Author: Mr Thomson

We were delighted to welcome Amelia O’Hara from Barnes Aerospace to our school on Thursday 28/05 to deliver an engaging and informative talk on cyber security to our S1 girls.

As a former pupil of our school, Amelia is a fantastic example of success within the field of computing science. Her journey highlights the positive impact that studying computing can have and reinforces the message that technologies can play an important role in shaping the future pathways of the next generation of women.

The session provided pupils with a valuable insight into the world of cyber security and computing science, highlighting the wide range of career opportunities available within this rapidly growing industry. Pupils were able to learn about real-world applications, pathways into the sector, and the skills that are increasingly in demand.

This event was particularly important in raising awareness among young people, as females continue to be under-represented within cyber security and the wider technology industry. By hearing directly from a professional working in the field, our pupils were encouraged to consider these career paths and to see that there is a place for them within the industry.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Amelia O’Hara and Barnes Aerospace for taking the time to support our learners and contribute to such a meaningful experience. Opportunities like this play a key role in inspiring confidence, broadening horizons, and promoting equality within future career pathways.

We look forward to working together again in the future.

@barnesaerospace #cyber #girlsintech

We had a fantastic run this year with an array of amazing ideas from our young people and a great example of putting learning into action.

Our winning Taylor Tycoon group was: Surprize pop! (picture attached)

With an outstanding amount of profit made by the group (over 500%!!), as well as a fantastic logo and poster the girls have put in a very high level of effort in the planning and delivery of their business idea.

This was an excellent way to help pupils understand the impact of business and bring the classroom learning to life in an enjoyable, practical manner.

Not only have pupils enjoyed themselves, but it has also helped drive learning further for Business by taking part in a practical project.

Overall Taylor Tycoon made £382.77, which is to be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support. Macmillan helps individuals suffering from Cancer get the best support available, providing emotional, financial and medical support while campaigning for better cancer care for all.

We have been so pleased by the high level of engagement with this throughout the entire run of Taylor Tycoon and would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff and pupils who took part!

Assignments have begun for our National 5 and Higher Computing Science and Business Management pupils.

During this time all assignment-based work MUST be saved within the school system and must not under any circumstances be saved via OneDrive.

There are offerings for supported study across each faculty -> If your child is struggling during this time then it is critical that they ensure to speak to their teacher in the first instance to determine if there are any actions they can take to promote success.

If you or your child has any concerns about their assignment then please get in touch as soon as possible as we only have a set number of periods to complete each task within.

Hello to all!

Today marks the beginning of Taylor Tycoon here at THS for the 25/26 session.

Taylor Tycoon is a project-based learning approach wherein all pupils in S1 have been taught core concepts of business and how a business creates and develops their own logo/graphics.

S1 pupils have been working really hard within their class time to further develop their own skills and knowledge to undertake this challenge in groups as small businesses.

Pupils have created a business plan, a logo for their business and posters to advertise their businesses goods/services within the school. Each lunchtime different sets of pupils will be selling in the games hall to see who can make the most profit, with each group getting the opportunity to sell their goods twice.

1P1 – 1P5: Monday 02/02 & Wednesday 04/02
1P6 – 1P9: Tuesday 03/02 & Thursday 05/02

Profits will be going to charity to ensure that we continue to give back to those who are currently giving back and helping others.

May the best team win! 😀

This past week we had 5 teams of pupils participating in the CyberFirst Girls competition, an exciting national challenge designed to inspire young women to explore cybersecurity and different areas of computing science.

This competition set each team a wide range of practical challenges that tested their computing knowledge, problem-solving abilities and logical thinking.  Challenges were tiered in difficulty starting at beginner level and moving to expert level as the highest.

A special congratulations to our internally winning team, who achieved a score of over 4000 points within the competition, showing outstanding skills and determination throughout!

We’re incredibly proud within the department for all pupils who participated. The teamwork, enthusiasm and resilience serves as a fantastic example for their peers and helped make this years competition a huge success.

Currently our S4 cohort are undertaking their final unit tests for the Software Design and Development (SDD) unit. This will test knowledge, skills and understanding from all areas of the unit and will help to identify key areas of strength as well as development for our pupils.

Study resources have been shared on Teams and key resources have been discussed in class such as:

BBC Bitesize: Software design and development – National 5 Computing Science – BBC Bitesize

Achieve.

