Trinity Academy
Parent Council Newsletter
Issue 26 March 2014 Trinity Academy Tel: 478 5050 Email:
Page 2
Another busy start to the year
It’s the first newsletter of 2014 and it is our usual bumper edition of news looking back over the last few months at Trinity Academy.
Highlights in this edition are reports on:
· The School’s Inspection Report including key points and next steps
· What happened with the funds raised at the Family Quiz Night
· Find out the part played made
by former Trinity pupils in WWI
· The fantastic sporting achievements of some of our pupils
· Latest Debating Society successes and the Euroscola conference
· Useful links to websites with resources and support for parents and pupils
· And finally...... a plea for another fish tank!
Sheena Booth, editor
Rector’s Report
1. Staffing
I have been unable to recruit a teacher of FCT. As a result, it has been necessary to suspend the teaching of FCT to classes in S1/S2. These pupils are currently following a recently developed Business Education course which is used in other city schools. The post has been re-advertised.
Our part-time Design Technology technician, Bob Scott retired in February. His replacement will be in place during March.
2. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education
A team from HMIe visited the school during the week commencing 9th December 2013. They visited over 60 classes and had a wide range of meetings with staff, pupils, parents and partners. A summary letter was made available to all parents early in February. This is published on the school website under “Latest News”.
A detailed “Record of Inspection Findings” has been produced for the school which highlights strengths and areas for development. The school is currently working with the District Inspector and the local authority to draw up an action plan which will be incorporated into our current and future School Improvement Plans. The Parent Council will be consulted about the action plan.
4. Curriculum Structure
I explained the proposed changes to our curriculum at the last Parent Council. We held an information evening for S1-S4 parents on 14th January which was very well attended. A number of questions were raised which prompted a full discussion of the proposals. My impression was that the majority of parents were prepared to support our plans. A number of parents remained uncertain/unconvinced and I offered to meet with them individually for further discussions. I had 5 such meetings with parents during January. The Parent Council endorsed our proposals on 28th January.
4. Implementation of New Highers
New Highers are being introduced in session 2014/15 following on from the implementation of National Qualifications for the current S4. However, it has been agreed at national level to adopt a flexible approach; a delay in implementation for one year is possible where Head Teachers, Curriculum Leaders and teachers can provide a sound rationale for additional flexibility.
5. Budget Proposals
The City of Edinburgh agreed a range of savings for 2014/15 at the February Council Meeting. There will be an impact on school budgets and I will be in a position to provide more specific details at the next Parent Council Meeting.
6. Coursing for 2014/15
All pupils in S2, S3, S4 and S5 will make coursing decisions in March/April this year. Past and future dates are as follows:
S2 into S3:
Information Evening 13th March
Teacher Consultations 5-7pm 20th March
Course Choice Form
Return Date: 24th March
S3 into S4
Information Evening 7pm 25th March
Teacher Consultations 5-7pm 2nd April
Course Choice Form
Return Date: 4th April
S4/5 into S5/6
Information Evening 7pm 26th February
Teacher Consultations 5-7pm 6th March
Course Choice Form S4: 14th March
Return Date S5: 28th March
7. Ministerial Visit
The Education Minister, Mike Russell, visited Bangholm on 22nd January to launch an information leaflet about the diagnosis and treatment of concussion in sport. The main aim is to increase awareness among players and coaches. The publication of the leaflet was prompted by the tragic death of a young rugby player in Northern Ireland. Mr Russell met the parents of the boy last year and gave an assurance that he would take action to ensure the dangers of concussion were fully understood by all those involved in sport, especially those coaching school and youth teams. The Minister observed our “School of Rugby” pupils during a training session and spoke to them afterwards about the reason for his visit.
8. Individual Sporting Achievements
We have had a wide range of individual sporting achievements over the past year. Here are a few highlights:
India Dodd Edinburgh Schools Swimming Champion (100m backstroke and 400m freestyle)
Joe Lynch Scotland U17 Judo Champion
Chloe Thomson Scottish U18 Triple Bowls Champion
Lewis Smith British Sailing Squad
Nadine Yewdale East District U18 Hockey
Megan Metcalfe Scotland U16 Hockey & Football Development Squads
Eartha Cumings Scotland U16 Football
& Jamie-lee Smith
Jamie Dishington Scotland U19 Football
Mark Watt Scotland U19 Cricket
Alec Morris, Rector
HMIe Inspection Report
As parents will be aware, Trinity Academy was inspected by HMIe during December 2013, and the inspection report was published last month – please see links to the school website http://www.hswd.co.uk/trinity/downloads/238.pdf and http://www.hswd.co.uk/trinity/downloads/239.pdf. Within those documents are links to further information on the HMIe website.
There are both strengths and areas requiring improvement in the inspection report. Wider achievement, both in international and UK opportunities for pupils to develop are highlighted within the report: you will see in this newsletter, for example, some of the great sporting successes, both within and outwith the school, which Trinity pupils have achieved. Many congratulations to all involved. There are also some areas for improvement within the report, particularly in improvements in performance (which many will think of as attainment or success in exams).
The school has been working hard with the Parent Council to focus on the areas for improvement, and an initial action plan has already been developed with the help of curriculum leaders, consultation with all staff at the school and Edinburgh Council’s Children and Families Department. This is an important area for the school and the Parent Council, and we would like all parents to help the school in achieving these improvements.
At the risk of preaching to the converted, some of the simple ways in which you can help achieve this are: ensuring that your children arrive at school on time every day (PC and school believe we can improve on this) with the correct school uniform, with their homework completed, ready for the day ahead and by attending the relevant Parents’ Evenings to show an interest in how your child is achieving-parents would be surprised at the turnout for some parents’ evenings. Help to challenge and support your children to do their best and achieve their potential.Staff cannot achieve all the improvement by themselves. Parents and pupils are part of the same team, and everyone needs to up their game to achieve the consistent success of which Trinity Academy and all of its pupils are capable.
