This concise weekly HT Update is generally published every Friday afternoon. There is also an opportunity for you to provide feedback/ask questions via the link at the bottom of each Update.
Our next HT Update will be on Friday 2nd October 2026.
Key messages from this week
Calendar: Significant events week beginning 21.09.26: Fairtrade Fortnight continues, concluding on Friday 2nd October; Silver Duke of Edinburgh Expedition (28.09.26 – 30.09.26)
Staffing: We have no vacancies live on myjobscotland.
Temporary Access Changes: As you’ll be aware we’ve experienced some challenges this week, as a result of the heavy rain on early Wednesday morning. We are still investigating the damage to different areas of the centre and, as a result, we are planning for the main reception and concourse area to remain closed on Monday. The following arrangements will therefore remain in place:
Main school access: Students should access and exit the school through the atrium doors at the rear playground. Please note that fire exits should not be used.
PE Department Access & Release:
The Pod classes located in the main building will be displaced on Monday of next week.
Breakfast Club: Breakfast Club will continue as usual from 8am. It will be in its usual location, but students will enter through the rear playground doors.
The Library and Coffee Shop will remain closed.
School Improvement Plan: Our School Improvement Plan for 2026/27 and our Standards and Qualities report for last session has now been published on our website. You can read the full version, or view our presentation version. Both are available here.
Qualifications Scotland: Between now and December, Qualification Scotland are developing their understanding of key topics relating to qualifications reform. The findings of this work will help inform the design and development pf new qualifications.To share your views and support the shaping of new qualifications, you can take part in their qualifications reform stakeholder survey. This is most suitable for parents and carers with recent experience of supporting their child with qualifications in the senior phase. It focuses on models for qualifications at levels 3, 4 and 5. You can also sign up to Qualification Scotland’s Your Voice panels. These alert you about opportunities to get involved and have your say in this important work.
Photographs: Your child’s photograph proof is being given out to pupils in their PSE classes over the next few days, along with any orders placed before 18th September. Some have already been handed out during PSE so please check with your young person if they have received theirs.
To view your photographs online: Visit www.UrPix.co.uk. Create an account or sign in. Select your school. Enter your child’s UNIQUE ID. You may be asked to verify your email address. If the verification email does not appear, please check your junk or spam folder.
If you have more than one child or more than one UNIQUE ID, you can open all their galleries through the same account and place everything in one order to ensure the best discounts across UrPix’s product range.
If your child was absent on photo day, or if you would like a retake, you can book a free retake through the website.
If you have any questions, please check the information sheet or visit the website for further details.
Feedback to: lasswadehsoffice@midlothian.education
Thank you,
Have a lovely weekend,
Lynsey Struthers
Interim Head Teacher
This concise weekly HT Update is generally published every Friday afternoon. There is also an opportunity for you to provide feedback/ask questions via the link at the bottom of each Update.
Our next HT Update will be on Friday 25th September 2026.
Key messages from this week
Calendar: Significant events week beginning 21.09.26: Fairtrade Fortnight begins; Parent Council Chairs Meeting (21.09.26); UCAS Discovery Trip, Lasswade HS Parent Council Meeting 1 (27.09.26); Student Parliament, Modern Languages Day (24.09.26); Dress Down Friday (25.09.26)
Staffing: This week we said goodbye to Emily Jack, Biology, who moves to a new post in Edinburgh City. We currently have no vacancies live on myjobscotland.
Parent Council Meeting 1: Details of the agenda for our first Parent Council can be found here. Our first meeting is in-person but as we move into the darker weather we’ll be online. We’d be delighted to welcome new members – so if you’re the parent/ carer of an S1 student, or you’re the parent/ carer of an older student, and keen to get involved please come along. If you’d like more information Sara and Alison are happy to answer questions. You can contact them at fundraising.lhs@gmail.com or by posting a question to the LHS Parent Council Facebook page.
QI Meeting: This week we welcomed staff from across the Midlothian Council, and from the Scottish Borders to visit our classrooms and meet with groups of our students and staff. This work is part of our regular quality improvement calendar, but it is essential is gathering an deeper, informed view of how well we are delivering teaching and learning across our curriculum, and how well we are ensuring high quality outcomes for all students. By Tuesday afternoon we were pleased that the QI Team had validated the school’s own self-evaluation, agreeing with our description of our strengths and next steps.
