Embedded Files
HT Update 06/11/26
Charity Week ended on a high last Friday, with a car load of donations making its way to the food bank, and the announcement that the team had raised £1,350 for YPI fundraising; pretty impressive, when the original goal was £500! This allows us to take our YPI partnership to the next level and provides a really clear focus for our S3 as they think about where these funds will go.
S3 will also have the opportunity to take part in a mini Careers Fair on the 11th November, as part of their Employability Work. Each class will be allocated a slot during the school day to engage with employers and to, we hope, spark their thinking around their upcoming first round of senior phase coursing.
As noted last week, some of the team have shared the resources they used for last week’s Senior Phase Success Event. You can find these on the Parent Engagement section of the website: https://sites.google.com/edubuzz.org/rosehill-high-school/parent-engagement/quadrant-2
Please note that a couple of these need an edubuzz sign in to access. I have also included an electronic copy of the parent guide to supporting your young person, and the slides from the ‘big’ presentations on coursing, Qualifications Scotland, study skills, and post school destinations. Thank you for the feedback so far, especially for taking the time to recognise the valuable insights from the staff team.
This has been Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week. This initiative exists because of data showing a significant reduction in the number of girls participating in sport as they enter their teenage years. To encourage participation, our PE team (led by Grace McCrorie) has provided opportunities for a wide range of activities including cheer, gymnastics, volleyball, football, netball, gym and hockey. Whether it’s enjoying a one off session with friends, or picking up on a new sport habit, we hope there has been something for everyone willing to get involved.
Our friends in the Brae recently took part in a local authority review process, the first provision to do so using a new format. This fully involved the young people, and also took into account the views of staff, parents and partners. We are very pleased with the feedback received, which has highlighted once again the commitment to positive relationships and getting it right for young people. Sarah Fleming will share some more detail around the strengths and next steps with the Brae community.
We’ll be welcoming our S2 parents to our Parent Consultation Evening on the 11th November. Please note that this is a bookable event and that appointments have already been released. Please contact the admin team if you need any support. Entry will be at the front of the campus.
HT Update 30/10/26
As one team member said to me earlier this week: it’s a full moon, it’s windy, and it’s nearly Halloween, so what could go wrong?!
We certainly set ourselves up for a pretty full on week (hence a long update), but have somehow managed to pull it off, with a great deal of fun and excitement. We are exceptionally proud of our S3 pupils, who have been running (in full hi-vis) a series of events to raise money for our YPI (Youth Philanthropy Initiative) fund. They set themselves the challenge of raising at least £500 to contribute to the programme. We don’t have a final tally yet but it’s looking impressive. We could not be prouder of the PLT run Fright Night, and S3 run Halloween discos. They genuinely made me jump (apparently my instinctive response to being scared is, “That’s not even funny!”) and it turns out that the Macarena and the Cha Cha slide can still fill the floor. Credit to Rebecca Wynne for leading the week, and thank you to the many, many teachers who gave their time and effort to support.
It was great to see so many of you at our Family Learning Event: Senior Phase Success, on Tuesday. I am sure all of our families appreciated the chance to explore how they can support their young people through what can be a challenging but also very exciting time. Whilst it is no substitute for the in person experience, we are gathering all the resources that were used and will be adding these to the Parent Engagement section of the website, so that those who attended can refresh their memories and those who were unable to can engage with some of the content. The usual plea that, if you haven’t filled in your (very quick!) evaluation yet, please do so. This is the first year we have done an event like this on this scale, so we are keen to check how it has been received.
Our Travel and Tourism class has provided this report on their Stirling Castle visit last week:
Pupils travelled to Stirling to experience a less familiar Scottish city as a tourist. Their Travel and Tourism Scotland unit requires them to draw upon significant knowledge and understanding of a Scottish destination, what attractions it has to offer, what facilities are available (or are not available), and what range of opportunities for employment are available to them as Travel and Tourism students pursuing employment in the hospitality or tourism sector.
During the day pupils visited Stirling Castle and took place in an old town of Stirling murder mystery tour. Some of the comments following the trip were "I loved Stirling Castle - it was pretty!", "That was my favourite trip yet- I really appreciated the chance to go somewhere I didn't know!" , "There were lots of hills and lots of walking!".
