This concise weekly HT Update is generally published every Friday afternoon. It’s a simple opportunity for you to also feedback/ask questions via the link at the bottom of each Update. Any feedback received will be responded to and published on Monday on the school website.
Feedback from the last HT Update: Click here.
Key messages from this week
Calendar: Significant events week beginning 01/06/26: on Sunday students and staff depart on our S1 French Opal Coast Trip with a return on Saturday; on Monday our 2026/27 timetable begins with students moving on a year and it’s our new S6 Induction Day; on Tuesday we’ll have visitors from Wales in the school engaging in professional discussion and mutual learning, we’ll hold a series of Year Group Assemblies and in the evening we’ll host the Midlothian Junior Young Musicians Event; on Thursday we’ll have students at the ECA Degree Show; on Friday our S3 will attend our World Environment Day Assembly.
Staffing: We have 5 posts live on MyJobScotland; Teacher of Chemistry, ASN Learning Assistant, Teacher of Business, IMS Piano Instructor and IMS Upper Strings Instructor.
Skills Development Scotland (SDS)/Developing the Young Workforce (DYW): Please note this event will be held on Wednesday 10th June via Teams. It’s an early evening event with the start-time t.b.c. The evening has been developed in partnership with our Parent Council. It aims to inform parents/carers on
We’ll keep you informed and please keep an eye on the Parent Council Facebook Page. On the morning of Wednesday 10th June all Parents/carers will be sent the Teams link via email.
Phone Free Information Evening: Please note this event will be held on Thursday 11th June from 6.30pm. We aim to inform parents/carers of our thinking regarding the implementation phase of our work and give opportunities to ask questions for clarity. Further information to be shared with parents/carers prior to the evening.
Wider Achievement Plea: We are in the process of collating the wider achievements of students for the June edition of our Wider Achievement Newspaper. We’re looking for achievements in and out of school, ideally with any photographs/blurb/students’ names. While we’re knowledgeable about in-school achievements we’re assuming parents/carers are better placed to advise us of out of school student achievements. We need all information to be with us no later than 19/6/26. Please send to r.hardie@midlothian.education.
Tour de France 2027 – Volunteering Opportunities with the World’s Most Famous Cycling Race: Applications opened on Wednesday to recruit 9,000 volunteers (“JOY Makers”) to support the Tour de France, which is coming through Midlothian, and Tour de France Femmes Grand Départs in summer 2027. Open to anyone aged 16+ (if you are 16 by 1 April 2027, you are eligible), the programme requires no prior experience and offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience at a major international sporting event.
For 18–25-year-olds, there is a strong employability focus through the “Readiness to Work” scheme, which provides:
Volunteers will:
The programme is particularly targeted at young people and underrepresented groups, helping them access opportunities that can be difficult to obtain, such as work experience. Overall, the initiative aims to create a lasting legacy of skilled, work-ready young people, supporting progression into employment, education or training, while contributing to a high-profile, community-based event. Applications open until 1 September 2026: www.letourgb.com/volunteer
New S4 Chromebook Clinic: To ensure that students’ Chromebooks are ready for the Senior Phase, all new S4s are expected to attend a Chromebook Clinic appointment, on Tuesday 2nd – Thursday 4th June. Students have their appointments allocated – these are accessible on their year group Google Classroom. Students should arrive at their designated time. Each appointment is one to one, devices will be taken back to factory settings, minor repairs made and students will be given tips about maximising its use. Each appointment will last approximately 25 minutes. Please note no major damages can be repaired and no new Chromebooks will be issued. But if a device is broken students should report this to their PCWO so that the process of repair can begin.
2026 Exam Diet: Today we closed the 2026 exam diet, with National 5 ESOL. This year we had 3952 individual exams in total – covering 139 courses, across N5, Higher and Advanced Higher levels. We have been fortunate to be well staffed with 33 staff in our invigilation team – some of whom have worked with us for many years, and supported many students. This year we also piloted the use of exam.net, an online exam platform in our Higher Media exam. Students were positive about this experience, and we will work with our colleagues in Midlothian to explore greater use of this for the 2026 diet.
Change of Timetable 01/06/26: In June we move to our new timetable, all new S5/6 students will receive their timetables when they return from exam leave during their welcome back sessions. New S2-4 students were given their timetables yesterday.
