As we head towards the end of the Spring Term, please find some key updates and info for you and your child(ren).
Staffing Update
- I'm pleased to confirm that Mr Brown is now a permanent member of the Pupil Support Team in Kilrie!
- Mr Leslie (PT Modern Languages) will be retiring at the end of this academic session. Formal farewells to follow in due course, but the recruitment process for his replacement has started and interviews will take place shortly after the Spring break.
- Mrs Stewart (computing) will leave us at the end of term. I'd like to thank her for her support with our certificate computing classes. Mr Shearer will be returning shortly after the Spring break.
Upcoming Exam Leave
Exam leave for all S4 to S6 learners will commence on Monday 20 April - Friday 29 May (immediately after the Spring Break - learners will not return from the holidays). Learners who are returning to school will do so on Tuesday 2 June for the start of the new timetable. Some learners may be invited into school at specific times to complete coursework and assessments out with the exam schedule - teachers will communicate directly with young people regarding this. Mr Robertson has shared this information with you this morning, the letter is also available on our school website - https://www.balweariehigh.co.uk/News/Exam-and-Study-Support-Information/
All leavers are also required to hand back their Fife Council issued iPad. Pupils are asked to hand in their iPad, and accessories, to the school reception on the day of their final exam.
Along with the iPad, pupils need to hand back the charger, cable and case in good and full working order. In line with the parent and carer agreement, where there has been any damage or loss of these, we will require the following costs to be met.
- Replacement iPad - £150 (please email balweariehs.enquiries@fife.gov.uk)
- Replacement Case - £25 (please email balweariehs.enquiries@fife.gov.uk)
- Replacement Charger - £8 (available on iPayImpact Shop)
- Replacement Cable - £2 (available on iPayImpact Shop)
School Leavers
As many pupils plan to leave Balwearie after exams there are a couple of things that are required of them. Any pupil leaving is required to complete a Leavers Form. This is a digital form and can be found on our school website - Balwearie High School - Leaver Form 2025-2026
S1 - S3 Assemblies
Our final House Assemblies of the year will take place on Thursday at the following times: S1: Period 4 S2: Period 3 (first half) S3: Period 3 (second half) We'll share important messages about expectations for our young people in relation to the exam period and supporting our senior pupils during this time and celebrating house successes as we wrap up the term. Young people should register at the start of the period and their teacher will bring them to the assembly hall.
Course Choice - Senior Phase Pupils
As per my previous update, we are now coming to the end of the course choice process for our senior phase pupils (those moving into S5 and S6). Guidance teachers have now carried out 1 to 1 coursing conversations with all young people. The next steps will be the final allocation of choices to every young person making choices in S3 to S6 (over 1000 young people!). The next steps will be the final allocation of choices to every young person making choices in S3 to S6 (over 1000 young people!). We operate a 'free choice' system and will decide which subjects and how many classes are running based on pupil demand, staff availability and progression. This sometimes means we can't offer every subject a young person wants, but do try to ensure we offer as many young people their first choice of subjects wherever possible. If your child isn't allocated a subject they hoped for, it may be because, as an example, not enough young people selected it or it clashes with one of their other choices which was more of a priority for them. If this is the case, the Guidance Teacher or DHT link may have a further discussion with your child to make them aware of the reasons and agree an alternative if one of their reserve choices isn't available either. We might also be able to contact other schools in the locality/Local Authority to see if your child can travel to follow their preferred course. You can find course choice information and deadlines on our Pathways Site (click the button below). Here's a snapshot of timelines for ease!
iPad Loan Library
Just a reminder that in order to support learners who do forget their iPad, as we know this can happen from time to time, from Monday 23 February we started operating our iPad loan library for those who have forgotten their iPads or have forgotten to charge them overnight.
- There are 30 Daily loan iPads available from reception each morning from 0830 – 1025. Please note that loan iPads will not be available out with this time window.
- These will be signed out in the morning and back in at the end of the day by reception staff.
- Loan iPads are different to our normal compliment and scrub data each evening.
- Loan iPads have limited functionality, and pupils need to log in to each app.
- Loan iPads will be charged overnight in a cabinet at reception.
- Loan iPads will not be issued to any pupil more than one day in a row with the aim of encouraging pupils to bring their own iPad fully charged daily, not just relying on using the loans. We will be reviewing the loan registers regularly to track, challenge and support any patterns.
We have been running this for a couple of weeks now and are noticing that a small number of learners are forgetting to return their borrowed device at the end of the day to the main reception. If you are aware that your child has brought a borrowed device home, please ensure they return this to the main reception urgently for others to use. These devices are cleared every night and are not set up to work from home so they are no use to learners out with school.
iPad replacement parts
On iPayimpact we have set up a school shop that allows the purchase of replacement chargers, cables and screen protectors. Should you need to purchase any of these, place your order via iPayimpact and we will arrange for the replacement to be provided to your child.
