This term in Business Management our pupils have been learning about entrepreneurship and how entrepreneurs combine the factors of production to produce goods and/or services.  The class visited local entrepreneur Anne Marie Anderson at her shop “Peerie Oorick” to learn about her business.  Anne Marie explained to the class how she identified a gap in the market for Children’s books published in local dialect.  Anne Marie worked hard to sell enough needle felted products to raise the capital (money) to begin production of her book.  Pupils identified that the factors of production combined in Anne Marie’s business included:

 Land – the natural resources used in the production process: ink, water, plant fibres

Labour – Anne Marie as author, illustrators, employees of print works

Capital – the machinery and equipment needed to make the products: machinery at the print works, computer, paints

Enterprise – the entrepreneur: in this case Anne Marie, the entrepreneur takes a risk and creates the business combining the other three factors

The class have also been learning about sectors of the economy and the types of business within each sector.  We were lucky enough to be visited by some of the Summer Days committee who have demonstrated their entrepreneurial skills in organising a series of events which are much enjoyed by the local community during the summer months.  The Summer Days committee are an excellent example of a third sector community group.  The committee shared information on their purpose, how the group benefits from the various skills and experience each member brings to the team and how they address challenges together and how they learn more each year.  The group encouraged the class to go for it they have an idea for an enterprise and never be afraid to take a risk.  

The class really enjoyed connecting with entrepreneurs in our community.

Whalsay School – A Connected Community of Learners 

Delighted to share that yesterday (23/9/25!) was the launch of our new Sports Committee for Whalsay School which will aim to play a leading roles in the promotion of two of our School values: Health and Responsibility. 

Ms. Cheyne will be working with pupils to develop a number of initiatives that will promote healthy living and the benefits of an active lifestyle.

Role and Responsibilities for each member:

• Be a Good Role Model
• Show good sportsmanship and help others enjoy PE and sports. Promote lifelong learning around the school.

• Help with Inter-House Competitions

• Support staff with planning and running fun house competitions.

• Promote Sports Events

• Make posters or help spread the word about sports activities.

• Join in School Sports Events

• Take part in things like Parent vs Pupil matches or charity games.

• Support Clubs and Activities

• Help with lunchtime or after-school clubs (e.g. setting up or encouraging others to join).

• Share Ideas

• Give feedback or suggest new sports or activities for the school.

• Celebrate Success

• Help with things like sports awards, noticeboards or giving shout-outs for achievements.

We look forward to seeing our pupils develop their leadership skills in a creative and engaging way!

Our DYW link officer for Whalsay School is Emily van Tonder.

Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) is a key part of Scotland’s careers and skills system. We work in collaboration to support young people get ready for the world of work. By building strong connections between employers and educators, DYW creates inspiring opportunities that help young people gain valuable insights and develop the skills they need to thrive in the workplace.

In Shetland, we place particular emphasis on aligning education with industry needs. Our goal is to ensure young people are equipped with the right skills for the local job market, while also preparing them for opportunities beyond Shetland.

We achieve this by coordinating a wide range of activities, including:

•              Workplace visits
•              Hands-on challenges and practical experiences
•              Mock interviews
•              Business and career talks
•              Careers fairs and events

These engagements are designed to spark ambition, build confidence, and open doors to future possibilities.

Mootie’s Hoos poster

Check out the link above which outlines an opportunity for pupils and families to go along and see a mixed media exhibition that will be running in the Shetland museum from the 17th August – 12th October.

Whalsay School – A Connected Community of Learners 

We are fortunate at Whalsay School to work with a number of different community partners to enhance our pupils’ learning experiences. Similar to our recent post which focused on the work of SDS, our collaboration with Youth and Employability Services greatly adds to our pupils’ learning experiences.

Our link Youth work officer, Sadie Simpson has been guiding pupils in working towards an award with The King’s Trust Achieve Program.

Young people taking part in Achieve are developing the skills and confidence they need to shape their futures. Through hands-on projects and group activities, they work towards personal development, improved wellbeing, and  stronger teamwork and communication skills.  The program helps them set goals, gain qualifications, and prepare for their next steps.

Over the past couple of weeks, pupils have been focusing on teamwork skills. The group took on challenges like building the tallest free-standing tower using only marshmallows and spaghetti, and the cup tower challenge where they had to stack and position cups using just strings tied to elastic bands.  Both activities got everyone thinking, communicating, and using their problem solving skills! Photos of the activities here:

As part of our continued focus on ensuring our school is a ‘Connected Community of Learners‘, I would like to highlight the vital role that Skills Development Scotland play in supporting and advising our pupils and families in the form of career information and guidance. Our link SDS officer is Katie Clubb who works closely with pupils and Miss Irvine as our Principal Teacher of Pupil Support. A few words from Katie below summarises the work that she does in our school on a regular basis:

I work with pupils to develop their own Career Management Skills and support them to make informed decisions about their future career path and highlight the range of career routes out there.  I do this through one-to-one appointments, group sessions and parents evenings.