Qualification Scotland Results Day, Reminder: This year students can expect to see their results on Tuesday 4 August 2026. My Qualifications Scotland gives candidates a simple, convenient way to access their exam results and qualifications record. By signing up, they can choose to receive their results by email, text, or both. This means they won’t have to wait at home on results day to find out how they’ve done. To register, students will need their Scottish Candidate Number (SCN) and a valid email address. The deadline for registration is 5 pm on Wednesday 15 July 2026. To register, click here.
Legally Blonde Tickets, Reminder: We are pleased to let you know that tickets for this year’s school summer show, Legally Blonde, will be live on ParentPay from Monday afternoon, 25th May. Tickets are limited to 3 per student per show and once purchased, students can collect from classrooms 006 & 007. Thank you for your continued support , and we look forward to seeing you at the show.
Kelly ‘Holmes’ Diamond/ Neil ‘Alf Tupper’ Chisholm: She did it! Our half-marathon hero stated, ‘I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated to my Just Giving page for “Target Ovarian Cancer” Your generosity and kindness will make such a difference to this fantastic charity. So far I have raised a whopping £1,870 and counting…….. Can I make it to £2000? There are some pictures of the amazing day on my just giving page – proof I actually crossed the finish line!! Click here to donate. Neil Chisholm completed the full marathon, in a LHS exclusive he stated, ‘Hardest thing I’ve ever done! But, it’s done. Thanks to all the folks who donated.’ There is absolutely no truth in the rumours he needed a lift pass on Monday. Click here to donate.
Take Care
Campbell Hornell, Head Teacher and IMS Lead.
Our sixth, and final, planned Parent Council Meeting of the session will be held on Thursday 28th May 2026. The meeting will be held in-person at Lasswade HS in Rooms 114/15. The meeting begins at 7.00pm and should last just over an hour, and certainly finish no later than 8.30pm.
At the meeting we plan discussions on
All parents/carers are welcome to ‘attend’. We’d love to see some new folk!
Please send in any questions, via email and with ‘FAO Parent Council’ at the top of message by lunchtime on Thursday 28th May, to
Or, post a question to the Parent Council Facebook page
Response to feedback submitted from HT Update week ending 22/05/26.
| My Question | Comment | Suggestion related to the school this week is: | HT’s Response |
| A query regarding Google Guardian – there have been a number of instances where I have received notification in Google Guardian that my daughter has ‘Missing’ work; class work or home work not submitted. When I follow this up with her she tells me that either the deadline has changed or the work is no longer required to be submitted. I have no reason to doubt that this is the case but I’m wondering if it’s possible for teachers to amend or withdraw deadlines for work if they do change so that parents are not getting incorrect notifications or is it just an aspect of the system that we have to accept. Overall, I find the Google Guardian system very useful. | First of all, thank-you. That is exactly how we hope parents/carers ‘use’ Google Guardian. The follow-up conversations keep the home/school learning connection ‘live’.
At the same time I see as a parent that it’s also difficult when the context you describe arises. As we move to a change of timetable we’ll remind teachers about how they set-up their classrooms as they’ll have a whole set of new classes. The key feature based on your feedback being only set a calendar deadline if it’s homework or an assignment, not routine classwork. This is often why things you describe happen. That should prevent the issue you describe. |
This concise weekly HT Update is generally published every Friday afternoon. It’s a simple opportunity for you to also feedback/ask questions via the link at the bottom of each Update. Any feedback received will be responded to and published on Monday on the school website.
No feedback from the last HT Update.
Key messages from this week
Calendar: Significant events week beginning 25/05/26: the Qualifications Scotland Exam Diet continues Monday through Friday of next week; on Tuesday we’ll have students out on our Bannockburn Trip; on Wednesday students are away on the Jupiter Artland Trip; on Thursday we’ll hold our fifth Meaningful May work with P7 pupils we’re expecting as S1 in August and it’s our final Parent Council Meeting, see below; on Friday the second S1 Report of the session is available via ParentPortal, it’s also a Dress Down Day
Staffing: Congratulations to Katie Gallagher who has secured the acting PT role within Mount Esk. We have 4 posts live on MyJobScotland; Teacher of Business, Teacher of Chemistry, ASN Learning Assistant and ASN Teacher.
