier today, Ms Pringle (Sciences), Mr Corson (CDT) and I enjoyed a working lunch with Professor Muneer at Napier University. Professor Muneer has a particular interest in research on Solar Energy and maximising our usage of renewable energies.  We also spoke about current research on wind energy. At our meeting we discussed how Gillespies can work with the university to enhance what and how we teach . We also had an opportunity to view some of the exciting research work currently being undertaken as well as meeting with students in the latter stages of their degree courses. I was particularly impressed by a project being undertaken by a 3rd year student on maintaining a steady temperature in a greenhouse by storing solar energy underground  and releasing it during hours of darkness.

In the coming months I am enthusiastic about organising presentations to pupils from researchers (e.g. Professors and PHD students) and to tap into the wealth of knowledge and expertise at the university. Additionally, we will explore how a number of our school based departments can work collaboratively on projects relating to renewable energies. I have no doubt that Scotland will continue to lead the way on developing renewable energies in the years to come and I am keen that Gillespie's pupils are able to pursue this as an option to study if they wish.

JGHS 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 Tuesday evening I attended my first James Gillespie's trust meeting.  It was great to meet so many enthusiastic parents and to have an opportunity to contribute to planning future events. In the coming months the Trust will share ideas with the wider community and we will seek to develop our numbers. To that end, friends of James Gillespie's HS are invited to help us. This could simply be a donation to funds (follow this link for details) or help with the various events that we are involved in. If you are interested and have some time  to spare please get in touch by email: mail.jgtrust@googlemail.com.

We look forward to hearing from you!

I would like to offer sincere thanks to Jeremy Hughes for chairing this group over the past few years.

Edinburgh Local Mod

On Saturday 21 April I attended the Edinburgh Local Mod which, once again,  took place at Liberton High School. It was wonderful to see the entries in the competitions going from strength to strength, especially in the upper Primary stages and in the Secondary competitions. It was particularly pleasing to see the JGHS pupils performing to such a high standard. I thought the JGHS clarsach ensemble was outstanding. Many, many thanks to all the teachers and parents who work so hard together to ensure that the children are well prepared. Well done to our hard working pupils too!

The Royal National Mòd 2012 takes place in Dunoon from 12–19 October. As last October in Stornoway, I hope to see many of our pupils taking part in the various competitions.

Christmas Concert

It may seem rather odd (and perhaps irritating!) to be mentioning Christmas in April but, in response to popular demand, I am pleased that JGHS and our associated Primary schools are planning a return to the Usher Hall in 2012 for our Christmas concert. On the assumption that we can find a suitable evening in December I am really excited at the prospect of our school returning to this wonderful venue.

Last year's concert at St Cuthbert's was my first experience of a Gillespie's Christmas concert and it was a truly memorable occasion. By returning to the hall that was our venue for many years I would hope that we will increase on the 400 pupils we had at last year's event. More details will emerge over the coming months!

Back to School

It was back to school today after our Easter Holiday. Staff looked refreshed and pupils I spoke with were pleased to be back. On a personal note I really enjoyed spending quality time with my own kids. They are growing up so quickly; it's hard to believe that my elder daughter is due to start High School this summer. Highlights for us included a day at the Science festival, a visit to the Clarsach festival and a day's fishing on Loch Fyne.

Disappointingly the weather in Scotland over the past two weeks was not as good as we experienced in March but, on the plus side, this made it easier for S4,5 and 6 pupils to study for the exams that are due to start next week. Parents, staff and pupils will all feel some anxiety in the lead up to exams but hopefully, pupils have put in the necessary effort to ensure that they do their best on the day of the exam. We ask that everyone does their best and use the time that remains to put the finishing touches to preparations. Throughout study leave pupils are encouraged to come to school to seek further support and guidance from their teachers.

In the coming weeks, I will be contacting parents, pupils and staff with the intention of establishing what JGHS can and should do to become an even better school. The areas that we choose to target will be included in next session's improvement plan.

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.

The pupil voice

A particular highlight today was meeting with a group of ten S6 students at the end of the day. All those involved have just returned from a school trip to South Africa where they were involved in various works of charity. The purpose of the meeting was to give the students the opportunity to share various fundraising ideas with me. I really enjoyed the meeting as it reminded me why I chose teaching as a career. I was really impressed at how passionate they are about raising money for charity and how well they function as a team. I have absolutely no doubt that those I met today will all go on to pursue interesting, varied and successful careers.

James Gillespie's Primary School

This evening I had the opportunity to meet the Parent Council at JGPS. This gave me a chance to introduce myself to parents and to share thoughts on how we are getting on as a school and what we need to do to be even better. Several points were raised for discussion. They included: Improving communication with parents of Primary Children, Update on Rebuild and Decant, my expectations as far as ethos is concerned and School uniform.

I am grateful to Anthea Grierson (Headteacher) for inviting me.

Well done to those responsible for the displays around the school - I thought they were terrific!

Gaelic Medium Education (GME)

As many will know, James Gillespie's caters for pupils wishing to continue from Primary School with Gaelic. This builds on their GME experiences at Tollcross Primary School. On Thursday of this week I attended a conference In Glasgow for Headteachers of schools with GME to share practices and to learn from others who developed further in this field.

The conference began with an excellent presentation from Dr Antonella Sorace, Professor of Developmental Linguistics at Edinburgh University, on the benefits of Bilingualism. It was suggested that bilingual children aren't necessarily more intelligent than their monolingual peers but that they do have an extra gear. One of the questions I asked was whether further benefits accrued for children who spoke more than two languages and whether the existing research evidence shows that bilingual children perform better academically. It was suggested that the research evidence we have, carried out by Dr Wilson MacLeod from the University of Edinburgh, supports the view that being bilingual offers benefits to children in their learning.

Interestingly and coincidentally, I notice that in this week's edition of the Times Educational Supplement, ''Pupils who speak English as an additional language have achieved an academic breakthrough, with new figures showing a higher proportion have gained five 'good' GCSEs than their native English-speaking counterparts for the first time. Experts attribute their success to the drive and aspiration of immigrant families, combined with the educational boost provided by fluency in more than one language.''

These are interesting developments in schools as far as supporting languages are concerned. As someone who grew up in a bilingual environment, where there was a dominant view that suggested exposure to to an additional language may overload and confuse children it is refreshing to see views that prevailed for generations being successfully challenged. I will return to this particular topic in future blogs as I see enormous benefits of building on the diverse cultural and languages base we have at JGHS.

Parents' evenings

On Wednesday evening we hosted a curricular information evening for parents of S2 parents and on Thursday evening we did similarly for parents of pupils in S4 and S5. It was great to see large numbers of parents in attendance.

During my presentation to parents of S2 parents I sought to reassure everyone that our new courses in S3 and S4 are good to go and that staff are well prepared. I find it helpful to be able to draw on experiences gained from when I was a Principal Teacher of Physics in 1988 at the time Standard Grades were being introduced. At that time there were similar concerns from parents, particularly in regard to the structure and form of the examinations.

S2 pupils are requested to returned completed course choice forms on Monday 12 March. As a result of feedback from parents of S4/5 pupils, the return date for forms from those pupils has been changed to Monday 19 March.

On both evenings a number of very interesting questions were raised. In the coming weeks I will reflect further on how we can continue to augment and adapt our curricula to best meet the needs of pupils.

We are grateful to Audrey Brown from Stevenson College for sharing with parents what Edinburgh's colleges are able to offer our students in addition to our in-school provision.