Dear Parent/Carer

I hope that you are well … here’s the latest KHS update, as Christmas starts to creep up on us all!

Last weekend we had our Premiership football trip to Newcastle United for the match against Manchester City. We had a large group of young people involved and all enjoyed a close, exciting encounter with some great goals and a twist in injury time. Many thanks to party leader Mr I’Anson and thanks also to the other staff on the trip; Mr McPherson, Mr Greenhorn and Mr Naismith. Also, pupils involved in our French trip to Picardy in February were fund raising along at the B and M Store at the Retail Park. They helped with bag-packing and I am delighted to report that the brilliant total of £930 was raised. Mrs Morris sends thanks to the store and all the shoppers who contributed. Thanks also to Mr Spink and Mrs Wallace, who helped out too.

This week we’ve not had morning assemblies due to the Hall being used for several other purposes but we did have employability themed activities during tutor time. S5 students Rachel Cummings and Eryn O’Donnell have been visiting Ingolstadt in Germany with a group from St Andrew’s High School. Ingolstadt is Kirkcaldy’s twin town and I am grateful to Mrs Docherty (Modern Languages) who has made the arrangements. On Monday afternoon, Miss Young (Modern Studies) and I took members of our “Rights Respecting School” Committee along to Kelty Community Centre where Fife Council had organised a teachers’ conference about improving pupil participation in schools. KHS is regarded as leading the way with this and Rebecca Greig (S3) had been asked to deliver a “keynote” speech about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Thanks to Rebecca, who was excellent, and also to Eilidh Drummond, Phoebe Brand and Gemma Hepburn who made up team KHS on the day. They ran a “workshop” with advice for the teachers attending.

That evening, Mrs Morris set up parental study sessions for S4 and parents/carers. These gave some hints and tips for revision. We had 4 workshops; a generic session on revision skills (timetable, SQA website/Study Guides etc); a Literacy based session, so subjects with lots of writing, facts to remember (English, Modern Studies, etc); a Numeracy based session (Maths, Science, Engineering Science etc) and a session with S6 pupils who explained what went well for them and maybe more importantly what didn’t go so well and what they would do differently. I am so grateful to Mrs Morris, Mrs Hamilton, Miss Hay, Miss Devenney, Miss Wallace, Ms Collins, Mr Sanderson and Miss Crepiuex, the staff who supported this, and also to the S6 involved: John Hamilton and Maryam Imran. Thanks to those of you who came along. What a terrific turnout, we had four full classrooms. Please see attached the full programme of study support sessions available for our exam candidates in S4-6. These are at lunchtime and after school and I offer a big “thank you” to all the teachers who give so freely of their time to support our kids. Thanks also to Miss Cunningham (Maths), who has taken on the role of publicising all matters “study support” on Twitter, To keep up to date about available sessions and advice, you can follow @KHSStudy.

At 7pm that evening, it was our pleasure to host the Kirkcaldy Salvation Army Christmas Concert in our school. As well as the Salvation Army’s own musicians and singers, the KHS Community Choir performed. I’m delighted to say that it was a very successful evening. Over 200 people came out in lousy weather and a fantastic sum of £630 was presented to Margaret Langlands of CHAS, the Children’s Hospice Association of Scotland.

On Tuesday, our main event was the KHS Employability Fair in our Hall. We had a very wide range of employers, College representatives and Universities attending and all young people in S3-6 spent time at the fair. It was a great opportunity to plan ahead for the next stage after school. The event continued for a while after school (until 4pm) to cater for parents and carers. Many thanks to; Royal Navy, Air Force and The Army, Careers at Sea, Babcock, Fife Council, Fife Voluntary Action, Kwik Fit, Skills Development Scotland, Clyde Marine Training, Kingdom Homes, Exterity, Raytheon, Proto-Pic, Addieshaw Goddard, The Law Society of Scotland, PDSA, IDTC, Sainsbury’s, Glam Candy, Fife College, Edinburgh Academy of Music, Aberdeen University, Dundee University, Glasgow University, Napier University, St Andrews University, Strathclyde University, Abertay University, the Students Award Scheme and the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Thanks also to Miss Malcolm, our “Young Workforce” Coordinator, for her excellent work with this event. Our young people gained a lot from it, with a whole new range of opportunities presenting themselves (photo).

The Wednesday and Thursday saw our musicians honing their performances for the SQA exams, and later on Wednesday, it was our S2 “Learning Fair”. With “mock” course choices coming up, it was a chance for young people to find out about what’s on offer and what qualifications and pathways might be available over the next few sessions. We made the Fair available for all parents/carers of S2 in the evening and were delighted by the big turnout. We started the evening off with a short talk from me, about course choice. Then parents/carers and young people got to meet teachers and talk to young people who are currently studying specific courses. The feedback taken by Mr Young and I was excellent … thanks to those of you who came along. As well as the Learning Fair, we also had our Christmas Fair, with all welcome. We had stalls with gifts, crafts, baking etc. I’m pleased to say that £500 was raised and all proceeds go to subsidise the cost of the S6 Yearbook and Prom, which takes place in June next year.

Yesterday, Miss Tennant and Dr Murray, Principal Teachers of STEM, took a group of students over to Heriot Watt University to help prepare for the Go4SET national technology competition. We are very grateful to “Leviton”, a tech company based in Glenrothes, for all their support. In the afternoon, Mrs Davidson and I were along at the Skills Development Centre at Mitchelston Industrial Estate for a “graduation”. We have had a group of four S5 pupils undertaking a construction industry basic training programme over the past few weeks. Very well done to Cameron Hynd, Jay Cunningham, Lewis Clark and Taylor Wilson, who now have a wee edge when applying for jobs in construction. I was very proud of the lads when I learned how well they had engaged with this programme (photo left).

