Dear colleagues,

We have made it to the last week of term!  Thank you so much for your contribution to our fantastic school where young people have many and varied opportunities to find their thing.  You do a phenomenal amount for our young people.  The tip of the iceberg, but some food for thought... at Balfron high during session 2024-25:

• teachers each taught 900 lessons per year (on average)

• each learner goes to 1209 lessons (plus 156 form classes) per year

• senior phase pupils sat approx 2578 exams this SQA diet (72 fewer than last session)

• 25 regular weekly sports clubs (4 more than last session)

• 22 creative, weekly gaming and academic clubs (6 more than last session)

• 54 Inter-House activities (13 more than last session)

• 3 international trips (Austria, Spain, Zanzibar)

• 9 residential trips in UK (including Duke of Edinburgh Bronze expedition)

• 451 excursions during or after school hours (twice as many as last session)

Always improving

A couple of final things for this session... Claire and the uniform working group are looking for some feedback on the updated uniform policy (draft 1).  Key changes are around what we do when young people do not meet expectations.  Like with the mobile phone policy, this requires a consistent effort by everyone to ensure success and fairness. Please share feedback by the end of the Monday, as per Claire's email.

The behaviour data for the 4 weeks of the new timetable below.  There are a few pupils who have not started as well as we would want.  Please take a look at the data and intervene with any young people in your Home Area/ caseload who need a reminder or support with expectations.

Looking to next session and not withstanding this year's results, our attainment pattern (INSIGHT) showed the following key areas for consideration improvement in the 2025-26 SIP/TIP:

• Our lowest 20% of S4/5 leavers attain significantly lower than the VC (S6 improved last session)

• Ensure that all young people achieve their best 5 qualifications 

• Pupils with ASN attainment is lower than our VC (bottom 20%, middle 60% & top 20%).  How are we planning for these learners?

• Compare the number of learners who start a course with the number that finish

• Does your course offer progression to the next level?

New chapters

Again, I would like to extend my thanks for your hard work, commitment and professionalism to Balfron. A particularly big thank you to those staff who are moving on to other things.  Very best wishes for a fabulous retirement to Corinne Anderson.  Congratulations and good luck to Nicola Douglas who leaves us to take up a new ASN post at Clydebank High School. Best wishes also to Lucy Walkup who secured a post in Northfield Academy and Skye Stone who secured a permanent post at Barrhead High School.

Congratulations to Ashley Edwards who was appointed to our temp music post on Friday. Ashley will be with us in Thursdays and Fridays again next session.

Thanks and well done on a successful year to our wonderful probationers - Cara Gibson, Naomi Haddow-McKitterick, Steph Holbein, Emma McCann and Ruairidh Swan.    Thanks also to our fabulous temporary staff who have helped keep the ship afloat throughout the year - especially our regulars, Fiona Galloway, Pete Heesom, Susan McKenzie, Scott Mason, Nick Pirie and of course, Amanda Short.  It has been lovely working with you all.  I hope you will all look back fondly at your time at Balfron High School.

Session 2025-26

The link to our August In-service programme below. Given the feedback from last session, we have protected a considerable amount of time for planning over both days.  I am pleased to confirm that Graham Gouldon will be a keynote speaker on Tuesday morning. Formerly of the Crime Prevention Unit, Graham works with organisations to develop a bystander approach to creating safe and supportive learning environments.  I hope that this input will significantly support out Equalities and ESAS work next session.

To offer an alternative to the Spain trip next year, I have a quote for a London trip for S2 pupils on the last week of term next session. If you are interested in helping me with that, please do get in touch.  I hope that and a couple of alternative day trips (Oonagh is pricing) will help ensure our S2 (they'll be S3 by then) will feel included. I'm hoping to launch this to pupils and parents this week.

Have a great last week of term and a wonderful and well earned break when it comes. 

Elaine