Head's learning log

Chinese studies at Liberton High

2010-09-23T18:08:00.002+01:00

This afternoon I was privileged to accompany a group of pupils (Alex, Kelly, Austin and Colin) with Mrs McKerrecher (Principal Teacher of Languages) to our local Confucius hub at St Georges School for girls in Edinburgh. Our pupils had been invited to participate in making a short film illustrating how Chinese Studies is developing in curricula in schools in Scotland. I was so proud of how incredibly well our pupils presented their new found knowledge of Manadarin and Chinese Culture! I am reliably informed that Alex Salmond (First Minister) will be using this film as part of his official visit to China in the near future!

I am delighted to share that we are making excellent progress in developing Chinese Studies as part of our curriculum at Liberton High. Mrs Mckerrecher has been doing some fantastic work in sharing her enthusiasm for learning languages with pupils and colleagues. This session, in addition, to French, German and Spanish we are alos offering Mandarin and Chinese Studies to pupils across the school. There are also plans to Link with with our Chinese Community School to offer Chinese studies to our local primary children as part of out transition work. Watch this space for details of our progress!

Visit to no.10 Downing Street

2010-04-01T22:00:00.000+01:00

Thursday 18 March began like any other day. I arrived at school at around 8.10 am and signed in as usual. Following a brief chat with a few colleagues I then returned to my office to read the day's correspondence. On my desk was a telephone message which said ''Are you available to go to number 10 Downing street on Monday afternoon, please call 0131....''! My initial thought was that this must be an early April fool prank from one of my colleagues. I 'phoned the number to discover that this was indeed a genuine call. My local MP, Nigel Griffiths had been asked to nominate someone in education who had made a positive impact on their school and community, and had invited me to go. I was delighted to accept the invitation and, having made the travel arrangements, i was looking forward to visiting London.

Anticipating travel delays, resulting BA strikes, i chose to travel down on Sunday arriving at Heathrow at around 5 pm. It was lovely to stay with great friends in the north of London who I hadn't seen for over a year.

On the Monday morning, I set off from Cockfosters station at around 10.30 am, arriving at Embankment station at 11.15 am. As it was a lovely day I walked along the Thames to Westminster Palace in plenty of time. As I wasn't meeting Nigel until 1230 I had time to do a bit of sightseeing.

After passing through security at the House of Commons I made my way to the central lobby where I met Nigel. We had a superb lunch in the Commons restaurant followed by coffee in an adjacent lounge. Seared scallops on a bed of salad, followed by roast loin of pork was quite a contrast to my typical Monday school lunch!

At around 2.00 we made the short walk to Downing Street. Passing through another security checkpoint I found myself standing outside that famous door. Once inside we made our way up the spiral staircase, past the portraits of former prime ministers. During the next hour I had opportunity to meet with other educationalists and MPs from all over the country. When a hush went round the room I became aware that Ed Balls (Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families) was addressing the assembly. An inspiring presentation from him led to his introducing Gordon Brown. Mr Brown spoke warmly of his school days, and, thanked everyone present for their contributions to making a difference to young people's lives. Afterwards, Mr Brown mingled among us to shake hands and to thank us.

Before leaving number 10, I was thrilled to have had the opportunity to visit the cabinet room.

On reflection, I really enjoyed what was a fantastic day. Meeting others from across the UK, and, of course, the Prime Minister, made for a day I will never forget.

Another highlight of the day for me was the time I spent in the company of Nigel Griffiths. He was a wonderful host and font of knowledge about the various people we met and the buildings we visited. What really impressed me about Nigel, was that he never spoke ill of anyone. We met people from all the different parties and reminisced about many others. Not once did he adversely criticise anyone. For me that was as memorable as it was unexpected. Perhaps the media should focus less on the adversarial side of politics.

On returning to school it was great to be greeted by kids who were excited to hear that I had been to meet the Prime Minister. When one young lad remarked, 'It's great to know we attend a good school', it made me feel proud of what we have achieved at Liberton High. As those who know the school will know, we have made considerable progress in the past few years, but much remains to be done. In particular, we must continue to improve attainment across the school and make further inroads to ensuring that all of our leavers progress to positive destinations.

When things are getting too fast in the fast lane ...

2010-03-04T19:54:00.002Z

A friend recently sent me this email which made me think about our priorities.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively
filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognise that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - family,
children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions –
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else --The small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued,
'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.
'I'm glad you asked'.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

Readathon

2010-03-04T12:20:00.004Z

This week at Liberton High we aim to raise lots of money for a variety of worthy causes by participating in Readathon. Here is a link to a really inspiring clip (from Ocoee Middle School) of another school's efforts to make reading fun for pupils!

Thanks to our librarians Mrs Babbs and Mrs Brown for sharing their enthusiasm with the entire school community.

Teachers from Malawai

2010-03-02T18:11:00.002Z

It has been ages since I last blogged; it's too easy to get out of the routine!

Today we had the pleasure to welcome two colleagues from Malawi to our school. Both were on an exchange visit with colleagues at Gilmerton Primary School and chose to spend a morning with us at the high school. In the brief opportunity I had to chat with them, I was amazed at some of their life experiences. Imagine teaching classes with up to 400 pupils in the. The school they teach in has 1320 pupils and only 8 teachers. I wonder if they are 'meeting learners' needs'?

The demise of common sense?

2009-12-04T23:40:00.003Z

A friend sent this to me a few weeks ago. It made me laugh but also made me reflect on some of the changes in society, particularly schools, over the past 4o years.

Dearest colleagues,

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;

(1) I Know My Rights
(2) I Want It Now
(3) It wisnae me
(4) I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on, and join me in a minute’s silence whilst you enjoy a G&T on Friday at 7 pm. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

When I was a lad ...

2009-10-16T23:03:00.004+01:00

A friend recently sent to me an email with the following reflections on childhood. It reminded me of many aspects of my upbringing!

This is too scary- I thought was still young!
Someone asked the other day, 'What was your favourite fast food when you were growing up?' 'We didn't have fast food when I was growing up,' I informed him. 'All the food was slow.' 'C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat?' 'It was a place called 'at home,'' I explained. 'Mum cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.' By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table. But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I figured his system could have handled it:

 My parents NEVER owned their own house or set foot on a golf course
 Travelled out of the country (Well my Dad went to Iceland and France - as a soldier in WW2) or had a credit card (- cos they didn't exist!)
 My parents never drove me to school. (We never had a car as neither ever learned to drive
 I had a bicycle (second-hand) that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed, (slow)
 We didn't have a television in our house until I was 9 - for the Coronation. It was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at about 10pm, after playing the national anthem and a poem about God. It came back on the air at about 5pm with Children's Hour and then the BBC News.
 There was no locally produced news as there were no local TV stations; in fact there was only the BBC - 1 channel!
 I never had a telephone in my room. We never had a telephone! I paid for telephone installation in my parents' home when I was about 32 so they could phone for the doctor when they were ill and I could contact them from abroad easily. That was about 1976! It had a dial that you had to turn for each number.
 Pizzas were not delivered to our home... But milk was - early every morning, in glass bottles. I never saw a pizza until I was about 36!
 All newspapers were delivered by boys. They had to get up at 6AM every morning.
 Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the movies.
 There were no movie ratings because all movies were responsibly produced for everyone to enjoy viewing, without profanity or violence or most anything offensive.
 Cinemas usually screened 2 films each sitting - a 'B' film (had minor actors and lasted about an hour) followed by 'Pathe Pictorial News'. There was then an interval of about 15 minutes when ladies would walk the aisles selling ice creams from a tray. The main 'A' film, featuring famous film stars, was them screened and lasted at least 90 minutes. If it was a 'full feature' film, there would be no B film and the interval/ice creams would come during the film itself. Throughout the showing, usherettes would walk the aisles and flash their torched to ensure there was no 'hankie-pankie'! One of our 2 cinemas has double seats in the back row!!
 If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren. Just don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing.

Swine flu vaccinations to begin

2009-10-15T20:57:00.003+01:00

The H1N1 vaccination programme will begin in Scotland next week, said Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon. Ms Sturgeon revealed the majority of people will have the vaccine administered in a single dose.

But she said children under the age of ten and in the at risk group will require two doses of the vaccination. A total of 1.3 million people are in the priority groups for the first stage of the vaccination programme, which begins on 21 October.(From BBC website)

Given that around 20% of the Scottish population is being identified as being 'priority', I am concerned that school staff are not being targeted. There is no surer way to bring the country to a standstill than to close a large number of schools. Schools will be forced to close if too many staff are ill.

Obama wins Nobel Peace prize

2009-10-10T10:28:00.003+01:00

Much column space in the press this morning has been given over to challenging whether President Barack Obama is a worthy recipient of the highly prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. Many question why Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (survivor of several assassinations, arrests, beatings and tortures), was not given the award. In the absence of President Obama, I have no doubt that Tsvangorai would have been the winner. However, Obama is here and, to my mind, he is a worthy recipient.

Great leadership is not always about what an individual does; rather it is about the impact you have through your influence on others. Obama has been singularly successful in influencing policy and practice across the world since he took office. The most significant of these, in my view, is in regard to establishing global security on the issue of nuclear disarmament.

He has come out more forcibly than any other US president in his calls for a world free from nuclear weapons. In the months and years to come he must continue to win hearts and minds, especially in what his less than illustrious predecessor referred to as the 'war against terrorism'.

Heating repaired!

2009-10-09T16:19:00.002+01:00

I am delighted to report that our Heating system has now been restored and is fully operational. The school will be open for everyone on Monday 12 October. Thank you for your patience over the past three days and, once again, apologies to all who were inconvenienced by us having to close the school for pupils in S1 to S4.

Partial Schol Closure

2009-10-08T17:40:00.000+01:00

Liberton High school will remain closed for pupils in S1-S4 on Friday 9 October. Senior students should attend as normal from 8.30 am. Apologies to all for any inconvenience caused by this.

As soon as the corroded section of underground pipe is replaced and 10,000 gallons of water is back in the network of pipes the heating will be back to normal. I have every confidence that the Engineers involved will do their best to get the main heating system operational as soon as possible.

DJ Macdonald (Headteacher)

University Applications

2009-10-04T09:19:00.005+01:00

One of the greatest achievements Liberton High has had in the past few years is the 600% increase in university applications. In 2004 we had 8 university applications from Liberton High. In 2009 we have in excess of 50 university applications. We expect all of these to be successful.

By any reasoning this is a wonderful achievement. This shows what can be done when when parents, students and teachers all work together towards a common goal. I have every confidence and expectation that this number will continue to grow in the coming years.

Ask not what your country can do for you ..

2009-09-24T16:46:00.001+01:00

I am grateful to Ms Arnold in RME for taking the lead in a project involving senior students working with the Institute for Philanthropy.

Over the next year the S5 classes will be working in partnership with the Institute for Philanthropy to investigate charities which are active in the local community. As part of this project each group will make a presentation on their chosen charity, the group which makes the best presentation will be given £3,000 to present to the charity that they have studied. This is a great opportunity which will help to develop skills in a wide range of areas and encourage young people to become more actively involved in their local communities.(J Arnold)

As a school we feel it is really important that our pupils have an opportunity to contribute to assisting others who may be less fortunate than themselves.

Children see. Children do

2009-09-08T22:51:00.002+01:00

I came across this short video clip on a blog by Ewan McIntosh. Ewan suggests that If you're a loud, stressed out, unhappy teacher then you'll generally have loud, stressed out and unhappy students in your class. Its a powerful and thought provoking clip that also highlights how much a child's attitudes and behaviours are influenced by their parents. Click here to view.

Magic moments

2009-08-27T23:06:00.004+01:00

Now and again in schools we all experience a magic moment. Earlier today I had one of these. The story begins at Lunchtime yesterday when I had lunch with a couple of S1 pupils who started with us last week. Both assured me that they were enjoying High School and were settling in well. I was further pleased to learned that one of the boys, John, described Maths as his favourite subject. Seizing the opportunity I suggested to him that I would give him a maths problem to solve and, should he provide me with a written solution the following day, that i would buy him lunch. I further added that he was not allowed to use a calculator!