All in all, some excellent learning and a good support for them as they complete their Scotland and Customer Service units - they will be well placed to offer real experienced advice to their "clients".
The Girls In STEM visit to Torness was also a success, as noted here by Ms Kroeske:
Six of our senior girls visited Torness Power Station for an inspiring "Girls in STEM" showcase hosted by EDF Energy. This invaluable experience provided firsthand insight into the wide array of careers powered by STEM subjects. Beyond exploring the inner workings of a nuclear power plant, the students met directly with employees to hear about their career pathways and learn about available EDF apprenticeship schemes. In the afternoon, they put their skills to the test in team building, communication, and critical thinking through hands-on workshops—building circuits for droids, inspecting mechanical flanges with specialized tools, and suiting up in PPE to practice hazardous waste management protocols. The girls have fed back they found the trip enjoyable, aspirational and have helped them see opportunities in STEM they had not considered
This year, for the first time, we are training S5/S6 pupils to be part of the national MVP programme. This involves young people being trained as peer supporters to challenge negative behaviours in schools, the wider community, and online. Thanks to Michelle Yeoman and Zack Williams for leading the whole day training yesterday with no fewer than 30 pupil volunteers. Young people will be delivering a programme to peers in the new year.
As we head towards November, we are already thinking about 2027-2028. This week, we had to submit our planning for staffing for the next session. Once this has been agreed with the local authority, we will be able to get the ball rolling on our first look at coursing options. As in previous years, this information will be with you before the Christmas break, but doesn’t need to be submitted until a few weeks after it. This allows you and your young people proper discussion and research time. In particular, we would strongly recommend that those whose young people have aspirations to attend college or university begin to look at course requirements. Sometimes, the subjects and levels required/ recommended can be quite different to what people assume.
This of course sets us up perfectly to highlight the first round of Formal Assessments for the senior phase. Almost all of these will take place the week beginning the 30th November and the week beginning 7th December, though practical assessment may vary slightly. Where possible, to minimise disruption, these will take place during normal double periods in class. Your young person will be provided with a full timetable well in advance.
We’ve really enjoyed undertaking the first House Assemblies focused specifically on achievement, and will be continuing these in a regular Friday slot across the year. This is an opportunity to celebrate what young people have been doing in the community e.g. sports, the arts, volunteering, or citizenship. Pupils can be nominated for recognition using the email achievement@rosehill.elcschool.ork.uk Please ensure you use your child’s full name and class.
HT Update 23/10/26
It’s been a busy but positive start to the new term, with lots coming up in the next few weeks.
Our Professional Learning Day on Monday focused on attainment, with discussions around our Insight data (which drills down into different courses in the senior phase) and what this tells us for continuing to improve senior phase practice this year. Our key message is, ‘Everyone Owns Attainment’, and we have identified multiple different ways in which staff, pupils, parents and partners combined can continue to ensure we have the best outcomes for our learners.
These discussions are reflected in the content of our Family Learning Event: Senior Phase Success, on the 27th October. Please note that we have now closed booking for this event, which looks to be very well attended. A separate email has been sent to everyone who has registered with further arrangements. As part of this event, we will provide copies of our parent guide to senior phase success, which we will also pop on the website afterwards, along with any other relevant materials.
We have welcomed ELC colleagues into the Brae this week for our first provision review. Our young people responded very well to this experience and were able to share their views on being a learner in the Brae. Sarah Fleming and I will be meeting with the review team this afternoon to discuss their feedback.
This week, our Travel and Tourism class visited Stirling Castle as part of their coursework, and they’ll provide a summary of this for the next update. Next week, some of our seniors will be taking part in the Girls Into STEM events at Torness Power Station.
In addition to this, we’re going to be very busy with our Charity Week events. The S3 team is already making great progress towards their £500 target, so thank you for all the support thus far. We are all looking forward, in particular, to the Halloween themed disco/ fright night on the 29th, which will be supported by our Pupil Leadership Team.
