Dear Parent/Carer

I’m delighted to report that we are off and running. We’ve made positive first steps in our recovery and renewal, with a really good feeling around the school. It’s a joy to be back to school in a non-virtual sense. All credit to the kids for their exceptional levels of cooperation with the hygiene, face covering, crowding and testing expectations.

In a couple of weeks, the Kirkcaldy Headteachers will be reporting to Councillors at the Area Committee of Fife Council. I’ll be emphasising the view that we need to be optimistic about the time ahead of us. Yes, we have had a setback and learning has been interrupted. However, it has not been “lost”. This deficit language can be harmful to kids and some of the stuff in the media about lifelong damage and disadvantage is not helpful. I was contacted by the Fife Free Press this week and gave this opinion quite forcefully. Our young people are resilient, ambitious, and raring to go. We need to examine some of the positive impacts we’ve seen too. For many, there is a strengthened appreciation of the value of learning. Also, the way the world of work is changing, perhaps the experience of “working from home” and being more independent will be a valuable one too. Of course, this is not to underestimate the importance of human interaction and contact. As I say, it’s been a real joy to have these back again this week.

For “Broad General Education” pupils in S1-3, the main emphasis is getting back into a routine. We are having a “fresh start” approach given the interruption I mentioned and the big variations in the experience of home learning. In the Senior Phase, it’s about the completion of qualifications and preparing for the assessments required to demonstrate that standards have been met at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher. You will be aware that the SQA has an Alternative Certification Model (ACM) and there is no formal exam timetable. Teachers will submit estimated grades based on evidence gathered in class tests and coursework. You can find out more on the SQA website.

There is also a useful podcast and booklet for parents and carers available.

Mrs Davidson has prepared a KHS letter and a calendar which has gone out to all S4-6. The assessments are important although they shouldn’t be seen as being the same as “high stakes” exams. They are modified, shorter and taken in a less formal context. We need a range of ways which give our students every chance to prove what they have learned.

To help learners (and parents/carers) understand where they currently sit in relation to the standards, we are issuing a tracking report, by email, at the end of next week. We will include a “working grade” which is our best estimate of the what the “provisional grade” might be expected to be come late June, when the grades are sent off to the SQA. The grade is not based on actual evidence at this time, it’s purely “teacher judgement”, so please treat this with caution. It is not any sort of guarantee, and it is also possible or even likely, that a young person can improve their grade. In fact, some will regard it as a challenge to do just that. It might be an incentive to study extra hard for the class assessments in order to achieve an “A” or a pass or whatever.

I hope that you will find the brief report useful. We don’t want there to be any surprises for you or for any SQA candidate, and I know that teachers are discussing the interim grades with their pupils now as part of ongoing “learner conversations”. Those in S4-6 should now be planning their study and revision programme. Most of the assessments take place during May, with a couple over the next fortnight (please see attached). You might well have some questions about the ACM. To help answer these, we are planning to hold a special parent/carer evening at 6pm on Wednesday 5 May, please take a wee note for now and we’ll share the log in details for “Zoom” before then. Mrs Davidson will give an overview of the system and we’ll have several of the Principal Teachers on hand to provide some details and take questions.

It’s also “Ramadan Mubarak” to all our Muslim families, with kids returning to school just in time for the season of fasting, reflection and charity. We have made a suitable prayer space available for during the day. Please just ask your son or daughter to see me if it would be helpful to use the room.

On a different tack completely, and I doubt that this is unexpected news, Mr Fulton and the Prom organising committee have had to make the decision to cancel the S6 Leavers’ Prom which was planned for June 18. It’s unlikely that large indoor gatherings will be allowed by then and it doesn’t feel like it would be advisable to consider holding such a risky event in the school’s name.

Thanks to Mr Paterson (Employability Coordinator), who has put together our latest jobs bulletin and this is the other attachment. On that theme, may I thank Jayne Preece (Pupil Support Officer) for the exceptional levels of assistance she is providing for those young people most badly affected by “lockdown” just at the point of their leaving school. Jayne is proving to be a very effective link to College, training providers etc. We are determined to get to the point where no young person leaves KHS without a “positive destination”.

And thank you so much for your ongoing support of our LFD Covid testing programme. The next one will be due on Sunday evening. Please remind your son/daughter that even if the test is negative, they still need to cover their face indoors. This includes in the dining hall, unless seated and eating. Of course, there is also the option of being outdoors at breaks and with this spell of settled weather, that is by far the safest and best option. From next week, we intend to clear the dining hall at 1.25pm to reduce the risk associated with prolonged contact indoors. Those with a packed lunch are welcome to use the assembly hall, where we have arranged dispersed seating. The ventilation and ceiling height make the space a bit safer.

Take care

Derek Allan

RECTOR

16 April 2021