27 March 2023: Connect, the body supporting parent councils and other parent groups in schools, has produced some useful guidance for financial regulation.
Money Matters Health Check for Parent Groups
Money Matters Guidelines for Parent Groups
The JGHS parent council will be reviewing these documents, and discussing how the guidance will inform our own handling of parent council financial processes, at the our next meeting on 31 May.
21 March 2023: Many thanks to those who were able to join us for the James Gillespie’s High School Parent Council meeting on Tuesday 21 March.
The recording of the meeting is now available:
Watch the Parent Council Meeting 21 March 2023 on YouTube
Note of JGHS parent council meeting on 21 March 2023
6 March 2023: The next meeting of the James Gillespies High School Parent Council will be on Tuesday 21 March at 7 pm via MS Teams. The joining link will be circulated by the School in the week of the meeting.
There will be a special focus on science teaching at this meeting, with presentation from the Curriculum Leader Mr Iain Coltart.
There will also be the usual updates from Headteacher Mr McCallum and from Parent Council Chair Sarah Scott, and the opportunity to ask questions via the Q&A panel.
We very much hope that you will be able to join with us
If there are any questions you would like to have addressed, please send them to the Parent Council ahead of the meeting and we will forward them to the School.
Details of the previous Parent Council meeting can be found here:
25 February 2023: The Parent Council would like to say a special thank to all the parents and carers who so generously donated the the 2022 Festive Fundraiser campaign in aid of our Small Sums Fund.
In December, the total raised on ParentPay was £910, which will now all go towards funding a wide range range of staff projects. Past projects have included subscriptions to periodicals, specialist books and equipment for learners with additional support needs, specialist art equipment, and equipment for Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.
The next round of applications to the Small Sums Fund will be towards the end of this academic year.
You can find out more about the Small Sums Fund and the projects we have funded here:
JGHS Parent Council Small Sums Fund
The Parent Council will also raising money for the Small Sums Fund on the refreshment stalls at the upcoming Spring Fling concerts and other in-school events – so please look out for us!
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.
Updated 30 May 2023: Many thanks to everyone who was able to attend the JGHS parent council meeting on Wednesday 1 February.
This was a very interesting meeting, which covered a wide range of topics over the course of the evening.
Minutes from JGHS parent council meeting on 1 February 2023
An update on school activities was presented by the headteacher Mr Neil McCallum – see link below.
Headteacher’s report 1 February 2023
The main focus was on antiracism activities at JGHS with presentations give by teachers Mr Porter, Mr Watt and Mr Cham, and by Grace Dempsey from Intercultural Youth Scotland, and the work she is doing in the school to support pupils and teachers to address racism and discrimination.
We were also very pleased to hear about the A+ Group, a new project that will be starting in the school later this month, led by Zaki El-Salahi.
The group:
You can learn more about the group and its aims below:
The group will meet online on the last Wednesday of each month from February to June 2023. For further information and/or join the A+ group, please contact Zaki:
Update 25 January 2023: The next meeting of the James Gillespies High School Parent Council will be at 7 pm on Wednesday 1 February 2023 in the library at the school. We very much hope that you can join us.
The main presentation at the meeting will be on work on anti-racist approaches at the school.
There will also be the regular updates from Headteacher Neil McCallum, and the Parent Council.
If there are other issues that you like to raise at the meeting, please let us know by email:
Information about our meetings earlier this academic session can be found below:
15 December 2022: Many thanks to everyone who came along to the JGHS Christmas concerts this week (Tuesday 13 December) – it was fantastic to see everyone back in the school to celebrate the talents of our young people and to meet one another again.
The Parent Council took in over £400 on the refreshments stall at the fayre that ran between the concerts, and also raised over £100 at the coursing night on 6 December – we are very grateful for all these contributions, which will go towards the Small Funds Fund supporting activities in the school.
There is also still time to make a contribution to the Parent Council’s Festive Fundraiser, which is currently running on Parent Pay. Again, all the funds raised will go to the Small Funds Fund, and will be most appreciated.
8 December 2022: The James Gillespie’s High School Performing Arts Faculty invites you to the Christmas Concerts 2022!
This year there will be two performances of the Christmas concert on Tuesday 13 December at 5 pm and 7.30 pm, in the Muriel Spark Theatre at James Gillespie’s High School. Tickets can be booked via Parent Pay.
In the time between the two shows, there will be a mini-fayre in the Forum, Malala Building, with a home baking stall, crafts table and refreshments, in aid of the Parent Council’s Small Sum’s Fund.
Some pupil committees will also be showcasing their work.
All parents are warmly welcome to attend this part of the evening, even if they do not have a ticket for one of the concerts. It would be helpful if guests could bring cash to this event if possible please!
5.00 – 6.15 pm Concert 1 in the Muriel Spark Theatre
6.15 – 7.15 pm Refreshments in the Forum (Malala)
7.30 – 8.45 pm Concert 2 in the Muriel Spark Theatre
We are delighted that Tony Marsh will be videoing the concert. The recording will be available by the 31 January 2023.
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.
This year the Parent Council has been really pleased to fund projects that support equity and attainment, for example:
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
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:
Thank you!
JGHS Parent Council 