Tag: Wester Hailes High School

Wester Hailes leisure facilities reopen after major refurbishment

Edinburgh Leisure has reopened the refurbished leisure facilities at Wester Hailes High School today, Thursday 1 October, giving people in the surrounding area increased local access to sport, leisure and wellbeing.

Delivered by the City of Edinburgh Council as part of its wider investment in the community campus, the refurbishment has improved a valued local facility and expanded access through a seven-day programme of gym, swimming and fitness activities.

The needs of local residents have been at the heart of the redevelopment, with improvements focused on activity spaces, inclusivity and the overall customer experience.

The swimming pool offers lane swimming, diving and family sessions, with daytime access now also available to the fitness suite and new general-purpose studio.

The fitness suite includes 30 cardio and resistance workout stations in a bright, open environment, while the studio hosts an expanded programme of classes, including Kettlecise, Pilates and Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities activities, and is also available for group hire.

The venue is also more accessible and inclusive, with improvements including modern changing accommodation, step-free access throughout, a Changing Places facility and a state-of-the-art pool pod to support easier entry to the water.

The refurbishment forms part of the wider City of Edinburgh Council project to deliver a new Passivhaus-standard secondary school adjacent to the existing site, which is due to open later this year.

David McGlade, Head of Operations (Schools) at Edinburgh Leisure, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the community to a modern, accessible leisure facility in the heart of Wester Hailes. The investment has created brighter activity spaces, upgraded changing accommodation and a wider range of opportunities for people to be active close to home.

“Alongside our gym, swimming and fitness offer, we’re particularly excited to expand our Active Communities programme, helping people of all ages overcome barriers to being active and supporting healthier, more active lives.

“We hope these improvements will help even more local people enjoy being active and build on the facilitiy’s place at the heart of the community.”

Cllr James Dalgleish, Education, Children and Families Convener, said: “It is fantastic to see the opening of this new facility that will provide more opportunities for the local community to be active and try new sports.

“This state-of-the-art leisure centre is not just for the school, but for the whole community to use and enjoy. It is open seven days a week, with a modern gym, swimming pool and range of sport classes, Wester Hailes High School will make keeping active and developing new skills easier than ever.”

To find out more about the facilities, opening times and membership options, visit Wester Hailes High School – Gym Swimming Pool Sports Hall

Edinburgh Leisure announces delay to reopening of upgraded facilities at Wester Hailes High School

EDINBURGH Leisure can confirm that, due to late unforeseen circumstances, the reopening of Wester Hailes High School will be delayed.

The previous information issued regarding the reopening date is no longer correct and should be disregarded.

Edinburgh Leisure had previously announced that refurbished leisure facilities at the school would reopen Tuesday 1 September, giving people in the surrounding area increased local access to sport, leisure and wellbeing.

Delivered by the City of Edinburgh Council as part of its wider investment in the community campus, the refurbishment will improve a valued local facility and provide expanded access through a seven-day programme of gym, swimming and fitness activities.

The refurbishment forms part of the wider City of Edinburgh Council project to deliver a new Passivhaus-standard secondary school adjacent to the existing site, which is due to open later this year.

Stepping Up: Minister visits Wester Hailes High School to learn about ENABLE’s vision for the future of young disabled people

Pupils at Wester Hailes High School welcomed Jamie Hepburn MSP, Minister for Further Education, Higher Education, Youth Employment and Training, to their classroom yesterday to showcase ENABLE Works’ Stepping Up programme.

The ground-breaking initiative, established in 2009 by ENABLE, Scotland’s largest charity for people with learning disabilities, supports young people who have a learning disability to build and explore their aspirations for the future, helping them to positively progress into employment, education and industry training upon leaving school.

Stepping Up currently has a 98% positive destination success rate for young people with learning disabilities – higher than current school leaver statistics across the country. The programme aims to tackle the underrepresentation of people with learning disabilities in the workplace through early intervention.

During his visit to Wester Hailes High School, Mr Hepburn heard directly from students who take part in Stepping Up about how the variety of interactive workshops and training activities have helped to increase their confidence and develop their employability skills and has allowed them the chance to realise their potential and consider their aspirations for the future.

Mr Hepburn was also able to get involved in an interview workshop, aimed at building employability skills, and had the chance to try ENABLE Works’ Virtual Reality (VR) headset, as the programme utilises the latest technologies to allow the young people involved to truly be able to envision their future. 

Jay, one of the Stepping Up students, explained what the programme has meant to him: “I have really enjoyed my time on Stepping Up so far, as I’ve learned a lot about college and work and had the chance to try new things such as the VR headset, while working alongside people in a similar position to me.

“As a pupil in fifth year, I’ve started thinking about what I’d like to do after school. Before Stepping Up I really wasn’t sure what was next for me, I didn’t know much about the world of work, and I wouldn’t have known how to write a CV or how to act in an interview. Thanks to the programme, I now understand how to do these things and I feel much more prepared.

“I’ve been discussing college courses and I’m feeling really excited about what options are out there for me. I’d love to study drama or film and I’m looking forward to visiting different colleges to learn more about the full-time options.”

Director of ENABLE Works, Ashley Ryan said: “Stepping Up is the only programme of its kind in Europe and now operates in over 75 schools across Scotland, making a real difference to the lives of thousands of young people.

“We were very pleased to have welcomed Mr Hepburn to Wester Hailes High School to see first-hand the impact the programme is having on disabled young people, to overcome any barriers that can prevent a positive transition from school into adulthood.

“Helping equip young people with learning disabilities with the confidence and skills they need to positively progress into employment or further education is invaluable, and we hope this early intervention will help to close the disability employment gap that exists in Scotland.”

Jamie Hepburn MSP, Minister for Further Education, Higher Education, Youth Employment and Training, said: “It has been inspiring to hear about the vital work that ENABLE does to connect disabled young people to fair work, education and productive activities designed to support a successful transition into adult life and work.

“The Scottish Government is committed to supporting organisations, such as ENABLE, to ensure that people with additional support needs are given a wealth of opportunities.

“I look forward to learning more about the progress of the Stepping Up programme.”

For more information on the Stepping Up programme please contact the ENABLE Works team on enable.works@enable.org.uk or 0300 0200 101.