Category Archives: Subjects

Achievement, Concerts, Demonstrations, In the Community, music

School Concert

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Unfortunately, due to the weather conditions, we had to cancel our musical night due to take place on Wednesday 15th December, however we did manage to put on a performance on Monday 20th December at 2pm.

It was a great success and showcase for the talent that we have within the student population at Castlebrae. It was great to see that some parents/carers managed to attend however I am aware that many were unable to attend the re-arranged event due to work commitments. I would like to thank all the performers and our music teacher Mr McLaren for their fantastic efforts in putting on a very impressive show. Hopefully this will be the first of many such nights.

Edina Hibs, External Agencies, Outdoor Learning, PE, Pupils, Sports

Edina Hibs Link

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As part of the Active Schools Programme Castlebrae High School and Castleview Primary School have linked up with Edina Hibs Football Club.

The idea behind this partnership is to create a pathway for pupils to progress from school to club level football. Edina Hibs are an inclusive club and encourage parents to make contact with their lead coach at relevant youth age group. Pupils can then attend their weekly training sessions and take part in weekend matches.

Contact sheets can be obtained from

Alan Reid, Active Schools Co-Ordinator.

Demonstrations, Engineering, External Agencies, Outdoor Learning, Pupils, Skills for Work, Uncategorized

Skills for Work: Engineering

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Well done to the S3 skills for work class. They have been working with The Rural and Urban Training Scheme for the last few weeks arranged through CDT. The class have enjoyed learning about motorbike maintenance and safety as well as developing the skills that will help them find enjoyable employment when they leave school.

Art and Design, External Agencies, In the Community, Skills for Work

Watch this Space!

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The S3 Art and Design student are embarking on an exciting new project that will see them design and produce a large scale mural for a courtyard area in the Castlegreen Care Home. The students will need to work collaboratively to create appropriate designs and then present them to their clients at the care home for feedback.

They will need to work as commercial designers measuring the space,      presenting ideas, costing the project and carrying out risk assessments of the tasks they’ll need to undertake. Watch this space for news and photos of their progress.

Achievement, Competitions, Hospitality, Pupils

Future Chef 2011

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Four of our S3/4 Hospitality students are taking part in FutureChef this year. They have chosen recipes and are working after school to practice and tweak them ready for the school heat which took place in October.

At this stage in the competition they have to produce a main course for two people on a budget of £4 and they have to prepare and serve it in an hour.

The recipes they are working on are as follows: Mustardy Pork and Apples, Crispy Italian Chicken with Polenta, Vegetable and Butter Bean Hotpot and Roast Rack of Lamb with Potato and Cauliflower Dauphinoise. The winner of the School heat will go forward to compete against other Edinburgh schools in the next round. We wish them all well!

Achievement, Guidance, Life Skills, Pupils, Student Council, Student Voice

Student Council 2010

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The start of the new school year saw Castlebrae’s Student Council re-convene with three new additions from S1 after voting took place in their class. They, along with the other members in S2—S6, meet every three weeks ensuring that the students at Castlebrae have a say in the decision making of the school.

The student council have learned about chairing meetings, drawing up an agenda and taking minutes as well as the correct etiquette for meetings. These sessions have given the members the tools and confidence to enable  effective meetings to take place which will involve discussion and decision making on various issues involving the school and wider community.

The school has also used members to get involved in the teachers own working groups to allow the students to voice their opinion on various whole school matters. Last year, two members regularly attended the positive behaviour group and it is hoped that more teachers meetings will involve a contribution from the Student Council.

It has to be emphasized that the Student Council is not just about the sixteen members who attend the meetings. They are representing their own tutor group which means that everyone in the school has a right to voice their  opinion on school matters. If any pupil has an issue which they want to raise, they should approach their representative who will then put it on the agenda as an item to be discussed at the next meeting. There is also a Student Council notice board in the school which will have the minutes of each meeting for all students to view.

Remember School improvement is far more likely to happen if Students are involved !

Achievement, External Agencies, Guidance, Life Skills, Local Business, Pupils, Skills for Work

Get a Job Day 2010

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Current S4 pupils had the opportunity to take part in the annual enterprise event ’Get a Job’ day.

The event, co-ordinated by Guidance staff at Castlebrae and Community Connections, offers young people the opportunity to go through the process of applying and interviewing for employment before they leave school.

The pupils choose their favoured career with their Guidance teacher, Community Connections then try to match these professions with a local employer who visits the school, supports them in their application process and then offers students a mock interview at their place of work.

Many business partners continue to return year after year to support the event and pupils at Castlebrae as they enjoy their   experiences at the school and working with the pupils.

This years local business partners included the Army, Castlerock Edinvar, Ford Motor Company, Bannatynes Gym, Medusa Hairdressing, Fort Kinnaird Shopping Centre, Harvey Nichols, Zen Lifestyle, North Edinburgh Childcare and Sodexo.

Achievement, Awards, Demonstrations, Hospitality, Pupils

Cake Designer Demonstration

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Four of our Hospitality (Creative Cake Production) students went to see a demonstration by Paul Bradford of Truly Scrumptious Cakes and were fascinated by the way he put together his Witch Handbag for Halloween. They say it takes an expert to make the things look easy and that is certainly what he did!

Paul has been interested in cake decorating since he was at primary school and now has his own business. He lists amongst his customers members of the Royal Family and Celebrities and is regularly invited to Italy to demonstrate his skills.

The girls enjoyed their evening and are now hoping that we can get Paul into school to run a workshop for the class.

Achievement, Awards, CDT, Competitions, Eco Schools, Pupils

GO4SET – ‘Go for Science, Engineering and Technology’

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This year the GO4SET competition is based on designing a new school classroom. The students are expected to design a new classroom that takes in to account all the recycling, energy use and use of waste, as well as the architectural design of the space. The CDT department are working with 2C and hope to come up with some ideas that can be put in place within Castlebrae this year.