As a reminder (and these are all in the Key Dates document on the website), we have the following opportunities for parents in the next few weeks:
Wednesday 11th November: S2 Parent Consultation Evening. Information on booking has already been sent to all S2 families.
Thursday 19th November: Senior Phase Parent Consultation Evening. Please look out for the separate email with booking information.
Wednesday 25th November: Parent Council Meeting (6.45pm-8pm).
I won’t go any further in the diary than that just now, because we probably don’t want to think about the festive period quite yet!
And to finish, a wee win. The new Tesco store has opened next to the school, and we will all be aware that this had the potential for some challenges. However, having proactively introduced ourselves to the team there ahead of opening, and discussed how we can support each other, we are absolutely delighted that we have had absolutely no issues reported. Young people using the service have done so completely respectfully and we are very proud of them.
HT Update 09/10/26
It was great to see so many of our S1 parents and carers in the building on Wednesday for our first Parent Consultation evening of the year. We know that the chance to engage with teachers face to face is always valued. Thank you to everyone who took time during the evening to complete our survey on learners’ experiences. As you will be aware from our Improvement Plan, we have invested some of our Pupil Equity Fund in creating two additional Principal Teacher roles this year, with a clear focus on what young people are learning and how they are learning it. In particular, we want our curriculum and our classrooms to be inclusive by design, ensuring that as many young people as possible are able to access learning at the right level of challenge and support.
If you haven’t done so already, we would also appreciate you taking a couple of minutes (less than that!) to fill in the very brief evaluation form that has been sent to all attendees.
A final reminder goes to S3-S6 parents to sign up for the Senior Phase Success Family Learning Event on the 27th October. The guest list currently sits at around 160 but we are happy to squeeze in a few more if we can! This is a great opportunity to speak with school staff and partners about how you can best support your young person to achieve and attain as highly as they can in school, as well as thinking about next steps.
The East Lothian Council Mobile Phone Guidance formally comes into force after the October break. As you will be aware, we have got ahead of this so there are limited changes for our young people to manage. In line with the parent communication earlier this week, please be aware that the expectation is that phones continue to be out of sight in corridors. This would apply to:
Young people accessing the toilets (class teachers will often ‘swap’ a phone for a toilet pass to ensure passes come back)
Young people working in breakout spaces (class teachers will remind them of this)
S6 working in agreed study areas
Transition times
You can support us by not expecting your young person to answer calls/ messages during learning time. This is causing embarrassment for some of our young people as they are trying to stick to the rules but worry that they will then get into conflict at home if they don’t respond.
We had some very good news this week in terms of our LGBT Scotland Charter status. Just a couple of months into our Improvement Plan, we are already at Bronze level and in a good position to achieve Silver in the coming months. This status was based on engagement from staff in professional learning around support for young people with LGBT identities, as well as key questions for our school around our current practices. This work also aligns with our ongoing commitment to being a Rights Respecting School, with our Silver status for this accredited in 2025.
We continue with some exciting beyond the classroom activities both on and off campus. On the 21st of October, a group of S1 and S2 Girls will be taking part in ‘Beyond the Tryline’ events at Meadowmills, aimed at increasing female participation in sports. The next day, our senior Travel and Tourism class is heading to Stirling Castle to support their learning around tourist businesses. Further to this, the whole school is able to get involved in our Charities Week (week beginning 26th October), organised by our S3 and supported by our PLT. Please see Ms Wynne’s rundown below:
We are excited to share a reminder about our upcoming Rosehill Charity Week, taking place from Monday 26th October to Friday 30th October.
This week has been organised by our S3 Employability pupils, who have been working hard to plan and run a range of fundraising events for the whole school community. The events are open to pupils across the school, and we would love to see as many pupils as possible getting involved.
We are running Charity Week in conjunction with the YPI (Youth and Philanthropy Initiative). As part of YPI, our S3 pupils have been researching local charities and advocating for a charity that they believe makes a real difference in our community. Pupils will take part in a school competition where they present their chosen charity, with the winning charity receiving £3,000. As part of this initiative, our school is responsible for raising £500 towards the overall prize, which is why the money raised through Charity Week is so important. It gives our pupils the opportunity to make a genuine contribution to a local cause while developing skills such as teamwork, communication, leadership, creativity and responsibility.
