13 March 2025: The latest update from Connect is now available, covering a range of topics including:
- Launch of Connect Travel to School survey
- Audit Scotland Report on Additional Support for Learning
- Live Online Information Sessions
Author: hilarysnaith
Engineer a Career
13 March 2025: Engineer a Career is on a mission to inspire, empower, and encourage the next generation of engineers. Through our podcast, “The Engineer a Career Podcast,” we share the stories of today’s engineers with tomorrow’s.
On 4 March 2025, Tuesday of Scottish Apprenticeship week, the first episode of Series 2 went live on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. For 8 weeks, every Tuesday a new guest shares what sparked their interest in engineering, their own route to a career in engineering, the jobs they’ve had and the projects they’ve worked on, who has helped them along their career, and what keeps them passionate about engineering.
Each episode is a great opportunity to learn from an engineer and understand the challenges they have faced and how they navigated them. Across the eight guests we explore the school to college, school to university and school to apprenticeship routes.
Whether you are a student, parent, or educator this podcast will give you a greater understanding of engineering careers.
Listen to the podcast
So far, the podcast has released 14 podcast episodes in 6 months.
Follow the link below for the podcast pack:
More information
Contact the Developing the Young Workforce team at JGHS:
Scottish Apprenticeship Week 3-7 March 2025
28 February 2025: Next week, 3-7 March 2025, is Scottish Apprenticeship Week.
This is an opportunity for young people and their families to learn more about this pathway into employment, view live apprenticeship vacancies, and hear from employers about their offerings.
DYW – Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2025 – Employers and Vacancies
Connect Virtually, Train Locally: DYW Virtual Webinar for Scottish Apprenticeship Week
If you have any questions, please get in touch with the school, or the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) School Co-ordinator, Claire Howe:
Attainment and leaver destinations in 2023-24
25 February 2025: The Scottish Government has published its latest summary statistics for attainment and initial leaver destinations for school leavers in 2023-24.
This publication contains the latest statistics on Scottish school pupils’ initial destinations (their destination three months after the end of the school year) and their attainment during their time at school.
The statistics show that:
- 95.7 per cent of 2023-24 school leavers were in a positive initial destination. This is a small decrease from 2022-23 (95.9 per cent) and the second highest figure (alongside 2021-22) since consistent records began in 2009-10.
- The gap in positive initial destinations between leavers from the most and least deprived areas of Scotland was 4.3 percentage points. This has widened since 2022-23 when the gap was 3.7 percentage points.
- In 2023-24, under the National Qualifications measure, 83.5 per cent of school leavers left with one pass or more at SCQF Level 5 or better (down from 84.8 per cent in 2022-23) and 57.4 per cent of school leavers left with one pass or more at SCQF Level 6 or better (down from 57.9 per cent in 2022-23).
- In 2023-24, under the All SCQF measure, 87.4 per cent of school leavers left with one pass or more at SCQF Level 5 or better (down from 87.9 per cent in 2022-23) and 66.5 per cent of school leavers left with one pass or more at SCQF Level 6 or better (up from 65.6 per cent in 2022-23).
The full publication is available on the Scottish Government website.
Former chair of James Gillespie’s Trust passes away
23 February 2025: At the end of January, the Parent Council recieved the very sad news about the passing of Sheena Purdom, the former chair of the James Gillespie’s High School Trust. The obituary below was written by Trust members.
Sheena Purdom,1948-2025: Chair, James Gillespie’s Trust
Sheena spent 13 years as a pupil at James Gillespie’s, at a time when it was an all girls school. She made lifelong friends and remained an active member of the local community. Sheena trained as a teacher and followed a career in education until she retired. She taught biology in several Edinburgh high schools, retiring eventually from Leith Academy.
Sheena was always keen to support those who needed an extra helping hand and after retirement, while her daughter was still a pupil at Gillespie’s, she volunteered on the Parent Council, and later represented them on James Gillespie’s Trust. In recent years she has served as a Trustee, giving her time and expertise where it was most needed to support the young people and staff at JGHS. She was always keen to ensure all pupils were able to participate in school activities and that financial barriers were removed wherever possible.
Her time as a Trustee culminated with three years serving as chair of the Trust until she stepped down in November 2024. Sheena made a real difference to so many young people and her legacy will continue as the needs and interests of young people will continue to guide the decisions of the Trust in future.
Sheena has a special place in our hearts and she will be sorely missed.
Funeral service on 28 February 2025
Her funeral service will be held in the Mortonhall Crematorium at 2pm on Friday 28 February 2025. This will be followed by a celebration of Sheena’s life for friends and family at the Braid Hills Hotel. Family flowers only please. Donations will be collected for Air Ambulance Scotland and Guide Dogs.
About the James Gillespie’s Trust
James Gillespie’s Trust was established to harness the tremendous goodwill that is felt for James Gillespie’s High School and to support the work of the school through various educational schemes and community projects.