At lunch time today, who was waiting for me but John. John, beaming from ear to ear with a smile as wide as the Forth, proudly presented me with an envelop addressed to me, and (diplomatically) demanded that I read his solution. This I did and, to my astonishment, he provided me with the correct answer and a neatly written solution to my maths problem. At the end of his solution he had persuaded a parent to add that he had solved the problem without a calculator, precisely as I had requested. In my 28 years of teaching, I have never had a pupil who solved this particular problem. What is really interesting is that the solution he presented is not one I've seen before. I'm not sure what I'm going to do next, but I feel sufficiently inspired to set up some kind of Maths problem solving club to find out how many other gifted mathematicians we have in our ranks!

Getting it right for every child in Edinburgh

2009-08-27T22:38:00.002+01:00

“Everyone has a responsibility to do the right thing for each child and we must all work towards a unified approach, with less bureaucracy and more freedom to get on and respond to children.
This will mean earlier help and the child getting the right help at the right time packaged for their particular needs.”

I attended an excellent multi-agency conference this afternoon at Murrayfield stadium in Edinburgh. Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) is Edinburgh’s multi-agency response to the Scottish Government’s programme to support every child. The main aim of the conference was to bring together the various support agencies for children with the intention of getting us all to work together in a more structured and coordinated way for the benefit of all our children. At the conference we had representation from:

 Schools - including nursery, primary, secondary special and independent
 Social work
 Police
 Voluntary sector
 Scottish Government and
 National Health Service

In my 28 years of teaching this was the first time that I had attended a conference on this scale (300 delegates) from such a wide range of public service providers. Keynote addresses were delivered by Gillian Tee (Director of Children and Families) and Boyd McAdam. Both delivered what I thought were brilliant and inspiring speeches. I left the conference feeling very positive about the future for working with and supporting young people in Edinburgh. As a Headteacher of a thriving secondary school I am absolutely committed to and excited about contributing to this exciting development.

Music for a Spring Evening

2009-05-07T22:51:00.005+01:00

This evening I had the pleasure of attending an exhibition and musical performance at the Royal Scottish Academy on Princes Street. Along with colleagues, parents and pupils we had been invited by the Friends of the Royal Scottish Academy to join then on this special evening.

I was so proud of young musicians from Liberton High who had been invited along to entertain the guests. They played and sang magnificently!

Performing this evening were:

Ross Hunter (Clarinet)
Kellie Hunter (Saxophone)
Anne Traill (Cello)
Liam Allison (Guitar)
Mike Ainsley (Guitar)
Uni Kim (Flute and Piano)
Ian McBain (Voice)
Kirsty Evans (Voice)
Amy McVicar (voice)
Hannah Cowie (Voice)
Cecily Kingston (Piano)
Laura Klem (Flute)

Led by Scott McCorquodale, Principal Teacher of Music.

What really pleased me tonight was how well our pupils interacted with guests. They really were the most fantastic ambassadors for Liberton High School. Experiences like this will last a lifetime for these very talented youngsters.

Dress Down Day for Charity

2009-04-03T14:04:00.000+01:00

Today, we finished off the term with a dress down day for staff and pupils. Well done to everyone who contributed to raising a magnificent £411.24!! The money raised will go to the Children in Need fund.

The term was brought to a close by having teams of pupils competing in an interhouse Quiz. On this occasion Clyde House were victorious.

Well done and thanks to Mr Russell, S6 helpers and staff for organising and staging this event. I thought the atmosphere across the school was great - a perfect way to end the term!

Early start for Liberton High

2009-04-01T00:21:00.005+01:00

As many are now aware, following a decision taken by the Scottish Government, an additional in-service day will be arranged for all of Edinburgh's teachers on Wednesday 20 May.

In order to make sure that no teaching hours are lost, I am pleased to announce that, in session 2009/2010, all classes at Liberton High School will begin at 5.30 am.

Visit from Rudi Oppenheimer

2009-03-31T23:57:00.005+01:00

As part of our school's continuing 'Stand up to Hatred' education programme, we had the honour this morning of welcoming Rudi Oppenheimer to Liberton High School. Rudi, born in 1931 into a Jewish family, shared with us what life was like for a young boy in those troubled times. He gave a one hour presentation to 150 S2 pupils today followed by a question and answer session about his experiences, growing up as a child in nazi occupied Europe. His presentation was absolutely spellbinding and made a lasting impression on all of us who heard him today. This is all the more incredible when one realises that Rudi is 77 years old. I don't think I have ever come across such a fit and mentally alert person of such senior years!

A highlight of the presentation for me was when he passed around the yellow star that he had to have sewn onto his coat to indicate that he was a Jew.

I extend a warm and special vote of thanks to Sharon Kean, our PT of Social Subjects. Sharon has done a magnificent job in arranging a range of first class experiences for our pupils.

Click here if you would like to read the whole of Rudi's story.

Welcome to High Commissioner to Cameroon

2009-03-29T22:55:00.003+01:00

It's not often school pupils get the opportunity to have an audience with a high commissioner, but that's precisely what David Russell (DHT) managed to arrange for S6 pupils and invited senior pupils from other schools at Liberton High School on Friday 27 March. Syd Maddicott, is the British High Commissioner for Cameroon, Chad and Gabon, and has been in post since 2005. I was delighted to welcome him to Liberton High on Friday.

A father of five himself, it was clear that he was very comfortable addressing sixth formers. The presentation he gave, about life in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, was very stimulating and, I hope, has raised an awareness of the opportunities that a university degree can present. One of the points made by Syd (this is how he indicated he wished to be addressed) was in relation to what pupils could do in order to increase their employability in the currrent, very difficult, job market. Syd was quite clear that all pupils should go to university to ride out the current economic troubles and be ready for employment, armed with some comparative advantage and a degree, in a few years time. He forecasts that jobs in both the private and public sectors will be difficult to come by in the next few years.

During his talk, Syd suggested to his audience that there are three key decisions that each of them would have to make that would have an enormous bearing on the rest of their lives. They were:
1) Whether to go to university
2) What to study at university and
3) Who to share the rest of their life with.

In regard to the latter, he wished them all the best of luck but suggested it would be wise to avoid a partner that is high maintenance. Now there's a contentious issue raised by a man better known for his ambassadorial skills!

Edinburgh's school band of the year

2009-03-22T22:49:00.001Z

Warmest congratulations to Liam Allison, Lewis Allan and Callum Munro who
won Edinburgh Schools Battle of the bands Final on 19 March. The boys beat
off several great bands from all over Edinburgh to win the top prize of 2
days recording at a top studio.

Lead Vocals and Guitar: Liam Allison (S4)

Bass Guitar: Callum Munro (S3)

Drums: Lewis Allan (S3)

This really does show again the fantastic talent that we have here at
Liberton!

Singing talents

2009-03-17T20:35:00.003Z

Liberton High is very proud of the continuing achievements of two very talented young men.

Firstly, warmest congratulations to Anthony Garcia who won the UK Karaoke championships in October 2008. Anthony went on to achieve second place in the World Karaoke championships later in 2008. Here is a clip of Anthony performing Music of the Night in Finland.

Also, congratulations and very well done to Jack Robertson, currently in S3, and is a rising star in the singing world. Jack, at the tender age of 13, has already shared a stage with Lulu, Beyonce and the Bee Gees. Click on this to see a clip of Jack that was recorded last year on his way to winning a national talent competition at the end of 2008. I have every confidence that both of these young men will go on to become very well known!

Is there a case for a transfer window?

2009-03-13T18:27:00.003Z

Whilst meeting with Karen Traill (Chairperson of our Parent Council) today, Karen suggested consideration ought to be given to teachers not being able to move from one education job to another other than at specified times in the year. This would have the obvious advantage that disruption to pupils' learning would be minimised. This would mirror the arrangement in professional football, where, for example clubs can only transfer players between each other during certain times of the year, referred to as 'transfer windows'. For example, the lead up to the examination period in May would be an obvious time to avoid. I understand that some private schools ensure that contracts always run for a whole session. If this arrangement can work in the world of professional football, could it work in the world of education? Are there examples anywhere in the world, where such a model operates successfully?

Yes we can

2009-03-01T20:27:00.003Z

‘’And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the American people in three simple words: Yes. We. Can. ‘’ (Barack Obama)

After a really relaxing holiday last week with my family in London we resumed on Monday with an in-service training day for all staff. The day focused on Raising Expectations, Developing Whiteboard Skills and an evaluation of our recent work in regard to Holocaust education as part of our developing Curriculum for Excellence. The day began with a session on expectations of pupils. In summary, what I said was that we should all expect more, especially from our pupils entering S5. At Liberton, I feel that too many of our S5 pupils take the safe route in S5 by sitting Intermediate 2 and too few Highers. I am pleased to say that most subsequently do very well in S6. An increase from 8 to 42 applications by S6 pupils for university places in the past 4 years suggests we are moving in the right direction!

Currently, pupils are returning course choice forms for next session . To assist them, teachers provide recommendations on what level of study is most appropriate for them. I suspect some staff have opted to make a recommendation based on the pupil's prelim performance rather than what they are genuinely capable of.

I am a great believer in getting others to aim high, and, when the going gets tough, to work harder. As parents and educators we have a key role in getting pupils to aim high and to support when the going gets tough. As a Headteacher I have added responsibility in getting others to aim high.

I don’t always get it right! I can recall one example from my family life that illustrates this point. Last summer Alice, my wife, asked why we were content with both girls still using stabilisers on their bikes. Jenny was 7 and Lucy 5. I didn't really think that either was ready for life beyond stabilisers, but how wrong I was. That night I got the tools out and removed the stabilisers from both bikes. Within 24 hours Jenny was cycling around the garden, and, on the following day Lucy also managed her maiden cycle. Both girls fought it difficult initially, just as they would have done when they took their first faltering steps. Knowing that we only utilise around 2% of the brain’s capacity and with continuing encouragement and support who knows what they can achieve!

In every walk of life, we sometimes need to remove the stabilisers and get out of our comfort zones if we are to achieve our potential.

‘’A master can tell you what he expects of you. A teacher, though, awakens your own expectations.’’ (Patricia Neal, Actress)

United we stand

2009-02-27T17:44:00.000Z

Like many others who heard the news earlier this week, I was very moved by what I saw on TV of the response to young Ivan Cameron's untimely death. The death of a young child is especially moving; I'm sure there is something instinctive in all of us that motivates us to look after and protect our young and vulnerable. In addition to being moved by the death of Ivan, I was also moved by the way in which all the political players united to share their grief and extend condolences to the Cameron family.

Politics often strikes me as an unpleasant, ruthless world where friendship or even cooperation is rarely in evidence across political divides. Why should this be? Does our country run more efficiently when the decision makers attack rivals at every turn? (Should any of our pupils behave at a school assembly or a classroom as we see elected members behaving in the commons, they would have no place in mainstream education!)

Across the Atlantic, Barack Obama has shown us that you don't need to attack your opponents all of the time to win an election. With the exception of some less than flattering words that were aimed in Sarah Palin's direction, I can not recall an unkind word being attributed to President Obama in the long running election campaign. Why cannot our politicians work together for the benefit of the electorate to get us through the current downturn in the economy? Surely, by having all the political parties working together, scores of families and hard working people might be spared the pain and suffering that comes with unemployment and losing homes. In difficult times such as these we need statesmen to emerge, politics is not for now.

''A politician looks forward only to the next election. A statesman looks forward to the next generation.''(Thomas Jefferson)

Gaelic Medium Education - Edinburgh's best kept secret?

2009-02-14T12:52:00.006Z

Professor Colin Baker from the University of Bangor is an expert in bilingual education, and says bilingual children have an advantage in terms of intelligence. "They actually have a higher IQ," he said. "It seems having two languages in the brain stimulates it, adds extra associations into the brain and deepens thinking."

In 1997 just 112 Scottish pupils learned Gaelic. In 2007, 2,601 students were learning it, either in an exclusively Gaelic school, or in a bi-lingual one. (See BBC webpages for full article)

A friend of mine recently described Tollcross Primary School as Edinburgh's best kept secret. I think what he meant by this is the fact that very few people know about the existence of the Gaelic Unit within Tollcross school and how incredibly well the pupils in the Gaelic school attain academically and achieve so well generally.

Speaking as a parent of two girls who attend the school (one in P1 and another in P4), I am delighted with the education they are receiving. Our older girl is now reading, writing and speaking quite fluently in Gaelic and English, and, pleasingly, is eager to learn other languages. At school she has the opportunity to learn the clarsach (Scottish Harp) and play shinty. Lucy (P1) loves to chat away in Gaelic, especially on the phone!