- Replacement Charger - £8
- Replacement USB-C - USB-C cable - £2
School Ethos & Parent/Carer support
We're extremely grateful for the ongoing support from families for helping with our 'Ready to Learn' approaches and ensuring our young people arrive in school, in uniform and with everything they need to engage in lessons. We've noticed that more young people are remembering to get a pass from their teacher too when using the toilets during class time, which has helped ease the pressures we were experiencing during class times with access to the main facilities. Learners should remember that leaving class to use the toilets (unless they have a medical pass) should be kept to a minimum. I would also like to remind families that we expect young people to wear an item of clothing that identifies them clearly as a Balwearie High School pupil - a shirt and tie remains the cheapest option whilst the half-zip tops can also be worn with the school badge. Wearing uniform helps us create a positive ethos in school with learners feeling a stronger sense of identity with our school, which, in turn, has a positive impact on their mindset for learning. We updated our uniform expectations a couple of years ago to allow much more flexibility for young people whilst maintaining our standards and expectations. You can find our uniform standard information here. As usual, during exam leave, the vending machines that are predominantly used by our S1 - S4 learners, will not be available as they are located in the out of bounds area near the main assembly hall. Following observation of these during the school day (class times) we have decided to remove these from the main school to minimise the number of young people leaving classes to access them when they should be in class, or returning late to classes after social times as they wait to use the machines. The canteen will continue to provide snack items as usual and the breakfast club remains open for young people first thing in the morning, as well as the water fountains to make sure young people can fill their water bottles during break/lunchtime/start/end of day if they need to. The company will explore the options for the machines to be relocated for community use purposes. We are also increasing the visibility of particular areas across the school estate with increased CCTV for safety and security purposes. This will now cover the lower C Block corridor, all stairwells and L Block areas.
Pupil Successes
Polar Academy - They Did It!!!
Well, after all the training, sweat and probably some tears too, the Polar Academy Expedition Team have returned from their travels to Finland. Here are some of the fantastic moments they captured during their trip. We are working with our local Rotary Club who are commissioning a plaque for the figurehead in our crush hall and we are commissioning a similar one for our own explorers that will sit side by side with Robert Falcon Scott's figurehead. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR POLAR FAMILIES!
Swimming Success
Congratulations to some of our Club Swimmers who competed incredibly well at the recent Fife School's Swimming Competition. Not only did they win medals in their events but also qualified for the Fife Region at the Scottish Schools Swimming finals, which will take place in Aberdeen on 4/5 June. 19 Balwearie pupils were entered (some pictured below). Well done all and best of luck in the next round.
Spring Concert
We were treated to another evening of fantastic performances at the Spring Concert on Tuesday 31 March. Congratulations and thank you to all those involved in putting on such a great show (as always!).
Dress Down Day - 2 April
Our Eco Group has organised a dress down day for Thursday 2 April. Staff and pupils are encouraged to wear something GREEN to show support for environmental awareness and sustainability. Suggested donation is £1. Pupils will be collecting cash donations on the day, alternatively iPayimpact has been set up should you wish to donate online. If you require your Unique Reference Number to register your iPayimpact account please email balweariehs.enquiries@fife.gov.uk. There will also be a bake sale at break - pupils will require cash if they wish to purchase something and all funds raised will go to Greener Kirkcaldy. Thanks in advance for your support - we look forward to seeing lots of green around the school!
S6 Leavers
It's that time of year when we say farewell to our S6 cohort and, indeed, some of our Balwearie Families as their young person heads onto their next adventure. They are a fantastic bunch of kids and we wish them all the very best in what they head off to next. They'll have their S6 fun day tomorrow, Prom to look forward to soon and we'll see them as they head in for their final exams over the coming weeks but, from your Balwearie Family - thank you and good luck!
Parent/Carer Voice Chair Opportunity
If you want to be involved in helping our school move forward and creating fantastic opportunities for young people and staff, and supporting us in general, we are seeking a new chair for our Parent/Carer Voice group. This role is a great opportunity for a parent/carer with new ideas and passion for helping make Balwearie High School the best place it can be. You'll work with the HT and DHT (Mr Robertson) as well as a group of other parents and carers who are involved throughout the year. If you're interested, or would like to know more, contact Mr Robertson using the email address below:
balweariehs.enquiries@fife.gov.uk
Previous meeting minutes are available to read here.
If you would like to support and sign up for the lottery - click here
If you would like to find out more about the Parent & Carer Voice - click here
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