Response to feedback submitted from HT Update week ending 05/06/26. Please note I have anonymised the staff member in the second item.
| My Question | Comment | Suggestion related to the school this week is: | HT’s Response |
| Hello, I wondered whether the phone free teams event will be recorded for any parents not able to attend at that time? Thank you. | I’m afraid not. We don’t record sessions. We’ll make sure there is a report on the website. If you’ve questions you want raised then send them in. Parent Council via, fundraising.lhs@gmail.com or the school via, lasswade_hs@midlothian.gov.uk
|
| I am just trying to chase up two un responded emails to a member of staff from Tues 26th May and Tuesday 2nd June. Thank you | I’m sorry that has been your experience. I’ve spoken directly with the member of staff and asked them to reach out. |
| I would be interested to know if the school is organizing uniform fitting sessions this year or do we need to order directly from BE Uniforms? Also, does the school keep hold of second hand uniforms if we want to donate outgrown items and purchase the next size up? Thank you | Yes we are, the fitting session is on Tuesday 16th June between 4.00pm and 5.30pm. You can also order directly from BE Uniforms.
We do upcycle uniform, just hand into the School Office and it’ll make it’s way to the right place. |
| Just wanted to reiterate the comment from last week regarding pupils being able to access their new timetables maybe the week prior to starting a new year. I’m aware you are looking into this but I do feel it would be a positive step forward and really go towards reducing a lot of unnecessary stress and anxiety on a day / week which can already feel quite overwhelming for some. | No problem. I can confirm that it is built into our timeline for next session. Our aim is to make them available on the Thursday/Friday before the change on the Monday after. |
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 08/06/26: on Monday it’s our S4 Extra Curricular Silver DoE Practice, there are SL and SA BGE Awards Rehearsals; on Tuesday students are still out on our S4 Extra Curricular Silver DoE Practice and there are ME and MK BGE Awards Rehearsals; on Wednesday it’s the last day of our S4 Extra Curricular Silver DoE Practice, the P7 Induction Days begin and in the evening there’s a Parent/Carer SDS/DYW Information Evening, see below; on Thursday the P7 Induction Days continue and it’s our Phone Free Parent/Carer Information Evening, see below; on Friday it’s the final P7 Induction Day.
Staffing: Congratulations to Lynsey Whitson who has come through the competitive process to secure the Development Post relating to NQTs and Student Teachers. Thanks to Katherine Lebida for her excellent work in this role. We have 6 posts live on MyJobScotland; Teacher of Chemistry, ASN Learning Assistant, Teacher of Business, IMS Vocal Instructor, IMS Piano Instructor and IMS Upper Strings Instructor.
Free School Meals: We’ve been asked us to share a respectful reminder that Free School Meal applications are not yet open for the next school year. Applications will open in mid-July.
Student Voice: Students were asked this week to sign up for Student Voice. This is our democratic and representative system where we listen and empower students to help improve the school. Students, via their Google Yeargroup Classroom are asked to, fill in a Google Form. Meetings are around once a month to discuss issues important to young people and to try to make Lasswade High School a better place to learn. Mrs Atkinson (114) or Mr Bain (115) lead on this work and students with questions are asked to see either of them.
Scottish Fire and Rescue: Following the tragic water related deaths during the country’s mini heatwave resulting in 15 deaths across the UK Scottish Fire and Rescue have asked us to share an information leaflet giving safety advice for reservoirs and other open water spots. Open Water Safety
Poltonhall and Bonnyrigg Gala Day: We’re happy to share the Poltonhall Gala Programme 26. Fingers crossed for good weather on Sunday.
Skills Development Scotland (SDS)/Developing the Young Workforce (DYW): Please note this event will be held on Wednesday 10th June at 6.30pm, via Teams. Click here for more information.
Phone Free Information Evening: Please note this event will be held on Thursday 11th June from 6.30pm, via Teams. Click here for more information.
Parent/Carer Wellbeing Group: The next group meeting will be Thursday 25th June, at Bright Sparks, Bonnyrigg. Please come along or get in touch with Vikki to find out more. Click here for more information. The group look forward to seeing you.
Wider Achievement PLEA, , Reminder: 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/blurbs/and students’ names. While we’re knowledgeable about in-school achievements we’re think parents/carers are well 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. Please send to r.hardie@midlothian.education.
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.
Take Care
Campbell Hornell, Head Teacher and IMS Lead.
Please note this event will be held on Wednesday 10th June. The evening as been developed in partnership with our Parent Council. It is aimed at parent/carers. It begins at 6.30pm and will be an on-line event held via Teams. The session aims to inform parents/carers on
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.
Study Leave increased our capacity to work intensively on our Phone Free School project. In particular in relation to the preparation for implementation. There has been lots of discussion and lots of thinking on the matter over the last few weeks and months. We have concluded that, as a school, we need to alter our pace of change. I communicated this to our Parent Council at our recent meeting and with staff this morning. We’ll hold a series of Assemblies with students next week, including with the P7s who’ll be on their transition visit, to explain things to them.
Our intention is that in session 2026/27 we implement a consistent phone free classroom environment with identified phone free zones, .i.e., corridors and stairwells. Our purpose is to support learning and a phone free classroom will, we believe, reduce distraction and support engagement in learning. Our identified phone free zones will support our health and safety responsibilities. We do anticipate further consultation, thinking and discussion on a phone free school, looking at 2027/28 as the earliest implementation.
The change from our initial thinking has resulted from the following identified issues,
We will now work at pace to implement and share guidance with all. This process is well underway. Our Information Evening for parents/carers is scheduled for Thursday 11th June. That evening begins at 6.30pm and is now, at the request of the Parent Council, following a poll of parents, now on-line. Parents/carers of current students and P7 pupils will be sent the Teams link via email on Thursday morning.
At the Information Evening we plan to
Response to feedback submitted from HT Update week ending 29/05/26.
| My Question | Comment | Suggestion related to the school this week is: | HT’s Response |
| Why can the new s5/6 not get their timetables before returning to school on Monday? Could these not have be emailed or at least made available for kids to collect, if they wished, prior to starting back. | We’ve found it more efficient, over the years, to hand out to those who’ve been on Study Leave to get their timetable first thing, first day back. Unfortunately, we have no facility to easily email students their timetable. The IT Management System in school is antiquated. We’d be, between S5 and S6, around 450 individual emails. I will talk to Ms Petrie about collection for next session. Assuming a Monday start they could be collected Thursday/Friday prior to that. I guess we’ve just got into this habit. Thanks for the suggestion. |
| My daughter has received her new timetable but it has blank spaces and she has tried speak to her student support teacher to try and sort this out. The new timetable starts tomorrow and we are no further forward, to someone please call me to sort this please. | I’ve checked the timetable. No gaps. Must have been sorted last week. Will ask Mr Cairney to contact you |
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.