What though of the future of Gaelic Medium education in Edinburgh? I suspect that as soon as more parents become aware of what is happening at Tollcross Primary school and at other similar bi-lingual schools throughout the world, the growth of Gaelic Medium Education would be incredible. Is this an opportunity to raise attainment for all of our children and to put Edinburgh Council at the forefront of Educational thinking and practice in Scotland's 'Homecoming' year? I am pleased to learn that Edinburgh Council has commissioned a research organisation to evaluate the feasibility of developing Gaelic Medium Education.

In the meantime, sssh. Let's keep it a secret. Bigger numbers being taught in Gaelic at Tollcross would make parking and dropping off the kids even more difficult.

Life beyond the belt

2009-02-12T21:43:00.006Z

''Smiling approvingly to herself at the effect of only two strokes of the tawse on this persistent late-comer, Mrs Fraser raised the strap again and lashed it down vigorously to smash into the delicate flesh of Fiona's wavering right hand.

The tawse whacked into her stinging hand at full speed. It hurt even more than Fiona had been expecting. Her hand was knocked down by the force of the blow and Fiona almost fell over forward as she doubled over in an automatic reaction. Fiona stayed like that for a few seconds, crying audibly and desperately hoping that that was the end of it and that the headmistress would think that four strokes was sufficient. ''

1982 was the year I started my teaching career. This was the year the belt (known as the 'tawse' in Scotland) stopped being used in Scottish classrooms. At the time, I recall many in the profession expressing fear that this would be the end of schooling as we know it and that our Education system would go into terminal decline. In my view this could not have been further from the truth. The staff entering the profession in the past few years are products of a system that did not rely on belting young people with a piece of leather to maintain control and order. It is my view that these are young professionals who develop higher order skills to create the atmosphere in their classroom that allows learning to flourish.

By way of example,in the past two days, I have had the pleasure of observing two of our excellent younger staff (Ms Thayne in English and Ms Welsh in French)in the classroom. The lessons I saw were first class. A number of things really impressed me. Firstly, both displayed an excellent rapport with the pupils. Both had excellent classroom control; all pupils did as they were supposed to do. Anyone who stepped out of line was gently and skilfully brought back 'on task'. It was clear to me that the pupils in the classes were engaged and active learners, not because they were fearful of the consequences, but because they were sufficiently motivated and stimulated by their teachers to want to do well.

It will come as no surprise to anyone that I am wholly convinced that the best teachers are the ones who develop excellent relationships with their charges. That is not to say that the best teachers are 'friends' with the pupils. What really matters is developing a professional relationship with pupils where a common set of values are shared, expectations are sky-high and where respect is always two way.

The second thing that really struck me was how comfortable and skillful both teachers were with using IT. Both showed me some great examples of how to use IT to engage and motivate pupils, in a way that simply wasn't available until quite recently.

A highlight of both the observations for me was, immediately after the lessons, when I engaged in dialogue with both staff about their lessons.

Despite the warnings of impending gloom from many in the profession, when the belt was outlawed in the early 80s, I believe that the standard of teaching on offer in classrooms, and the quality of relationships in schools are light years ahead of where we were 30 years ago.

State versus private

2009-02-02T20:21:00.002Z

''Children from poorer backgrounds should receive up to £10,000 in credit to allow them to go to independent schools, a think tank has suggested.'' This is the headline that greeted me recently as I perused the BBC website. What a load of rubbish!

The article goes on to to say ''that despite a major increase in funding for education over the past decade, many children were failed by their local schools.''. What evidence is there to suggest that children who fail to take advantage of what state education has to offer would have a different experience in private education?

Given that private education education does not, in the main, add more value to a pupil's educational progress than a state school, (refer to research work undertaken by Lindsay Paterson a few years ago) is there not an overwhelming case for parents of private school pupils to be alerted to this? Imagine the savings that those families could make, particulary in such difficult times as these!

Burns Supper

2009-01-31T22:56:00.003Z

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne (Robert Burns)

On Friday 30 January 150 performers and guests at Liberton high School celebrated the 250 anniversary of the bard's birth. This event was also part of the school's 50 anniversary. The entire event was superbly organised by Mrs Norah Watson, our Principal Teacher of HE.

The evening followed the traditional format of a Burns supper. First we were treated to a lovely supper consisting of Haggis, neeps and tatties. The food was all produced by our HE department and S4 pupils and was served by senior pupils. We are grateful to the Witchery restaurant for taking the time to train senior pupils in waiting. Following the supper, the Immortal Memory was brilliantly delivered by Dick Staite, former headteacher at Beeslack High school. Dick served as an Assistant Head Teacher at Liberton High in the days when Henry Phillip was Headteacher. I worked with Dick at Beeslack in the mid 80s, when I was the APT for Science. Following Dick's presentation, we had contributions from various performers. The order of events was:

• Joanna Greig (Welcome)
• Joyce Lochrie (Grace)
• Chris Saddler (Piper)
• David Russell (Address to the Haggis)
• Julia Lawson and Joanna Greig (Dancing)
• Dick Staite (Immortal memory)
• Eleanor Graham (Singing of ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’)
• Mark O'Neill (Toast to the Lassies)
• Rachel McDade (Reply from the Lassies)
• Ian McBain (Singing of ‘Ae fond kiss’)
• Cathy Ritchie (Tam O'Shanter)
• Sheila Kennedy (Kate O'Shanter)
• Joe Walker (Holy Willie's Prayer)
• Alison Steel and Alison Thayne (Singing of 'Coming through the rye')
• Rosy Fraser (Mouth Organ) accompanied by Donald MacIntosh and
• David Donoghue (Vote of thanks).

The master of ceremonies for the evening was the hugely entertaining and witty Iain Hutchison.

All in all, this was a hugely enjoyable and successful evening. Enormous thanks are due to our HE department and pupils, especially Norah Watson who has been superhuman in her efforts to stage such a stunning evening.

Stand up to hatred

2009-01-29T23:04:00.005Z

On Tuesday of this week at Liberton High we decided to make our own special contribution to the city's 'Stand up to Hatred' day. As a school we decided to focus on the Holocaust. This follows a visit by two of our senior pupils (Stuart Wilson and Megan Bryant) to Auschwitz last Autumn. The main organiser for the day was Sharon Kean our PT of Social subjects.

The day went superbly well. In addition to lessons delivered by all departments that touched on some aspect of the Holocaust, we held a conference for all S2 pupils throughout the day on the theme of standing up to hatred. To close the conference we were delighted to welcome Rabbi Soetendorp to our school to deliver an address. In all my years as a teacher I have never been as moved as I was by Rabbi Soetendorp's presentation. Rabbi Soetendorp shared with us how, being born in 1943 into a Jewish family in Nazi occupied Arnhem he would not have been expected to have survived beyond a few days. That he did so is because of the humanity of others and a great deal of good fortune. Reading about many of the events of that period in occupied countries, as I have done through the years, is one thing, but actually meeting a man who has survived and subsequently dedicated his life to promoting world peace was truly inspiring. Selecting one pupil at random in the audience Rabbi Soetendorp made the point that everyone in the world is special and unique. He made a point of emphasising that we are all special and unique whether we live in Palestine, Israel, Scotland or Darfur. He told us that that he wished for a world where there was no hatred and, in particular, a world where no children would suffer.

''Mans inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn'' (Robert Burns)

Shared heads - a step too far?

2008-12-18T19:28:00.004Z

As I was driving home earlier tonight a headline on the news captured my attention. Borders Council has decided that, in order to save money, among other measures, it will reduce the number of Headteacher posts. In future, it is proposed, schools will share heads. I am a keen supporter of sharing leadership but is this approach to leadership based on sound business and educational principles or is it driven by a need to cut costs?

''Our new structures as they evolve and settle down will provide schools with greater development capacity.

"This will help us build on our strengths and enable us to maximise on the benefits from the Curriculum for Excellence."

''... the controversial proposal for shared headships could operate successfully but needed to be "monitored and managed effectively".

How many more people will be employed to monitor and manage headteachers? Where is the evidence that supports the move for sharing headteachers across schools as being an effective one for pupils? Does a model of sharing heads across schools actually deliver the goods?

Leadership

2008-12-01T22:01:00.002Z

Yesterday afternoon, when I was in the garden with my two daughters, Jenny drew our attention to a sight that has always make me stop what I'm doing and gaze in amazement at the skies above. I am referring to the inspiring sight that is a skein of geese. Seeing the geese in their familiar 'V' formation reminded me of a lecture delivered by Dr Richard Holloway at last Summer's international conference in Edinburgh on School Leadership, in which he suggested that humans had much to learn from nature as far as good examples of leadership is concerned. I hadn't really thought about his analogy, and what as leaders we can learn from geese until yesterday.

The first lesson is: work as a team. Geese migrate long distances flying in V-formation. This formation results in reduced wind resistance, which allows the whole flock to add around 70 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew alone. Geese find out quickly that it pays handsomely to be team players. Second, wise leadership: when the leader at the apex of the V gets tired, it is relieved by another goose. Leaders rotate, empower, delegate, and even step down when it's in the best interest of the team. How often do we see this taking place among organisational leaders? Wise leaders ensure that their followers are well trained and developed in order to achieve true empowerment and smooth succession processes. Third, humane behaviour: if a goose drops to the ground when it gets hurt or sick, two of its colleagues go down with it to take care of it until it either gets healthier or dies. In this fast-paced and competitive age, how often do we see managers going out of their way to help colleagues who are in trouble? I am in no doubt that in organisations, morale, productivity, and loyalty increase when employees look after each other and are treated humanely.

School of scottish studies

2008-11-19T21:45:00.003Z

One of the really exciting developments at the school this year is our work with the School of Scottish Studies, which is part of Edinburgh University. In addition to gaining access to an aladdin's cave of resources for our staff and pupils, we are now working closely with university staff in training our pupils to become field researchers for the university. It is our intention that pupils will research the history of our local area by interviewing friends and relatives who have knowledge of our area spanning the past fifty years. This material will then be passed on to the university to add to the archives in the School of Scottish Studies. In doing this, pupils will develop their own research skills, develop their knowledge and understanding of our local area and contribute a wealth of material to archives that will be available to future generations. Pupils are ideally suited to speak to parents and grandparents to capture their memories of life in Edinburgh in days gone by. In particular, I am looking forward to learning about the history of mining and of some of the characters who contributed to making this part of Edinburgh such an exciting and diverse area to live and work in.

Unity

2008-10-17T14:04:00.002+01:00

At morning break today, I thanked staff for their support and loyalty throughout the past term and chose this poem to draw attention to the wonderful work we do and to emphasise the importance of teamwork when working with children.

Unity

I dreamed I stood in a studio
And watched two sculptors there,
The clay they used was a young child’s mind
And they fashioned it with care.

One was a teacher:
the tools she used were books and music and art;
One was a parent
With a guiding hand and gentle loving heart.

And when at last their work was done,
They were proud of what they had wrought.
For the things they had worked into the child
Could never be sold or bought!

And each agreed she would have failed
if she had worked alone.
For behind the parent stood the school,
and behind the teacher stood the home!

By Cleo V. Swarat

Does anyone else have examples of poetry they have used with staff or pupils in this way?

Other learning logs

2008-10-15T22:22:00.004+01:00

When the kids are safely (and quietly!) tucked away in bed, and I've done my homework for the following day, I enjoy having a look round some of the other Learning Logs in the education world. Don Ledingham's is a really interesting and thought provoking log. So also is the Learning Log by Mark Walker, a school Principal from Australia. I really liked the material on 'Walkthroughs' - the name speaks for itself. I'm going to take some of his points on board and try them out in my own school in the next few weeks. Here is a sample clip (wait a few moments for loading) about 'Walkthroughs' in secondary schools.

I see no reason why 'walkthroughs' can not become an integral part of our school's self-evaluation process. Why should 'walkthroughs' be restricted to senior staff? Why not encourage all staff to get involved; particularly in the dialogue with colleagues about what we've seen? Watch this space!

Last week of term

2008-10-15T21:44:00.005+01:00

The last week of term is very busy as usual. Throughout this week we have our Book Week. Yesterday, Tuesday, we had an enterprise day for all pupils in S1. Today we had assemblies, taken by jointly by police and the fire service, to educate our younger pupils about the safe and legal handling of fireworks. Tomorrow evening, we have the second of our 50 anniversary events, our very own 'L' factor. We can no longer call it 'X' factor for commercial reasons.

