We are delighted to inform you that we will be offering a free first aid qualification to all S4 students in December. I will be communicating details with the S4 during an assembly on Thursday 1st December.
In general, students will do the course in their registration groups as detailed in the link below. However, there are a small number of students who have SQA assessments on their assigned day. If this is the case, they have been moved to a different date. This will be shared with students via their Google Classroom.
Please see the letter below for full details.
| Payment | Paid to Bank Accounts | Notes/Comments |
| Christmas Holiday Payment | Thursday 15th December 2022 | P1-S6 Wednesday 21st December 2022 to Wednesday 4th January 2023
£23.10 per Primary pupil £25.30 per Secondary pupil |
| Scottish Child Bridging Payments | Thursday 15th December 2022 | £260 per pupil for those eligible for Free School Meals P1-S6
· Children and young people receiving universal Free School Meal provision – i.e. those in P1-P5 who would not qualify for Free School Meals on low income criteria – are not eligible. · It will only cover pupils currently eligible and applications received up until 20th December 2022 which are subsequently approved. · Any payments not made by 15th December 2022 because applications have not yet been completed or approved will be paid by 31st January 2023. |
As indicated in recent HT Weekly Updates we will provide parents/careers the opportunity to contribute to Phase Two of an independent review of Senior Phase Qualifications and Assessment. The Review is being led by Professor Louise Hayward. To this end all parents/carers are invited to a consultation event to be held in school on Wednesday 30th November beginning at 7.00pm. Professor Hayward will not be at our meeting but school staff will ensure we do as much as we can to de-jargon the consultation and allow us to capture Lasswade HS parent/carer views.
The review is possibly, for secondary schools, the most significant part of a wider reform process. It could result in significant changes in how young people gain qualifications in the later years of school. It is likely that any reform agreed will impact most on BGEd students however we are keen that parents/carers of Senior Phase students also attend as they can speak from first-hand experience on the strengths/weaknesses of the current system.
The Review will progress through three phases and as stated we are currently in Phase Two. This phase now has a closing date of Friday 13th January 2023.
For your information Phase One invited feedback on a draft Vision and Principles statement. Draft statements were first developed with representatives from the Scottish Youth Parliament and the Children’s Parliament and feedback sought. The feedback received during Phase One is being analysed by an independent researcher.
We are now in Phase Two of the process. This phase seeks to consult on proposals for potential Options on the future of Qualifications and Assessment. The evidence from responses to this phase will be independently analysed and used to identify a preferred proposal. On Wednesday we aim to capture the views of our parent/carer body. Next week all students will be asked to give their views through PSEd.
Phase Three begins in January 2023 and will seek views on the preferred proposal for the future of Qualifications and Assessment. In this phase the focus will be concerned with practical implications.
Following completion of all three phases Professor Hayward will produce a final report and recommendations which will be submitted to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills in March 2023.
Further information and details on the review are available via the following link click here
In addition, individual parent/carers are able to respond with a dedicated parent/carer response form is available via this link click here Please access the Parents and Carers Survey at the bottom of link page.
No feedback submitted from HT Update week ending 25/11/22.
This concise weekly HT Update will be published every Friday afternoon with a simple opportunity for you to also feedback/ask questions via the link at the bottom of each Update. Feedback received, where appropriate, will be responded to and published on Monday afternoons on the school website link.
Key messages from this week
Calendar: Next week’s key events include; Study Skills Week rescheduled from last week and now running across the week with Study Skills Workshops for students after school on Monday through Wednesday; on Monday we’ll hold our S2-S3 Course Choice Information Evening beginning at 6.00pm and held via Zoom (see below); on Tuesday there is a Geography Field Trip to The Water of Leith; Senior Phase students will be involved in Coursework & Assessment Assemblies on Wednesday and Thursday; on Wednesday evening we’ll hold an in-person consultation with parents/carers on the future of Qualifications and Assessment (see below); and our Christmas Fayre will be held on Thursday from 6.00pm to 8.30pm
Staffing Update: This week was the last week for Jill McLaren, Melville Head of House, we say farewell and a massive thanks to Jill who takes up her new DHT post on Monday 28th November. Mr McQueen will act as Head of House and Mrs McNeil as PT Tracking & Monitoring in Melville House. There is a change in DYW Coordinators across some Midlothian schools. Caroline Rosie will now be our coordinator. Welcome Caroline.
Review of Qualifications and Assessment: As indicated in previous updates an independent review of Senior Phase Qualifications and Assessment has opened with a closing date of Friday 16th December 2022. This consultation is part of wider education reforms being undertaken and should in the fullness of time result in potentially significant changes around how students secure qualifications in school. Our parent/carer consultation event will be held on Wednesday 30th November at 7.00pm. We have now decided that this consultation is best held in-person, and not as previously indicated on-line. Our in-person event will be designed to inform parents but also to gather their views to inform our school response. Details on the consultation are available via the following link click here
S2 into S3 Course Choice Information Evening: This event will be held via Zoom on Monday 28th November from 6.00pm. As indicated on our website post click here all S2 parent/carers should have received an email with Zoom link details.
Industrial Action: Strike action may well be a feature of the education system over the next few weeks. Hopefully I am wrong and there will be a settlement. If that is not the case the next action that is likely to affect us is SSTA industrial action scheduled for Thursday 8th December. If this action goes ahead it will almost certainly result in a full or partial closure for students. I anticipate being able to communicate with you next week on the Midlothian approach.