Our S3 pupils have shown a huge amount of responsibility, enthusiasm and excitement while organising the events. They have been highly engaged throughout the planning process and have really embraced the opportunity to take ownership of something that will have a positive impact on others.
We are looking forward to seeing their hard work come together and making Charity Week a real success.
The events are all upcoming, and there are still tickets available for the after-school events. Lunchtime events can be paid for by donation at the door, while tickets for the after-school events can be purchased through ParentPay.
HT Update 02/10/26
We’re looking forward to seeing S1 families for our first Parent Consultation Evening of the year on Wednesday 7th October. Please be aware that entry will be by the main doors at the front of the school for registration, with most teachers in the assembly hall, and some faculties in the Music/Drama spaces next to it.
Parents of pupils in S3-S6 will by now have received their booking form for our Senior Phase Success Family Learning event on the 27th October. We would strongly encourage as many of you to come along as possible. In particular, we have lower than anticipated uptake from S3 at present. This is an ideal opportunity to plan ahead, as S3 coursing will be taking place before Christmas and it’s important that young people have the chance to learn about what they are signing up for! A full timetable with all options will be issued ahead of time, to help you plan your evening.
As part of their Youth Philanthropy Initiative work, S3 pupils are leading a Charities week, with the following activities planned over upcoming lunchtimes:
Monday 26th October: Just Dance
Tuesday 27th October: Karaoke
Wednesday 28th October and Thursday 29th October: Movie showing
They are also planning a Charity Disco on the evening of 29th October and a Food Drive on the 30th October. The team, led by Ms Wynne, will be in touch with more.
Please can we also remind you about our Achievement email: achievement@rosehill.elcschool.org.uk It’s great when parents let us know informally that their child is involved in something outside of school, so please do take a moment if you can to ensure that this is recorded and recognised. Our first Achievement assemblies, led by our House Heads, will take place after the October break, and will capture the nominations so far.
I also wanted to take a moment to recognise how well almost all young people have adapted to our revised mobile phone procedures. Since the September weekend, we have focused on the approach below:
Young people can keep their mobile phones in silent and in their bag, or store them in the box supplied by the class teacher at the door
However, should they then have their mobile phone out in class, this must then go into storage until the end of the lesson
If they refuse to do this, as support call is made and a disciplinary incident is begun
Contact home will be made where a young person continued to refuse to follow the ELC guidelines
If the issue cannot be resolved, this leads to withdrawal from class which may then lead to a parent meeting/ formal disciplinary warning
Unfortunately, a minority of parents continue to contact their child/ expect their child to contact them during class time. This then results in the child being the person who is challenged and disciplined. Please continue to support us by ensuring that communication happens, if needed, during rest breaks (11.10-11.25 and 13.05-13.45)
The East Lothian guidelines (due to formally come into play from 20th October) state that all schools should also support phone free corridors. We will be looking at this with the young people in our upcoming assemblies, encouraging them to enjoy switching off for blocks of time. In line with the local authority guidelines, pupils remain free to use their mobile phones during rest breaks.
Finally, we are welcoming three new members of staff next week:
Mazhar Yusaf - Maths (replacing Stefano Pecerrilo)
Christaine Coquerelle - Modern Languages (replacing Shona Robertson)
Kim Blair - Office
HT Update 25/09/26
Firstly, thank you to all who attended the first Parent Council meeting of the session this week. As always, this was a really useful discussion, particularly the exploration of how we can make our Pupil Leadership Team more involved in this work. The slides from the HT Report that begins each meeting are here. Please note that these can only be accessed through edubuzz: HT Report for Parent Council: Tuesday 22nd September 2026
Nationally, the Curriculum Improvement Cycle continues to develop. The most recent update from the Scottish Government is here: https://www.gov.scot/news/next-steps-in-curriculum-improvement/ Our work around this is being led by Richard Watson, who is undertaking our PT Pathways role. Richard has been working with staff and pupils to look at our readiness for implementation of the new curriculum, including a focus on how we can continue to ensure that it is relevant, enjoyable, and leads to the best attainment outcomes. Richard will be looking to engage with parents in the next stage, so please look out for further information.