There are also past papers and corresponding marking instructions available on the SQA website:

SQA – NQ – Past papers and marking instructions

We also want to make you aware that we run supported study sessions for Computing Science every day at the following times:

Before school: 7:30 – 8:55 AM 
Lunchtime: 12:30 – 13:15 PM

*If your child requires further help or guidance we would ask them to come and speak to their class teachers regarding any issues identified in the first instance so that a solution can be discussed.

At S3/S4 our learners are working towards earning their National 4/5 qualifications.

In S3, our pupils cover National 4 style work, laying the foundations for progression to National 4/5 courses in S4. Below is some useful information and helpful resources for Technicals Practical Woodworking and Graphic Communication.

Practical Woodworking

In S3, pupils build key woodworking and workshop skills: measuring and marking timber and sheet materials, understanding safe working practices, exploring creativity and problem-solving in a workshop context, and working with simple projects to develop confidence and technique.

In S4, pupils study the national curriculum for Practical Woodworking, where they apply theory and practical skills to manufacture a finished product from wood, following working drawings and specifications, and complete a log book that records their process, planning, and finishing steps.

Note: From session 2025–26 onwards, the separate National 5 question paper is being removed. Assessment will now rely entirely on the practical activity (including a case study) worth 100% of the course marks.

SQA Links for Practical Woodworking:
National 4 Practical Woodworking – SQA
National 5 Practical Woodworking – Course overview – SQA

Graphic Communication (Graphic Design / Drafting)

In S3, students work through level 4 graphic/drafting and design tasks, practising manual drawing techniques, sketching, orthographic drawing, and basic computer-aided design (CAD) tasks.

In S4, learners study National 5 Graphic Communication (Graphic Communication / Graphic Design). Pupils learn to interpret and create graphic communication drawings, use both manual and computer-aided drawing techniques.  Pupils will also develop CAD skills to produce technical drawings, product design visuals, and presentation graphics. They also consider how graphic communication and design impact society and sustainability.

SQA Links for Graphic Communication:
National 4 Graphic Communication – Course overview – SQA
National 5 Graphic Communication – SQA

Resource:
Achieve: Achieve
BBC Bitesize: Graphic communication – BBC Bitesize

As always, special thanks to Zeus Engineering for helping supply our pupils with materials!

Zeus, (Part of the AGZ group):-

Linked-In – https://www.linkedin.com/company/agz-group
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AGZ-Group-224398447950545
Twitter –    AGZ Group@Group_AGZ
Website – http://www.agzgroup.co.uk/

On Wednesday (10^th) morning, our S4, S5 and S6 Graphic Communication pupils had the opportunity to visit New College Lanarkshire for a hands-on workshop in Architectural Design and Technology.

This was led by Vivien Townsley, Course Leader for Computer Aided Architectural Design & Technology.

Pupils were introduced to industry-standard software and challenged to design a two-storey house. This exciting session allowed our learners to build on their already impressive CAD (Computer Aided Design) skills they have developed in Graphic Communication, applying them within a real-world, professional architectural setting.

The workshop not only showcased the creative and technical possibilities of CAD but also gave pupils a taste of the pathways available in design and engineering at college level.

We are delighted that Vivien will be visiting Taylor High School later this year to share more about the opportunities available through New College Lanarkshire’s Design and Engineering courses.

At S3/S4 our learners are working towards earning their National 4/5 qualifications.

In S3, our learner’s complete relevant level 4 work with the view to progress to the National 4/5 courses in S4. In S4 pupils will follow the National 4 or National 5 curriculum.

Below is relevant information and helpful resources for Computing Science and Business Management.

Computing Science

• S3 pupils are working through the Web Design and Development (WDD) unit, building skills in creating effective and functional websites.
• S4 pupils are developing their programming abilities within the Software Design and Development (SDD) unit using Python. This will help pupils learn how to design and implement programs to solve problems.

SQA Links for Computing:
National 4 Computing Science – SQA
National 5 Computing Science – Course overview and resources – SQA

Computing resources: 
Achieve: Achieve
BBC Bitesize: Learn and Revise with BBC Bitesize

Business & Business Management

• S3 pupils are working through Level 4 Business contexts, developing knowledge and skills in areas such as enterprise, finance, and the role of business in society.
• S4 pupils are focusing on the Marketing unit, learning how businesses identify, target, and satisfy customer needs while working towards creating effective strategies.

SQA Links for Business Management:

National 4 Business – SQA

National 5 Business Management – Course overview and resources – SQA

Business Resources:

Achieve: Achieve
BBC Bitesize: Learn and Revise with BBC Bitesize

We hope this helps you to support your child no matter the subject within the faculty.

*Information pertaining to Technical will be provided in an upcoming post.