21 March 2023: Many thanks to those who were able to join us for the Parent Council meeting on Tuesday 21 March.
The recording of the meeting is now available:
Updated 19 March 2023: The Scottish Government is carrying out an Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessments, led by Professor Louise Hayward.
Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessments
The Qualifications and Assessment Review brings together ideas to modernise Scottish qualifications and assessments. This means that the new qualifications and assessments will be inclusive of all learners, while meeting the needs of employers, colleges and universities, and Scottish society.
Education – qualifications and assessment review: consultation
Phase One looked the vision and principles, and Phase Two explored options for a new approach to qualifications and assessment in Scotland.
In support of Phase Three a potential new model for qualifications and assessment in Scotland has been developed – the Scottish Diploma of Achievement.
As part of the review process the National Parent Forum of Scotland (NPFS) and Connect are the gathering views of parents and carers.
Connect will be hosting a live online discussion for parents and carers with Professor Hayward on the new qualifications model.
Places are free, but booking is essential.
Connect and National Parent Forum Scotland have also published a survey for parents and carers to gather views on the proposed Model for Qualifications and Assessment.
The Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment: Phase Three Parent/Carer Survey
The survey is open until early April 2023.
The March newsletter from Connect is also now available.
6 March 2023: The next meeting of the James Gillespies High School Parent Council will be on Tuesday 21 March at 7 pm via MS Teams. The joining link will be circulated by the School in the week of the meeting.
There will be a special focus on science teaching at this meeting, with presentation from the Curriculum Leader Mr Iain Coltart.
There will also be the usual updates from Headteacher Mr McCallum and from Parent Council Chair Sarah Scott, and the opportunity to ask questions via the Q&A panel.
We very much hope that you will be able to join with us
If there are any questions you would like to have addressed, please send them to the Parent Council ahead of the meeting and we will forward them to the School.
Details of the previous Parent Council meeting can be found here:
2 March 2023: The Scottish Government published its latest statistics on school leaver attainment and their initial destinations on 28 February 2023.
The new report provides information on the attainment and destinations of 2021/22 school leavers from Scotland’s publicly funded schools.
It includes information on leavers’ attainment in National Qualifications gained throughout their time at school, and reports on their destinations approximately three months after the end of the school year in October 2022. It also includes statistics on the proportion of leavers who gained vocational (or ‘skills-based’) qualifications.
You can read the newsletter from the Office of the Chief Statistician (ScotStat) or access the summary statistics at the links below:
Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations No. 5: 2023 edition
25 February 2023: The Parent Council would like to say a special thank to all the parents and carers who so generously donated the the 2022 Festive Fundraiser campaign in aid of our Small Sums Fund.
In December, the total raised on ParentPay was £910, which will now all go towards funding a wide range range of staff projects. Past projects have included subscriptions to periodicals, specialist books and equipment for learners with additional support needs, specialist art equipment, and equipment for Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.
The next round of applications to the Small Sums Fund will be towards the end of this academic year.
You can find out more about the Small Sums Fund and the projects we have funded here:
JGHS Parent Council Small Sums Fund
The Parent Council will also raising money for the Small Sums Fund on the refreshment stalls at the upcoming Spring Fling concerts and other in-school events – so please look out for us!
23 February 2023: The National Parent Forum Scotland (NPFS) have opened a fresh survey for parents and carers across Scotland, to gather and assess views regarding the ongoing industrial action among teaching unions.
As the detail of strike action has changed, the NPFS are asking for follow-up opinions on this issue.
The survey is open until 5 pm on Monday 27 February.
22 February 2023: The JGHS Parent Council sent a letter to the City of Edinburgh Council to raise concerns about the draft budget of the Council that had made proposals to cut education services for 2023/24.
You can read a copy of the letter here:
JGHS Parent Council – budget proposals 2023
Note added 23 February 2023: The BBC News reported that at their meeting today, the City of Edinburgh Council agreed a budget that scrapped the proposed £5.5m cuts to school budgets, and the £370,000 cuts to speech and language therapy.
Updated 22 February 2023: Many thanks to everyone who was able to attend the JGHS parent council meeting on Wednesday 1 February.
This was a very interesting meeting, which covered a wide range of topics over the course of the evening. The minutes will be available in due course.
An update on school activities was presented by the headteacher Mr Neil McCallum – see link below.
Headteacher’s report 1 February 2023
The main focus was on antiracism activities at JGHS with presentations give by teachers Mr Porter, Mr Watt and Mr Cham, and by Grace Dempsey from Intercultural Youth Scotland, and the work she is doing in the school to support pupils and teachers to address racism and discrimination.
We were also very pleased to hear about the A+ Group, a new project that will be starting in the school later this month, led by Zaki El-Salahi.
The group:
You can learn more about the group and its aims below:
The group will meet online on the last Wednesday of each month from February to June 2023. For further information and/or join the A+ group, please contact Zaki:
8 February 2023: The February 2023 edition of the Connect newsletter is now available, and covers a number of important issues including:
2 February 2023: The SQA has published a new blog about upcoming exam diet.
If your child is sitting National 5, Higher or Advanced Higher SQA exams in 2023, the article has information about the support options available.
This includes details about the services in the event of exceptional circumstances during their exams or appeals if you believe the grade they receive on results day is incorrect.
JGHS Parent Council 