HT Update: Week-ending Friday 2nd May

Friday 2nd May 2025

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, given the May Day Holiday, and where appropriate, will be responded to and published on Tuesday afternoon on the school website.

Key messages from this week

Calendar: Significant events week beginning 05/05/25; Monday is a school holiday with no SQA Exams; on Tuesday the SQA Exam Diet resumes with N5 and AH English; on Wednesday it’s ‘Meaningful May’ and also the first of three online sessions aimed at P7 pupils and parent/carers to support their transition to LHS.

Staffing: This week we welcomed Cara Steele, Learning Assistant to our staff team. Cara will be working in The Pod. We have no posts currently live on myjobscotland.

SQA: Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th May are our first ‘mega’ days, with a huge number of students sitting N5 and Higher English. It is important that anyone sitting these exams on Tuesday and Wednesday arrives at least 20 minutes before the start time. It’s a very busy day and it’s critical to have students seated early to ensure we start on schedule. A reminder that the full LHS SQA timetable is posted on the website, click here.

School Improvement Planning: This term we bring together lots of evidence; data, peoples views, what we observe across the school as staff, to see ‘where we are’ as a school against expected standards and also to help inform our work next session. Our school is performing very well but we are not complacent. Every two years we seek the views of parents/carers and this is the ‘off-year’ as we gathered your views last March/April.

Nevertheless, there are three things we do plan to do to potentially gather your thoughts

Please use the link at the bottom of this weekly post to offer your feedback; I’d ask you to think about the school as a whole and in two ways; things that are our strengths and our ‘even better if’, i.e., things that could improve what we do. For this purpose we’ll take your views throughout May.
A specific survey on Reporting, that will come your way via this Update in the next couple of weeks
Our final Parent Council Meeting on Tuesday 27th May; this will be held in-person and is an opportunity to contribute

Admissions Policy Consultation: Midlothian Council have asked us to share the following information with all parent/carers. They want to hear your views on the proposal to vary the Admissions Arrangements to Primary and Secondary Education. The consultation ends on Monday 2 June 2025. The proposals are:

To vary the Admissions Arrangements to Primary and Secondary Education.
The variation to the School Admission Policy will be implemented from September 2025.

To find out more about the consultation and share your views, click here. To ask for a paper copy email: EducationConsultation@midlothian.gov.uk These can be posted back to: Admissions Policy Consultation, Freepost SCO 622, Midlothian Council, Dalkeith EH22 1DN. The consultation can also be supplied in braille, large print, audiotape or in your own language although please note the council’s website offers reading, speech and translation support when you use the browse aloud headphones icon at the bottom right-hand side of the pages. If you need further help, please contact EducationConsultation@midlothian.gov.uk All responses must be received by Monday 2 June 2025.

Public Meetings will take place on:

Monday 12 May 2025 at 6:30pm in Bonnyrigg Primary School.
Thursday 15 May 2025 at 6:30pm in Beeslack Community High School
Thursday 22 May 2025 at 6:30pm in Easthouses Primary School.

Virtual Drop-in Sessions will take place on:

Monday 19 May 2025 via Microsoft Teams.
Tuesday 27 May 2025 via Microsoft Teams.

These virtual sessions will take place throughout the day between 2pm – 4pm and 5pm – 7pm. These will be in 20 minute slots. Please contact EducationConsultation@midlothian.gov.uk to reserve a place at the virtual drop-in.

Free School Meals: We’ve been asked to share the following information in the table below. It’s also available on the Midlothian website:

Help with school meals during school holidays | Free school meals and clothing grants | Midlothian Council

Feedback here

Take Care

Campbell Hornell, Head Teacher

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