It’s incredible to think that we are already at the beginning of June and that we will soon have a much more sizeable team, and we’re making the last few appointments for mainstream staff. We will benefit from a learning technologist based at Rosehill for the first 6 months after opening, to ensure that there is expertise on hand to get the most out of our Chromebooks. We were also delighted to play a part in the recruitment of our new Active Schools Coordinator, who will be working with both Rosehill and our partner primaries to support physical activity for all. This includes supporting sporting activities beyond the school day. We’ll provide more information on this once he is formally in post.
We are now beginning to developed detailed plans for our Staff Welcome Days (14th and 15th August) and our Pupil Welcome Days (16th-18th August). We will ensure that all families have copies of the planned schedule for young people ahead of the summer break.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to give some feedback on our Welcome Evening, and for your kind words about the enthusiasm, positivity and engagement in the sessions. We note that (in your keenness) a couple of people have commented on wanting more/longer sessions, so it’s worth being clear that this was a voluntary event that staff undertook and that we therefore had to ensure something that worked for them and their own families. I was delighted to see that 94% of respondent said that they were very likely or quite likely to attend similar events in future. Family learning sessions are part of our planned calendar for session 23-24, so those extra sessions will indeed be along soon!
This stage in the term means that we are thinking carefully about out improvement planning and our priorities for next year. The plan is a working document and we look forward to input from our Parent Council when we establish this in later August/early September. Our Improvement Plan is currently undergoing consultation with staff, but it’s worth sharing our draft key priorities now. These must be related to Scottish Government and East Lothian Council priorities, but I am sure you will be able to see the clear connections between these and our own vision and values:
- Developing the leadership skills of everyone is our school community to support continuous improvement
- Enacting a responsive curriculum based on principles of equity, wellbeing and inclusion, underpinned by the highest quality of learning, teaching and assessment at all levels
- Viewing all of our improvement priorities through the lens of school culture and a commitment to children’s rights
Our Improvement Plan also has to include provisional plans for the use of our Pupil Equity Fund. We have two key resources planned in relation to this:
- Employment of an additional Pupil Support Worker, working across both Houses, to support attendance and engagement
- Investment in resources for Outdoor Learning, to ensure that there are no barriers to participation
We have been thinking carefully about the Cost of the School Day and will share our planning for that along with the finalised Improvement Plan.
We have also continued with our draft policy work, with a commitment to keeping it simple and providing a range of summary documents that outline key principles. This week’s thinking included:
As always, we welcome any feedback via our admin email admin@rosehill.elcschool.org.uk
Towards the end of term, we will add a ‘One Page Policies’ tab to the website for easy reference.
Regarding transition, we look forward to seeing all of our MGS contingent on Monday. Every class will have a first session based on ‘The Rosehill Way’, outlining our school culture and how we interact with each other. They will then have a series of inputs across curricular areas. Our catchment primary pupils are engaging in Google lessons with staff over the next couple of weeks, and our non-catchment pupils have in-person sessions in place.
We are also pleased to note that ALL young people moving from MGS to at Rosehill for S3 are going to be able to access the two Pathways that were their first and second choices. This has been no mean feat, and credit goes to Neil and Lynsey for making this happen. We are also now at the stage of finalising the timetable and ensuring that young people are allocated to a form class, practical class, and homeroom. Again, we will make sure this is with you by the end of this term.