Balfron Matters
Congratulations to Charlotte Savva - runner up (Vocal) in District Final
Congratulations to Charlotte Savva - runner up (Vocal) in District Final
24 March 2025
Weekly communication for staff
Building Futures Together
Dear colleagues,
Just two weeks left of term. Massive thanks for your drive and commitment at this intense time. It will make a massive difference to outcomes for our young people.
Attainment Matters
Thanks to those who have been able to offer time to deliver targeted support at Easter School. Here is a link to our programme. The next stage is to contact the pupils who are targeted. I will email parents and pupils early this weeks with the details. The sessions are open, numbers permitting, to those not in a targeted group. I will also keep FCLs and PTs PS in the loop with names so that you can encourage attendance at the sessions too. I am hopeful that some additional intense support over the break will help guide our less secure learners over the line to achieve their best 5 qualifications.
Our primary focus for improvement as a school is the 'Drive for Best 5' for all of our learners. It has been great to note a general reduction in the number of pupils withdrawing from courses compared to last year. I also appreciate the work that goes into the small, targeted number of learners who are being dual entered in order to safeguard five qualifications.
Michelle has another lunchtime session planned with a focus on 'Challenging Retrieval for Seniors.' This week is all about weighted retrieval grids and disrupting the forgetting curve. Come to C8 on Thursday lunchtime. There's a taster below.
During the post prelim meetings, it was positive to see a range of departmental tracking systems. To help us target those who have most significant barriers please ensure that data can be filtered categories - SIMD, FME, C Exp, YC, ASN, EAL. In addition to checking on and helping those most in need, this will be a focus for us at all levels during inspection. How do we track the progress of these learners and what do we do when we see that they are not achieving?
BGE Attainment
The focus last week for PTs was on our BGE tracking systems. We have bought into a new system that will better track progress of learners within BGE levels. As with every system there are pros and cons. The progress system will allow us to do two important things that we can't easily do right now:
track progress through the BGE
hold profiles of learners throughout their journey through the BGE and track attainment over time
A screenshot of the four themes in the Raising Attainment & Achievement QI that are evaluated and graded in every inspection are on the right.
Final Phone policy
The working group met last week to review all of the feedback on the new policy. The feedback has been summarised on slides below. Given the wide range of pupil views, Clair will run a focus group in the new term and feedback to all. Discussing the responses and data, the working group recommend that use of the boxes is extended to S4 next session.
Celebrating Success
I am aware that a review of our approach to systematically, regularly recognising and celebrating success requires review. This was highlighted at the teacher focus group on our last inservice day and will be in the SIP for 2025-26. I will run a Short life working group during study leave to review and begin planning. There is a wide range of strategies being used across the school so I feel confident that it will be relatively straightforward to pull this together. Here is a link to the responses: Celebrating Success at Balfron High School March 2025
In the mean time I hope that the School App will go some way to help highlight the fantastic wider achievements and successes that we see every day. Wati has organised two short training sessions. To ensure that every team is able to celebrate their successes, please make sure that at least one person attends the training. Everyone is welcome.
Thanks for your hard work and commitment to achievement and attainment at Balfron High. Every small act makes a massive difference. #buildingfuturestogether
Have a great week.
Elaine
This week at Balfron High:
Team Meetings
Mon:
Tues:
Wed: S1 Assembly
Thurs: S2 Assembly
Challenging Retrieval for Seniors, C8 lunchtime
Fri: S3 Assembly
Notice Boards
As per our Quality Assurance Calendar, there have been three recent areas for review:
Parental Communication (already shared through Parent Council and March Balfron Highlights)
Mobile Phone Policy Update Review (slides below have overview of all three sets of views - staff, parents, pupils)
All three have been useful in highlighting areas that are going very well and a few for improvement. There are links to the full survey results on each heading above and I have summarised and highlighted next steps in slides below (quicker and easier to familiarise with).