As noted previously, our next Family Learning Event is Senior Phase Success, which will take place from 5.30pm to 7.15pm on the 27th October. This is a bookable event, and invitations will be out before the October break. This event will be based on a workshop format, with multiple (repeated) short sessions that you can opt in to throughout the evening. These will include information and advice around:
Coursing processes
Managing exam season
Post-school destinations
Study skills
‘How to succeed in [each subject]’
This event will be open to all young people in S3 as well as those in S4-S6 already, to help to support their transition into the senior phase. We would love to see as many of you as possible taking advantage of the expertise of our subject specialists and our partners.
In staffing, Natacha Guillamin has joined us as a permanent Teacher of English (replacing Ross MacLeod) and has been enjoying meeting her classes this week. Our (final!) new teachers for Modern Languages and Maths will join us in the next couple of weeks.
HT Update 18/09/26
Thank you to all who attended yesterday’s Family Learning Event. This has proved to be a popular event year on year, and is a very positive part of the transition process. Attendees will receive a (very short) evaluation form about their experience. We really appreciate you completing this as it provides clear data for us to evaluate our practice. I am sure you would agree that this was a very positive and enjoyable way to experience learning and teaching at Rosehill.
We have a number of upcoming events that you may want to get in the diary (these are all in the key dates document on the website):
Our first Parent Council Meeting of the year will be on Tuesday 22nd September, 6.30pm for a 6.45pm start, with an 8pm finish. We will send a ‘listen in’ Google link as an option for those who can’t attend, and this is just for listening in! If you want to join in the discussions, this is an in-person event. All are welcome. If you would like to be involved in the Parent Council on a regular basis, please contact our Chair, Charlie Wood, on rosehillhighpc@gmail.com
Our S1 Parent Consultation evening will be on Wednesday 7th October. This is a bookable event and details have been sent to all main contacts.
Our next Family Learning Event is ‘Senior Phase Success’, on the evening of the 27th October. This is for S3-S6 pupils and will cover a range of topics including subject specific tricks and tips, mental health and wellbeing, study skills and next steps. Booking forms and more detailed information to follow.
Our Pupil Leadership Team is fully up and running and our Coordinators completed their first duties attending the Battle of Pinkie Clough Memorial last week, where Caleb laid the wreath on behalf of our community. The full PLT has now met to establish roles and responsibilities and undertaken some initial work on a Pupil Voice website, to better capture the experiences of learners. They have also been working towards their first whole school event, coming up at the end of October- more to follow.
A reminder that our Achievement Mailbox is up and running, on achievement@rosehill.elcschool.org.uk Our aim is to collect 100 Rosehill out of school achievements this session, so please share all the exciting things your young people have been up to.
Our 5 a Day focus has been on young people transitioning from P7 into S1, and has clearly reflected the positive experiences that young people have had. This is very encouraging given the significant amount of work that goes into supporting this transition.
In staffing, we have welcomed two new members of the team to support administration. Gemma English is our PEF funded Pupil Welfare Officer, and will have a particular focus on attendance. Although we have seen a steady progression with attendance since our opening, we remain below the national average and are keen to continue to improve this. Carlan Davie, after a period with us on supply, has joined us as a permanent member of the office team. We continue to have two remaining gaps in administration, but both should be closed by October.
One of our learning assistants, Ross Foley, will be leaving us next Friday as he is re-locating (to the big city lights of London) for personal reasons. Ross also worked at Wallyford Primary before he joined us, so has known a lot of our young people for several years, and will certainly be missed. David Greg and Bryan Burnside, who joined the learning assistant team earlier in the term, have settled in well. Arrangements are also in place for our new teachers in Modern Languages and Maths, and we look forward to welcoming them ahead of the October break.
HT Update 04/09/26
As I write, our S6 pupils are currently at Forde Castle in Northumberland for their residential experience. Huge thanks go to Zack Williams, Ashley Davanna and Orla Burrows for accompanying them over the last couple of days, we can’t wait to get all the stories when they return. We’ve had some very positive updates and are particularly proud that the S6 has embraced this as a phone free experience.