Today, we have the Edinburgh University Engagement Team in school for an event called “Why Go?” for all S3. It’s about widening access to Higher Education. Many thanks to Dr Beattie of the Science Department, who is leading on this. As I’m sure you know, we are keen to ensure that all our pupils are exposed to the widest range of opportunities possible. Also today, our S3/4 Sports Leaders are supervising at the Michael Woods Sports Centre in Glenrothes. It’s the Fife Primary Athletics Festival today. We’ll also be finishing off the last of the Scottish National Standardised Assessments with S3. These are online “progress checks” in literacy and numeracy. Many thanks to Miss Samfat (Principal Teacher of Tracking), who has organised a complex schedule over the past few weeks.

In sport this week our S1 footballers took part in a festival at Balwearie, S2 beat Inverkeithing 4 – 2, whilst the S3 won 7 – 1 against Madras College. Netball fixtures were against Woodmill High School with S1 winning 9 – 8 and both our S3 teams narrowly losing out.

Next week we’ll be having Yeargroup assemblies with a musical input for each. We’ll be showcasing performances from our Christmas Concert, which takes place on Wednesday. Also on the Monday, we welcome Hank John of Gideons International, the Christian organisation which places scripture in public places. Hank will talk about the work of Gideons. After school on Monday, our Rotary Club Interact Group is hosting a “Hi 5” Games Night for other local schools. This is also great fun.

Tuesday’s assembly has another input from the Widening Participation Team of Edinburgh University, who will talk about opportunities beyond school, this time for S2. Later in the Day, Mr John of The Gideons will be offering the gift of a New Testament to any young person who would like one. He’ll have a stall in the war memorial area.

Wednesday sees our Dance trip heading off to London. It’s a very exciting programme with a day at the famous Pineapple Studios and a trip to the West End to see “Matilda”. I’m grateful to the staff leading on this; Miss Malcolm, Miss Kirkwood, Miss Fotheringham and Mrs Morris. That morning, our LGBT Support Group will be delivering training for Skills Development Scotland Careers Advisers along at the Bay Hotel, Kinghorn. We also have a combined Biology and Geography trip the National Museum of Scotland for a new exhibition about viruses. In the evening, it’s our annual Christmas Concert. Mrs Duckett (Head of Music) has put together a very interesting and diverse programme. All the performers have been given tickets and we have an invited guest list. However, should you wish to come along, tickets are free from the office, please call 01592 583405 to reserve tickets. The event starts at 6.30pm with a mince pie, mulled wine, a mingle and a blether with curtains up at 7pm.

Next Thursday is the General Election, in case you missed that! In school we have an S4 Assembly with a focus on course choice and pathways. The S4 have been looking at this in their PSE lessons too. In the evening we’ll have our S5/6 Christmas Ceilidh or “Formal”. Thanks to all the staff supporting this. Their commitment at a busy time of year is greatly appreciated.

The week ends with the S5/6 Assembly and a focus on course choice for S5 and “destinations” for S6. At the end of the day, we’ll do a mock choice and record proposed leaving details for S6. It’s very important that we follow our leavers through to their “destination”. We also have our annual trip to the Adam Smith Panto. It’s for S1, and I know they are looking forward to “Jack and the Beanstalk”. Oh yes they are! You knew that was coming.

The hot meal menu for next week. Monday: Lentil soup, Butter Chicken Tikka Masala and Rice, vegetables Tuesday: Mushroom soup, Grilled Sausage/burger – veggie/beef/chicken, chips, baked beans Wednesday: Scotch broth, Roast chicken and gravy, potatoes and vegetables Thursday: Carrot and coriander soup, Lasagne, garlic bread and vegetables Friday: Yellow split pea soup, Breaded fish/Sausage roll, chips, peas.

We also have baked potatoes, pizza, pasta, sandwiches and salad available every day as well as our outdoor snack bar. Please do be aware that we offer a free cup of soup with bread for all our young people, regardless of their “free school meals” status. There is also our “Breakfast Club” (sponsored by Stephens the Bakers) available from 8.10am and this is completely free for those facing hardship. We have cereal, toast and jam and juice on offer. Lunchtime meals are priced at £2.20 for pupils, and this is the value of the “free meal” entitlement. Main courses are £1.55 and desserts are priced at £0.65. Please call if you are facing financial hardship and would appreciate help to apply for free meals. You should ask for Mrs Hardie (Family Link Worker).

Perhaps you saw a report in last week’s Sunday Times, or even just picked up the headline on social media? It was a story about the “attainment gap” for learners from the most disadvantaged backgrounds and it claimed that the Scottish Government’s “Pupil Equity Fund” was “failing” to close that gap. Some school level data from a single year was used, including from KHS. I have to say that I was dismayed at the analysis, which took one “snapshot” of data for a group of learners in a small group of schools (in S4-6) who would not really have been impacted by the introduction of the funding for S1-3 a year earlier. Serious analysis of this vitally important work will be possible over the next few years. I’m sure that you will be well aware that in KHS, and in hundreds of others schools, we work tirelessly to support those given a less favourable start in life. Additional funding is not some “wonder drug” which can reverse the negative impact of a lifetime of poverty overnight.

Never hesitate to be in touch if you need anything. Please be in touch if you would like tickets for next week’s Christmas concert. All the very best to you and all your family.

Derek Allan

RECTOR

6 December 2019