We send our best wishes to Mrs Welsh, who retired in the summer. We are delighted to welcome Mr Caul to the biology department, and to welcome back Miss St. John, who was with us in 2020-21.

We are delighted to welcome two new science teachers this year.  Dr Nicol has joined the biology department and Mrs Liddell has joined chemistry.

A group of 37 Higher biology pupils, accompanied by Mrs Welsh and Miss Brennan, recently spent a day at Glasgow University.  They took part in a workshop on PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) which was organised by the Glasgow Science Centre. The students had to amplify DNA from two different patients who were each presenting symptoms of a different virus. The pupils had to carry out a test to establish which virus each patient was displaying. They were also given talks by university staff on careers in Biological Sciences and developments such as the Human Genome Project. Students then discussed moral and ethical issues arising from the talks. The students thought the experience was invaluable and they all enjoyed the practical experiments.

We are very pleased to welcome three new staff to the department this session – Miss Brennan and Miss Clarkson in biology, and Mr Bryson in physics.