Edinburgh Council

Report from Consultative Committee with Parents meeting

11 December 2025: The City of Edinburgh Council’s Consultative Committee with Parents met earlier this week. It was attended by Kirstin Leighton and Liz Hilton on behalf of the Parent Council.

The short meeting focused primarily on an update about the Empowered Learning Programme.

Concerns were acknowledged about the cost of iPad repairs, which can be expensive, long repair turnaround times, and restrictions preventing pupils from using compatible third-party chargers, limiting affordability and choice. However, no specific actions or solutions were outlined.

New restrictions were outlined that will give parents greater control over their child’s iPad usage. However no detailed timelines or specifications were provided during the meeting.

Discussion was limited due to ongoing decision-making processes, and several questions could not be answered in detail. A full report on the Programme will be given at the Education Committee in January.

About the Consultative Committee with Parents (CCwP)

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:

Video explainer

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:

  1. Do you agree with the overall vision for Inclusive Education in Edinburgh 
  2. Do you agree with the drivers of this re-organisation?
  3. What are the benefits of moving to the proposed structure? 
  4. What are your concerns of moving to this proposed structure?
  5. 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.  

Email the parent council

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:

Parent Council deputations

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.

Learning Together – Engaging parents and carers

18 August 2024: Parent and carers may have seen the recent information on “Learning Together” – the City of Edinburgh Council’s strategy for engaging parents and carers in learning and school life.

You can read a copy of the document below:

Learning Together framework summary

The CEC is currently reviewing the strategy – if you have comments on the issues raised, that you would like to share with the Parent Council, please get in touch:

Email the Parent Council

Updates from Locality meetings in February 2024

16 March 2024: The City of Edinburgh Council ASN Mainstream Locality Meeting was held on 22 February 2024, and the NE/SE Locality Meeting was held on 28 February 2024.

Minutes and presentations from these meetings are available below.

ASN Mainstream Locality Meeting

Meeting minutes – ASN

NE/SE Locality meeting

Meeting minutes – NE/SE

Inclusion Review Update – Lynne Binnie

Maximising School Attendance – Jennifer Connell

Updates from Locality Meetings, November 2023

30 November 2023: The ASN Mainstream Locality Meeting for City of Edinburgh Council and representatives from area Parent Councils, met on 16th November 2023.

A copy of the presentation made is available below, along with minutes from the meeting:

Digital Learning Update for Localities – opens as pdf

ASN Mainstream Locality meeting minutes – opens as pdf

The NW/SW Locality Meeting and the NE/SE Locality Meeting took place on November 21st & November 22nd 2023, respectively. The minutes for these meetings are available below:

NW/SW Locality Meeting minutes – downloads docx

NE/SE Locality Meeting minutes – downloads docx

Update from NE/SE Locality Meeting September 2023

9 October 2023: The NE/SE Parental Engagement Locality Meeting for City of Edinburgh Council and representatives from area Parent Councils, met on 27 September 2023. Copies of the presentations made are available below, along with minutes from the meeting:

Learning for Sustainability (opens as pdf)

Celebrating Success (opens as pdf)

NE/SE Locality Meeting minutes 27 September 2023 (opens as pdf)

October update from Connect

Bonus item – you can also read the October edition of the Connect newsletter below:

Connect – October 2023

Our National Discussion on Education – results published

15 June 2023: The National Discussion was co-convened by the Scottish Government and COSLA to establish a compelling and consensual vision for the future of Scottish education. It was established in response to Professor Ken Muir’s report “Putting Learners at the Centre” which recommended that a national discussion take place.

Putting Learners at the Centre

Consultations were carried out with more than a hundred organisations dedicated to supporting children and young people as well as education partners and parent and carer groups in designing the National Discussion.

The report based on the findings of this listening exercise was published on May 31 2023, with both a full report and a summary report available. 

Our National Discussion on Education full report

Our National Dsiscussion summary report

A summary of the results was presented by Stephen Kelly at the Edinburgh Council’s Consultative Committee with Parents – see below:

Presentation on The National Discussion – A Summary

City of Edinburgh Council budget for 2023/24

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.

Read the BBC News story