S1 have been busy learning about the importance of hygiene and safety in the kitchen and about storing food safely. Their homework was to achieve their washing up license and in class they have been helping to untangle and hang up the washing !
This term they made breakfast rolls in the air fryer and enjoyed eating them in class and last week they made apple crumbles to take home.
Have a look at the Home Economics page for information and how you can help at home.
The Secondary fund-raising group organised a fundraiser for CLAN where pupils dressed up in purple on Wednesday 30th September.
Joanna from CLAN came up with donation buckets and leaflets to promote CLAN and S2 pupils made paper hats for folk who didn’t have purple to wear.
We supported CLAN because we feel it is an important charity because it helps people who have a cancer diagnosis and their families.
We raised a total of £409.93! and hope this will help CLAN support more people to fight cancer.
Thank you very much to everyone who wore purple and made donations!
Joe, Josie, Lisa
On Wednesday 16th September, we welcomed a range of visitors to the school to deliver workshops focusing on various aspects of Health and Wellbeing that are particularly relevant to current social issues, including online safety, AI, anti-bullying, hate crime, and smoking and vaping.
Our pupils engaged positively throughout the day and shared the following reflections:
The following video link gives a greater insight into the coverage of the day:
Thank you to Miss Irvine and all the organisers for a worthwhile event.
This term our S4 Business Management class have been learning about the operations function of business. They were lucky enough to be joined by Anne Marie Anderson from Tetley & Anderson; Anne Marie shared with the class real examples of the operational processes in her business. This included information on stock management, methods of production and factors to be considered when choosing a supplier. Anne Marie shared valuable insight on the reality of running a business and the challenges this can present.
Pupils said:
“What she shared with us will be very useful during our exam times when we need examples and to remember things through her examples.”
“I think it was really good having her come in and talk to us as it was very useful and it will help me to remember the things we spoke about better since she told us plenty stories and things that she did to overcome her problems that she faced. Thank you very much for coming in!!!”
Congratulations to the pupils who received Saltire Awards at Mareel last week for their volunteering efforts. Their dedicated work supporting Ability Shetland at the Whalsay Youth Club has earned them impressive 50 and 100-hour milestones. Well done for your valuable contribution to the community.
Pupils opted into their final topic for Home Economics this term, sewing or local produce.
The sewing group have learned to thread a machine, change the settings to sew different styles of stiches and troubleshoot a few problems! They started off sewing with paper and no thread to build up confidence with the foot pedal. Then they had to pass a driving test before moving onto using thread and fabric.
Over the next few weeks they were working towards making a weighted door stop. They developed a number of skills including how to draw out and cut the pattern, pin fabric, iron a hem and a lot of troubleshooting and patience!
We made our own stuffing by cutting up scraps of material left and used rice for the weight. Their doorstops look great and they all did a super job!
The local food group have been learning about local seafood and agriculture. They used the localwebsites https://seafoodshetland.co.uk/ and https://www.tasteofshetland.com/ to support their learning and investigations.
They learned about seafood exports and researched local species for a display. They have watched the taste of Shetland videos and used Peter Walkers video on Saat fish to write instructions in Shetland and to make saat whitings. We used Mrs Johnson’s raffle donation of whitings and the bairns did a super job of preparing the fish for the salt. They had no fears cutting the heads off and took their time cleaning the blood and membranes from the flesh and rigs. They then layered the fish with salt in 2 containers and left it overnight. Miss Irvine took them home to rinse, pair and hang in a drying box rather than outside because of the weather.
We watched a video about Pearl Johnson and the different uses for beest and how to make kirn and butter. This week made bannocks using Shetland produce where possible and clined Shetland butter on them!
A huge well done to our Secondary football team for taking part in the Shetland football competition on Wednesday. We are all very proud of their efforts with special mentions to Ryan, Zak and Harry for rotating in the goalkeeper position.
Thank you to Ms. Cheyne for organising and supporting the team. The boys have already said how much they enjoyed representing the school and how much they are looking forward to the next matches!
In partnership with our colleagues at Developing the Young Workforce, we had Filmmaker Barnum Smith (Film Instructor, Shetland Arts) come to visit Whalsay School on Wednesday 11th March for a hands-on workshop exploring the creative industries.
Pupils in S1 and S2 found out how to get involved in Shetland’s creative scene, courses to study in S3, and look at potential career pathways. They then had the opportunity to make their own short film, learning practical filmmaking skills with Shetland Arts’ equipment! All pupils were engaged in the film making process and created some great short films.
Whalsay school S1-3 pupils were involved in running two fundraising events for 2026 Trips & Activities.
An impressive £3575 was raised at the Fish & Chips fundraiser and a brilliant £2230 at the recently held Coffee Morning, giving an amazing total of £5805 raised for trips & activities for 2026!
The school would like to thank the following local businesses for their generous donations and support for both fundraisers:
Thank you to all the volunteer cooks and helpers for the Fish & Chips night.
Alongside the generous parents who provided raffle donations for both fundraisers and baking for the Coffee Morning.
These fundraisers wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work from volunteer parents on the Trips & Activities working group – Anita Sparrow, Doreen Porter, Allison Hutchison, Julie Anderson, Margaret Leask, Caroline Manson, Gemma Jamieson, Diane Wishart, Leona Jamieson, and Kari Hamilton. Huge thank you for all your contributions.
Finally, well done to all the S1-3 pupils who were involved in helping at the events. Their duties included meeting and greeting the public, selling raffle tickets, clearing and setting up tables, and tending guessing games stalls.
We are extremely grateful for the support from the community in supporting our upcoming trips and activities. The first school trip of 2026 leaves TODAY for skiing in Italy, and the second trip to Edinburgh will be in June. The Activities days will also be held in June within Shetland.
S1 have been busy learning some basic hand sewing in the last few weeks and made beautiful tree decorations using a running stitch and whip stitch or blanket stitch.
Christmas cooking in S1, S2 and S4 included shortbread, Gingerbread house biscuits and chocolate log.