Change of Timetable 01/06/26: In June we move to our new timetable, all new S5/6 students will receive their timetables when they return from Study Leave during their welcome back sessions. All new S2-4 students will be given their timetables next Thursday during either English and Maths.
Reminder: Mainstream School Transport Application – Closing 29th May: This is a reminder that the Mainstream School Transport Application for the Academic Year 2026/27 is currently open but will close on Friday 29th May. Parents and carers of mainstream pupils who may require council‑supported transport to and from their catchment school must complete an application every academic year, even if transport has been provided previously. Important information
Deadline: Friday 29 May 2026. Applications submitted after this closing date may not be considered. Please ensure your application is completed on time.
Apply online: School transport for mainstream schools | Midlothian Council
Qualification Scotland Results Day: This year students can expect to see their results on Tuesday 4 August 2026. My Qualifications Scotland gives candidates a simple, convenient way to access their exam results and qualifications record. By signing up, they can choose to receive their results by email, text, or both. This means they won’t have to wait at home on results day to find out how they’ve done. To register, students will need their Scottish Candidate Number (SCN) and a valid email address. The deadline for registration is 5 pm on Wednesday 15 July 2026. To register, click here.
Legally Blonde Tickets: We are pleased to let you know that tickets for this year’s school summer show, Legally Blonde, will be live on ParentPay from Monday afternoon, 25th May. Tickets are limited to 3 per student per show and once purchased, students can collect from classrooms 006 & 007. Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing you at the show.
Parent Council 6: This meeting takes place on Thursday 28th May from 7.00pm. It’s an in-person event and takes place in the school, first floor, Room 114/15. We’ll share the results of the recent parent/carer survey and discuss possible actions, as well as summing up some of the work the Parent Council has been involved in this year. We’ll do a website post and text reminder at the beginning of next week.
Kelly Diamond, Reminder and Mr Chisholm, late entrant!: Kelly works in our School Office. She’s brilliant, and is looking for your support. Kelly is running the Edinburgh Half Marathon on Sunday 24th May for a charity that is very close to her heart. If you can spare a few minutes please have a little read of her story and give what you can. Click here to donate.
Neil Chisholm is one of our DHTs and is running the full thing. He’s running for Maggie’s Centres if you’re willing to support; click here to donate.
Good luck to both, hope the weather is not too hot.
Take Care
Campbell Hornell, Head Teacher and IMS Lead.
Apologies for the later than usual post. The In-service day has ‘upset’ my routines. Either that or I’m getting old and forgetful!
No feedback from HT Update posted last week, week-ending 15/05/26.
We had one enquiry regarding the online session with the The Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
This concise weekly HT Update is generally published every Friday afternoon. It’s a simple opportunity for you to also feedback/ask questions via the link at the bottom of each Update. Any feedback received will be responded to and published on Monday on the school website.
No feedback from the last HT Update.
Key messages from this week
Calendar: Significant events week beginning 18/05/26: the Qualifications Scotland Exam Diet continues Monday through Friday of next week; on Monday it’s our last Inset Day of the session, students should only attend if they have an Qualifications Scotland Exam; on Tuesday we’ll have students out on the S3 Extra Curricular DofE Bronze Qualifier and it’s our POD Parents Evening & Celebration of Work; on Wednesday students are still on the S3 Extra Curricular DofE Bronze Qualifier, others are away on the Jupiter Artland Trip and we have others involved in the Midlothian Athletics Championship; on Thursday we have more students away on the Jupiter Artland Trip, we’ll hold our fourth Meaningful May work with P7 pupils we’re expecting as S1 in August and it’s our S1 HPV Vaccinations day, see below; on Friday it’s Lasswade HS Book Day
Staffing: Wendy Easterbrook finished up with us yesterday. Wendy worked within our Science Team, lately as PT for our Broad General Education (BGEd). A fantastic person and professional who served the school for 14 years. We wish her well as she moves next week to Beeslack CHS as PT Science. She’ll be brilliant. Congratulations to Scott Cairney who came through a competitive process to secure the acting Head of House role within Mount Esk. Congratulations also to Robyn Taylor who yesterday secured the permanent PT BGEd Science role. All of these colleagues are excellent examples of ‘growing our own talent’. We have 3 posts live on MyJobScotland; Science Technician, Teacher of History and ASN Teacher.
