HT Update: Week-ending Friday 29th May 2026

Friday 29th May 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 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

• The work of SDS, our careers service,  in Lasswade
• How the service works and what they can help with
• Pathways SDS helps young people to explore
• Information on the ‘destinations’ of Lasswade Leavers
• Local Labour Market Intelligence
• The role of DYW and what they do in Lasswade
• How parents/carers can support careers conversations
• How folks can engage with the services

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:

• Structured employability skills training
• Career-focused mentoring across multiple sectors
• Practical experience that can strengthen CVs and support job applications

Volunteers will:

• Develop transferable skills (teamwork, communication, problem-solving)
• Gain confidence working in a large-scale event environment
• Build networks and connections with other volunteers and organisations
• Access a well-rounded work experience offer combining training and real-world application

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.

Feedback here

Take Care

Campbell Hornell,  Head Teacher and IMS Lead.

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