“Public confidence needs rebuilt as well as school walls: and fast” – Green Candidate Andy Wightman
The Scottish Government’s resiliency committee has met to discuss the emergency closure of seventeen PPP schools across Edinburgh – but The Scottish Greens say the ‘fiasco’ highlights the need to expose private finance failures. Continue reading Closed schools update: Scottish government offers ‘full support’
Parents advised to make childcare arrangements for next week
Craigroyston, Forthview, Pirniehall and St David’s Primary Schools are among seventeen city schools which will all remain closed on Monday, the city council has announced. Continue reading Local schools to remain closed on Monday
The Royal High School PSA Table Sale and Coffee Morning
Saturday 1 November 10am-12.30pm
Please join us at the Royal High School on Sat 1 Nov 10am-12.30pm and support this exciting new PSA fundraising venture.
Combine your morning tea or coffee with browsing a host of enterprising stalls which will be selling crafts, bric a brac, books, cards, clothes, jewellery, as-new school uniform and sports kit, secondhand bikes and home-baking.
There are still some tables available – let loose your inner entrepreneur! Or enter our cake-baking competition and win a prize! To book a table (£10 or £5 for pupils) or for details of the cake competition, email Tina Woolnough at tina@kristina.org.uk
If you wish to sell uniform, sports kit or a bike, all in good condition, please bring them into school at 9.30am, clearly labelled with your name, asking price and telephone number.
Collect unsold items or your cash, less 10% handling fee for the PSA, at 12.30pm. Unsold bikes which are not picked up at 12.30pm will be donated to the Bike Station.
Police in Edinburgh are appealing for witnesses to help trace a 13 year old boy. Ronin Bisset was reported missing by family at 6pm yesterday ( Thursday 18 September) after he failed to return home from The Royal High School.
Ronin was last seen by friends earlier at 5.30pm, on Quality Street, heading into Davidson’s Mains Park, believed to be heading home.
He is described as male, white, 5ft 6in tall, stocky build, short dark hair, glasses, black school jacket, white shirt and black trousers with a bright yellow and black school bag.
Chief Inspector Graham McInarlin who is leading the enquiry said: “Ronin has now been missing overnight, and as time passes we are becoming increasingly concerned for this 13 year-old school boy. I would appeal to anyone who has seen Ronin in the Davidson’s Mains area or further afield, or has any information relating to his whereabouts, to contact us immediately on 101, to assist our enquiries”.
Officers are involved in searches of the area and enquiries are ongoing.
Anyone who has information or has seen Ronan should contact Police Scotland on 101.
Art exhibition kicks off birthday celebrations
A number of activities have been planned to celebrate Davidson Mains Park’s 90th birthday this year.
Getting the party started is an exhibition of art created by pupils from Davidson’s Mains Primary and the Royal High School. The exhibition can be viewed in Holy Cross Church Hall on Quality Street next week.
The exhibition opens on Thursday 10 April from 3-8pm (private view in the evening), Friday 11 April 3-8pm and on Saturday 12 April from 11-4 pm.
All welcome – don’t miss it!
Firefighters had to use a hacksaw to free a 12-year-old boy who had become trapped in the mechanism of his bike at the Royal High School in Barnton yesterday afternoon.
Firefighters freed the boy using a selection of small tools. He suffered compression type injuries to his lower leg and was taken to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh for a check-up.
Nine Edinburgh schools have been taking part in Career Academies, a UK wide initiative that brings together the world of business and education to deliver an inspirational programme that includes mentoring, ‘guru lectures’ and internships.
The Royal High School in Barnton hosted an event to celebrate local achievements to date and to give all involved an opportunity to come together to share their experiences. Friday’s event brought together 86 S5/6 students involved in Career Academies, together with their 86 Partners in Business (PiBs) and inspirational Scottish mountaineer Jamie Andrew gave the keynote address.
Career Academy students follow a rigorous two-year enrichment programme alongside their school curriculum, which aims to help them progress to higher education or the world of work from a much more informed, inspired and confident base.
The targeted group of students are those that have been identified as having the potential to secure a place in higher education or employment with the support of a business mentor. They begin in 5th year at school, aged 16, studying two to three Highers, and are likely to lack informal networks but have great potential.
Career Academies forms part of the city-wide strategy, the Edinburgh Guarantee, to help pupils move into work or education following secondary school.