Action from each consultation is summarised below each set of slides:
'I receive helpful feedback on my child's proress' & I 'I understand how my child is assessed' -Very mixed feedback.
Review of time frames of reporting (SNC)
Implementation of Progress for BGE tracking improvement for 2025-26
Suggestions for Teams to check against team pupil evaluations:
I find learning hard enough
'The school deals well with bullying'
regular reminders of policy to all
regular analysis of data collected
At the Leadership Team, it was noted that there were 0 demerits for uniform, yet we all see S2 pupils who are not dressed as expected. We had a short discussion on uniform at the Leadership Team meeting around this.
This was sent to parents in January:
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are working hard to improve standards at Balfron High. The updated policy on mobile phones has already had a positive impact. Many thanks for your support with that.
We have noted a slip in uniform standards and I have asked staff to follow-up on this. You may have had a text or call from your child's Form Class Leader.
Here is a link to our Uniform Policy.
Key actions:
Form class leaders have been asked to check uniform every morning
If a young person is not in uniform, they will discreetly ask why and offer uniform from the medical room
A uniform de-merit will be logged by the form class leader if an item is missing
A text will be sent to parents/carers to alert them
If there is a persistent problem, parents/carers will be contacted to work together to find a solution
Many thanks for your help in raising standards at Balfron High School.
I will resend this to all parents asking for a fresh start with school uniform after the Easter holiday. We will be focusing on everything but the blazer. We plan to conduct a consultation on blazers when we return.
Photos include:
PC Barclay works with the N5 Criminology class
Murray, Finn and Fergus refereed the primary football competition
S3 SAMH Peer educators
Congratulations to Charlotte Savva who was a runner up in the Rotary District Final
Gabby and Claire at Green routes
Science experiments
Making wands at Forest Schools
Please take photos and share with me directly via email or Whatsapp (with each pupil's permission). Let's recognise and celebrate all the good stuff. We will also share in the Parent newsletter, Balfron Highlights. #wearebalfron #buildingfuturestogether
Congratulations to Alistair and Kirsty who won The Great Balfron Bake Off 🎉
Brilliant to hear that £200 was raised for Comic Relief from this event 👏
Inhouse CLPL 24-25
active learners - active thinkers
Weighted retrieval grids and disrupting the forgetting curve
Continuing next term
We continue to discuss strategies around feedback, one of our most powerful drivers of improvement for learning
Have a look at our discussion so far on the slides and come join us for more sharing of great practice around feedback
Key Messages Around Feedback
Adaptive Teaching is simply our
Everyday Excellent
Scaffolds:
A temporary support to reduce
the complexity of a task
writing frames ◾word banks ◾ structured study mats ◾help sheet how-to◾ number lines◾ worked examples ◾graphical organisers
Scale:
Flexibility within the scale of output required
Can build this up over time
Challenge:
Meaningful ways to extend learning that isn't just 'more of the same'
All resources in the Classroom
code to join: 6a7mbjk
Promoting Study Skills
Head Prefects will be promoting all things
Good Study this week at lunchtime
Direct your seniors to the stall for:
BHS Core 4 steps to Study Success
QR links: How-to Techniques
QR links: e-sgoil support pages
Grab n Go Study Planners
Grab n Go Flashcards
Top tips on the best Study Apps
Positive physical & mental wellbeing
Powering up our seniors for successful studying
Quick links for form and class resourcing
This Week: Display in S4/5/6 Form Class
Sharing our Resources
Feedback from our festival was super positive, it was clear we all enjoyed sharing and learning from one another
Please share useful resources here
Accessing our digital resources
Professional Reading Library - Strathendrick Suite
More Digital CLPL
always available through the links below:
Education Scotland:
Professional learning modules
to work through at your own pace.on Scotland: Professional Learng Modules
Increased consistency in Learning & Teaching
Improved Wellbeing & Inclusion of all young people
Increased offer in Curriculum
Increased Attainment & Achievement
Increased influence of Pupil Voice on Improvement