MUSSELBURGH GRAMMAR SCHOOL
MUSSELBURGH GRAMMAR SCHOOL
THE GRAMMARIAN
Embedded Files
Friday 22nd May 2026
Friday 22nd May 2026
Next week sees the last week of exams, which I’m sure all young people and families will be very relieved about, and we move to a new timetable on Monday 1 June.
As well as the new timetable there are a number of parent information sessions and social events, all of which are noted in key dates below.
As we approach this new point in the school year and with seniors returning to school, I ask for parents' continued support in ensuring that all pupils are following our dress code and wearing full uniform in school.
Our dress code is important for safety reasons and being able to identify all pupils as Grammar students, as well as feeling proud to be part of and represent our school community.
Our expectations on uniform, attendance, Chromebooks and mobile phones in class will also be part of year group assemblies on Monday 1 June.
Best wishes for a lovely weekend.
Jodie
INSET DAY
On Monday, teachers engaged in Career-Long Professional Learning as part of the final phase of an inquiry cycle led by Mark Burns from OSIRIS. This provided a valuable opportunity to come together to share and celebrate best practice. It was fantastic to see the high-quality teaching and learning taking place across classrooms in MGS.
QUALIFICATIONS SCOTLAND
The SQA is now known as Qualifications Scotland, and the exam timetable for 2026 can be viewed here: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/nq-2026-exam-timetable.pdf
STAFFING
There has been a change to our management structure to be implemented for August. The English and Modern Languages departments will merge to become one faculty of Languages and Literacy, and interviews for the Curriculum Leader of this new faculty took place last week: the successful candidate will take up this post in August.
Mr Greig, current CL of Communications (English and Media), is moving to North Berwick High School in August after 6 years at MGS, and Mrs Watson, acting CL Modern Languages, will remain in the faculty as Teacher of Spanish.
My thanks to Mr Greig for all his hard work in service of our young people in English, Literacy and Media. Under his leadership the English and Literacy results have improved greatly and NBHS gain is our loss.
My thanks also to Mrs Watson for steering the Modern Languages department so ably for the past year.
PARENT COUNCIL MEETING DATES
The last meeting for this session's Parent Council meeting is:
Thursday 4th June: 6.30-8.30pm in school
KEY DATES
Thursday 28 May: Welcome to S1: P7 (new S1) Parents’ Information Session in school 6 - 7pm
Monday 1 June: New timetable for S2 - S6 begins
Wednesday 3 June: Welcome to Senior Phase for all S4-S6 parents in school 6-7pm
Thursday 4 June: Parent Council meeting 6.30-8.30pm in school
Thursday 11 June: Summer Dance, (S2-S6) 6.30 - 8.30pm
Friday 12, Monday 15 & Tuesday 16 June: P7 Transition days
Friday 12 June: S6 Prom
Wednesday 17 June: Sports Awards Ceremony 7-9pm
Friday 26 June: Term ends
PARENT COUNCIL NEWS
New S6 Prom Committee: Parent Volunteers Needed
As our new S6 pupils begin their final year, it is time to start thinking ahead to one of the big milestone moments: Prom 2027.
The outgoing S6 Prom Committee has kindly offered to provide a handover, sharing what worked well, useful contacts, timelines, tips and lessons learned. The Parent Council is also happy to offer support and guidance where helpful. Parents do not need to be members of the Parent Council to get involved. In fact, it is better if you act independently of the Parent Council though we will always be a supportive shoulder!
To make a prom possible, a group of S6 parents/carers is needed to come together and form a Prom Committee. This would allow planning to start early, venues and suppliers to be explored, and key costs to be shared with families in good time. You’ll work in partnership with S6 pupil volunteers
Starting now is especially important because prom can be a significant cost for families. Tickets may be in the region of £70–£80, and there are often other costs to consider too, such as outfits, travel, hair, make-up, photography and other extras. The earlier planning begins, the easier it is for families to budget and save if they wish to. We can share ideas for saving and paying up monthly. This has to be arranged independently of the school.
Prom arrangements need parent/carer volunteers to take the lead. A prom can only go ahead if there is a team of parents/carers willing to organise the practical arrangements, from exploring venues and costs to communicating with families. Starting early gives the year group the best chance of creating a celebration that is well-planned, inclusive and memorable.
This is a lovely opportunity to help create a memorable final-year celebration for the year group. The committee does not need to be large, and different people can help in different ways, whether that is researching venues, managing bookings, communicating with families, helping with fundraising ideas or keeping track of payments.
Parents/carers of the new S6 year group who would be interested in helping to form a Prom Committee are warmly encouraged to get in touch.
Please contact Shona Blakeley: shonablakeley@outlook.com if you would like to be involved or find out more.
STUDY LEAVE FOR S4-S6
Pupils sitting fewer than 3 N5s are still expected to attend school as normal, and we encourage them to attend our ‘Meaningful May’ programme - details of this has already been sent out.
Study leave for S4-6 taking 3+ N5 QS exams:
Ends: Friday 29 May
Immersion classes run (usually) the day before the exam, and these are mandatory, unless they clash with another exam.
SPORTS AWARDS
Nominations for this year’s Sports Awards Have been extended until Friday 29th May. Please use the link below to put forward a nomination for this year’s event.
BRONZE DUKE OF EDINBURGH PRECTICE EXPEDITION
Last week our Bronze Duke of Edinburgh pupils ventured out on their practice expedition along the East Lothian coastline. They started at Thornton Loch, navigated the John Muir Way, camping at Belhaven Bay and finishing in East Linton. Pupils worked really well as a team utilising their navigation and map skills. The pupils showed super determination and resilience, especially when the weather decided to give us all 4 seasons in one day!