S1 School Of: This morning we were visited by staff from another authority, who wanted to look at our ‘school of’ model. Our S1 students impressed with their enthusiasm and spoke highly of the topics and projects they’ve been engaged in. It was excellent to see – our thanks to all of the students who supported this visit and showcased their work.
Modern Languages Day: On Thursday we will have our European Day of Languages. This event will celebrate languages, cultures and communities. We’re expanding our borders slightly to represent the languages taught in our school. For this event S1 and S4 students are invited to dress in the colours of France, S2 can dress in the colours of Spain, and S3, 5 and 6 in the colours of China. The Modern Languages team will be celebrating with ‘pop up’ lessons, games and face-painting throughout the day.
Feedback to: lasswadehsoffice@midlothian.education
Thank you,
Have a lovely weekend,
Lynsey Struthers
Interim Head Teacher
Our first Parent Council Meeting of the session will be held on Tuesday 22nd September, 2026. The meeting will be held in-person at the school in room 114. It 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’. As stated, 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 Tuesday 22nd September, to
Or, post a question to the Parent Council Facebook page
This concise weekly HT Update is generally published every Friday afternoon. There is also an opportunity for you to provide feedback/ask questions via the link at the bottom of each Update.
Our next HT Update will be on Friday 18th September 2026.
Key messages from this week
Calendar: Significant events week beginning 14.09.26. Monday holiday (14.09.26); Authority QI Visit (15.09.26 – 16.09.26); Bronze DofE Practice Expedition (16.09.26 -17.09.26); Senior Phase Report Issued (18.09.26)
Staffing: We currently have two vacancies live on MyJobScotland, both for Biology. One is a permanent role and the other is a fixed term post.
Google Guardian: We are in the process of sending our S1 Google Guardian invites – we have experienced some admin issues with this, but we are anticipating that you should all have received by now. Please remember that these invites will be from Google, not from Lasswade High School. In addition, they may go into your junk folder so please check there if you cannot see it.
Free School Meals: Payment for upcoming School Holidays (Friday 11th September and Monday 14th September 2026) will be paid to Bank Accounts on Tuesday 8th September 2026. £5.60 per Secondary School pupil and £4.60 for primary pupils.
Appeals Outcomes: The outcomes of appeals will be confirmed to schools on 1st October. We will notify students and parent/ carers of the outcomes of these. New certificates will be issued by Qualifications Scotland in November, where required.
CPAG (Child Poverty Action Group): CPAG are running session , which will be delivered in partnership with Into Film and Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) over the next few weeks. These sessions offer a great opportunity for parents and carers to gain knowledge, information and practical advice on topics that can support families and strengthen their wider school community. The details of theses sessions, and booking links are included below.
Making School Affordable for Every Family with CPAG
22 September 2026
Online
8-9pm (1 hour)
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1991920105657?aff=oddtdtcreator
In partnership with Child Poverty Action Group Scotland (CPAG), Connect is hosting a virtual event to discuss school-related costs.
Join us to explore the real cost of the school day and share practical ways we can support families, reduce financial pressure, and ensure all children can take part in school life without stigma or barriers.
This session will consist of a short presentation, followed by the opportunity to ask questions.
Discovering Careers in the Screen Industries with Into Film
23 September 2026
Online
8-9pm (1 hour)
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1992129740681?aff=oddtdtcreator
Into Film (intofilm.org) offers young people, teachers, career advisers and parents information, advice and resources to learn more about the variety of roles within this broad industry. This aligns with their work providing resources, training and opportunities for teachers using film in the classroom and supporting young people in making films.
In this session, the Into Film team will discuss the current screen industry landscape, the roles which are most in demand and how to find further information on working within the screen industries.
Building Futures with Developing the Young Workforce: Supporting Young People’s Future Pathways
6 October 2026
Online
8-9pm (1 hour)
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1992116193160?aff=oddtdtcreator
Parents and carers come along to our online session with Developing the Young Workforce (DYW).
This session will introduce parents and carers to Developing the Young Workforce (DYW), https://www.dyw.scot/ raising awareness of how DYW supports young people across Scotland to build skills, confidence, explore routes and pathways, and their understanding of the world of work.
Feedback to: lasswadehsoffice@midlothian.education
Thank you,
Have a lovely long weekend,
Lynsey Struthers
Interim Head Teacher
This concise weekly HT Update is generally published every Friday afternoon. There is also an opportunity for you to provide feedback/ask questions via the link at the bottom of each Update.
Our next HT Update will be on Thursday 10th September 2026.