On this note, we sent an update on our in-school phone procedures, as we move towards full implementation of the East Lothian Council guidelines by October. This involves extending our current pilot scheme to all faculties from Tuesday 15th September. Please ensure that you are familiar with our school level procedures as, in the rare cases of persistent misuse that we have, we involve families immediately. This is because our research shows that almost all mobile phones in school are the property of adults, who have supplied the phone and pay the contract/ bills. Overall, we have been very pleased with the way in which pupils have adapted to the storage procedures in the pilot, and are confident this will continue.
Earlier this week, we also sent a whole school communication about our aim to collect at least 100 out-of-school achievements from our young people. To support this, we have set up the email address achievement@rosehill.elcschool.org.uk where you can share what they have been up to. Recognition of achievement beyond school is part of our School Improvement Plan this year, and works alongside existing skills profiling in our classrooms. Thank you in advance for your participation.
Booking is currently open for our Family Learning Event: Welcome to Rosehill! This is for all S1 families and P7s from our associated primary schools, Pinkie and Wallyford. This is a popular event with a maximum capacity, so early booking is advised. As always, if you make a booking but your circumstances change, do let us know so that we can offer the slots to other families.
Please be reminded that we have the long weekend coming up, with school closed on Friday 11th and Monday 14th September. Therefore, there will be no HT Update next Friday.
HT Update 28/08/2026
Thank you to all parents who attended the Family Learning session on the BGE Curriculum. The slides are here: BGE Curriculum Information Evening 26th Aug 2026 Please note that, for security, you need to be signed into your child’s edubuzz account to access these.
LEAPs interviews for eligible young people. You can find out more about the LEAPs programme here: https://www.leapsonline.org/
Queen Margaret University workshops on thinking ahead, and on writing a university application
Talks from the Royal Conservatoire Scotland and the University of the Highlands and Islands on opportunities in the arts and beyond
Ongoing work with Skills Development Scotland on training, apprenticeships and further education
In staffing, next week will be Mr Pecerrilo’s last with us, as he moves into a new post in the city centre. An advert for Teacher of Maths is currently open, and the team is currently being supported by Keith Ritchie to ensure as much consistency as possible. Making use of our Pupil Equity Fund, we are also pleased to be moving forward with specific posts supporting Literacy and Numeracy interventions in the BGE.
HT Update 21/08/2026
It’s been a very positive first full week, with lots of focus on our Rosehill Ready routines and expectations.
You may have picked up some media reports around papers on mobile phone use in school that have been considered by elected members. For clarity, please be aware that the guidelines in the paper are not for immediate implementation, as schools need to e.g. sort out storage solutions, agree local level procedures, and ensure that communications are clear with pupils and staff. We continue our pilot in Languages & Literacy, and Maths & Computing, and will be expanding this over the course of the month. A reminder that:
Young people can keep their mobile phones in silent and in their bag, or store them in the box/ pouch supplied by the class teacher
However, should they then have their mobile phone out, this must then go to the classroom teacher until the end of the lesson
If they refuse to do this, as support call is made and a disciplinary incident is begun, which may lead to contact home/ withdrawal from class/ parental meeting/ formal disciplinary warning (our message is- it’s just not worth it)
Almost all young people have managed this very well. However, we have had a small number of issues where young people have been using their phones during learning time to respond to texts or calls from parents. You can support us by keeping any communications before/ after school and during break or lunch.
We are looking forward to seeing BGE parents for our online BGE Curriculum Evening on Wednesday 26th August. As this is online, there is no need to pre-book. A mailing with joining details for the meeting was sent earlier this week, but please let the admin team know if you can’t locate this.
Our S6 residential takes place at the start of September and parents of those S6 who are signed up to attend should look out for an invitation to a brief information session coming up. Zack Williams will be able to outline the itinerary and answer any questions about arrangements.