Pupils are now preparing for their Assessed expedition next week and will be hoping that the forecast heatwave comes to fruition!
ALTON TOWERS TRIP
Students had a great time at Alton Towers on Thursday. We look forward to offering this trip again next year.
STEM DEVELOPING THE YOUNG WORKFORCE EVENTS
Last week we had in Skills Development Scotland working with S2 students to develop their numeracy and programming skills exploring emerging technologies such as driverless cars. In addition, the Army careers team were in on Friday working with S3 pupils to create lego robots and build STEM towers, scooters and bikes. Both the hands-on sessions helped students to apply problem solving strategies as well as develop their metaskills.
ATTENDANCE MATTERS
Supporting Your Child’s School Attendance
School absenteeism is a growing concern across Scotland. Over the past few years, more children and young people have faced challenges that make regular school attendance difficult. The impact of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis has made this even harder for many families.
We know that school is important, but we also understand that it isn’t always easy. Some children struggle with attending, and as a parent or carer, you may feel unsure about what to do. Please know you’re not alone. Many families face similar challenges, and support is available.
Every child is unique, which is why working together - your child, you, and the school is key to finding the right support. Small steps can help make school a more positive experience, allowing your child to thrive now and in the future.
Struggles with school can affect the whole family, you’re not alone in this journey - the school are here for you and your child, you can also check out Parent Club for information to support.
Together, we can make a difference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y75SM6qyZeQ
Have a look at Parent Club, there is a lot of useful information on here to help. Whether it’s managing anxiety, easing stress, or working with the school, Parent Club has practical advice and support for you.
If you are concerned about your child’s attendance, please reach out to the school for support
YEAR GROUP ATTENDANCE
As a reminder, school absenteeism remains a significant challenge across Scotland. In 2023/24, 31.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of the school year. While this has since improved, with a 2.9 percentage point decrease to 28.5%, absenteeism continues to impact learning, wellbeing, and attainment.
NEURODIVERSITY SUPPORT DROP-IN SESSIONS
NEURODIVERSITY SUPPORT DROP-IN SESSIONS
ACC DEVICES AMNESTY
ACC DEVICES AMNESTY
CHILDREN FIRST
CHILDHOOD PRACTICE PATHWAY
CONNECTIONS
SUMMER DANCE
HOBBIES @ THE HUB
MUSSELBURGH CHILDREN'S GALA AND YOUTH GAMES
THE HONEST THREAD
Our Honest Thread, “free to a good home” initiative is a new way to share gently used school uniforms within our school community. Anyone who is in need of these items are welcome to request them free of charge.
If you would like to receive any uniform items, please complete the short Google Form below. This allows us to organise requests and prepare your order for collection from the School Office.
https://forms.gle/8NGk3eGnr5M9bMd56
The form will be added to on a regular basis and we hope that we will be able to include items other than schoolwear; this scheme is entirely donation based, so families are always invited to donate clean, good-quality items they no longer need. All donations are much appreciated and can be dropped off at the School Office FAO Ms Ritchie.
UNIFORM REMINDER
Thank you for your ongoing support of our dress code.
Wearing uniform in school continues to be an important feature in school, not least for a safety aspect, as it allows us to identify who all our pupils are.
As our S5 and S6 pupils have chosen to return to school and are aware of the expectations of uniform and attendance laid out at the beginning of the session, I do expect our seniors to uphold our uniform standards. This is not only for safety reasons but also as role models to all younger students.
To encourage this, uniform wearing will be considered alongside attendance as a deciding factor for seniors attending social events.
Our uniform expectations are:
Trousers/ skirt- black only
White shirt and tie
Black jumper
Blue jeans, ripped jeans, cropped/ belly tops, band t-shirts and joggers/ tracksuits etc are not part of our dress code.
Please get in touch with the school office or your child’s PSL (Pupil Support Leader) if we can support with any uniform items.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our dress code.
MEDICAL
MEDICAL
HPV will take place on Thursday 11th June 2026. Please return all forms to school asap. All S1 Boys and Girls and some catch ups.
Asthma - All pupils who have Asthma please make sure you have an inhaler with you at all times.
LOST PROPERTY
LOST PROPERTY
There are a few new items in lost property, if you have lost anything, please go and see Ms Harvey in the Medical room.
There are a few new items in lost property, if you have lost anything, please go and see Ms Harvey in the Medical room.
SCHOOL TOILETS
Our pupil toilets are checked on a regular basis to ensure everyone’s comfort and safety. These checks may be done by male or female staff members, and signage is in toilets to make pupils aware of this.
CAR PARK SAFETY
A reminder that for everyone’s safety, the car park is only to be used for staff and visitor parking, not dropping pupils off, waiting for them to leave school at the end of the day, nor for driving lessons.
We have had a few incidents recently, largely due to the volume of cars in the carpark at busy points in the school day. We are fortunate to have a large turning circle right at our school gates, so there is no real need for parents to enter the car park to drop pupils off. Please drop pupils off at the turning circle instead of driving to the front door. If your pupil has a physical requirement that means they cannot walk from the front gates, please just get in touch with us to let us know in advance. Thank you for your support with this.
Our Healthy Respect drop in service runs in school every Wednesday lunchtime. This NHS run wellbeing service is in a discreet area of school, is free and confidential, and offers support and advice to young people on a range of matters including sexual health information for pupils over the age of 13.
MGS WEBSITE AND SCHOOL HANDBOOK FOR PARENTS
Our website has lots of useful information for parents, and includes our School Handbook and School Policies. Have a look! We welcome your feedback.
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