Dear colleagues,

Congratulations to the S2 Balfron Team (Beth, Emily and Sophie) who won the 7 Cities Hydrogen Challenge regional heat and are off to the finals in Aberdeen. Congratulations to the team and thanks to Debs for organising this.

It is boys mental health day on Friday.  Thanks in advance to Neil and Andrew for planning activities to support this. Thanks also to Scott Mason for sharing a link to the mental health flag (who knew!) which we are now flying proudly. Linked to this, Elaine J and Claire have been working on assemblies to help young people further understand equity, equality, discrimination and conscious and unconscious bias.  Thanks to them for this work.  We know that much unkindness and nastiness comes from bias, so we continue our journey with this very important work.

Thank you for supporting World Book Day last week. It was great to have the Drop Everything and Read activity to promote the benefits of regular reading. To help Nicola and the team, please also update the 'I am reading...' whiteboards on your classroom doors. It is good to see the evidence build up in support of our Reading Schools accreditation. Massive thanks to Nicola for driving this.

We had a fantastic family learning evening for parents of S2 last week.  Thanks to David for organising this and everyone who delivered a session.  The purpose was to give insight into the S2 learning experience at Balfron, to build relationships and to have some fun. The photos are certainly a testament to all of that.  I have included them below.  There are three further 5pm online sessions being offered to parents which you would also be welcome to attend:

• 7 March: Promoting Wellbeing in Young People (Psychological Services)

• 14 March: Mental Health and the importance of sleep (with Kooth)

• 21 March: Healthy use of mobile phones (D Whiteford, Mobile March)

The toilets remain an issue for pupils.  Bellrock are monitoring them every hour and supervision staff are checking them at breaks and lunchtime. We recognise that there is also an issue between classes.  Perhaps the next stage is to look at a rota of staff to check the corridors and toilets at the start and end of each period.  Alternative suggestions are most welcome.

During every inspection, I learn key lessons to bring back.  The big one this time was the importance of genuine pupil voice and co-creating improvements or change with young people. We should be considering opportunities for this from classroom activities, right through to  whole school policy changes.  Using data, views (staff, pupils and parents) and suggestions from those the policy will impact is the key to successful implementation.  I plan to improve this through the new improvement planning process and suggest that we all consider how this could be more thoroughly done in our own contexts.  I will do the same with the ethical conduct survey.  I am currently analysing the results. With the Head prefects, I will devise a way of sharing them, planning an online/ recorded assembly to promote discussion in form classes.

Looking to next session, we have increased our curricular offer.  We have ordered a coffee machine so that we can deliver the SCQF Level 5 Barista Skills qualification.  Lynne Rice is leading on this.  Lynne and Jenny MacKay will be sharing information with S5 about the course and howto get involved. Lynn is consulting with her team and young people to plan the creation of the cafe.  We are also delighted to be offering Child Care next session. Daniel and Lesley are developing this course.  

Also hot off the press is phase 3 of the Hayward Review (review of qualifications and assessment). Views are being saught on the proposed model, the Scottish Diploma of Achievement (SDA). This includes:

• Subject Studies

• Learning in context

• Personal Pathway

Please familiarise yourself with these proposals.  It is important that we reflect, respond, influence decisions and prepare for change. 

Back in our classrooms, please continue with the consistent message to our young people:

• Meet and greet at your door at the start of the lesson

• All outdoor jackets/ hoodies removed in class

• Mobile phones away and silent in class

• Pupils should be not be dismissed before the bell

Thanks for all the great things that you are doing.  Have a great week.

Elaine