6 June 2025: The most recent newsletter with opportunities from the DYW team is now available:
For more information, please contact Claire Howe:
Author: hilarysnaith
Reports from Parent Council meeting
5 June 2025: The JGHS Parent Council held their last meeting of this school year on Wednesday 4 June – many thanks to all those able to attend.
Agenda and reports
Meeting agenda:
- Focus on Maths teaching at JGHS – Miss Ashling Dolan, CL Maths
- Report and updates from the Parent Council, including:
- capacity and rising rolls
- finance and fundraising, including report from James Gillespie’s Trust
- Discussion of issues with particular relevance to S1-S3
- Headteachers update, including reports on Short Life Working Groups on mobile phones, communications and homework – Mr Neil McCallum
- Q&A
The meeting minutes, and copies of the presentations and reports from the meeting are now available:
Draft meeting minutes (Padraic Kinsella; opens as pdf)
Parent Council update (opens as a pdf)
Maths teaching at JGHS – Miss Dolan (opens as pdf)
JGHS Maths padlet (discussed at the meeting)
Headteachers report – Mr McCallum (opens as pdf)
Minutes of meeting of James Gillespie’s Trust 29 April 2025 (opens as pdf)
Mobile phone policy
Updated 12 June: As was discussed at the meeting on 4 June , the school has now issued a new draft policy on mobile phone use in school:
JGHS draft mobile phone policy
The school has asked for feedback from parents and carers via the form below:
Next meeting
The next meeting of the Parent Council wil be on Tuesday 2 September. This will be held online, and the joining link will shared by the School after the summer break.
Next Parent Council meeting on 4 June 2025
21 May 2025: The next meeting of the James Gillespie’s High School Parent Council will be held on Wednesday 4 June at 7 pm in the school library.
All parents and carers are most warmly welcome to join this last meeting for the current academic year.
If you have any questions or issues that you would like to raise ahead of the meeting, please get in touch with the PC by email:
Agenda
- Focus on Maths teaching at JGHS – Miss Dolan, CL Maths
- Report and updates from the Parent Council, including:
- capacity and rising rolls
- finance and fundraising
- Discussion of issues with particular relevance to S1-S3
- Headteachers update, including reports on Short Life Working Groups on mobile phones, communications and homework – Neil McCallum
- Q&A
Reports from meeting on 25 March 2025
Latest update from Connect
21 May 2025: The most recent newsletter from Connect is now available, with information about the latest Disclosure Scotland guidance for parent-run groups, Connect’s parent and carer surveys, and details of this term’s live online Information Sessions including advance notice of the schedule for next term.
There are further details about Connect’s upcoming information sessions in their May update:
Pupil pathways and opportunities
1 May 2025: The Developing the Young Workforce newsletter for Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian is now available:
The newsletter has details of offers and opportunities available to young people. Please contact Claire Howe, the DYW Coordinator at JGHS, to find out about any offers listed.
There is also a library of pre-recorded videos from inspirational speakers:
April news from Connect
23 April 2025: The April newsletter from Connect is now available, with content about the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme, new ‘Quick Tips’ films for Members, plus an ‘open to all’ live session “Online Safety with Police Scotland”.
Backchat newsletter now available
27 March 2025: Connect has published its spring edition of Backchat.
This edition has info about:
Reports from PC meeting on 25 March 2025
25 March 2025: Many thanks to those who joined the Parent Council meeting this Tuesday.
Agenda
- Health and Wellbeing – Inclusion X – Ian Porter and Anna Kirkwood
- Comment from Tracy Urquhart, Senior Manager Quality Improvement Officer, CEC
- Update from the JGHS Parent Council
- Headteacher’s report
- Q&A
Meeting recording
Watch the meeting recording (opens on YouTube)
Summary of meeting discussion (from transcipt, opens as pdf)
Presentations
Inclusion X suport at JGHS (Anna Kirkwood and Ian Porter, opens as pdf)
PC report 25 March 2025 (Hilary Snaith, co-chair; opens as pdf)
Finance update 25 March 2025 (Kirstin Leighton, treasurer; opens as pdf)
Headteacher’s report 25 March 2025 (opens as pdf)
Policy documents
The headteacher mentioned a number of school policy documents in his comments. You can access a range of these policies on the JGHS website:
Next meeting
The next meeting of the Parent Council will be on Wednesday 4 June in the school library at 7 pm – all parents and carers are very welcome to join us.
Travel to School survey
20 March 2025: Connect is gathering information about the travel habits, school transport provision, and safety measures around travel to/from school. for young people and parents.
The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete and has a comment section at the end for anything not covered in the questions.
The survey will close on Thursday 10 April 2025.
Parent Council meeting 25 March 2025
The next meeting of the JGHS Parent Council will be on Tuesday 25 March at 7 pm. The meeting will be held online via MS Teams – the link will be shared via the school email.
All parents and carers are most warmly welcome to join us.
Agenda
- Update from the Parent Council
- Headteacher’s report, HT Mr McCallum
- Health and Wellbeing / Inclusion X at JGHS, DHT Mr Porter
- Q&A
If you have any questions that you would like to see addressed, please contact the PC by email. It will also be possible to ask questions via the Q&A during the meeting.
JGHS Parent Council 