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

JGHS Parent Council meeting on 5 September 2023

25 August 2023: This year’s first Parent Council meeting will be on Tuesday 5 September at 7pm.

This will be an online meeting and will be an opportunity to find out about the work of the PC and what is happening at the school in the new term. The joining link will be shared by the school before the meeting.

We would like to extend a warm welcome to all parents and carers, especially those who are new to the School. We have prepared a brief note about PC with more information about our responsibilities and activites:

About the JGHS PC, August 2023

Meeting agenda

Update on Parent Council activities, Parent Council Chair Sarah Scott
Head teacher update, HT Neil McCallum
Update on SQA results, DHT Nigel Cotter
Q&A

Questions for the meeting can be raised in advance by email and we will try to include them in the updates:

Email the Parent Council

There will also be the opportunity to raise questions via the Q&A typed chat facility on the night.

Finance report

Details of the bank account activity since the previous Parent Council meeting on 31 May 2023 is available:

Finance report for 5 September 2023

Meetings for 2023/24

This year’s PC meetings will once again be mixture of online and in-person meetings:

Tuesday 5 September 2023 (online)
Wednesday 11 October 2023 – AGM (in person)
Tuesday 28 November 2023 (online)
Wednesday 31 January 2024 (in person)
Tuesday 19 March 2024 (online)
Wednesday 29 May or 5 June 2024 (in person) – to be confirmed

JGHS girls’ sport supported by the Small Sums Fund

28 August 2023: The Parent Council heard from two of the recipients of last year’s Small Sum Fund (SSF) about the imapct the funds have had.

Girls gymnastics

Kerry Jones in the PE department received an award last year to purchase a set of matching team leotards for the about girls gymnastics team.

The team was able to attend a competition last year due to the small sums award, and the gymnasts loved their new smart leotards.
Kerry Jones, PE Department

Girls football

The award to the girls’ football teams was used to buy strips for a range of teams as the number of girls involved in JGHS continued to grow. The 2022-23 year was the school’s busiest and most successful year yet, with around 92 girls across JGHS involved in football.

The teams had the following notable achievements:

Champions of S1-3 football festival at Broughton (for beginners)
S1/2 local involvement in SPAR Cup and SSFA sevens competitions
S3/4 runners up in National SPAR Cup finals (having proceeded through local and regional rounds first)
Senior girls were Scottish Cup semi-finalists – a huge achievement and the furthest any Gillespie’s team has ever gone.

Our proudest achievements were in both our U15 and Senior sides being crowned Edinburgh league champions for their respective leagues this year. This is the first year these leagues have been introduced – having our name be the first engraved on both trophies is historic, and hopefully the beginning of something that will build and be sustained over the years.

In this respect, Gillespies are leading the way for girls’ football in Edinburgh which is testament to the passion, enthusiasm and togetherness of our students.
Frank Carstairs, PE Department

Children 1st Parentline Helpline Volunteers

23 August 2023: The Helpline Volunteers at Children 1st Parentline support families across Scotland every day of the yearby phone, webchat and email.

Children 1st Parentline

Volunteer for Parentline

Children 1st Parentline are looking for new Helpline Volunteers at their main office on Whitehouse Loan, Edinburgh, and the next training course starts on Saturday 23 September.

The initial training course ensures that volunteers have the skills and knowledge they need to feel confident in the role and Children 1st provide ongoing support and opportunities to develop in the role.

How to apply

If this is something you’d like to be part of, please see the Helpline Volunteer – Children 1st Parentline website for more information about the role and how to apply.

Children 1st Parentline Helpline Volunteers

Alternatively, please contact Ali Boyes, the Helpline Supervisor:

Email Ali

Welcome back to school!

16 August 2023: It’s hard to believe that nearly 7 weeks of holidays are over already. We hope that you were able to find time to rest, relax and recover over the summer, despite the rather soggy conditions that prevailed for much of the time, and that you are ready for all the new school year will bring. Welcome back!

First meeting of the year

The Parent Council will be hosting meetings both online and in-person over the 2023/24 session.

The first meeting will be held online on Tuesday 5 September at 7 pm. All parents and carers are very warmly invited to join with us; the link to join the meeting will be sent by the school.

If you have any questions or points that you would like to raise, please get in touch by email. And if you are interested in getting more involved, and would like to join the Parent Council, we’d also be delighted to hear from you.

Email the Parent Council

Future meetings

The dates of the meetings for the rest of the year are below:

Wednesday 11 October 2023 – AGM (in person at the school)
Tuesday 28 November 2023 (online)
Wednesday 31 January 2024 (in person at the school)
Tuesday 19 March 2024 (online)
Wednesday 29 May or 5 June 2024 (in person at the school) – to be confirmed

Skills Development Scotland helpline

3 August 2023: With results day just around the corner, the SQA has provided details about the help and advice available from Skills Development Scotland:

This year’s Results Helpline on 0808 100 8000 will be open:

Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 August – 8am to 8pm
Thursday 10 and Friday 11 August – 9am to 5pm

There will be more than 30 expert volunteers to take calls from 8am on Tuesday, 8 August until Friday 11 August.

They will provide all callers with bespoke information, advice and support tailored to meet their individual needs.

More information is available on their website:

Skills Development Scotland Helpline

Access to Skills Development Scotland is available all year round through local career centres, the My World of Work website, and through in-school careers advisers. The number to call when the Results Helpline closes is 0800 917 8000.

My World of Work

Appeals 2023 – a guide for parents and carers

27 July 2023: The SQA has published a guide for parents and carers with information to consider if children decide to submit an appeal.

Appeals 2023 – a guide for parents and carers

Overview of Appeals 2023

Learners will receive their results certificate, delivered to their home address by first class post, on Tuesday 8 August. Those who have signed-up for and activated their MySQA account will also receive their results by text and/or email the same morning from 8 am.

Appeals 2023 will open on Tuesday 8 August at 9 am. The service provides learners with the opportunity to request a marking review if they have concerns about their certificated grade.

The appeals service is free and will be open for learners to appeal either directly to SQA, or through their school.

Further information is available on the blog.

A downloadable booklet is also available:

Appeals 2023 – What you need to know: Nat 5, Higher and Adv Higher

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