Staffing

All the very best to Alicia Coyle (Maths) who leaves us today to take up a post at Berwickshire High School as Acting Principal Teacher of Maths.

Information for all parents/carers

Assemblies

These have been led by House Teams this week and have focused on the importance of excellent attendance and punctuality at school to support attainment and achievement and to ensure you reach your potential.

Launch of House Games

Today sees the launch of the House Games, with all pupils, in all Houses, engaged in a variety of tasks and competitions across the school for the two periods after break. The aim is to bring the Houses together, across year groups, to build a House ethos and community. A fun event for all!

We Will Rock You

We've been working together on our upcoming show for June 2026 and have decided on We Will Rock You. We're hoping we've got some Queen fans amidst the staff and students alike to make this another memorable production! Auditions will take place after school next Tuesday 9^th and Thursday 11^th for any student wishing to partake. Rehearsals will commence after the September weekend, and students must be available every Tuesday (and Thursday after Christmas) if they are selected. We look forward to another cast full of talent on our stage at Knox

Rights Respecting Schools

We are a silver Rights Respecting School and each week we explore one of the rights and discuss these in registration. We would like to engage our parents/carers in theses discussion too and would be great if you could also discuss these at home. This week’s right is:

Article 3 - Best interests of the child - all adults should do what is best for the child.  Governments should make sure children are looked after by their parents or by other people when this is needed.

Flu Vaccinations

Please can all consent forms be returned directly to Mrs Swallow (Welfare) by Monday 8 September at latest. Thank you.

Learning Support Update – September 2025

The first month of term has been busy in Learning Support supporting our pupils to settle back into school life.  We are currently short staffed in the department so we are not able to offer all the support sessions that we would like.  We are in the process of recruiting so are hopeful that we will be able to expand our offering of support over the next few weeks.  All relevant students should have had an invitation to join us at specific times during the week for the following groups:

S1 Dyslexia support (short term) – Group 1 has been invited, there are two other groups who will receive their invite in November.

S1 Reading comprehension support sessions – (We have used the information from primary schools to identify our S1 groups.) 

S2 Dyslexia support

S2 spelling support sessions – (All students completed a spelling test in their English class, the results of this have been used to identify students for this group)

S3 Dyslexia group

S3 reading comprehension support sessions – (These pupils have been identified through our knowledge of them)

S4 Dyslexia group

If you think these sessions would be relevant and suitable for your child please check to see if they have an invite or get in touch.  If you would like more subject specific support then please contact the department directly in the first instance.

For our senior phase pupils who are embarking on their National 5 courses or Highers, we have a leaflet outlining the Assessment Arrangements we can offer to those who need it. Please ask your young person to come and pick one up if you are interested.

Finally, it is Dyslexia Awareness week on the 29^th Sept – 5^th Oct 2025.  This Dyslexia Awareness Week Scotland, we’re challenging common myths about dyslexia with a Myth Busting campaign. Knox Academy will only become a dyslexia-friendly school when everyone knows what dyslexia is – and isn’t.

Please look out for more information on this over the coming few weeks. 

More information can be found here: Dyslexia Awareness Week | Dyslexia Scotland - Dyslexia Scotland

Parent Council – 16 September

The first Parent Council meeting of this session will take place in the School library on the 16 September and we would love to see as many parents join us as possible.  Come along from 6pm for tea/coffee and cake and a chat before the meeting starts at 6.30 pm. 

We hope to see you there! (Morven and Sarah - Co-Chairs)

PTA Annual General Meeting – You're Invited! 

This takes place on Tuesday 23rd September at 6.30pm in the school library.

Join us for our PTA AGM - just 15 minutes of formalities before we jump into planning exciting events for the year ahead. Whether you're bursting with ideas or simply curious to learn more, your presence makes a difference!

There’s no pressure to join the committee—just come along, meet other parents and carers, and help us support the school through fun and meaningful fundraising. We typically meet once a term, so it’s a small time commitment. We’d love to see as many of you as possible. 

Skills Development Scotland – for Parents/Carers

Parents/carers will find the following useful tools to supporting their young people, over the years, thinking about future pathways.

Dedicated area on My World of Work Parents/Carers

Support for parents and carers on skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk

Book Fair 

Knox Academy is hosting a book fair in the library from Friday 19^th September until Wednesday 24^th September 2025. 

The book fair gives pupils the opportunity to purchase some new and exciting titles while also raising money to support our school library. Titles on offer include the latest Suzanne Collins and Five Nights at Freddies books as well as some books from emerging authors and classic stories.  To view the fantastic titles on offer please visit here.

Books can be bought via the scholastic website from Friday 12^th September or during the fair itself by visiting here.

A tombola will also run for the duration of the fair with the grand prize being a hamper of book themed goodies. Tickets for the tombola are 3 for £1.  All proceeds from the fair and tombola will go towards purchasing pupils book suggestions. 

Trips

Mrs McSherry (PE) is leading a trip to see Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Musical on the evening of Thursday 25 September. Tickets are £10. Pupils who wish to go should register their interest with her.

Pupils’ Success Stories

Gymnastics

Congratulations to Kira Mihhailova (S2) who will travel to Bracknell this weekend as she has been invited to attend the British Gymnastics Performance camp - this is held by the GB coaching squad and is used as a pre European selection opportunity. We wish her all the very best with this.

Duke of Edinburgh

Knox Academy pupils who were participating in DofE last session spent 416 hours volunteering between March 2024 and April 2025. We are immensely proud of their dedication, effort and achievement and our young people making an impact on the community.

Scottish Age Group Athletic Championships

A huge congratulations to Branna Kenny (S2) who won a gold medal in the pole-vault.

If you would like to tell us about your young person’s achievements out of school please send them to the admin@knox.elcschool.org.uk and in the subject line says HT’s update.

Important Information for S4/5/6 Parents and Carers

Parents' Evenings and Reporting - What to Expect 

Following the October assessments, we want to ensure you’re fully informed about how we’ll be sharing progress and supporting your young person's learning.

Teacher Contact

Teachers will only contact you directly if there are concerns about:

• Attainment

• Effort

• Home learning

• A possible change of level or course

No Formal Reports Yet

There will be no formal report issued at this stage.

We are waiting until after the prelims to give a more complete and accurate picture of your child’s progress.

Parents’ Evenings – Please Attend

We strongly encourage all parents/carers to attend one of the following evenings:

Wednesday 6 November

Monday 11 November

These will run from 4.30pm – 6.30pm

These evenings are a key opportunity to:

• Discuss your young person’s progress

• Talk about next steps in learning

Prelims

Start on 21 November and end on 5 December

Formal Report

The first full report for S4/5/6 pupils will be issued in January.

This will reflect:

• October assessments

• Prelim performance

These will give a clear and accurate picture of progress and predicted attainment.

Dates for your diary:

12-15 September (inclusive) – Holiday (all)

Tuesday 16 September – Parent Council (all welcome) – School Library 6.30-8pm

Tuesday 23 September – PTA (all welcome) – School Library 6.30pm

9 October – P7 Information Evening – 5-7pm

13-20 0ctober – Pupils’ holiday (13-17 for staff)

Our school calendar is updated regularly and should be used to access all information throughout the year and allows you to plan ahead too.

 

Sue Cook

Quick Links:

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Please also remember to follow us at: www.ka-net.org.uk   @knoxacademyHT for the latest information and updates.