SQA

Report from Parent Council meeting 25 November 2025

25 November 2025: Thanks so much to everyone who was able to join the PC meeting this evening. Many apologies for the technical issues – we are very grateful for your patience.

Particular thanks to all our contributiors for their comments and presentations, and to our comms officer Kate Pinault for handling all the behind-the-scenes activity so smoothly.

Agenda

Headteachers report
Performing Arts Curriculum update
Rising Rolls interest group
2024/25 SQA results at JGHS
Comment Cllr on City of Edinburgh Council policy on mobile phones in schools
Q&A

Rising rolls interest group

As was discussed in the meeting, Andrew Picken is chairing a parent group interested in exploring ideas that could address the problem of rising rolls and space contraints in the JGHS. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact him by email:

Email Andrew

Meeting information

Parent Council meeting recording (opens on YouTube)

Performing Arts curriculum (Lisa Shearer; opens as pdf)

JGHS SQA results 2024-25 (Nigel Cotter; opens as pdf)

Parent Council update (opens as pdf)

Next meeting

The next meeting of the Parent Council will be on Wednesday 28 January 2026 at 7 pm in the school library.

Parent Council meeting on 25 November 2025

4 November 2025: The next meeting of the JGHS Parent Council will be held on Tuesday 25 November. This will be an online meeting via MS Teams, and the joining link wil be shared by the School via email. All parents and carers are most warmly welcome to attend.

The draft agenda for the meeting is:

Welcome and report from the Parent Council – Co-chairs
SQA results at JGHS for 2025 – Mr Cotter, Deputy Headteacher
Update on CEC consultation on mobile phones in schools – Cllr Steve Burgess
School report – Mr Neil McCallum, Headteacher

If there are questions or issues you would like to raise in advance of the meeting, please contact the Parent Council via email. It will also be possible to post questions in the Q&A during the evening.

Email the Parent Council

SQA results day 2025

25 July 2025: The SQA publish the national qualification results on Tuesday 5 August.

To help pupils (and parents) prepare for results day, the SQA have published some blogs with advice and tips to help deciding on next steps.

SQAblogs – Understanding the road to results day

SQAblogs – Answering questions about results day

SQAblogs – SAMH: Exam results and caring for your mental health

SQAblogs – UCAS advice for results day

SQAblogs – Young Scot guidance for receiving your results

SQAblogs – Results and appeal process 2025: advice for parents and carers

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:

JGHS policy documents

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.

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

PC deputations and campaigns

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.

SQA – Results Day 2024

Updated 31 July 2024: The SQA National Qualification results are published on Tuesday 6 August.

What to expect on results day

UCAS share tips on what to do once you have your results, whether your grades are what you expected or not.

Preparing for results day

Explaining the grading process

How are exams and coursework marked and graded? How do grades awarded this year compare with grades awarded in previous years? How does SQA ensure grades are applied consistently, and fairly?

Martyn Ware, Director of Policy, Analysis, and Standards at SQA explains what happens once learners have completed their exams and coursework.

Explaining the grading process

Caring for our mental health

Feeling overwhelmed by the thought of upcoming results? Billy Burke from SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health) shares some insights on caring for our mental health and wellbeing on and around results day.

SAMH: Exam results and caring for our mental health

Recording of PC meeting 19th March now available

24 March 2024: Many thanks to everyone who was able to attend the meeting of the JGHS Parent Council on March 19th.

The recording of the meeting is now available on YouTube:

JGHS Parent Council 19 March 2024

You can also download an update from the JGHS PC Chair, a presentation about the teaching of the English curriculum, an update on the A+ Group’s activities to support pupils of colour and their families, and the headteacher’s report. There is also a supplementary report on lesson plans for Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenting (RSHP) that the headteacher shared, after interest was shown in the meeting.

PC Chair Update

Teaching the English Curriculum at JGHS

Activities of the A+ Group

Headteacher Update

Lesson Plans for RSHP

N.B. For more information about the A+ Group, please see this recent PC Post, from November 2023. The next A+ meeting will take place on March 27th. Please contact A+ Group Coordinator Zaki El-Salahi if you are interested in participating.

SQA exams 2024 – information for students

12 March 2024: The latest SQA Blog: National Qualifications – contains helpful information about exam services available to learners, and the approach to grading in 2023-24.

You can find out more at the following link:

SQA exams 2024 – information to help you prepare for your upcoming exams

For more information, including exam timetables, past papers, and study tips, visit the SQA National Qualifications Learner Support 2023-24 website:

SQA – Get exam ready with SQA resources

Recording of PC meeting 5 September now available

7 September 2023: Many thanks to everyone who was able to attend the meeting of the JGHS Parent Council on Tuesday 5 September.

The recording of the meeting is now available on YouTube:

JGHS Parent Council 5 September 2023 – listen again

You can also download a brief note of the meeting, a copy of the presentation on SQA results given by Mr Nigel Cotter, DHT, the Headteacher’s report and details of the School Improvement Plan for 2023-24.

Note of JGHS PC meeting 5 September 2023

SQA results, tracking and reporting

Headteacher’s Report, 5 September 2023

JGHS School Improvement Plan, 2023-24