Book week was organised by Sharron Brown, our tireless librarian. A range of activities are taking place throughout the week involving all of our pupils on the theme of our 50 anniversary. A poetry tree, visits from authors and senior pupils dressed as their favourite characters are examples of the activities on offer.

Our enterprise day was organised by Ms Mathie, our enterprise coordinator. All S1 pupils were involved at some point during the day. Pupils were divided into teams and tasked with writing and producing a book. Each team was 'supported' by an adviser. We are grateful to staff from Lothian and Borders police and Standard Life who spent the day with us, offering their experience and expertise to highly motivated and enthusiastic pupils. The standard of books produced was outstanding!

On Tuesday of this week I met with our School's senior Quality Improvement Officer, Sheena Liddell. We had a very full and in-depth discussion about our continuing progress in regard to exam results as a school. For some unknown reason, the boys at Liberton High School buck the trend across the country as far as Writing and Maths is concerned. Over the past three years, our boys have performed much better than girls in both Maths and Writing. At present I do not know why this is but, over the coming weeks, I intend to look further into this. When Friday afternoon arrives, all of our pupils and staff will begin a well deserved holiday. For my part, I'm off on a family holiday to enjoy some sun, before we settle in for, what I hope will be a short winter.

Strike day

2008-09-24T21:33:00.004+01:00

It's been a while since I wrote about 'a day at the office' so here goes. Today was the second of two days of strike action by several non-teaching unions. Following a risk assessment and discussion with my senior leadership team, I decided that the school would open for pupils in S4, 5 and 6 only.

I got up at around 6 am, and following a hearty breakfast, I got into school for 7.30 to open the school building along with our senior depute, Drew Macrae. The task of opening the building is usually carried out by our Janitors but as they were all on strike this task falls to the headteacher as an official 'keyholder' for the building. As usual, some staff were already in the car park raring to get in and prepare lessons for the day.

The day ran as smoothly as I would have hoped. In the afternoon, we even managed to interview and appoint a PT of mathematics. All the students throughout the day were brilliant; I am really impressed at how they have matured into such responsible young adults. On a day such as this you really appreciate the support of all your pupils and staff, particularly the principal teachers. We are fortunate to have a superb group of staff at Liberton High.

At the end of the day, assisted by my hardworking and loyal SLT, we ensured that the building was secure before setting the alarm and locking the building.

Reflecting on the day, I was once again, reminded of how important our non-teaching colleagues are in the smooth running of the school. It's often said that you don't appreciate someone until they're not there. Without their input many really important services just don't happen. We coped with one day, but I would not like to be without key staff for longer. I hope that a resolution to the dispute on pay can be found quickly; all staff deserve to draw salaries that reflect today's cost of living. Importantly, all of our pupils need to be in school, taking advantage of the first class education on offer.

A fascinating day out

2008-09-15T16:38:00.007+01:00

On Saturday I did something I haven't done for at least 10 years. Along with my wee brother and nephew I visited Ibrox to see Rangers take on the mighty Kilmarnock. From my point of view, things looked very rosy indeed at the halfway stage. Thanks to an uncharacteristic blunder by MacGregor, Killie reached half-time with a fragile, but slender lead. Thanks however to their striking talisman, aka Boyd, Rangers came through comfortably in the end to secure the three points and retain pole position in the league. Thereafter it was onto the underground and off to the centre of Glasgow in a 'Rangers pub' to join the post-match revelries. In order to protect my real allegiances I found myself listening intently whilst one very animated little man clad in red, white and blue, recounted with (disheartening) glee how much he had enjoyed his plundering visit to Parkhead only two weeks ago. My out-of-tune accompaniment of Simply The Best could easily have blown my cover. At one stage I found myself clapping a a flute band from a local lodge as they were escorted up and down past our hostelry by Strathclyde's finest. When, at one point in the conversation, mention was made of Larrson, something about his legitimacy, I found it difficult not to suggest who was the finest player to play in Glasgow in the past decade.

Following a superb curry, the latter part of the Saturday evening was spent in the Park Bar. There I met several who I went to school with many years ago. The most famous of these was Malcolm Jones (Runrig guitarist), who, along with Callum Iain MacCorquodale (also from North Uist) kept a packed venue singing, tapping and dancing until the wee small hours.

As I watched the game on Saturday, mesmerised by the touchline antics of the managers on view, I reflected on what I, as a school leader, could learn from these icons. I will come back to this in a later post!

Progress

2008-09-11T22:36:00.004+01:00

I am delighted to note that attendance rates and punctuality have been much improved since we resumed this term. In addition to an increased focus across the entire school on the importance of perfect attendance we also restructured our tutor groups when we resumed after the summer. After some resistance from pupils this change appears to have gone down well. It is really encouraging to see older pupils looking after our younger charges. In some instances I have witnessed younger pupils showing senior pupils what our standards should be!

I received an email yesterday from Iain Hutchison (PT Guidance) to tell me that we are currently processing 53 university applications for S6 pupils. This compares rather favourably with the 8 we were processing at the same stage in 2004. Well done to pupils parents and staff, who working together, have shown what can be achieved if we all raise our expectations!

New Term and a new year ahead.

2008-09-05T22:02:00.003+01:00

New year is always a time for reflection and making resolutions about things we want to improve on. This is also true of the new term which began in August.

As always, it's been a very busy and hectic start to another term. Two days in-service gave us the perfect opportunity to ease ourselves in and make the necessary arrangement for the term ahead. After a seven week break, staff and pupils are refreshed and ready. Given the superb results achieved by many of our students it was great to start to term on such a positive note.
In the year ahead a continuing focus for us will be raising expectations for all our pupils. I am convinced that we need to keep raising the bar as our school continues to go from strength to strength.

A main focus for us will be in improving attendance across the school. During the summer all parents had a chance to respond to a questionnaire I sent out seeking their views on setting targets for pupil attendance. Though some parents baulked at setting a threshold for all pupils at 95%, below which, repeating the year or, in the case of senior pupils, not being presented for some exams, will, I am convinced, change many people's views on the importance of attending school. In the next few weeks, following discussion with pupils and colleagues I will firm up our plans in this area.

Last day of term

2008-07-01T23:57:00.002+01:00

One normally associates the last day of term with lots of smiling faces and talk of holiday adventures to come. That was also the case for us on Friday 30 June, but it was also tinged with sadness as we said our fond farewells to several colleagues, including 5 of our maths teachers. Among those who left us were Stewart Gibson and Joyce Knox, who together had experienced a total of 72 years as maths teachers. Both have worked hard over the years and deserve a long and happy retirement and the opportunity to spend lots of time with their families.

Also leaving us on Friday were Iain Major (English dept), Angus MacWhinnie (Maths dept) and Tim Ledger (PT Maths). All go on to other posts in teaching; Iain in the private sector, Angus in Dublin and Tim to a Maths PT post at Perth Grammar. Our three probationers also finished with us on Friday. Lisa Mackay (History) starts at Beeslack in August and Isla Ross (PE) flies off to Milan to pursue a PE post in an international school. Teresa Mayer (Maths) is undecided about her next post.

We wish all these staff the very best for the future.

Townies go to see the cows

2008-06-20T21:50:00.007+01:00

'Dear All, it is that time of year again when we take the townies out to look at the cows and feed them all for nothing in the Food Hall.'(Extract from an email from Norah Watson, PT of HE, to all staff earlier this week.)

Today, I had the pleasure of accompanying 45 of our pupils and four of my colleagues to the Royal Highland show at Ingliston in the outskirts of Edinburgh. The weather was very kind and the whole experience was just wonderful.

Highlights of the day for me included:

Positive feedback from all pupils
Seeing all the livestock – reminiscences of my crofting upbringing!
Wonderful food samples available in food hall
Meeting former pupils who had pursued a career in farming.

Thanks to Mrs Watson for organising a wonderful educational experience for all of us. I am tempted to go back on Sunday with my girls so that they can experience the magic of the Highland Show as we all did today.

School praised in Scottish Parliament!

2008-06-19T20:02:00.001+01:00

Last week's prizegiving ceremony, with guest speaker/presenter Matthew MacIver (CBE), Chief Executive of the General Teaching Council for Scotland, was a roaring success. Over 100 pupils received prizes for achievements ranging from sporting prowess to academic excellence. I must say I was really proud to see so many youngsters receive their awards with such big grins on their faces.

Our local MSP, Mike Pringle was one of several special guests at last weeks prizegiving. I was so pleased to hear today that Mike had spoken so positively of his experience at our prizegiving and our school's achievements during parliamentary discussion on Youth Justice. Onwards and upwards for Liberton High! Click on the following link (Liberton High progress) to read Mike Pringle's contribution to the debate.

HMIe report

2008-06-10T23:34:00.003+01:00

Our follow through report was published today. I am delighted with the progress we have made as a school. All those associated with the school, including staff, parents and pupils deserve enormous praise for having rolled up the sleeves and getting on with the job of taking our school forward. Of course, progress in recent years is just a beginning. We must now ensure that we continue to go from strength to strength. WE will do this if we continue to work together as a community.

''It takes a village to raise a child'' (African proverb)

As we begin our celebrations to mark our 50 anniversary, the timing of such a positive report could not have been better!

Pupil attendance 3

2008-06-03T22:46:00.004+01:00

In a recent conversation with a friend who works in the 'real world', as he often reminds me, I was shocked to learn that the reason that 80% of under 18s lose their employment is because of poor timekeeping and/or attendance. Can we as schools do something about this so that our young people are better prepared for life beyond school?

At tonight's parent council meeting we had opportunity to further explore how we will tackle absenteeism in the coming session. There is a view that we should apply employment -type standards to our expectations of pupils in regard to attendance; particularly those in the senior school. To that end, I propose, for next session, that we should set attendance targets for all pupils. Throughout the session pupils will be reminded about their attendance targets so that areas of concern are quickly brought to each pupil's attention. Parents will also need to be alerted where concerns arise.

What do we do with pupils whose attendance falls below expected standards? Do we allocate additional resources from an already overstretched budget to try and further support youngsters and families? Should pupils be asked to repeat a year if their attendance is very poor? Should pupils with very poor attendance be presented for exams?

In addition to target setting for attendance and punctuality, we are also proposing to move to vertical tutor groups. I.e. tutor groups comprised of pupils from S1 to S6. From our discussions so far it strikes me that there are many advantages to arranging registration classes in this way. For example, this will allow us to approach peer mentoring in a different way to previous attempts. Additionally, new S1 pupils will have 'buddies' that will continue with them well beyond the first few days at High School.

I look forward to consulting and listening to pupils and parents in the next few weeks.

Pupil attendance 2

2008-06-01T21:49:00.003+01:00

Throughout the past session a working group, chaired by Iain Stewart (PT Guidance), has been looking at what we can do at Liberton High to improve pupil attendance. In addition to reflecting on our current practices, members of the group have also visited other schools. Based on one such visit we are considering changing the structure of tutor groups. In the past, we have had groups of 25-30 pupils all the same age. What we are proposing to change to is groups of between 20 and 25 of pupils ranging from S1 through to S6 within house groups. There are pros and cons to doing this but some of the advantages include:

Breaking up peer groups who have developed bad timekeeping habits and have security in their groups
Giving senior pupils the responsibility of looking after and supporting younger pupils
Further developing buddying opportunities

In the past few weeks staff and pupils have had the opportunity to comment on the proposals; on Tuesday night those who are at the Parent Council meeting will have the opportunity to air their views.

Pupil attendance 1

2008-05-28T22:35:00.003+01:00

Three weeks ago I was astonished, in truth offended, when we received a call from a parent, in response to a truancy call from our automated parent alert technology, to inform us that her daughter would be off school for the next two weeks as they were going to take advantage of a last minute deal for a holiday in Malta. The fact that the girl concerned was in S3 and in the middle of her S3 exams mattered not a jot. I readily acknowledge that it has been a long winter but I despair when parents choose to take their children off school for 'casual' holidays.

One of the priorities for us in the coming months will be to reduce pupil absenteeism. Currently at Liberton High School, the average attendance is around 90%. In terms of days per pupil this amounts to almost twenty days lost each year. This was one of the main areas for action identified by HMIe in 2006, but, disappointingly, our attendance figures have barely improved over the past two years. In life beyond school, whether it is in a place of further learning or employment, absences of this magnitude would not be tolerated. Why then should we accept this in schools? Should we direct additional (limited) resources to 'supporting' families where attendance is a problem?