In staffing, Kieran Ferns is currently on paternity leave, but will be back in early September. We are delighted to share that baby Phoebe has arrived safely and everyone is well. Next week, we’ll be saying goodbye to Ross MacLeod and Shona Robertson. Both have made significant contributions to our Languages and Literacy faculty in the last few years, and both are moving to posts closer to home. We wish them all the best in their new schools. We have preferred candidates for both posts, so new teachers for Modern Languages and English will join us very soon. We are also looking forward to Harry Gaughan joining us as our new Teacher of Physics on the 2nd September. We have recruitment ongoing in support roles, with interviews for ASN auxiliaries and admin coming up. We have also appointed a preferred candidate to our new (PEF funded) Pupil Welfare Officer role. This role has a specific focus on tracking and monitoring attendance, as this is an area we want to improve further.
And finally, we’ve been asked to share the following information about the upcoming SYP elections. Our link for this in school is Laura Anderson, so any young people with an interest should feel free to speak with her. All the info needed is on the link at the end:
Nominations now open for Scottish Youth Parliament election
The Scottish Youth Parliament is the democratically elected voice of Scotland’s young people. It raises young people’s voices and campaign to make Scotland the best place to grow up.
Registrations now open for young people interested in becoming a Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament. Nominations must be made before 20 September and elections will be held 2 to 15 November. Support will be offered to all candidates.
Scottish Youth Parliament constituencies are the same as the Scottish Parliament’s. Candidates will stand, and pupils will vote, for the constituency based on the schools they attend as follows:
Edinburgh Eastern, Musselburgh and Tranent: Ross High School, Musselburgh Grammar School, Rosehill High School
East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs: Preston Lodge High School, Knox Academy, North Berwick, Dunbar Grammar
Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament are 14-25-year-olds who are elected to represent young people in every part of Scotland. They:
take part in youth voice and participation activities in their local area or organisation
consult young people to find out about the issues they care about
meet with local decision-makers, like Councillors and MSPs, to share young people’s views
campaign for change and hold decision-makers to account.
Young people interested in standing for election to SYP can find out more and register online at elections.syp.org.uk/elections/75
HT Update 14/08/2026
It feels like we picked entirely the wrong week to come back to school, with lots of glorious August sunshine meaning a slightly sticky start to the school year!
Despite this, it’s been an absolute joy to see the young people return and re-engage. In particular, we have the excitement of our first ever S6, and around 145 new S1s starting their Rosehill journey. As noted at the end of last term, we have welcomed several new staff across our faculties; an updated staff list is available on the website.
Our two Professional Learning Days covered a variety of staff development topics, including:
Engagement with our 26-27 Improvement Plan
Beginning work to become an LGBT Charter School
A support staff conference
Rosehill Ready routines
Initial review of senior phase attainment
We are very proud of the young people’s work on the Qualifications Scotland results, with early indications of improvements in A-C passes at National 5, as well as a promising start from this year’s small Higher cohort. However, please be aware that the breadth of the curriculum means that not all attainment is ‘in’ as yet, and we need to wait for the updates to Insight (the national data hub) in September to get a full picture and accurate data. Ahead of this, faculties are looking carefully at existing subject level data to identify current strengths and any points of development for the next session.
We held an extended Welcome Back assembly for all young people on Wednesday morning, with key reminders of routines and expectations, including more support for phone free learning. A separate mailing on this was sent earlier this week, and we’ll feedback on the programme and any changes/ expansion as the term progresses.
Our first opportunity to connect with parents through our Family Learning programme will be the BGE Curriculum Evening at 6.30pm on the 26th August, online. Any of our S1-S3 families are welcome and will find relevant points for them in terms of the national and local picture, but we particularly recommend this session for parents of our new S1. We’ll look at our curriculum rationale, how we timetable (including personalisation and choice), and how you can support learning at home. Google Meet details will be sent a couple of days ahead.
Whilst our first Parent Council Meeting isn’t until September, anyone who would like to get involved can contact rosehillhighpc@gmail.com to note their interest. I promise that they are very friendly and very welcoming!
Today we say goodbye to Carys Mitchell who is moving to a post in Edinburgh. Her replacement, Carina Campbell-Welsh, will be with us from Monday. We are also delighted to have appointed Richard Watson to the temporary Principal Teacher: Pathways post. This is part of our Pupil Equity Fund planning and will focus on curriculum development to meet learners’ needs. Richard will remain in the classroom first and foremost, so this will not affect current coursing arrangements.
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