Parent Council meetings

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.

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.

Parent Council meeting on 29 January 2025

24 January 2025: The Parent Council meeting will be held this week on Wednesday 29 January at 7 pm in the school library – all parents and carers are most warmly invited to join with us.

Agenda

  • Update on Parent Council activities, including:
    • Capacity and rising rolls at JGHS
    • SQA scheduling of Higher English and Psychology
    • CEC Inclusion review
  • Finance report – PC Treasurer
  • Delivery of the science curriculum at JGHS – Science Curriculum leads 
  • School updates – Neil McCallum (HT)
  • Q&A

Due to availability of school staff, the planned presentation about inclusion, health and well-being support at the school has been moved to the meeting in March. 

As always, if you have any points/questions/concerns that you would like to raise with the Parent Council, please contact us by email:

Email the Parent Council

Parent Council Finance Report

Summary of PC budget 29 January 2025

Letters and deputations

Recent communications sent by the PC to Council officers about rising rolls, SQA timetabling and other issues can be accessed below:

Parent Council documents and papers

Previous Parent Council meetings in AY2024/25

Parent Council meeting 26 November 2024

Parent Council AGM 9 October 2024

Parent Council meeting 10 September 2024

Happy New Year 2025!

9 January 2025: Happy New Year, and welcome to 2025!

The first Parent Council meeting of 2025 wil be held on Wednesday 29 January at 7 pm in the JGHS library.

in addition to the usual updates from the Parent Council, and the Headteacher’s report, the main item on the agenda will be a presentation and discussion with Mrs Nikki Graham about the support for pupil health and well-being in the school. This will also touch on the new Inclusion policies from the City of Edinburgh Council.

All parents and carers are most warmly invited to join us.

If you have any questions that you would like to raise in advnace of the meeting, please do get in touch:

Email the Parent Council

Presentations from November meeting of Parent Council

26 November 2024: Many thanks to those who joined the online meeting of the Parent Council.

The meeting heard an update on recent activities by the Parent Council, a presentation by DHT Nigel Cotter on the SQA exam results at JGHS in 2024, and a report from HT Neil McCallum.

The presentations from the meeting, and the link to the meeting recording on YouTube are now available.

James Gillespie’s High School Parent Council meeting, 26 November 2024 (opens on YouTube)

Parent Council November 2024 update (opens as pdf)

SQA results at JGHS (opens as pdf)

Headteacher update November 2024 (opens as pdf)

If you have outstanding questions that were not addressed by the meeting, please let us know.

Email the Parent Council

JGHS Parent Council meeting 26 November 2024

17 November: The next meeting of the JGHS parent council will be on Tuesday 26 November at 7 pm on MS Teams. The meeting link will be circulated by the school, and all parents and carers are most warmly invited to join us.

Agenda

  • Brief report from the Parent Council
  • Report by Mr Cotter (DHT) on the 2024 SQA exam results at JGHS
  • Update from Mr McCallum (HT)
  • Q&A

If there are any issues that you would like to raise, you can email the PC in advance of the meeting, or put them into the chat on the evening.

Email the Parent Council

Previous meeting

Information presented at our AGM on 9 October, and at the last online meeting on 10 September is availalble below:

PC meeting 10 September 2024

PC AGM 9 October 2024

New members of Parent Council appointed at AGM

9 October 2024: The Parent Council held its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 9 October 2024 in the school library.

The following officer bearers were appointed for the 2024/25 session:

  • Tiziana Basciani – co-Chair
  • Hilary Snaith – co-Chair
  • Liz Hilton – co-Vice-Chair
  • Sam Ross – co-Vice-Chair
  • Kirstin Leighton – Treasurer
  • Padraic Kinsella – Secretary
  • Kate Pinault – Communications coordinator
  • Julita Burgess – Refreshments coordinator

New members joining the Parent Council:

  • Duncan Bell
  • Shane Buckeridge
  • Adam C
  • Ulrike Peter
  • Séamus Spencer

Full list of members

Reports presented at the meeting

Annual PC reports and meeting agenda

Parent Council report – Hilary Snaith (opens as pdf)

Active Schools update – Eliot Ambrose (opens as pdf)

Headteachers update – Neil McCallum (opens as pdf)

Minutes

A draft of the minutes of the meeting are now available. The minutes will be formally approved at the next in-person meeting on 29 January 2025.

