Dear Parent / Carer,

Updates for families

I am writing to you to provide updates from the first 6 weeks of this term and outline our shared expectations for the rest of this term under each of our school values.

Community

Since we returned in January, our young people and staff have been involved in many community events and activities. Most recently, young people have been involved in:

• Fife Festival of Music
• Staff have supported our learning fair
• S2 Parent / Carer evening
• Yearly P7 Roadshows.
• Leading work around equalities through our ‘Country of the Month’ promotion
• Work in equity through our Cost of the School Day group
• Supporting each other in learning through learning ambassadors and many volunteering opportunities.

As a school, we continue to share with young people what community means as a value and to ask them to have those shared values everyday. These included compassion, empathy, dignity and working for the common good. We will continue to share key messages around this but I would ask for your support in speaking to your child(ren) about the following to support our school community and those within it:

• Wearing school uniform consistently – a few learners are not meeting our standards and we will address this with individuals and their families
• Good order in and around the school – some young people are not following our expectations – young people should be in the dining hall or outside at break and lunch. When the weather is inclement, young people will be allowed inside at the War Memorial through to the central stairwell at Maths. Learners are not permitted above the ground floor unless they have a pass to attend an alternative provision in school.
• Toilets – Young people should use the main toilets at maths during class time or the toilets at the middle quad during break and lunch. We have had a few issues in recent weeks but we are aware and dealing with this. I would ask all families to remind their child(ren) that the toilets are not for lingering in, eating their lunch or vandalising. There are other toilets around the school and learners should use those closest to their class if required.
• Buses – again, we have had a few issues raised with buses – from misbehaviour to overcrowding. School buses are for those who live outside of a radius of 3 miles from the school. These young people will have a Fife Council issued pass – not the under 22 pass most have. As buses are not at capacity to or from school, young people can use their under 22 pass until the bus is at capacity. In times where the weather is poor like recent weeks, buses will be busier than usual.

Across all of these areas, I would ask for your support. We will work with all to ensure that we focus on our responsibilities as a community and will put in place consequences as needed.

Ambition

Over recent weeks, learners in S4-6 have undertaken formal assessments and are working hard to prepare for their National Qualification exams in April / May. S4 families have received tracking reports outlining prelim results, current working and target grades, S5/6 families will receive the same over the next few weeks. We have also been working with staff to put on study support for subjects across National 5 and Higher for S4-6 and have shared this with families. I would encourage learners to attend as much as possible.

S4 families were recently invited into the school for study workshops designed to provide guidance on how best to support their young person as they prepare for their National Qualifications. Research consistently shows that parental involvement during exam preparation can have a significant positive impact on pupil attainment and overall wellbeing. All information on how you can support your young person has now been shared via Groupcall. Please take some time to read through the materials and use them to help establish effective study routines at home.

For learners across S1-3, learners should ensure that they take full part in all learning in class and those opportunities outwith the classroom. This is especially important for all learners as we work towards timetable changes mid-May.

Learners in S2/4/5 are also in the process of choosing subjects for next year. They are being supported by their Guidance teacher who is supporting them by understanding what they enjoy, what subjects they do well in and what their future career aspirations are. It is vitally important that families support with this, particularly dissuading learners from taking subjects that friends are taking.

Finally, we must all continue to work together to get the very best outcomes for all young people, ensuring that our expectations and standards remain high. This is really important over the next half term for those young people undertaking examinations. We expect that learners will be presented for the highest level possible and will work to support you and learners in doing so.

Respect

Over the course of this term, we have seen our young people show and act with respect in all that they do. This is apparent in almost all classes and interactions across our school. We see young people act with respect towards each other in most instances and we also witness this through their interactions with visitors and during school events. In particular, our learners were exceptional in our most recent Holocaust Memorial assemblies.

Again, I would ask for your support in speaking to your child(ren) about the need for this to continue. With the weather not being great and young people not getting the chance to be outside at break and lunch, patience at times has not been great leading to some poor choices and unpleasant interactions at times. Moreover, I would ask for your support in ensuring that this value permeates all interactions with school staff, and that we all act with respect to each other in our discussions and communications.

HMIE Inspection and next steps

As you will be aware, inspectors visited KHS on 24th – 28th November 2025. Inspectors reviewed many aspects of the school – leadership; learning, teaching and assessment; curriculum; partnership work including parental engagement; wellbeing and support; raising attainment and achievement.

The letter shared by inspectors about our key strengths, next steps and gradings for the 4 graded Quality Indicators (QIs), and the Summarised Inspection Findings (SIF) are available on the website of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education in Scotland (HMIE).

As you would expect, we are already well underway in actioning the key next steps and I will write to you soon to consult on our reviewed and refreshed School Improvement Plan based on the next steps outlined.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can support in any way.

 

Best wishes,

 

Chris McKay

Headteacher