Key messages from this week
Calendar: Significant events week beginning 07.09.26 – London Trip (07.09.26 – 09.09.26); LassLangs (09.0926 -10.09.26); S1 Curricular Fair (09.09.26); September weekend – school is closed for students and staff Friday 11.09.26 – Monday 14.09.26 inclusive. We wish all our students and staff travelling to London this coming week a wonderful trip.
Staffing: We currently have two vacancies live on MyJobScotland, both for Biology. One is a permanent role and the other is a fixed term post.
Annual Data Check : It is important that we hold accurate and up-to-date information for all our students, so we are asking all parents and carers to log in to ParentsPortal.net and complete the data check by the end of September. Please take a few minutes to check the information we hold, including emergency contacts and health information, and update anything that has changed. If you have not already signed up for ParentsPortal.net please see the message below for information on how to register. Thank you for your support in helping us keep our records up to date.
Parentsportal – Thank you to parents/carers who have already signed up to Parentsportal, this is a quick way to view your child’s timetable, report absences and view attendance. Please see the here for more information on how to link your account.
NHS Flu Vaccination Forms: Thank you to those who have already returned their forms, please check with your child that they have returned the form to student reception so we can ensure these are passed on to the nursing team so they can be included in this year’s vaccinations.
Google Guardian: All S1 Parent/ carers should have received information about Google Guardian today. Google Guardian allows you to receive a weekly overview of your child’s learning activities. Invites will be sent on Monday to enable you to access this platform. It is important to note that these emails will be from Google – not Lasswade HS – so may go into junk folders.
Free School Meals: Payment for upcoming School Holidays (Friday 11th September and Monday 14th September 2026) will be paid to Bank Accounts on Tuesday 8th September 2026. £5.60 per Secondary School pupil and £4.60 for primary pupils.
Priority Appeals Outcomes: The outcomes of priority appeals have now been released. All students, and former students, have been notified of the outcomes. We are expecting a date shortly for the outcomes of all other appeals. This is likely to be in October, with new certificates issues in November, where required.
Qualifications Scotland 2027 Exam Timetable: Qualifications Scotland have released the 2027 exam. This can be accessed here.
Adult Learning: Midlothian CLLE are running a number of Adult Learning Qualifications that still have space this academic year. These qualifications provide an excellent opportunity for adults to gain recognised qualifications, develop new skills, enhance employment prospects, or progress towards further education and training.
The qualifications currently available include:
National 5 Maths
National 4 Maths
National 5 English
Professional Development Award in Sociology
Please see the flyer attached for more information.
Adult Education Programme Flyer
Feedback to: lasswadehsoffice@midlothian.education
Thank you,
Have a lovely weekend,
Lynsey Struthers
Interim Head Teacher
On Thursday 17th September 4.30pm – 7.30pm, the online S1 Student Parent/Carer Consultation Evening will be taking place. This consultation evening is led by our Student Support team (Melville, Mount Esk, St Anne’s and St Leonard’s). The Student Support Team teach all S1 students on a weekly basis as part of the Personal and Social Education curriculum and they provide all of our S1 students with regular support. The system that we use for S1-S6 Parents’ Evenings is called ‘Parents Booking’ (see website https://www.parents-booking.co.uk/lasswade).
Dates for your diary – the booking system opens at 6pm on Sunday 6th September and will close at 10am on Tuesday 15th September.
You will not be able to log in to your account before this time. There will be no admin support available until the morning of Monday 7th September.
Our Parents’ Evenings are fully online (video call), so if you have not taken part in an online Parents’ Evening at Lasswade HS before, please read the Parent/Carer User Guide ahead of the evening or watch this useful video Video Meetings Demo, with Troubleshooting.
Each appointment lasts for 4 minutes (on screen timer) and will be automatically end when the 4 minutes is up.
The curricular S1 Parent/Carer Consultation Evenings will be taking place on Thursday 22nd October 4.30pm – 6.30pm (Melville and Mount Esk) and Tuesday 27th October 4.30pm – 6.30pm (St Anne’s and St Leonard’s). During these evenings you will have the opportunity to speak with your young persons subject teachers, also using the online meeting system (video call). This will be available to book during October, more information will follow.
If more than one parent/carer wishes to join the video call, the identified ‘main carer’ (person who makes the appointments) must be the person to share the joining details with the other parent/carer. The link to share will be available by logging in on the day of the consultation.
If you have any issues logging in or making appointments please contact the school admin team lasswadehsoffice@midlothian.education who are happy to support.