4 June 2026: Connect has published its end-of-session update for 2025/2026.
In this edition of the Connect Members’ eNews, there is a summary of Connect’s work, an education update, plus a look ahead to August.
education
Recent activity and updates from the Parent Council
Updated 12 February 2026: A number of updates from the Parent Council were shared in the Headteacher’s newsletter this week.
City of Edinburgh Council Education Consultative Forum (ECF) meeting
The ECF meeting for parent representatives from mainstream secondary schools in Edinburgh was held on 4 February.
At the JGHS Parent Council’s request, an item related to rising rolls in Edinburgh schools was added to the agenda.
Meeting report (opens as pdf)
JGHS rising rolls subgroup
The rising rolls subgroup has produced a document outlining the case for more space to be made available at JGHS, and has obtained information via an FOI request on the current use of teaching spaces at the school. Both documents can be access below:
Making the case for more space (opens as a pdf)
Use of teaching spaces at JGHS (opens as a pdf)
English Reading Circles – S1 & S2
A huge thanks to all parents and pupils who so generously contributed to the Book Drive. The final total raised was £1105!!
The donations mean that we have now been able to purchase all 160 of the books requested by the English department, (at a total cost of £642) and the campaign is now closed.
The PC worked with the JGHS Trust to raise funds for pre-owned book sets for S1–S2 English Reading Circles. Purchasing books through the Trust has allowed us to claim Gift Aid on donations, increasing their value.
Since the donations exceeded the total amount needed for this project, the Parent Council has asked the English department to extend the initial list and to consider including additional titles for children with additional support needs
One teacher will pilot the Reading Circles programme later this year, and the full prorgramme will be rolled out in 2026/27.
Online Resource – “The Chat”
The Parent Council encourages families to explore the new online resource that provides support for children as they learn about friendships, relationships and growing up.
The official launch on the new resource was on 4 February 2026.
Next Parent Council Meeting:
The next meeting of the Parent Council will be held online on Tuesday 24 March 2026, 7–8:30 pm via MSTeams.
If there are any issues that you would like to raise, please contact the Parent Council via email.
HMIE Inspection reports for JGHS published
20 January 2026: Education Scotland have published the results of the inspection carried out at James Gillespie’s High School in October 2025.
The report and the summarised findings are available at the links below:
JGHS inspection report, City of Edinburgh Council, 20 January 2026
JGHS inspection report, City of Edinburgh Council, 20 January 2026 (Gaelic version)
JGHS summarised inspection findings, City of Edinburgh Council, 20 January 2026
JGHS additional inspection evidence, City of Edinburgh Council, 20 January 2026
In summary the inspectors found:
Strengths
- The headteacher provides calm and aspirational leadership to the school community.
- Staff and young people have developed inclusive, positive and respectful learning environments in which young people thrive.
- Young people sustain very high levels of attainment across the senior phase.
- Staff have worked well with a range of effective partners to increase young people’s learning pathways and opportunities for achievement.
- Across the senior phase, young people achieve highly in Gàidhlig, with nearly all securing National Qualifications at appropriate levels.
Areas for improvement
- Senior leaders should continue to develop the capacity of staff at all levels to embed recent improvements.
- Staff need to ensure that young people experience a greater consistency of high-quality learning, teaching and assessment across the school.
- Senior leaders should develop a more coherent and strategic approach to immersion education, with a focus on broadening the curriculum leading to qualifications and awards through the medium of Gàidhlig.
October 2025 update from Connect
19 October 2025: The latest update from Connect is now available.
This edition includes a range of information and resources for parents.
There are also details about the launch of Connect’s new parent/carer survey on views and priorities for Scottish education to inform Connect’s Parents’ Charter.
The Charter will contain a series of ‘asks’ from parents and carers ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliamentary election and will contribute to Connect’s policy work.
The deadline for submission is Monday 27 October.
Report from “theChat” project now available
28 October 2024: Earlier this year, theChat project engaged parents and carers to discuss how to support better to communication with young people about sexual health, reproduction and parenthood.
The project was carried out Scotland-wide, on behalf of several NHS health boards.
Conversations with parents – called ‘chats’ – and a national survey have provided insight into life at home and how parents want to support their child from the early years, through childhood and into the teenage years so that they are equipped to be healthy, happy and safe in their friendships and relationships.
A group parents and carers from JGHS participated in one of the ‘chats’ in the Spring of 2024.
theChat report
The final report from the project has just been published
JGHS Parent Council 