Dear Parent/Carer
I hope that you are well and are looking forward to the weekend.
It was a particularly busy week in school with Assemblies for each yeargroup and our outdoor education camps at Fordell Firs, near Crossgates, for all our First Year pupils. The Oswald House pupils are there today and I can report that it has been great fun as well as being an opportunity to build leadership and teamworking skills. I know that quite a few young people addressed some personal fears too, maybe confined spaces, heights and such. Good on them.
On Wednesday, people from NHS Fife were in school for a photoshoot with some of our students. They are preparing some publicity materials about the School Nurse Service and the fact that we were asked is, to me, a statement about our strong partnership. We offer an especially well developed support service for young people – especially in relation to sexual health and contraception. We take young people’s health and wellbeing seriously and are helping to develop innovative ways of working together.
My most challenging engagement this week was addressing a very well attended public meeting held at Eddy’s Bar in Birnam Road, Templehall on Wednesday evening. It was good to meet some parents/carers there. I mentioned the problem of anti-social behaviour in last week’s email. As the Courier report puts it, local residents are “fed up” … and I do not blame them. Dozens of young people, many of them KHS current or former pupils, are making residents lives a misery, with vandalism, fighting, drunken behaviour and drug taking in the streets. We have gathered intelligence information in school and I am passing on names to the Police, who are visiting homes and issuing letters. In some cases we have spoken to individuals in school or also contacted home. This is a very serious issue and I have nothing but sympathy for those affected. Some elderly people are afraid to leave their homes … this is a disgrace. A theme which has come to light is that in some cases kids are telling their parent/carer that they are at a “sleepover” with a friend. The reality is they are hanging around the streets and perhaps even sleeping in a stairwell. I would urge all parents/carers to prevent their children being out at all in the evenings right now unless they can be absolutely sure they are not part of the crowd in Templehall. This applies even if the majority of those present have no harmful intention in mind. Some parents we have approached with this advice have welcomed the warning and will be taking a stronger line … thank you.
Today, in St Andrews, a very important “inter-faith” event is taking place. The “Declaration of St Andrews” sees representatives of the Pope (although it is in fact rumoured that the Pope may actually be in attendance himself) and the Dalai Lama joining senior members of the other Christian churches, Hindu communities in the UK and India, and the Jewish and Moslem community at the town’s university, calling for all faiths to unite against radicalisation and extreme viewpoints. It is being described as an affirmation of our shared humanity and there are 11 points contained within the declaration. Our Head Girl and Boy, Bethany Cunningham and Lachlan Duncan will witness the signing then put their names to the declaration themselves as representatives of the youth of Fife. Watch out for updates on Twitter – Bethany and Lachlan have said that they will be sharing photos of this very special occasion.
The other big news this week, at national level, is the Scottish Government’s decision to remove internally marked assessments from National 5 and Higher courses. This is very welcome news. The stress caused by young people being subject to constant testing is a health concern to me. Crucially too, the workload implications for teachers are clear to see, and I must thank our staff for the efforts they have made to cope with an unreasonable burden. I greatly welcome this reduced bureaucracy – it should give teachers and young people more time to concentrate on learning rather than testing.
Next week is our “Employability Week” with a particular focus for S3 learners. Pupils will have various workshops from Bright Green Hydrogen and Barratt Homes. They will work on interview skills, and take part in sessions on the “My World of Work” website operated by “Skills Development Scotland”. It is a particularly relevant input to the curriculum which includes workplace visits and a session from “Character Scotland”. All the details are shown in the programme and letter attached. Pupils know which groups they are in. This was shared at assembly this week and we have posters all around the school. I must thank Miss McIntosh and Miss Nessel (our Principal Teachers of Employability) for putting together such a rich programme.
On Monday, we also have a visit from Roger Mullin, MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. Mr Mullin has a particular interest in “STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and spends the best part of the day finding out about our work in this field. You will perhaps recall that we were finalists in this category in the Scottish Education Awards in June. He should also be able to see our S4 Maths students working with the training team of Babcock Rosyth on a team problem solving challenge. Many thanks to Babcock.
On Tuesday we are hosting a travelling theatre group which delivers a powerful road safety message to the First Years. Their show is called “The Nine Lives of Roddy Hogg”. On Wednesday afternoon we have a talk for S6 about university applications. Thanks to Mr Farquharson for setting this up. After school, our St Andrews University “First Chances” graduates take part in one to one tutoring sessions with undergraduates from the university. On Thursday, our “Personal Development” class has organised a fund-raising coffee morning for the staff in support of MacMillan Cancer Care. Well done to them. The week ends with some of our young people taking part in an “Enterprising Maths” event at Glenrothes High School. That day, Mrs Aitken and I will be joining colleagues from Lochgelly and Woodmill High Schools to share notes on the recent exam results and support each other by sharing our successes and advising one another … it’s good to collaborate on such matters.
Next week’s hot dish menu is; Monday: Chicken and mushroom pie with potatoes. Tuesday: Gammon steak and chips. Wednesday: Mince pie and mash. Thursday: Lasagne with garlic bread. Friday: Chicken curry with naan bread. We also have our pasta, sandwich, soup and salad options too.
On a final note, may I remind you of school policy on participation in PE. If a young person is feeling unwell or has an injury, it is normally our expectation that your son or daughter still brings their PE kit as well as a note from you explaining the situation. The reason for this is that they may still be able to take part in the lesson. For example, practices can be modified to take into account an injury, pupils can be involved in officiating or timekeeping and in some cases, they may be able to temporarily swap to another activity in order to take part. Our aim is to achieve full participation and give our pupils the best experience possible. Without kit, pupils might need to be sent to a senior class to complete written work. As I said, we take health and wellbeing seriously, and it’s best if they can take part – even in a limited way.
Please do be in touch on any relevant matter. And, without apology, I repeat my appeal – please be sure that you know your kids whereabouts this weekend.
Many thanks
Derek Allan
23 Sept 2016