Minutes of 2024 JGHS Parent Council AGM (draft, opens as pdf)

JGHS PC refreshments and fundraising activities 2023-24 – Aileen Nimmo (outgoing refreshements coordinator, opens as pdf)

Annual General Meeting on 9 October 2024

28 September 2024: The Annual General Meeting of the James Gillespie’s High School Parent Council will be held on Wednesday 9 October at 7 pm in the school library. All parents and carers are most warmly invited to join us for this meeting.

The key business of the meeting will the appointment of the members and office bearers of the parent council, and presentation of the annual reports and accounts.

All carers and parents are very welcome to come to meetings of the Parent Council. If you would like to get more invovled with our activities and become a member of the PC for the upcoming session, please let us know before the meeting, or volunteer on the night.

Email the Parent Council

The following people have indicated that they are willing to stand as the PC office bearers:

  • Co-chairs:  Tiziana Basciani, Hilary Snaith
  • Vice-chair:  Liz Hilton
  • Treasurer:  Kirstin Leighton
  • Secretary:  Padraic Kinsella
  • Comms:  Kate Pinault
  • Refreshments:  Julita Burgess

Draft agenda

  1. Formal business of AGM
    1. PC report for 2023/24
    2. Treasurers report for 2023/24
    3. JGHS Trust comments
    4. Appointment of office bearers and PC members
  2. Headteacher’s report – Neil McCallum
  3. Active School report – Eliot Ambrose
  4. Discussion, including school capacity issues, especially study space for S6; establishment of short life working groups; use of digital education and phone
  5. AOB

If there are other topics you would like to have raised at the meeting, please contact the Parent Council.

Reports

JGHS Parent Council Report 2023-24

JGHS Parent Council refreshments and fundraising

JGHS Parent Council Accounts 2023-24

JGHS Trust 2023-24

Links to related documents

Roles and responsibilities of Parent Councils

JGHS PC Annual General Meeting 2023

Parent Council meeting on 10 September 2024

Parent Council meeting information

10 September 2024: Many thanks to all the parents and carers who joined the meeting of the JGHS Parent Council this evening.

Update 2 December 2024: The meeting recording is now available on YouTube:

James Gillespie’s High School Parent Council meeting 10 September 2024

The slides presented are now available:

Welcome and introduction from the Parent Council (opens as pdf)

A summary of the information discussed by the Headteacher is also available:

Headteacher’s report 10 September 2024

Pupils and parent surveys June 2024

Information about the surveys discussed by Mr McCallum about pupil and parent experience at the school, carried out in June 2024, is available at the links below:

Results of pupil survey (opens as pdf)

Results of parent/carer survey (opens as pdf)

Parent Council meeting on 10 September 2024

7 September 2024: The next meeting of the James Gillespies High School Parent Council will be this Tuesday 10 September at 7 pm on MS Teams. All parents and carers are warmly invited to join the meeting.

The meeting agenda will be:

  • Welcome and brief report from the Parent Council
  • Report from the Headteacher on activities in the school including updates on:
    • Results of school survey (Summer 2024)
    • Website, communications and the school app 
    • Use of mobile phones in the classroom
    • Facilities in the school, including changes to toilets and provision of study space for S6
  • Open Q&A (questions can be posted in the chat)

The joining link for the meeting will be shared by the School via email.

If you have any questions that you would like to raise in advance of the meeting, please email the Parent Council:

Email the Parent Council