Lasswade Life Podcast: Episode 2 is now available for your listening pleasure. Please subscribe and recommend as we build this new means of school/home communication. To access the second episode please click here The focus is on our new values.
Christmas Panto: Our Christmas Panto, Snow White, will take place across two nights on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th of December. Tickets are available to purchase through ParentPay from Monday and thereafter collected by students from Music/Drama staff.
Mission Christmas & Food Bank Donations: A gentle reminder that from Monday 28th November to Friday 9th December, we will be collecting food bank donations and children’s’ gifts for Mission Christmas in the Atrium and at the School Reception.
Christmas Jumper Day: National Christmas Jumper Day is taking place on Thursday 8th December. To fit in with our school calendar we’ll have a Lasswade Christmas Jumper Day on Friday 9th December to mark the end of our charity collection period.
If you have any feedback/questions relating to this update please submit them via the link below
Take Care
Campbell Hornell and Ali Mitchell, Head Teachers
Thank you to our parent/ carers who joined us online for our Study Skills event on Tuesday evening. Please find the PowerPoint for the evening here, as well as the Q&A from the event, which we have added to the end of the presentation.
In addition, we have added an evaluation which can be completed by those who attended the event, but also by those who did not – we are seeking your views on what more we can offer to support with study skills. Please let us know your thoughts.
Effective Revision- Parent Session
Thank you to all parents/carers who booked and attended virtual appointments for our S4 Parents’ Evening (Wednesday 16th November). We would like to invite you to complete a short evaluation to share our experience of this event, to inform our planning for next session. This evaluation will close on Friday 2nd December.
Your next Parents reports will be as follows:
I would like to take the opportunity to tell you about some upcoming events Students Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) will be offering for parents and carers of a child who is considering entering higher education in Autumn 2023.
These sessions will explain the funding packages available from SAAS for those planning to undertake higher education courses (HNC/HND/Degree courses) as well as how and when to apply and an opportunity to ask any questions.
These sessions will be online and will take place in the evening during December. Parents and carers can check the available dates and times and book a place on these talks here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/137287290983
Once booked, they will receive a booking confirmation with a link that will allow them to access the meeting.
If you have any questions relating to this offer, please email saasevents@gov.scot and we will get back to you asap.
No feedback submitted from HT Update week ending 18/11/22.
This concise weekly HT Update will be published every Friday afternoon with a simple opportunity for you to also feedback/ask questions via the link at the bottom of each Update. Feedback received, where appropriate, will be responded to and published on Monday afternoons on the school website link.
Key messages from this week
Calendar: Next week’s key events include; Study Skills Week is running across the week with Study Skills Workshops for students after school on Monday through Wednesday and a session for parents/carers, via Zoom click here, on Tuesday evening from 7.00pm; on Wednesday we have a 2Morrow’s Drivers’ Event for S6; our third Parent Council Meeting of the session will be held via Zoom on Wednesday from 7.00pm; the school will be closed to students on Thursday due to industrial action taken by the the EIS and AHDS teaching unions; next Friday is a Dress Down Day and Active Boys’ Day
Staffing Update: This week we welcomed Jeff Meechan into our Social Studies team and Iona Wineberg as a Learning Assistant in our Creative Learning team. Next week Helen Muir, our school librarian, moves on to another post outside Midlothian Council and we wish her all the best with this new position and thank her for all her support to the school and students whilst she has been with us.
Industrial Action: following the letter sent to all parents/carers on Tuesday regarding the industrial action being taken on Thursday 24th November I expect to communicate again with parents early next week with the limited arrangements we are able to put in place for student learning activities on Thursday 24th November. Please also be aware that College courses will also not be running next Thursday. Please also be aware that staff involved in the other significant teachers union, the SSTA, are likely to announce a date for industrial action next week. This will take place during week beginning Monday 5th December.
Head Teacher News: Please note that from Monday I will resume my three day/two day split between my Head Teacher role and my temporary role with the council. Ms Mitchell will be Head Teacher at the times I am not in the building.
Lasswade Art & Design Exhibition 2022: Thank you to all staff and students who were involved in the Art & Design Exhibition last night – it was a brilliant evening! We were able to celebrate the achievements of not only Art, Design and Photography but also Fashion, Design and Technology and the Origami Club. We welcomed over 500 guests into the building, and enjoyed live music by Morgan Murphy and Eilidh Garland. Aleesha Doherty and Leah Cantwell were our official photographers of the night – see art_lasswade on Instagram for more content from the event.
Students Out of Class: We are experiencing an increase in the instances of students co-ordinating being out of class together at the moment. We have advised our teachers not to allow students out of class unless in exceptional circumstances, but also with clear directions on expectations of where they are to go and timings. We expect students to fill up water bottles at break and lunch times as required. Thank you.
Wider Achievement: We have added a new section on our website on wider achievement, including the first newsletter that we will publish four times per session. For more information and to read the newsletter click here
Parent Council 3: Please note this meeting will take place on Wednesday 23rd November. This meeting will be held via Zoom. Further details are available on our website click here
If you have any feedback/questions relating to this update please submit them via the link below
Take Care
Campbell Hornell and Ali Mitchell, Head Teachers