Alec Morris
Unfortunately the Rector, Alec Morris, has suffered severe back pain and is currently signed off work for the next couple of weeks. The Parent Council has sent best wishes on behalf of all parents for a swift recovery. In the meantime, Lewis Paterson is acting Rector until Mr Morris’ return to work, and any enquiries which you would normally have sent to Mr Morris should be sent to Mr Paterson at . Mr Paterson will be working with the rest of the senior management team, Carol Graham, Irene Davidson and all staff to ensure the smooth running of the school during Mr Morris’ absence.
Parent Council Award
Every year at Prize Giving the Parent Council presents an award to a pupil or group of pupils; this year our award will be given to recognise wider achievement with the aim of recognising ‘creativity or resourcefulness’. This could range from producing a piece of art, music or poetry to organising an event, taking part in a charity initiative at school or representing the school. Staff and pupils can nominate a pupil or group of pupils and pupils can also nominate themselves. This year, in addition to the award we have given in previous years, we will also present 2 certificates for ‘highly commended’ runners-up. Please encourage your children to think about things they or their classmates have done that might fall into these categories and ask them to get nominating!
Trinity Academy and Parent Council websites
The school is currently reviewing their website with a view to launching an updated version after the summer; we are also looking to improve the Parent Council website early next school year.
We are very keen that both websites reflect the sort of information that you, as parents, would expect to see so if you have any views on the content of either website, we would be happy to hear from you. Please email and the Parent Council email address with any feedback you have - we may not be able to make all the changes you would like to see but we will consider anything you raise.
Parentzone
If you haven’t come across it already, here is a reminder about all the useful information that is included on the Parentzone of the Education Scotland website.
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/parentzone/learningathome/helpingprepareforexams/usefulwebsites.asp
The content includes guidance on helping children organise their time and plan their study to tips on getting plenty of sleep and eating well. You can also download free of charge past SQA papers to help with their revision.
There is also information on the Curriculum for Excellence and other resources and support that parents might need. For example, some new materials have just been added for parents and carers on ‘Supporting numeracy at home’ - These latest materials are on ‘time’ and ‘information handling’ and supplement existing material on measurement, money, numbers and mental calculation.
SCHOLAR
Another useful online resource but this time aimed at teachers and pupils, is the SCHOLAR programme developed by Herriot Watt University (scholar.hw.ac.uk).
It offers homework, revision material and online assessments across subjects which provide a route into careers in science, engineering, business and modern languages.
According to their website, ‘SCHOLAR provides an integrated set of materials and services which meet the needs of both students and their teachers. These resources include:
· comprehensive online interactive learning materials, activities, assessments and revision packs.
· access to online communities, resources, monitoring information and information tools.
· study guides which contain key reference materials and learning activities.
· tutor notes with valuable curriculum and planning information.’
Parents can log onto the website and access the online tools using the following parents account details:
Username: schparents2014
Password: unit44sand
The account expires at the end of June 2014.
Andrew Macmillan, Parent Council Chair
Fun fundraising family quiz night
Once again the Family Quiz night proved to be a great success with 9 teams competing against each other.
‘The theme was ‘The Commonwealth’ for Glasgow 2014. The winning team was called “We Ate all the Pies” - as it was national Pi day!We raised £457.00 on the night and a lot of laughs were had especially during the ‘Citizenship Test’. A big thank you goes to the community around Trinity for their support and the fantastic raffle prizes that were donated. Well Done!’
Rajni Punn, Parent Council
Quiz Money donated to the Maths Department
And the fantastic news is that the Parent Council has already donated £250 from the Quiz Night to Mrs Cameron in the Maths department. She intends to use the money to fund some maths games to help to stimulate and maintain interest, particularly for the transitioning P7s into S1.
Euroscola 2013
On the 13th of December 2013, a small group of representatives from Trinity Academy took part in a Euroscola event in Strasbourg, France. Our group represented the United Kingdom as we were the only school in the UK participating. We were given the great opportunity to spend one day in the shoes of a Member of the European Parliament. The day was full of exciting and interesting activities with over five hundred participating students.
Our visit to the European Parliament was described by our accompanying teachers as a wonderful and great experience and it certainly was. However it was also a very long day, with very unsatisfying food - we were there from 8am until just after six o’clock… It was difficult having to listen to people debate and talk about issues when you are trapped in a room with no natural light, uncomfortable chairs and a translator with a very monotone voice!
We were given the opportunity to ask various questions about any issue to a panel of four people – they were not MEP’s but tried to give us detailed answers. Various topics were discussed, for example, Scottish Independence. The morning was tolerable but I feel as though they could have made it more interesting for all, but perhaps that is politics!
In the afternoon we were given some freedom to pick and choose what topical groups we would like to be a part of. We were given stickers and were taken to separate rooms to meet with other students who would be discussing the same subject. In the rooms we were told to work as a “working party” and had to come up with a few conclusions about our issue which would then be presented back to the rest of the groups in the chamber.
Back in the chamber each group presented their conclusions. After this the floor was ours, we could ask questions about their policies, either tear them down or we could agree with them. Afterwards a vote was held. We could agree with their proposals, disagree or abstain. These presentations went on for a good hour and of course by the end everyone was a bit tired looking. Obviously most students had given their all and enjoyed their day but everyone was itching to leave. After a closing speech we were dismissed. The day was very tiring but informative for everyone. Euroscola is a great thing to participate in.