Site Security: As you may recall phase one of this programme is asking staff and students to refrain from using fire exits at the front of the building to enter/leave the building. We are now focusing on ensuring that students are not in the building unsupervised at the beginning and end of the school day. From Tuesday 19th March, the doors to the atrium area will be opened no earlier than 8:20am and, at the end of the day, they will be closed at 3:40pm. The public Costa area and back playground are accessible. We will remind students that, if they want to study after the end of the school day, they should use Lasswade Library which is open every day and supervised by Library staff. Students will also be reminded that they should not be in the school building after the end of the school day unless they are participating in an organised activity that is supervised by school staff.
HPV/MMR Vaccinations: These vaccinations are scheduled for on Thursday 21st May. Teachers have been asked to register students and then send them to the double classroom 114/115. The vaccination schedule involves all of S1 who have consented and some S2-6 who missed out on vaccinations previously. S2 and S3 students will be called out of class individually.
Our disclaimer to the schedule, click here, is that these are the planned timings subject to change.
The Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland: The Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland are pleased to invite you to attend an upcoming Parents’ Evening Webinar hosted by representatives from The Band of The Royal Regiment of Scotland. The event takes place this Monday coming, the 18th May at 7.00pm. The session is designed for parents, and teachers, of students who are interested in a career in music and may wish to consider British Army Music. The webinar will include a short presentation outlining career opportunities, followed by an open Q&A where you can ask questions directly to our team. I understand that families can sometimes have concerns when there is an expression of interest to join the military. This event aims to provide clear information, address those concerns, and help dispel some of the common myths surrounding military careers.
Any parent keen to attend should let me know via the ‘Feedback here’ link below and I’ll distribute the Teams link on Monday morning
Kelly Diamond, Reminder: Kelly works in our School Office. She’s brilliant, and is looking for your support. Kelly is running the Edinburgh Half Marathon on Sunday 24th May for a charity that is very close to her heart. If you can spare a few minutes please have a little read of her story and give what you can. Thank you. Click here to donate.
Take Care
Campbell Hornell, Head Teacher and IMS Lead.
No feedback from HT Update posted last week, week-ending 08/05/26.
This concise weekly HT Update is generally published every Friday afternoon. It’s a simple opportunity for you to also feedback/ask questions via the link at the bottom of each Update. Any feedback received will be responded to and published on Monday on the school website.
No feedback from the last HT Update.
Key messages from this week
Calendar: Significant events week beginning 11/05/26: the Qualifications Scotland Exam Diet continues Monday through Friday of next week; on Monday we’ll have a Junior Active Girls input; on Wednesday there’s a Junior Active Boys input; on Thursday we’ll hold our Third Meaningful May work with P7 pupils we’re expecting as S1 in August.
Staffing: We have 2 posts live on MyJobScotland; Science Technician and Teacher of History.
Lasswade HS Election: My thanks to Miss Gee and the Social Studies Teams for their work leading to yesterday’s mock school election. Being a modern organisation we have online and in-person voting. Our students and staff had the opportunity to participate. A total of 731 votes were cast, for parties not candidates, with the results as follows.
Free School Meal Entitlement: We’ve been asked to share the following information related to the two student holiday dates in May.
| Payment | Paid to Bank Accounts | Notes/Comments |
| School Holidays
Monday 4th May 2026 and Monday 18th May 2026 |
Tuesday 12th May 2026 | £4.60 per Primary School pupil
£5.30 per Secondary School pupil |
Lasswade High School – Breakfast Club: Our Breakfast Club has moved rooms and is bigger and better than ever. They are now located in CL5 – across from the main School Reception – everyday from 8am until the start of the school day. Students have been invited, through Google Classrooms, to pop in anytime for a slice of toast, a cup of tea, a wee bowl of cereal or even just a chat with friends. All this is free of charge!
Free School Meals/Clothing Grants: Midlothian have been receiving applications for FSM/Clothing grants for 26/27 term already. We’ve been asked to share with you that applications for next term will not open until Mid July.
Kelly Diamond, Reminder: Kelly works in our School Office. She’s brilliant, and is looking for your support. Kelly is running the Edinburgh Half Marathon on Sunday 24th May for a charity that is very close to her heart. If you are can spare a few minutes please have a little read of her story and give what you can. Thank you. Click here to donate.
Take Care
Campbell Hornell, Head Teacher and IMS Lead.
No feedback from HT Update posted last week, week-ending 01/05/26.