The Trust provides support and funding for educational and extra-mural activities within James Gillespie’s High School and its community and fosters strong links with past pupils through its alumni section.
February 2025 update from Connect
6 February 2025: The latest update from Connect is now available.
This edition includes follw-up from Connect’s most recent parent/carer survey report, and the links to sign up for two new Open to All live online Information Sessions:
- Online Learning Opportunities for the Senior Phase (S3+) – Thursday 27 February
- Scottish Apprenticeships with Skills Development Scotland – Tuesday 4 March.
Feedback on CEC inclusion review
4 February 2025: The Parent Council has been asked to give feedback on the recent Inclusion Review by the City of Edinburgh Council. There was some criticism before Christmas about the way in which the review had been handled, and subsequently communicated with parents.
Head of Inclusion, Dr Lynne Binnie, has now shared some more information about the review:
CEC Vision for Inclusive Education – consultation analysis (December 2024)
Give your feedback
Dr Binnie has asked for feedback from parent councils and the wider parent bodies on the following questions:
- Do you agree with the overall vision for Inclusive Education in Edinburgh
- Do you agree with the drivers of this re-organisation?
- What are the benefits of moving to the proposed structure?
- What are your concerns of moving to this proposed structure?
- What ideas do you have to reduce any concerns?
If you could please let me have any answers to these questions by Monday 24 February, this will give time to collate a PC response before the deadline on 3 March.
Have your say – HMIE inspection
4 February 2025: As you will have seen already, JGHS will be visited by inspectors from Education Scotland in the week of Monday 24 February 2025.
As part of the preparation for the inspection, all parents and carers have been sent the link to a survey about their experiences with the school.
This is an important opportunity to have your voice heard about the issues that matter most to you, so please do take the time to complete the survey and leave your comments.
Please note that all responses must be submitted by Friday 7 February.
The inspectors will also be meeting with the parent council during their visit, and will be particularly interested to discuss:
- how well the school works in partnership with parents and carers;
- how well the school keeps parents and carers informed of progress of their children’s learning;
- examples of how parents and carers work with the school to support children’s/young people’s learning
If you have any comments about these matters that you would like to share with the PC, please do contact us by email.
Please send us any feedback by Monday 17 February so that we can collate the responses.
Many thanks!
Update to SQA exam timetable for 2025
3 February 2025: The SQA issued a revision to the exam timetable for this year on Monday 3 February.
The revision includes a number of alterations to the dates of presentations, including a new date for Higher Psychology, which will now take place on Friday 25 April, rather than Wednesday 7 May, as previously. Higher English remains on Wednesday 7 May.
Full details of the new schedule are now available.
SQA Timetable 2025 (opens as a pf)
Information provided to Daniel Johnson MSP, and forwarded to the Parent Council shows that in the new timetable:
- the number of coincident exams has decreased by 47%
- the number of occasions where learners sit two exams in one day has decreased by
38% - there are now nine days where 100% of learners have one exam a day (up from
eight)
Related info
Letters sent by the PC to the SQA and others requesting timetable revision, and responses received, are available on the Deputations page
Report from Parent Council meeting 29 January 2025
30 January 2025: Many thanks to those who were able to join the meeting of the Parent Council on Wednesday 29 January.
We were joined by Headteacher Mr Neil McCallum, Science Curriculum Lead Mr Iain Coltart, and CEC Councillors Steve Burgess and Pauline Flannery.
The meeting discussed a number of issues including:
- concerns about rising rolls and school capacity, and recent engagement with the City of Edinburgh Council
- co-scheduling of SQA Higher exams in English and Psychology
- presentation by Iain Coltart about the delivery of science teaching and S1-S6 pupil pathways
Added 5 February 2025: The minutes of the meeting are now available:
Minutes from JGHS parent council meeting 29 January 2025 (opens as a pdf)
Presentations available
The presentations by Mr Coltart and the PC Co-chair, the finance update from the Parent Council, and the Headteacher’s report are available now:
Parent Council report and comments, 29 January 2025
Science teaching at JGHS, January 2025
Parent Council finance update, January 2025
Headteachers report
Due to lack of time during the meeting, Mr Mr Callum shared a written report with responses to a number of issues raised by the PC, including:
- SQA exam diet – Higher English and Psychology
- Capacity engagement
- English texts
- S1 residential
- Pupil bulletin
- Double periods
- Streaming
- Reporting
- SLWG on phones, homework and communications
- School news
Headteacher’s report 29 January 2025
Links to recent deputations to the City of Edinburgh Council about school capacity, and the letter to Daniel Johnson MSP and others about the SQA timetable are also available:
Update 3 February: the Parent Council is pleased to note the revision to the SQA timetable published today, which has addresed the issue of co-scheduling of Higher English and Psychology.
Update to SQA timetable for 2025
Next meeting
The next meeting of the Parent Council will be on Tuesday 25 March at 7 pm, and will be held online.
We will hear from DHT Mr Ian Porter about the health and well-being support provided for pupils and JGHS.
JGHS Parent Council 