The reasons for such high levels of absence aren't easily explained. In truth, neither is it clear as to what actions we should take as a school to impact positively on this area of concern. One thing, however, is very clear to me: The status quo is not an option. Over the coming year I am determined that we will tackle this area with vigour. In the next few posts I intend to develop further what we plan to do in this area. Suggestions from others will be welcomed.

Learning theories

2008-05-27T16:01:00.003+01:00

I recently came across a really interesting online discussion about attachment and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Definitely worth a read! Don Ledingham's blog is really excellent.

Learning from and with others

2008-05-20T22:33:00.004+01:00

One of the areas of practice in our school that I discussed in detail with HMIe, during their recent visit, was that of peer observation and learning from others. At Liberton, as happens at many other schools, peer observation is now integral to our CPD programme and how we evaluate our own practice. Peer observation (aka 'sharing classroom experiences') serves many purposes but a key outcome for me is the opportunity to observe staff in the classroom and to identify and celebrate best practices. Staff, generally, don't like being praised publicly and being singled out. How can we overcome this?

The most important part of the observation experience is undoubtedly the professional dialogue that takes place afterwards. When this is done well, both staff involved engage in reflection and dialogue. I am convinced that if we are to continue to develop as a school we must aim to further develop further means of learning from each other. During this coming session it is our intention to develop a primary/secondary reciprocal visits programme. I think this will be really useful in informing our thinking on where we want to go with Curriculum for Excellence and also exploring how Aifl motivated classroom pedagogy has evolved in the different sectors. I look forward to exploring this area further in later posts.

Visit to General Assembly

2008-05-20T21:46:00.003+01:00

Along with a few pupils and members of the chaplaincy team I was really proud today to be invited to the General assembly of the Church of Scotland to witness our pupils being awarded the Stevenson prize for religious observance. This is the first time this prize has been awarded so it was really great to be the first secondary school recipient of the award. The prize recognises the incredible input from our chaplaincy team who work in conjunction with our RME department to deliver a first class religious education experience to all our pupils.

The afternoon started off with a lunch in the company of delegates in the hall at St Columba's church. After that we all went off to the General Assembly building at the top of the mound. I must say this was a quite incredible experience. To be in this awe inspiring building and to witness just some of the Assembly proceedings was amazing. Having won this prize a real challenge for the school will now be to consider how we can further develop religious observance and education in our school. The £500 we won today will certainly help.

Independent learning

2008-05-10T22:04:00.004+01:00

Earlir this week we decided that it was time to remove the stabilisers from our daughters' bikes. I have to admit that I was rather hesitant to do this. I simply didn't believe they were ready. How wrong I was.

Within 24 hours, after umpteen scrapes and bumps, both girls had mastered the art of balancing and were cycling round the garden as if they had been doing so for years.

Reflecting on what had happened, I feel that the difficulty I had experienced as a child in learning to ride a bike had significantly influenced what I believed my own kids would be capable of. My expectations of my daughters were much lower that they ought to have been. This has really made me think and appreciate how much more difficult it can be to engage educationally with children whose parents had a less than positive school experience. Undoubtedly for me, raising the expectations of all who are associated with my school will be crucial if we are to continue to make progress on our journey to excellence. I also need to think further about how we can remove the 'stabilisers' that can make our pupils so dependent on others and miss out on the really deep learning that takes place when you take control of your own learning.

The fear of failure

2008-05-09T19:16:00.005+01:00

Despite Monday being a holiday, this has been an exceptionally busy week. In addition to the perennial pressures and organisational challenges associated with a busy exam schedule, the school is also buzzing with all the usual activities one would expect. For example, today we had a large number of our S2 pupils visiting a local university to find out more about the opportunities available to school leavers. At Liberton High we encourage all of our pupils to aim to achieve University level qualifications. There is nothing to be ashamed about if they don't succeed. However, I do have a real issue with anyone who does not try. So often, in schools, as in life in general, it is people's fear of failure that is the biggest barrier to success. Schools should strive to encourage risk taking; if we don't I would question whether we are adequately preparing our young people for an increasingly competitive life beyond school.

English Exams

2008-05-06T22:56:00.002+01:00

Today was the biggest of the Standard Grade exams this year and was the culmination of of many years hard work. Some will say that the Standard Grade course is a two year course but I much prefer to consider it as an eleven year course. If we do otherwise then surely we undervalue the work done throughout Primary School and in years one and two in Secondary.

Almost inevitably, the day of the English Standard Grade exam is sunny and hot. Such a contrast to the long, wet and cold winter we have just had. When it comes to deliberating about whether to support the proposal to have a winter diet of exams, it will do no harm to think about the benefits that we might gain if our teenagers are able to enjoy more of the May sunshine than they presently do.

League Tables

2008-04-26T10:26:00.006+01:00

It seems to me that during this past week league tables, allegedly depicting performance and achievement, across a range of activities, have dominated the newspapers I choose to read. Throughout the week, as we have throughout the season, the back pages of most newspapers keep us posted as to how our footballing teams are progressing. Earlier this week we had the publication of school league tables based on pass rates in exams. Today, a headline in the Times, forewarns me that tomorrow's Times will have a league table showing our country's highest earners over the past year. I can hardly wait.

As I drove back home from chaufeuring my daughters to their ballet classes I was reflecting on when a league table might actually be useful and when it is not. In the context of football, where winning the league is the ultimate prize, there is no doubt in my mind that the publication of the league table is essential and useful. Football teams are in direct competition with each other and rivalry between opposing teams is what their marketing and survival depends on. League tables to show who is the richest is entertaining and probably sells newspapers but is really no more than useless gossip. In the context of schools though, I have a big issue with putting schools in league tables, based on data that is fundamentally flawed. It can be argued that:

League tables for schools take no account of pupils' starting points or progress made since arriving at that school.
League tables take no account of social factors that may impact on pupil performance.
Schools who have entrance exams or use other means of selecting their intake (E.g. catchment area)tend to do better.
Senior (S5 and S6) school exam pass rate calculations are based on the roll when that group of pupils was in S4. In the context of Liberton High School, where more that 50% choose to leave school at the end of S4, it is hugely misleading to compare our exam pass rate with schools where staying on rates are close to 90%.

In trying to maximise opportunity for all of our learners, should the emphasis be on putting schools in direct competition with each other? Is there more to be gained by scrapping our league table mentality and developing a genuine culture of collaboration and partnership between genuinely comprehensive schools?

Edinburgh's best kept secret?

2008-04-22T22:32:00.003+01:00

Whenever I tell someone that my daughter attends a Gaelic medium school in the centre of Edinburgh the response, invariably, is one of surprise. That a gaelic medium school should exist, indeed thrive, so far from the traditional gaelic heartland catches people completely unaware. The children at the school are taught exclusively through the medium of gaelic. A number of the children have parents who can converse with them in gaelic but not all. Our older daughter is now in Primary three and perfectly bilingual in Gaelic and English. She loves school; I am convinced she would attend at weekends given the opportunity!

One of the fears that prospective parents have about enrolling their child at the school is that education exclusively through Gaelic, in a predominantly English based society, will inhibit the development of their child's English language development. Amazingly, the converse is true. The gaelic medium pupils, after a short intensive course in English at the end of P3, not only demonstrate that they have caught up with their monolingual peers, but have in fact overtaken them. I believe that this unexpected anomaly is also evident in other countries where more than one language is practised.

As parents, we are absolutely delighted with the quality of experience on offer at Tollcross Primary School. If Gaelic is to survive, Education as our daughter experiences, is going to be pivotal. An t-ionnsachadh og, an t-ionnsachadh boidheach!

Staffing update

2008-04-14T23:03:00.005+01:00

It's that time of year again when, as a headteacher, I am working hard with colleagues in trying to get our staffing organised for next session.

Last week we were able to appoint a Biology teacher to Liberton HS to replace Ms Sarwar who left us at the February break. I was really impressed at the quality of the three candidates we shortlisted; I would have been delighted to have welcomed any one of them onto our staff. For the first time in my experience we observed all the applicants teaching a class. ( I was so pleased to see that only one pupils across three classes needed to borrow a pencil. This level of preparedness, as many who know me, is something I value highly). This approach has been used by privated schools for years. I foresee that this will be standard practice at Liberton High from now on.

Of course, as most will know, our staffing complement is based on pupil numbers and, as our roll is projected to fall to just under 700 next session, this means that we have to declare some staff surplus. I have to say that is one of the least pleasant parts of my job. As someone who had direct experience of being declared surplus (Firrhill HS 1986) I fully understand and can sympathise with those in this situation and the feelings associated with being in this position. Not surprisingly, I think the longer a member of staff has been at a school, the harder it can be to uproot and move elsewhere. On a positive note I am delighted to say that both staff involved have been highly professional in their response and I hope they can be quickly and painlessly relocated to another Edinburgh school.

Back to business

2008-04-08T23:06:00.002+01:00

It was back to school yesterday after a relaxing 2 week Easter vacation. It's amazing how differently we all approach matters when we are refreshed and relaxed. The term that has just passed was a very stressful and busy one for staff at Liberton High. Not only did staff and pupils have the usual pressures of SQA deadlines and folio completion to contend with but we also had our follow through inspection with HMIe. I found the whole HMIe experience to be quite stressful; I know that colleagues hold a similar view. One of the areas I have been reflecting on recently, particularly, since the tragic death of a HT colleague in the borders, is how schools, local authorities and HMIe can more effectively work together to manage school evaluation. I am convinced that self-evaluation (i.e. evaluation carried out by school staff within the school as part of an on-going improvement process) is the most important and effective means to improving educational outcomes for learners. What are the arguments for external moderation? Why do the Finnish and Irish education systems, which have a very different moderation model to ours, regularly outperform us in the various international comparisons?

Poem to adopted chinese daughters

2008-03-21T21:40:00.008Z

It's Easter holiday time and opportunity for me to spend lots of quality time with our two lovely daughters! I came across this very moving poem today whilst browsing a website for adopted kids with our own adopted daughters Jenny and Lucy.

Once there were two women
who never knew each other.
One you do not remember,
the other you call Mother.
Two different lives shaped to make you one.
One became your guiding star;
the other became your sun.
The first one gave you life,
the second taught you to live it.
The first gave you a need for love;
the second was there to give it.
One gave you a body
the other helped you to grow.
One gave you a talent,
the other taught you what you know.
One gave you emotions,
the other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile,
the other dried your tears.
One found a home for you
that she could not provide.
The other prayed for a child;
her hope was not denied.
And now you ask me,
through your tears,
the age-old question
unanswered through the years.
This place or your birth place –
which are you a daughter of?
Both of them my darling –
and two different kinds of love. (Anon)

South Uist Tragedy

2008-03-18T22:30:00.002Z

I'm sure that many who read today's media coverage of the tragic death of Kaylee McIntosh, the 14 year old girl cadet from Aberdeenshire, will have felt moved when they learned the detail of how this tragedy occurred. The incident has added poignancy for me as the tragedy happened a short distance from where I grew up. As a child, growing up in North Uist, I was acutely aware of the dangers associated with water, both in the numerous lochs that cover vast areas of the islands and the coastline that can be as treacherous as it is beautiful. As a native of the island of North Uist, I often witnessed 'incomers' taking unecessary and unplanned risks that could have all too easily had serious consequences. As a headteacher of a school in the city of Edinburgh I receive and approve many requests to take pupils on excursions. I hope that generations of youngsters are able to enjoy the richness of experiences that excursions in the outdoors have to offer. What happened to Kaylee was tragic; we now know that there were major failings in safety. The way ahead for us must be to learn from what happened here and to ensure that future excursions of this nature are properly conducted. We must guard against becoming too frightened to take risks.

Feeling good

2008-03-13T22:52:00.007Z

Now that the 'excitement' of the HMIe visit is over it was back to business as usual this week. Each day this week we had assemblies for the various year groups to give them a flavour of what progress we have made in the past few years. It was great to be able to tell the pupils that we had made huge progress over the past two years. There is a real feel good factor and pride developing among pupils and staff and deservedly so.

With years 1-3 I took the opportunity to emphasise the importance of respect as one of our core values. A main point to emphasise from me was that respect is fundamental to all the relationships in our school community.

In the coming months we need to engage in discussion about what our 'next steps' as a school are going to be. What should we do in the next year(s) in order to ensure that we continue to improve?