I come up to school regularly, so look out for me if you want to come and speak or have any questions! Or speak with Miss Irvine if you’d like an appointment made for you.

Katie can also be contacted directly – katie.clubb@sds.co.uk

Our thanks to Katie for her ongoing dedication and hard work in supporting our pupils, parents and teachers as we look to make the most informed decisions for our young people and their futures.

Through our partnership with Developing the Young Workforce (DYW), pupils in S3 and S4 were able to learn about different types of careers in the army; from medical to finance, engineering and logistics. Pupils enjoyed practical learning activities in map reading, physical training, code breaking and problem solving skills. Our pupils were well engaged throughout and have had follow up sessions with Miss Irvine in Personal and Social Education to connect their learning with the skills that we work on and develop in school on a day to day basis.

Sincere thanks to Emily van Tonder (DYW) and our visiting army team for a thought provoking, well delivered day of learning for our pupils. Photos of the activities here:

Our Academic Year is now well under way and what a delight it has been to welcome our pupils to school following the summer break.

New beginnings

Our S1 class have now formally made their move up to the Secondary School following a number of days of transition, lessons and activities last term.

With the new school year, we also have a number of new staff working in different departments of the school. We are delighted to have Mrs. Alison Shearer (Play support worker), Ms. Dione Pottinger (Learning Support in Nursery), Ms. Emily Robertson (Senior Practitioner in ELC), Ms. Chloe Cheyne (P.E. – Probationer) and Mrs. Kari Hamilton (Business Management – in addition to ASN Secondary) as part of our team.

Revised Mission

Following extensive consultation with pupils, parents and staff, we have updated our school’s mission to be a ‘Connected Community of Learners’. This recognises the power and strength of our community in Whalsay whilst also recognising the importance of being on a continued lifelong journey of learning. I would like to thank all staff, pupils and parents for contributing to our various school self-evaluation tasks at the end of last term.

Raising the profile of Reading in Secondary

One of the most powerful and important skills that we can continually practice and develop is reading with and to our young people. Developing our language skills helps us to understand, interpret and respond across a range of curriculum areas.

With the importance of reading in mind, Ms. Holzheimer has designed an exciting and engaging reading challenge for all pupils to take part in.

Part of the challenge is to read with an adult for 10 minutes every night. I would be grateful if you can support and engage with this challenge as a family. We will certainly be promoting the reading challenge very visibly in school!

To further support the development of the pupils reading skills, we are trialing a further initiative of ‘book in a bag’. This ensures that pupils always have a book accessible to them and teachers in other subjects may dedicate 5-10 mins of their lesson to reading to further instill the positive language development habits.

Celebrating pupil success

Last term, we had a group of pupils working with the Heritage Centre as part of our community engagement and Wider Achievement program. I am delighted to share and notify you that the group’s film has been selected to be shown at the Homemade event in Mareel on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th September. I would like to pass on my congratulations to all our pupils who were involved and everyone who was part of the process. We have our fingers crossed for securing a prize for the Shetland dialect category.

S3 pupils at Whalsay School have continued to take part in the national Youth Philanthropy Initiative this year. YPI is the largest independent programme delivered in Scottish education and provides young people with the opportunity to research and explore social issues that exist in the local community. Under the guidance of Ms.Carr and Mrs.Dunbar, pupils followed a structured program of study which required the use and development of research, teamwork, presentation and competition skills with the opportunity to secure £3,000 for the chosen charities.

This cohort of pupils, who have recently made the transition to S4, had groups who liaised and connected with The Fisherman’s Mission, The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Whalsay Heritage Centre, Alzheimer Scotland and Shoard charity shop, Whalsay.

With thanks to Miss Irvine for coordinating arrangements, Mrs. Irvine for presenting the event and our judging panel, our school YPI finals event was held on the afternoon of Wednesday 7th May. We were delighted to welcome members of the local community, representatives from the different charities, Lavinia Schmidt as local YPI leader, Gayle Duffus from the Wood Foundation and pupils from a range of year groups. Thanks to Kate Wills and Ella Irvine who were on the judging panel and analysed all presentations in great detail before the winning team was selected

Our pupils impressed us all when sharing their knowledge and insights on the day; highlighting different social issues and the important work carried out by charities in the area. Congratulations were extended to Brooke Robertson and Carrie Lipthorpe representing Shoard charity shop who were selected as the Whalsay School winners.

Accompanied by Mr.Healy, Brooke and Carrie joined fellow winners from Brae High School and the Anderson High School and travelled south to attend the National YPI finals which were held at the Perth Concert Hall. We were lucky enough to listen to inspiring key note speeches from a range of contributors from different areas of society and a host of pupil led presentations from different schools across Scotland which highlighted issues such as addiction, mental health and support for new parents. It was an insightful, informative and inspiring trip and we congratulate all pupils and staff who contributed to the delivery of this year’s YPI programme.