HT Update: Week-ending Friday 7th February 2025

Friday 7th February 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.  This week feedback received, and where appropriate, will be responded to and published on Monday 17th February on the school website.  The next HT Update will be on Friday 21st February.  

Key messages from this week  

Calendar:  Next week, Monday 10th through Friday 14th is the February Holiday Week.  There will be some staff and students attending our Maths Camp.  We expect to see all students on Monday 17th February. 

Significant events week beginning 17/02/25;  on Monday, and through until the end of March, our Senior Phase Course Choice process begins;  on Thursday we’ll hold our Student Voice Parliament and S1 from 4.30pm our S1 Student Progress Consultation Evening for ME and MK students,  see below. 

Staffing:  No update.  

S1 Student Progress Consultation Evenings:  We’ve posted details on our website,  click here. One evening, 20/02/25,  for ME/MK students and a second, on 25/02/25, for SA/SL students.

SQA 2025:  On Monday 3 February, SQA published an updated version of the 2025 exam timetable.  Schools have been advised that no further changes will be made to the 2025 exam timetable. Please visit the SQA website to read information about what the changes are and why they’ve been made,  click here.    In the unlikely event that families have booked holidays based on the previous timetable, and are now at risk of financial loss due to the changes, there is a route where any booking could be considered an ‘exceptional absence’.  However, families must have written proof that any booking was made prior to Monday 3 February 2025 when the exam timetable was changed.  In this context candidates would be applying arrangements outlined in the Examination Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service (EECCS).   SQA has advised that updated guidance for the EECCS will be available in March and will include further information on the above scenario. I’ll advise you of that via this update.  In the meantime, if you have any questions or wish to discuss this further please email the SQA Assessment Arrangements team on eec.enquiries@sqa.org.uk.  It would also be helpful to let the school know via the feedback feature at the end of this post. 

Twitter/X:  Yesterday we posted a  statement on our website regarding X.  Our intention is to disengage and close all LHS related accounts. A full explanation is available in our post,  click here.

Graduate Apprentice (GA) Opportunity:  Pigeon Penguin, who amongst other things build and host our website, have in previous years recruited 2 GAs.  They have proven to be so good that they are now recruiting for a third GA to start in August 2025. The successful applicant would study at Napier University one day a week and work for Pigeon Penguin 4 days a week.  We’ve posted the opportunity in S5 and S6 Year Group Classrooms. If you want to find out more, click here to see more detail.

Exam.net: We’re now underway with our pilot of Exam.net.  This is a digital exam platform that enables students to use their Chromebooks to access assessments. This platform has recently been approved by the SQA, and we, along with many other schools, are investigating its use for future examinations. Please note it won’t be ready for the 2025 exams.  Currently we are part of a pilot focused on SQA assignments in Citizenship & Society and in Humanities, as an initial step. We’re working closely with the Equipped for Learning team at Midlothian Council, and with the SQA, to ensure that staff feel confident using this platform, and to ensure that students are given experience using the application on their Chromebooks.

Family Learning:  We’ve been asked by Midlothian Council to share this survey with you, see below.  The purpose of this survey is to gather information to support the Family Learning service identify what supports and Family Learning opportunities are available across Midlothian.   Children and Young People staff want to hear your views on what Family Learning opportunities are available, have been beneficial and what supports and opportunities you feel are needed.  Click here to access the survey.

Free School Meals:  The following information covers the holiday period.  More information is available via the following link,  click here.  The eagled-eyed will spot a difference between the table below and the Midlothian website.  I’m assuming March is the correct payment date.  

Payment	Paid to Bank Accounts	Notes/Comments
School Holidays Monday 10th February 2025 to Friday 14th 2025	Tuesday 4th March 2025	£10.50 per Primary School pupil £12.00 per Secondary School pupil

 

Minibus Drivers:  We are still seeking to work with some volunteers from our school community and build a pool of minibus drivers.  Ideally we’re seeking people who passed their driving test before January 1997.  Those folk have an automatic feature on their license that will speed up the process.  Please just use the feedback link at the end of this update.  Add in your name and contact details and we’ll be in touch.   

Family Learning: Mrs Main is looking for your views on our Family Learning Programme.   Your views on what we currently offer and what families would like to see featured as we move forward and plan for the summer term and 2025/26.  Please click here to access the survey.  Please note the form will close on Sunday 16th February.   

Message 2 from Tareena, one of our School Captains: For decades, Afghanistan has faced conflict, instability, and humanitarian crises. Millions of Afghan children suffer from malnutrition, lack of access to healthcare, and the trauma of growing up in a war-torn country. Many are forced into child labour or early marriage just to survive. Alongside this, the rights of women and girls have been systematically stripped away. When American forces withdrew in 2021, the Afghan government collapsed, allowing the Taliban to take control once again. This led to the rapid loss of rights, particularly for women and children, and a worsening humanitarian crisis, some of which includes; 

• Erosion of women’s rights; you may have already seen in the media is that women are not allowed to be in education. They also cannot see a male doctor, therefore leaving them very limited access to healthcare due to females having no opportunity of advancing into a doctor’s role. 
• Forced deportations;  in October 2023, a crackdown on undocumented foreign nationals living in Pakistan began. Since then, approximately 680,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan, and as many as 1 million more could be forced to return. This leads to humanitarian consequences. 

It is important to understand that this is not a religious issue; rather, it is about control and oppression and we should remember how fortunate we are to live in a country where women are not stripped from basic rights and children don’t have to face the consequences of war. Here, we have the privilege of access to education, healthcare, and freedom—things that many in Afghanistan, especially women and children, are denied.

If you have any feedback/questions relating to this update please submit them via the link below

Feedback here

Take Care

Campbell Hornell,  Head Teacher

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