Parent Council

2008-03-04T21:54:00.005Z

Tonight's Parent Council was positive as usual. It was great to be able to share the general feedback from the HMIe visit with all present. Apart from HMIe business, I updated the meeting on a number of other important issues in my Headteacher's report. This included:

Staffing
Roll projection for September 2008
Finance

Other areas raised in general discussion included a really good discussion on exam leave. Parents were supportive of not giving pupils exam leave for prelims. A query was raised about exam leave for S3 sitting exams this year. It was suggested that S3 pupils taking exams this summer (some are taking as many as 4) should not get exam leave as they would miss out on valuable teaching in other subjects. Instead, it was suggested, for the duration of the exam period,that S3 pupils taking exams this summer, should not be given homework for other subjects. This will be raised at our PTs' meeting tomorrow.

A main topic for discussion this evening was how we can increase levels of engagement between parents and school. I made the point that parents show high levels of loyalty to the school but a disappointing level of engagement. For example, the turnout at last week's S4 parents' night was around 40%. This is less than half the percentage attendance a similar meeting at Dunbar Grammar School (Thanks to Paul Rafaelli for sharing this figure with us through his blog!) At our next meeting on Tuesday 29 April it was agreed that we would spend a chunk of time looking at how we can make parents' evenings more attractive to parents. Any suggestions of good practice in this area will be gratefully received.

One day to go!

2008-02-27T00:03:00.002Z

A team from HMIe is with us on Thursday and Friday of this week for our follow through inspection. We had five areas to address from the previous visit in 2006 over the past two years.

In summary, they were:

Positive Behaviours
Tracking and Monitoring
Pupil attendance
Learning and teaching
Self evaluation

I hope that over the next few days we will be able to demonstrate the amount of progress we have made over the past two years in each of these areas. Our staff has been magnificent in how they have responded to the challenge that was laid before us.

Report on how we fared to follow at a later stage.

HTs' briefing/training

2008-02-25T17:25:00.004Z

I attended a really helpful and interesting session for headteachers this afternoon at Goodtrees community centre. The meeting began with a welcome from David Wright (Neighbourhood manager) and a brief update on where we are as an Authority in our cost cutting/restructuring programme. Next up was a brief summary on School Safety from PC Steve McGill. It was great to learn that there is a sharp downward trend across our area of Edinburgh in terms of incidences of vandalism. This shows what can be achieved when the relevant groups work together in a cohesive and coordinated manner.

'Closing the gap' was the second item of the agenda and this was a presentation from Jamie Heatherington who works in strategic planning with Edinburgh council. Jamie was keen that each of us thinks about what we can do in our different contexts to 'close the gap'. This is an issue that I am really interested in, particularly, given the very diverse intake we have at Liberton High. The notion of a 'gap' is an interesting one and can mean different things to different people.

The highlight of the afternoon, for me, was a presentation from Christine Knight (HMIe district Inspector) on using 'How Good is our School 3'. I very much liked her practical approach to using the QIs and generally keeping things simple. I agree with her when she says that too many schools and departments can fall into the trap of trying to do too much at once. I look forward to working with Christine again on Friday when she and HMIe colleagues join us for our follow through inspection.

The afternoon closed with two excellent examples of good practice on School Self Evaluation from Rose Islambolipoor (Gracemount Primary School) and Stephen Phee (St Thomas of Aquin's inspection.

Castro blogs ok!

2008-02-23T11:04:00.007Z

I learned this morning that 'El Comandante' Fidel Castro has been blogging for the last year or so. Writing in today's 'Times' Moises Naim suggests that 'El Comandante' does what bloggers do: he comments on the news, chastises enemies (Bush, Aznar), extols friends or rambles on subjects he cares about (sport and politics). I have tried to find a link to his blog but, thus far, my search has been in vain. I am curious to see what the man who has been the most enduring figure in world politics throughout my lifetime writes and says. Will he offer an alternative perspective on Leadership that we, in the corridors of Education, can all learn from? What can we learn from a man who has, allegedly, survived over 600 assassination attempts and successfully defended his island fortress against several invasion attempts; most notably the Bay of Pigs fiasco of 1961. ''Bloggers know that one of the risks is inadvertently to expose too much amount themselves''. I know that I grapple with this too in my ramblings. Fortunately, at least until now, I have yet to experience an assassination attempt. Oh, and I almost forgot to say what a lovely kind and generous man Fidel is.

Active learning

2008-02-20T23:01:00.006Z

At Liberton in recent months I have had discussions with several colleagues about 'Active Learning'. What I have discovered is that active learning can mean different things to different people. Generally, we tend to associate active learning with being physically active but being cognitively active is surely just as important and effective as a means of learning.

I came across this article on-line recently - I think it is a useful discussion starter about active learning and may be used by me at a future in-service.

Explanation of the Components

This model suggests that all learning activities involve some kind of experience or some kind of dialogue. The two main kinds of dialogue are "Dialogue with Self" and "Dialogue with Others." The two main kinds of experience are "Observing" and "Doing."

Dialogue with Self:

This is what happens when a learner thinks reflectively about a topic, i.e., they ask themselves what they think or should think, what they feel about the topic, etc. This is "thinking about my own thinking," but it addresses a broader array of questions than just cognitive concerns. A teacher can ask students, on a small scale, to keep a journal for a course, or, on a larger scale, to develop a learning portfolio. In either case, students could write about what they are learning, how they are learning, what role this knowledge or learning plays in their own life, how this makes them feel, etc.

Dialogue with Others:

This can and does come in many forms. In traditional teaching, when students read a textbook or listen to a lecture, they are "listening to" another person (teacher, book author). This can perhaps be viewed as "partial dialogue" but it is limited because there is no back-and-forth exchange. A much more dynamic and active form of dialogue occurs when a teacher creates an intense small group discussion on a topic. Sometimes teachers can also find creative ways to involve students in dialogue situations with people other than students (e.g., practitioners, experts), either in class or outside of class. Whoever the dialogue is with, it might be done live, in writing, or by email.

Observing:

This occurs whenever a learner watches or listens to someone else "Doing" something that is related to what they are learning about. This might be such things as observing one's teacher do something (e.g., "This is how I critique a novel."), listening to other professionals perform (e.g., musicians), or observing the phenomena being studied (natural, social, or cultural). The act of observing may be "direct" or "vicarious." A direct observation means the learner is observing the real action, directly; a vicarious observation is observing a simulation of the real action. For example, a direct observation of poverty might be for the learner to actually go to where low income people are living and working, and spend some time observing life there. A vicarious or indirect observation of the same topic might be to watch a movie involving poor people or to read stories written by or about them.

Doing:

This refers to any learning activity where the learner actually does something: design a reservoir dam (engineering), conduct a high school band (music education), design and/or conduct an experiment (natural and social sciences), critique an argument or piece of writing (the humanities), investigate local historical resources(history), make an oral presentation (communication), etc.

Inservice day

2008-02-19T21:21:00.005Z

I was really chuffed at the end of yesterday's in-service training day for staff, when several sought me out to say how much they had enjoyed the day. How often do you hear staff say that they enjoyed a whole staff training day? It was certainly a first for me!

We will of course look at the evaluations and feedback in more detail but I thought I would take a few minutes to recap on what really was a most stimulating and thought provoking day. We started off at 0830 with refreshments and bacon rolls for everyone. The first item on the day's programme was mine gave me the opportunity to update staff on progress with our Improvement Plan and to say a little about what we need to focus on in the lead up to next weeks HMIe visit. I was pleased to say how far we are on with this session's plan and to see how positive staff feel about next week. Next Carol Brown (DHT) demonstrated electronic period by period registration ahead of today's launch. This was followed by Carol briefing staff on recent changes to child protection guidelines.
Following a break for tea/coffee and croissants, an hour and a half in departments and a sumptuous buffet lunch (provided by staff on a 'bring a plate' basis) we moved into the afternoon session.

The afternoon session (superbly organised by DHTs David Russell and Drew Macrae)was focussed on learning and teaching. The opportunity was taken to showcase some of the best practices at Liberton High. All staff were encouraged to share and steal good practices from around the school. Each department was requested to contribute at least one item each to a display of materials arranged around the hall. Pleasingly, many departments elected to contribute several items. The hall was an Aladdin's cave of teaching and learning treasures.

We had three different departments showing us how they used Studywiz, an online learning environment, to engage students in on-line learning. (I now know much more about Henry Moore, Sculpting and Maquettes!).
Social subjects staff showed us how they had developed some innovative teaching approaches in line with those recommended in the Assessment is for Learning (Aifl) initiative.

Members of the PE department demonstrated the use of 'Dartfish'. This is software that is used to edit and analyse images and footage gained through video photography.

To close the day's proceedings Graham Crawford gave us a very stimulating overview of how Science Teaching at Liberton has been influenced by research and developments in thinking skills.

What really pleased me most about the day was that all of our presenters and contributors were from our own school. The amount of talent and range of expertise on our staff was really inspiring and gives me great hope and confidence for the future.

Bil Gates Speech to High School in USA

2008-02-19T09:29:00.004Z

Bill Gates allegedly, (see comment below) recently gave a speech at a High School (in the USA) about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make £60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping - they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into terms. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

If you can read this - Thank a teacher!

February break

2008-02-17T21:55:00.003Z

It's back to work tomorrow for Edinburgh teachers after a one week long February break. It was great to have a break from the work routine and to spend quality time with my own family. We spent four days in London visiting friends and taking in some of the sights during an unseasonably warm February. A particular hit with my girls was the visit to China town, still resplendent with all the decorations from the chinese new year festivities. I enjoyed the 'London eye' and the opportunity to get a bird's eye view of London. I was really impressed with the efficiency and the cleanliness of the tube system. We have an excellent bus system in Edinburgh, but I am envious of other cities that have an alternative means of getting around. Whilst on the tube at rush hour one day, I was particularly impressed by the courtesy shown by one young man who immediately stood up and offered his seat to my wife. I hadn't experienced any one doing this in many such travels on the tube over the years.

In two weeks time we welcome back HMIe. In the coming weeks I will write a bit more about my experiences of being involved with HMIe since they visited us initially in January 2006 and then again in May 2007.

Classrooom observation aka sharing classroom experiences

2008-02-05T20:59:00.003Z

One of the perks of my job is being able to go and visit teachers' classrooms to see them do what teachers are best at doing - teaching pupils. Teaching and Learning is our core business and any opportunities we have to learn to do things better must be grasped with both hands. One of the most effective ways to learn to be a better teacher is to observe colleagues in action. One of the lessons I saw this week was with Gill O'Connor, English department. This was a lesson you wish you could bottle and uncork to order. There were so many good practices on display that I won't embarrass Gill by mentioning them all but I feel I need to mention one. How do you get 14 year olds to not just read but become absorbed in and enthusiastic about Romeo and Juliet? Do you just read the text to them (this was my school experience) or do you compare and contrast Shakespear's use and choice of language with lyrics by Christine Aguilera? The latter approach resulted in twenty 14 year olds and me being enthralled from start to finish of what was an outstanding lesson. I will want to reflect further on how best to share this excellent practice with colleagues so that all pupils can benefit from one of the really gifted practitioners in our schools.

Scots Scientists top of the class

2008-02-05T20:31:00.000Z

It was great to read in today's press that our country's scientists are generally regarded as world leaders in research. Have a look at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/02/04085534 for the report. This is really good news. As a small country, it is so encouraging to see that we are continuing a long tradition of excellence in research and development. Where would we be without pencillin, TV or pneumatic tyres? How long will be be able to lay claim to being world leaders in research? From a secondary headteacher's point of view I am very concerned at how little funding I have available to support the work that takes place at grassroots level in schools. If our universities are to maintain the status they currently enjoy, schools will need to be able to do much more in terms of nurturing and developing the talent in our ranks. We simply cannot do that on a shoe string budget. There is a real danger that we will run departments down to such an extent that it will be almost impossible to start up again, when, not if, Science, once again, becomes flavour of the month.

Chinese New Year

2008-02-03T22:32:00.000Z

Along with my family and close friends, who also have two adopted Chinese daughters, I had the pleasure today of attending the Chinese New Year Celebrations at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh. The performances from a range of artistes were outstanding. A particular hit with the girls were the acrobats from Mongolia. The same performers were involved with Alan Stewart and co. at the pantomime at the Kings through December and January.

