HT Update: Week-ending Friday 23rd January 2026

Friday 23rd January 2026

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 afternoon on the school website.

Feedback from last HT Update: Click here

Key messages from this week

Calendar: Significant events week beginning 26/01/26; on Wednesday we’ll have students involved in Midlothian’s Leadership Pupil Voice meeting, we’ll also hold our Senior Phase Course Choice Information evening, click here; on Thursday we have S3/S4/S5 Course Choice Assemblies, our S6 Holocaust Assembly and more students involved in Midlothian’s Leadership Pupil Voice meeting; Friday is our January Dress Down Day, click here.

Staffing: On myjobscotland we are looking to recruit a Teacher of Chemistry. Interviews begin next week for recently closed posts.

Raising Teens with Confidence: This free, 6-week course aims to help parents / carers and people who work with teens understand how they can best support teenagers to develop confidence, build resilience and promote emotional wellbeing. This course will be run by CLLE and our Home School Practitioner(s) in the Lasswade Library. If interested, book your free space(s) online, click here. For more information visit our website, click here.

Bike Repairs: We are restarting the Friday morning Dr Bike sessions. They started today and will run every Friday during term time. We’re looking for students to bring their bikes into school to get checked and repaired. The bike mechanics will be set up at the front of the school from 0830 and finish up at 1230. My thanks to Mr Fallon, Creative Learning, for organising.

Positive Rewards: All S1-S3 pupils from St Leonards (SL) will get an early Lunch on Monday 26th January. This is a consequence of SL students doing well in our House Points system. We’ve asked teachers to allow all S1 to S3 St Leonards students to leave class at 12.00pm.

Spring Formal S3 & S4: A group of S3 students are organising a Spring Formal party for all S3 & S4 students. The event will take place on Thursday 12th March from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. As the name suggests, this is a formal event. Students are encouraged to wear spring-coloured dresses, shirts, and ties. The evening will include a DJ, drinks, snacks, and plenty of fun. Tickets are on sale at £5.00 and available via ParentPay.

Developing the Young Workforce (DYW): Our DYW Coordinator, Caroline Rosie, has highlighted to me a Newsletter that will be of interest to parents/carers. We ask that you go through the same link on a regular basis, Caroline plans weekly updates. I’ll remind you periodically via this update. If you want to have a look DYW Opportunities Newsletter

Mobile Phones: As you know, we are in the process of reviewing our approach to mobile phones ahead of the 2026/27 session. To date, we have liaised with a number of schools in Edinburgh and Midlothian which have changed their mobile phone policies and we have been impressed by the positive impact these have had on learning, behaviour and ethos. We have also engaged with our Parent Council at meetings on September 23rd 2025 and December 9th 2025. They are supportive of us undertaking a consultation to inform a potential change to policy and procedures.

We are seeking your views to help shape a clear, balanced and evidence based approach that supports learning and wellbeing. You will receive a text message on Monday 26th January with a link to a survey to gather your views on your child’s mobile phone use. Completion of this would be appreciated as your views will shape the approach we adopt going forwards. This survey will close on Wednesday 3rd February.

Sutton Trust UK Summer Schools: We placed the following message this week in relevant Year Group Classrooms regarding an opportunity for students thinking about university, Sutton Trust Summer Schools

For S5 students who would like the chance to experience what university life is really like before they apply. Summer schools take place for a week across June – August.
Multiple partner universities across the UK including University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow and University of St Andrews.
Register via the link, click here.

ParentsPortal: Thank you to the increasing number of parents/carers using the portal to report absences. Our first S1 report will be issued next week on ParentsPortal, if you have not already registered, details on how to sign up are available on the website, click here.

Feedback here

Take Care

Campbell Hornell, Head Teacher

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