2 December 2022: After a long term, we hope that you are looking forward to the holidays.

Like last year, we are launching a Festive Fundraiser in aid of our successful Small Sums Fund, so that we can continue supporting important educational projects at JGHS, and providing help to our pupils who need it most.

If you can, we’d be very grateful if you could make a donation via Parent Pay. Please click below:

Look out for the “Parent Council Fundraising” button at the bottom of the list of payment items for your JGHS student(s). All funds raised during the Festive Fundraiser go directly to the JGHS Small Sums Fund. 

Supporting equity and attainment

This year the Parent Council has been really pleased to fund projects that support equity and attainment, for example:

• Basket ball strips for the PE department
• Subscription to The Week junior for the English department
• Books and games for the Maths department
• Active Learn subscriptions for the Modern Languages department
• Digimaps subscription for Geography department
• Support for decoration and fitting out of the new Support for Learning classroom in Bruntsfield House
• Guitar lessons for pupils with Additional Support Needs
• Materials for the knitting club
• Plants for reception

Notes from teachers

As you know, we moved into a large, empty room in Bruntsfield House last year. We spent the money on making the room more welcoming for the students who access it and bought soft furnishings, plants, cabinets to display pupils’ work and lots of picture frames. We held a small art exhibition in July of the work of the students who access SfL and invited their parents in to see this. It was a great success and something we plan to replicate this year. Thanks again for the money we received.

Mr Cockcroft: Support for Learning

Thanks so much for your financial support. The money was exceptionally useful. We set up a curricular DofE Silver group for students in the senior school who would benefit from a supported DofE experience. Most of the young people were known to us in SfL. The money was used to help with supporting their expedition with some kit hire, rental of accommodation, paying for the young people to ‘volunteer’ at Gorgie farm and supporting financially two young people for their Edinburgh Leisure passes so they could use the gym facilities regularly. The course has been a real success. All the youngsters who were still in school in June completed the Silver expedition and felt like a real team.

Support for learning: funding for pupils known to SfL to participate in Duke of Edinburgh scheme

Once again my huge thanks to the Parent Council for supporting our work in the English department as we strive to embed reading at the heart of our lessons. The money I received to purchase copies of The Week Junior has been really helpful with junior classes. It means there is always something current on hand to read – most useful when some of our pupils just don’t have a book of their own at home… It has also proved invaluable in helping me to teach skills for RAUE activities, elements of non-fiction work, and discussing key issues affecting our World in an age-appropriate way. Many thanks!

English: The Week Junior subscription

Find out more

You can find out more about the Small Sums Fund, and the initiatives it supports, on the Parent Council website You can find out more about the initiatives supported by this year’s Fund below:

Small Sums Fund

Thank you!