The contributions made by a pipe band and a Scottish singer Tom Collins (a former pupil of mine from Porty High) really added to the occasion. It was great to see the Edinburgh Chinese community and the Scots celebrating together in style. After this, it was off to join other families from around Scotland who have also adopted from China.

In the weeks ahead, I am keen to explore ways in which we at Liberton High can develop ways in which we can develop links with the Chinese community to further broaden our curriculum.

You are what you eat or are you?

2008-01-31T21:00:00.000Z

Secrets of … the Mediterranean Diet
A recent study has once again confirmed that people who closely follow ‘the Mediterranean Diet’ live longer than other Europeans. So what exactly is the Mediterranean diet and how does it exert this spectacular effect.
The Mediterranean diet is not a specific diet plan or diet program but a collection of eating habits that are traditionally followed by the people of the Mediterranean region. There are at least 16 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea and food habits vary between these countries according to culture, ethnic background and religion. But there are a number of characteristics common to them all…
A high consumption of fruits, vegetables, potatoes, beans, nuts, seeds, bread and other cereals

Olive oil used for cooking and dressings
Moderate amounts of fish but little meat
Low to moderate amounts of full fat cheese and yogurt
Moderate consumption of wine, usually with meals
Reliance on local, seasonal, fresh produce
An active lifestyle

Earlier today I had a conversation with Shelagh Lee, our PT of Behaviour Support. Our discussion centred on what we could do to try and positively influence the diets of some of the youngsters whose behaviour in classrooms can sometimes create difficulties. One particular youngster we spoke about claims he needs a daily 'fix' of iron bru to get him through the day. Breakfast is non-existent; his first nutrition of the day tends to be the best part of a bottle of irn bru. I hasten to add that we stopped selling fizzy drinks at my school some years ago. Shelagh is currently working with this youngster and his family to try and change his diet and high sugar intake. I am keen to further explore how we might do this. Has anyone out there come across a school that has been successful in tackling inappropriate pupil behaviours through the diet route?

Parent Council

2008-01-29T21:35:00.000Z

Tonight was our first Parent Council meeting of 2008. Parent councils (made up of parents, staff, pupils and members of the community) came into existence on 1 August 2007. They replaced school boards.

In the case of our school we were very lucky to have had a very active and strong school board and parent teacher association (PTA). Pleasingly this has become an equally strong and supportive parent council and pta.At tonight's meeting, among other things, we talked about the impending HMIe inspection, our 50th anniversary celebrations and ways in which we can continue to develop strong relations with neighbours. 2008 promises to be another very busy and productive year at Liberton High.

Christmas Leavers

2008-01-28T21:56:00.000Z

I came across an interesting article (and comments) on the perennial issue of how best to cater for Christmas Leavers on Don Ledingham's learning log. Definitely worth a read! go to Don's Learning Log

Don Ledingham is Head of Education in East Lothian.

The school leaving age regulations read as follows:

'Children may leave school once they reach their statutory school leaving date, this is dependent on date of birth. For children born between 1 March and 30 September it is 31 May of their 4th year of secondary school. For children born between 1 October and 28 February it is the last day of the December term of the school session in which they are 16.'

Why do headteachers get paid more than other staff?

2008-01-19T11:08:00.000Z

This is a question that arose this morning whilst I was chauffeuring my seven year old to her ballet class. I was in the process of trying to explain how a credit/debit card works when, out of the blue, she asked me if I got paid more than other teachers. I answered that I did get paid more, leading to the inevitable searching and innocent ''why'' that children of this age specialise in. I pondered for a few moments before answering; trying to find words and a rationale that a seven year old could understand. I have to admit that I really struggled.

Whilst adults might understand terms like 'increased responsibility', they may not necessarily agree. Do I as the ‘head’ carry more responsibility than Walter, our Head Jannie, or Liz who is in charge of our catering? Walter, at the flick of a switch, can create arctic conditions in selected parts of the school. Liz could choose to stop the daily supply of the 5oo school-made cookies thus creating near anarchic tendencies amongst hordes of hungry teenagers. Of course, there are many other examples I could draw on.

Before I could offer an answer, she suggested that headteachers attend lots more meetings than others. Perhaps, on reflection, I do merit the extra money after all.

What makes me tick?

2008-01-16T22:40:00.000Z

I am very clear in my own mind about what makes me tick. I absolutely thrive on sharing positive experiences and practices with others who are positive and, of course, learning from others. What is it that sets some people apart; able to inspire others and drive them on to higher levels of performance and achievement? Is it the passion they have for what they do? Is it simply that their enthusiasm is infectious? Is there something that can be bottled and uncorked to order? Is it something quite intangible that we can recognise and appreciate but can't really measure in an objective way?

Today I spent time with two colleagues whose enthusiasm and passion for what they do never fails to inspire me. Both perform quite different roles in the school. Firstly, I met with Gill O'Connor (Teacher of English) to review the work that she has been leading on the development of writing practice in our cluster of schools. Gill's enthusiasm and passion for the teaching of writing comes across so strongly. I experienced first hand why it is that so many pupils want to be in her class. I really liked the way in which Gill used her readings and reflections on the principles within 'Assessment is for Learning' to explain to me ( a scientist in a previous life) how she thought the teaching of writing should be developed. I look forward to sharing and discussing her ideas next week with my Primary Headteacher colleagues. My second such meeting of the day was with Christine Babbs. Christine is officially our school librarian but contributes so much more than this to the wider school community. For example, Christine organises the writing and production of our School Magazine, Liberton Link. At today's meeting we looked at how we might enhance the current format. We exchanged a few ides and thoughts and of course, Christine, being Christine, agreed that she would aim to have our next magazine completed and distributed by the end of February.

Prelims

2008-01-15T21:23:00.000Z

Our S4 prelim exams are now under way. This year, we decided to move the S4 diet until after Christmas following consultation with staff and pupils. To date, I am impressed at how well the vast majority of our S4 are coping with the inevitable pressures that prelims bring. We are however still at the stage where staff are more worried about the forthcoming national exams than the pupils. Those teachers out there who read my log may also be aware that there comes a point in the session when pupils become more concerned than their teachers. At that point chasing up folios, completion of homework etc becomes so much easier!

New Term

2008-01-14T21:08:00.000Z

Last week, staff and pupils returned to a new term to learn that two members of staff (Mrs Reid and Mr Pretswell) had passed away in the past two weeks. Having now reflected on the events of last week I am immensely proud of how well staff and pupils coped with what was a very difficult and challenging week. The ways in which youngsters and staff supported each other made me a very proud headteacher indeed. I would also like to put on record my sincere thanks to Paul Beautyman (School Chaplain) for his enormous input to supporting our school.

As a school community we must all now endeavour to move on. We will never forget the immense contributions made by both of these very special staff.

Christmas activities

2007-12-22T10:59:00.000Z

I would love to hear from other schools, particularly in other countries, what you do to mark the end of the Christmas term. As you will have seen in my learning log, at Liberton High School, our main events were:

An evening Carol Concert for parents, staff and pupils
Ceilidh Dancing for pupils
Dress down day (on last day) to raise money for charity
Staff/Pupil Panto on last day

What did you do this last week?

Please email me at: ht1@blueyonder.co.uk

Panto season

2007-12-21T22:37:00.000Z

Today was the last day of term. This is my third Christmas at Liberton and my most enjoyable to date. In truth, I really enjoyed today. I felt relaxed and confident that none of the exuberance that can mar last days of term would spoil our last day. Staff and pupils were very relaxed; exactly how you would want everyone to be as we head into the Christmas break.

The staff/S6 panto was superb and a fitting way to end our term. It was great to see S6 and staff working together in this way for the benefit of the younger pupils. As for my own contribution to the panto, I was delighted to be able to contribute but would like to reassure all my colleagues and pupils that I am very unlikely to ever address an assembly again in a Scooby Doo outfit!

Christmas cheer

2007-12-20T22:47:00.000Z

The school has been a very busy place over the past wee while. Staff have been very busy towards preparing pupils for the prelims that start soon after the Xmas/New year holiday. In addition, we have also found the time (and energy!) to run various social events for pupils and parents.

On Monday night we had our Carol Concert - very well supported by parents. A first for us on this night was the appearance of our fledgling drama group. Their thought provoking sketch worked really well for me as it made me reflect on what Christmas should really be concerned with.

Throughout the past few days we have had various 'seasonal' activities in classroooms - all contributing to our pupils' educational experiences. Ceilidh dancing for pupils in PE was very well received - great to see so many youngsters being so enthusiastic about this aspect of our culture.

We will round the term off tomorrow with our staff/S6 pantomime. You would not believe how excited the pupils are at seeing staff take to the stage in outfits and costumes that have not seen the light of day for twelve months.

Streetwork

2007-12-11T22:54:00.000Z

Earlier this afternoon I had the pleasure of being present when some of our pupils handed over a cheque for £134 to Streetwork, a local group based in our part of our Edinburgh who do fantastic work with some of the more vulnerable and less privileged people in our city. I was really proud of the pupils who performed at the concert and also those who donated their money.

The money was raised by running a lunchtime concert (organised by Jan Ingram with support from our local newspaper the 'Echo') featuring the winners of our school's 'X factor' competition. The 'Echo' will carry the story in the January edition. Well done and thanks to all the youngsters who contributed to a very worthwhile cause.

Building leadership capacity

2007-12-11T22:31:00.000Z

Our school's senior leadership team took themselves off from the school campus this morning and left two PTs to run the school. Thanks to Graham Crawford and Shona Thomson (both currently studying towards the Scottish Qualification for Headship) for acting up as HT and DHT and for running the show in our absence.

Our morning away was highly successful as it gave us quality time as a team to reflect on our progress as a school, to discuss and amend our remits and plan 'next steps' in preparation for the return visit of HMIe in February. During a typical day in school there are just too many distractions and interruptions to really concentrate on a particular task. Amazingly, the school was still standing when we returned!

Declining school rolls and staffing

2007-12-08T11:12:00.000Z

One of the challenges facing us presently as a school is how best to manage our staffing, for the benefit of all our pupils, in the context of a declining school population across the city. The summers announcements surrounding the proposed school closure programme, which ultimately collapsed in shambles, has certainly not helped.

I find it very challenging to make staffing plans for the next few years. Getting the staffing balance right is key to keeping staff morale high, maintaining our current momentum and breathing new life into fledgling initiatives that will make all the difference to developing our school further in the short, medium and long term. Staffing levels, of course, are directly related to the number of pupils on the school roll. Having a strong, thriving school is key to there being a strong community; a community to which old and young genuinely want to be part of and contribute to. It is well established that the key determinant for house prices is the quality of their local schools. There is deep irony for me in the fact that many of the schools most affected by the (aborted) plans from this summer serve areas of the city that have rising numbers of children, rather than falling, as is the case generally across Edinburgh.

In recent weeks, feedback from our 'prospective parents' has been very encouraging. The indications are that parents who were, as recently as last year, considering sending their kids to other schools in the city are now very much persuaded that Liberton High is the place to be. I am sure that our fantastic 5-14 results over the past two years, among other successes, has been key.

I would like to close this post by posing a question:

Is the parents' charter a hindrance or a help in helping Edinburgh further support its schools on their journeys to excellence for the benefit of all of our young people?

Connectnedness

2007-12-06T20:10:00.000Z

As the HMI publication ‘Leadership for Learning’ states, the most effective establishments initiate networks and partnerships that bring significant benefits to learners. How as heads do we go about developing and sustaining the networks and partnerships (sometimes referred to as connectedness) that open up further opportunities for our schools and ourselves to grow?

I daresay that we can answer this in different ways but for me the answer must include the cultivation of a variety of networking opportunities. Visits to other schools, attendance at conferences and CPD sessions are three opportunities that spring to mind that are great for networking and sharing ideas and practices with others. A fourth opportunity I have recently found particularly useful was as the Edinburgh Secondary Heads' representative on a Working Group charged with developing guidelines for the Council on the use (or not!) of mobile phones and other digital devices in the Council's schools. I really enjoyed learning about the processes involved in policy formation at Council level but also valued the opportunity to meet and work closely with colleagues from different sectors of the council. As one of my school's 'leading learners' I have learned a lot over the past few months about myself and developed very useful personal contacts that I will want to draw on in the future.