Councillor Paul Godzik, Education Convener, said: “Career Academies is already proving to provide an invaluable opportunity to some of our pupils. By giving them the confidence they need to take those first steps in the right direction we are increasing their chances of going on to do something they want once they finish school. I would like to thank all the businesses and mentors for their involvement to date and to encourage other local businesses to get involved.”
Mark McFall, Managing Director of Change Recruitment, said, “Our aim in supporting career Academies UK was to make a difference to young people’s lives and provide them with an insight into the working environment. What we probably didn’t expect was the impact on our business and our own people. The students made a genuine contribution and also brought something different to the working environment that had a profound effect on all of us. We now have so many more people within the business keen to play a part in supporting these terrific young people.”
Josh McLeish, an S6 pupil at Tynecastle High School, said: “I have found the Career Academies UK experience extremely helpful and beneficial over the past year. My internship over the summer was fantastic and has helped me gain valuable experience in the workplace which is normally very difficult to obtain. The people I worked with were brilliant and very helpful. Not only was the internship great but so is having a mentor who helps me out and points me in the right direction.”
Anne Wexelstein, Career Academies UK Manager for Scotland, commented: “In the current economic climate, it’s vital that opportunities like this are on offer to young people to help them make the transition from school into the word of work. The vast majority of us are in greater need of the right pre conditions and introductions with which to find our way to work. We would like to say a big thank you to all the people who are making our partnership with Edinburgh City Council, its schools and the Capital’s employers such a great success. ”
Three of the nine schools involved have completed their first year and six new schools embarked on the scheme in August.
Businesses who have participated in Career Academies to date represented at the Royal High School conference include: AK Stoddart, BNY Mellon, BT, Cairn Energy, Capital Solutions, Citi Bank, Clydesdale Bank, Davidson Chalmers, DHL, Diageo, City of Edinburgh Council, Edutrain, Ernst & Young, Franklin Templeton, Hotel Missoni, JP Morgan, Lloyds Banking Group, Logica, Penna Right Management, Royal Bank of Scotland, RSM Tenon, Santander, Scottish Gas, Scottish Government, Scottish Widows, Sopra Group, The Big Partnership, The Scottish Government, The Witchery, Transport Scotland, Visit Scotland, Yorkshire Bank and Tree of Knowledge.
Sainsbury’s Blackhall customers will have the chance to see the Paralympic Torch as it goes on a special tour across the UK. Sainsbury’s Blackhall will welcome the torch on Friday 19 October, when customers will have the opportunity to see, hold and take photographs of the iconic torch between 1 – 3pm.
The Sainsbury’s Paralympic Torch Experience will see the Paralympic Torch travel to 400 Sainsbury’s stores across the country – the Torch’s epic journey begins at Sainsbury’s Bradford Upon-Avon and ends at the retailer’s Lampeter store on Thursday 1 November.
The Torch is one of 620 Torches used in the 24 hour Relay which took place from Stoke Mandeville in Aylesbury, the home of the Paralympic Movement, to the Olympic Park in Stratford, London on Tuesday 28th to Wednesday 29th August. 101 stores from other areas across the country previously saw the Torch ahead of and during the Games, and now the retailer – and first ever Paralympic Games-only sponsor – is extending it to the rest of the country.
Sainsbury’s Blackhall Store Manager David Bainbridge said: “We’ve really enjoyed playing our part in raising awareness of the London 2012 Paralympic Games in Blackhall. For our customers, it’s a once in a lifetime chance for them to see the Torch and feel the buzz of the Paralympic Games, which we’re proud to have sponsored.”
The local Sainsbury’s store is also responsible for another Olympic legacy, with two local high schools sharing in the success of the 2012 games thanks to donations from Sainsbury’s. The Royal High School received a donation of London 2012 sports clothing which they aim to use for team events, and organisers of Broughton High School’s recent Septemberfest were delighted to use Sainsbury’s London 2012 merchandise for prizes.
The store hope the donation will help maintain the positive momentum and feeling created by the London 2012 Games. Sainsbury’s Blackhall Store Manager David Bainbridge said: “Our colleagues and customers have really got behind all Paralympics GB and Team GB athletes and we wanted to celebrate the success of the London 2012 Games by providing The Royal High School and Septemberfest with a lasting memento of what has truly been a year like no other.”