Secondary Heads meeting

2007-12-05T23:06:00.000Z

I attended the monthly meeting for Edinburgh's 23 Secondary headteachers this morning at Craigroyston Community High School. It was business as usual for the most part with the exception being an opportunity for us to bid farewell to Sandy McAuley (HT at Leith). Sandy has taken early retirement. As part of his presentation to us, Sandy talked fondly about his days as a teacher at Liberton High in the days when Henry Phillip was the Headteacher. Sandy mentioned that many colleagues through the years have helped shape his practice and none more so than Henry Phillip. He drew particular attention to the emphasis that Mr Phillip placed on nurturing and developing staff. A lesson there for all of us as to what is really important in a school. We can too easily get lost in improvement plans and bureaucracy in general when the job should really be about relationships and people. Sandy's contribution to Edinburgh's schools will be missed and not easily replaced. Leith is one of three secondary schools in Edinburgh that will soon be advertising for a new head.

Cluster work

2007-12-04T20:45:00.001Z

Today started off with a Headteachers' meeting with Headteacher colleagues from our cluster. Our cluster of schools includes our four associated primary schools (Craigour Park, Gilmerton, Liberton and Prestonfield) and their linked nursery schools.

A highlight of the meeting for me was a proposal, tabled by David Russell, to set up an information evening on Internet Safety for all parents in our local schools. It is intended to work with other agencies, including police, to take this forward in early 2008. This proposal was warmly received by all present, and, as far as I know will be a first in an Edinburgh schools.

The impetus for this initiative came from a visit by Dave Russell to Musselburgh Grammar School earlier this term to attend an internet safety for parents evening. Ollie Bray (Acting DHT), a former colleague of ours from our Knox days, was responsible for the arrangements and inviting us along.

S4 work experience

2007-12-03T20:06:00.001Z

Our S4 pupils returned to school today after a taster week of 'work experience'. Pleasingly, many of those I spoke with talked positively about how much they had learned in their week in the 'real world'. It was reassuring to hear them talk about how employers expected them to dress appropriately, to arrive at work on time and to be polite and respectful of customers. Some pupils talked about being invited back, during the holidays, to gain further experience, with a possibility of being offered employment in the future. I am confident that all our pupils will have gained enormously from last week and will now return to their studies, rejuvenated, motivated and focussed on their goals for this session.

St Andrew's day celebrations

2007-12-01T19:27:00.000Z

Last night I took my family to a celebration of our patron saint's day at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. What a fantastic evening. Alex Salmond's inspiring welcome address set the scene for a series of performances representing the diversity that is Scotland in 2007. We had music, readings and poetry from a variety of the cultures in today's Scotland. They included:

Chinese
Jewish
Asian
Polish and
Ghanaian

The highlight of the evening for me was the rendition of He' mo Leannan (a beautiful gaelic love song) sung by the Tollcross Primary Gaelic choir. Their Gaelic was first class - evidence of the fantastic progress made in recent years in the teaching of Gaelic in our capital city.

By the end of the evening we all left with a deeper understanding and appreciation of Scotland's influence on the world through the centuries and, how other cultures have contributed to making us the richly talented and diversified country Scotland is today. On a personal note, I left feeling proud to be Scottish and part of a country that continues to go from strength to strength.

Heartstart Training

2007-11-30T17:58:00.000Z

I attended the second part of a training course this afternoon and gained Instructor status with Heartstart. Heartstart is an initiative coordinated by the British Heart Foundation to teach members of the public what to do in a life threatening emergency: simple skills that can save lives. At Liberton High we intend to train all of our S5 students before Christmas and then to extend the programme throughout the entire school in 2008. Research carried out in other countries has shown that a significant number of lives can be saved, following a heart attack, by teaching members of the public the basics of first aid. Pupils will be trained to become 'teachers' in this initiative.

I am grateful to Rachel Meighan (PT Guidance) for generating interest in this initiative and agreeing to coordinate the development of the programme. Thanks also to Bryan Finlay (Heartstart), a former pupil of mine from my Beeslack days, for all his support in bringing this programme to life. Bryan, apologies for any lasting damage I did with the Van de Graaf as your Physics teacher - think of it as an early introduction to defibrillation!

Visit to Royal High School

2007-11-30T16:45:00.000Z

This morning I had the pleasure of visiting The Royal High School and meeting with George Smuga, the rector. As many will know, the RHS was recently inspected by HMIe and earned a terrific report. I was particularly interested in learning about their progress over the past few years in their practices on Self-Evaluation. I left the Royal High buzzing with ideas and enthusiasm about how we can further improve what we do at Liberton High. Not only did I learn a lot about the Royal High School this morning, I also learned a lot about my own school. I wish I could remember the name of the English poet who wrote about visiting France to learn about England.

I was really impressed by George describing pupils' experiences at his school as a journey with excellence rather than a journey to excellence!

Former pupil

2007-11-28T21:55:00.000Z

Meeting former pupils is often really satisfying. None more so than today when I walked in to the staffroom at lunchtime to be greeted by a 'girl' I taught 15 years ago at Portobello High School. Catriona is in Liberton High this week as part of a Health Education Team delivering a programme on sexual health to our S3. It was great to chat to Catriona about her ambitions to become a film director and find out about how successful she has been in her studies.
As part of this team of young adults delivering health education to S1, we also had four of our S4 girls:

Chloe Logan
Gemma Maclellan
Elise Littlejohn
Kimberly Lambe

who elected to do this as their work experience placement. I was really impressed and so proud of their mature and sensible approach. I look forward to finding how S1 pupils react to being taught about 'life' by youngsters who are just a few years older.

Parent Council

2007-11-28T20:56:00.000Z

Last night's parent council was really positive, as usual. I very much appreciate the support this dedicated group comprised of parents, staff, pupils and 'friends of the school' gives me in taking our school forward. The main item on the agenda was a report from me on the school's examination results for session 06/07. I was really pleased to be able to demonstrate that we have made progress again across all the categories that are generally reported on. I drew particular attention to our 5-14 results which indicate stunning progress in the past two years. I also made the point that we, as a school, must now continue this progress into S3 and beyond.

A particular challenge for us in the short term will be to increase staying on rates in the senior school. I simply will not accept that the interests of so many our pupils are better served by leaving school at the end of S4. (Currently around 60% of our S4 cohort choose to leave school at the end of S5). Research work indicates that good qualifications is the key factor in maximising life opportunities. Interestingly, of the 41 students in S6, I fully expect 38 of them to be successful in their university applications this session.

It is my expectation of all pupils at Liberton High School that they remain with us for 6 years and aspire to gaining university qualifications.

Walkabout

2007-11-26T18:02:00.000Z

An old head One of the most rewarding parts of my job is the discussions I have with some of our more experienced staff. Today whilst on walkabout I stopped in Art for a while to chat to Dave Ramsay. Dave is one of these people who always sees the best in others and simplifies potentially complex situations. Anyone who has attended a PTs' meeting and listened carefully to one of Dave's many contributions will know what I mean. Today's topic of conversation was classroom management and why it is that some staff can effortlessly manage discipline in their classes whilst others struggle a bit at times. Dave has been around long enough to acknowledge that none of us gets it right all of the time. Can classroom management be taught? Can classroom management be learned? By the end of our conversation we had concurred that the answers to these questions were 'No' and 'Yes' respectively. It is my personal view that, as with Leadership, classroom management can be learned but not taught. They may be two sides of the same coin.

Also in the Art department I had a brief chat with Mr Scott whose pupils were engrossed in creating pictures involving a collage of football strips. Why didn't my teachers use this approach to engage us all these years ago?

In French, I came across Mrs McKerrecher's 1DA who were actively involved in developing posters covering aspects of citizenship. I have rarely come across a class as enthusiastic and motivated. The pupils were so keen to show off their efforts.

Homeless in Computing In computing I came across Ms Didcock's (English Department) classes using the internet to research a project on homelessness. One student asked if I knew that there were 23,000 homeles people in Edinburgh. I admitted ignorance on the true number and suggested that I would return soon to confirm the actual number.

Cooking is great fun at Liberton High Next on my tour I popped into Home Economics where I came across a S5/6 class actively engaged in preparing cuisine from a variety of countries. I was hugely impressed by the classroom organisation and the rapport between staff and students. I have promised not to mention the name of which student was suggesting using a food processor to shred his chicken pieces!

Malbet Park

2007-11-24T10:29:00.000Z

Dr Karen Traill (Chair of our Parent Council) and I met with local councillors and residents from our neighbouring Malbet Park Estate on Friday. Concerns had been raised by residents about the nuisance caused by noise and litter by some members of the community at various times of the day. At the meeting I made the point that complaints about litter and noise from school pupils has been raised in each of the schools (Urban,rural, state and private) that I had previously worked at. As part of its 'Responsible Citizens' programme Liberton High School is committed to ensuring that all of our pupils are made aware of their responsibilities towards others whether it is in transit betweeen school and home or during weekends or evenings. Ideas suggested to tackle concerns raised include:

Pupils joining the Neighbourhood Watch scheme
Litter pickups as part of our developing eco-education programme
Further restricting access to the estate at certain times of the day
Assemblies to publicise expectations of pupils

It is intended to consult further with neighbours, parents and pupils before decisions are made on which particular strategies to implement.

Thursday 22 November

2007-11-22T17:10:00.001Z

The day started off with a meeting with secondary HT colleagues from our neighbourhood. The meetings are very useful as we share good practice and learn from each other. I am of the view that the issues to address are the same across all schools. From school to school, depending on the context, the issues may vary in terms of the resources required to address these. We spent some time talking about the tensions that can arise between inclusion and exclusion. I am keenly aware that some youngsters find it very difficult to cope in a mainstream school and can benefit from receiving a different type of support in another environment.

This evening sees us host an information sharing session for parents on 'Sexual Health'. Many thanks to Rachel Meighan (PT Guidance), Niki Powers (Health Opportunities Team) and Caroline Fraser (Health Opportunities Team) for all their hard work in making the arrangements for the evening.

The parents who attended were very impressed with what they learned about our programme. In particular, parents liked the emphasis on relationships and abstinence as key messages underpinning the programme we deliver to our youngsters. It was reassuring to learn that the likelihood of unwanted pregnancy is much reduced when parents actively discuss relationships etc with their children. Most of the parents present indicated that they would be willing to follow up the evening's work with further work with youngsters at home.

A typical day as HT at Liberton High

2007-11-19T19:29:00.000Z

A great day at school today.

Tutor Time I made a point this morning of maintaining a high profile for 30 minutes around the school entrance to really challenge any pupils who arrived late. I expect the numbers who were late today (30 - this number has crept up in the past two weeks) to reduce as my high profile each morning begins to make an impact.
Period 1 A meeting with Maths colleagues to talk about how we would continue to raise expectations among pupils. I feel raising expectations will be key if we are to continue to raise attainment.
Period 2 At our SLT meeting we had the very pleasant challenge of looking at several applications to run excursions for a range of year groups. We are very fortunate at Liberton High to have so many staff who are willing to take the initiative in organising and following through a range of trips.
Period 3 I met with a representation of senior students who were very disappointed that their proposed Disco has been postponed. I explained to them why I had reached this decision and what other opportunities there may be for running such events in the future.
Period 4 I spent a bit of time dealing with any urgent correspondence and meeting with a few boys (mainly S4) who are drawing unnecessary attention to themselves in and around the school.

Periods 5 and 6 We interviewed some excellent candidates for a Chemistry position that has been vacant since we resumed in August.

3.30 - 4.00 I spent a bit of time discussing the day's progress with pupils who are on behaviour books and met with House Heads to check on progress during the day. I got down to the assembly hall for a few minutes and saw around 30 of our girls preparing a dance show in the assembly hall.

4.00 - 6.00 Spent a bit of time dealing with the day's correspondence and meeting with any colleagues who dropped in to my office.

Rosy Fraser retiral

2007-11-17T20:21:00.000Z

Thank you to everyone who attended 'Rosy's do' on Friday night or sent best wishes. Rosy Fraser has been at Liberton High for the past 31 years and thoroughly deserved what was a magnificent send-off. Many thanks to Jenny Coburn (appointed to replace Rosy as Pt) for all her hard work in organising such a great evening. This picture is of Rosy with former pupil Alan Wells (1980 Olympic 100 m champion) at our opening ceremony for the new games hall last year.

Study Skills

2007-11-15T20:01:00.001Z

For the past two days we have been working with a company called 'Live-N- Learn' to develop study skills among our S3 and S4 pupils. We identified this need when we spoke with pupils whilst preparing for exams last session. The feedback from the pupils has been first class.