October 2025

HEAD TEACHER'S UPDATE 31 OCTOBER 2025
Published: 31 October 2025

Staffing

Susanne Fox will start her new post (PT Inclusion), at Newbattle High School, on 21 November

Welcome to Calum Archibald who started with us on Thursday as our new Maths teacher.

Welcome also to Sandie Munro who starts with us today (Friday) as a temporary teacher of Music

Katy Coats will start with us on Monday as a temporary teacher of PE (runs until December 2026).

We are currently advertising/about to advertise for:

PT Inclusion – full time/permanent (goes live today)

A full-time permanent teacher at Meadowpark (goes live today)

Temporary Curriculum Leader of Communications (goes live today)

Pupil Support Worker – permanent 27 ½ hrs a week – (closes on Sunday)

A temporary teacher of CDT/Computing until April 2026 (closes on Sunday)

Assemblies

On Monday our assembly was led by Kooth. Kooth is a free, safe and anonymous mental health resource for children and young people aged 10-26 in East Lothian. Kooth has direct text-based mental health support, a wellbeing magazine, discussion boards, mini self-care activities and journaling/goal setting tools. All pupils at the school are able to use Kooth on any device and for any worries they might have. Animated 5 min video resource KOOTH

On Tuesday our assemblies were on Achievement Ties (see below for more information).

On Thursday, we had a whole school assembly for Black History month. This was led by Ms Anderson. 

Assemblies are also being arranged for seniors about prelims and etiquette at these

School Photographs

Tempest will be back in school on Monday 3 November 2025 to take school record photographs of S1, S3 and S6 students.  Those who have joined Knox Academy in the last year have also been invited to attend throughout the day.  All parents/students should have received an email detailing the time of their individual photoshoot.  Parents/Carers will have the opportunity to purchase photos/gifts afterwards should they wish - photograph proofs will be delivered to registration teachers the following week - these are being printed off-site and delivered back to the school this time to improve workflow on the day. Remember (as always) that full school uniform is expected.

Meadowpark S6 students have been invited to join for the Whole S6 Group Photo in the afternoon.  Individual photos for Meadowpark will be arranged at a later date.

Achievement Ties – Applications opening

Over the last seven years Knox Academy has recognised achievement in school based extra-curricular and non-school based wider achievements through the awarding of Achievement Ties. Nominations are now open and can be completed through the google form found here . Nominations are welcome from pupils, parents/carers, staff and coaches/leaders. Further information can be found in this presentation.  There will be an upcoming assembly about this on the 27th of October to promote, explain and introduce the award system. The deadline for nominations will be Friday the 21 November 2025.

Diligence Awards

Diligence awards are given to those pupils who have demonstrated hard work and commitment, on a day to day basis, throughout Term 1 (August - November).  These certificates detail all subjects your young person has been nominated in. The ultimate aim is for pupils to be nominated in all of their subjects. If they are not, the goal is to continue to work even harder in the subjects not mentioned so they are nominated in them in Term 2. The idea behind these awards is to create ambition (one of our school values) and raise attainment and achievement through sustained effort and commitment to their studies, thus ensuring they reach their potential. These are really important awards and parents/carers should review these with their young person to identify their successes and also support them where ‘subjects’ missing require more sustained effort. More information on our diligence awards is available by clicking on this link Diligence Awards. Diligence Awards will be issues to pupils in December.

Rights Respecting Schools

The Right of the Week (these are written by the UNCRC) is

Article 11 - Protection from Kidnapping

Governments must stop children being taken out of the country - when this is against the law, for example being kidnapped by someone or held abroad by a parent when the other parent does not agree.  

Trips/visits

Poppy Scotland and Launch Event – Scottish Parliament

On Wednesday the 29 October two of our senior pupils, Luke Mercer and Finlay Paterson, attended the official start of the Poppy Scotland campaign at Holyrood, accompanied by Mr Flood and the provost of East Lothian, John MacMillan. The event was introduced by the Presiding Officer, Allison Johnstone. This was followed by a talk about the support that Poppy Scotland provides to veterans and their families around Scotland.  The final presenter talked about her work with veterans and military families and providing them with support for dementia. Following this there was food and drink available, and we mingled with politicians, military officials and Poppy Scotland representatives.

Author Visit - Miranda Moore

We had a fantastic author visit from Miranda Moore on Monday 27th October in our school library. Pupils from S1 - S3 spoke with the author about her debut novel 'A Beautiful, Terrible Thing' and completing creative writing exercises that made them think about characters, opening lines and how to build a story from scratch. All of the pupils warmly welcomed Miranda to the school, and it was great to see such engagement from our fantastic young people. Well done everyone! 

Music

The Music Department welcomed Kevin Mackenzie, guitarist and lecturer at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to Knox on Thursday 23rd October. Kevin shared his craft of performing and composing with our Higher & Advanced Higher musicians. Thanks to Elaine Gorman (Developing Young Workforce) for facilitating this worthwhile partnership.

Haddington Care Home and Knox Music Department are keen to establish an intergenerational partnership.  Knox musicians will be popping over to perform for the residents on a regular basis. A big thank you to Advanced Higher musicians Imogen Dale & James Gorman (S6) for representing Knox with their guitars on Tuesday 28th October. We look forward to welcoming residents from all the care homes in Haddington to the matinee Knox Christmas Concert on Thursday 11th December.

S1 Choir – Christmas

We are delighted to let you know that rehearsals are now underway for the S1 Christmas Choir 2025. We have embedded the choral experience into our S1 curriculum as an opportunity for our students to develop the transferable skills of confidence, communication and creativity. The S1 cohort will perform on the school stage at our Matinee Christmas Concert on Thursday 11th December at 11:30am in front of an audience of p7 pupils and community guests from local care homes.

Pupils’ Success Stories

Highland Dance

A huge congratulations to Blyth Brown (2L1) who was competing in the Scottish Highland Dance Championships, last weekend in Edinburgh. Blyth won the Intermediate Section and is now the Scottish Champion. This is an amazing achievement as she competed against both children and adults.

Scouts

Filip Russel (S4) has secured a place at the 26th World Scout Jamboree in Gdańsk, Poland in 2027. He went through a competitive selection process, where 36 Scouts were chosen to represent South East Scotland out of around 700 applicants. What a great achievement and although some time away, we will look forward to hearing all about his experience.

Sea Cadets

Joshua and Connor Docherty (S6), have been actively involved in the Sea Cadets, a charity dedicated to the development of young people with a focus on nautical adventure.  Some of their achievements this year have been:

Northern Area Drill and Piping Competition (covering Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the North of England) (25th of April):  Joshua secured 1st place as an individual Piper for the second consecutive year and Connor achieved 2nd place as part of the Drill Colour party.

Northern Area Sailing and Windsurfing Regatta (6th July): Joshua earned 1st place in the Pico Class and also attended the National Competition in Southport in  September. Connor earned 1st place in the Zest Class and also attended the National Competition in Southport in September.

Dunkirk to Aberdeen - Tall Ships Race ( 12th - 26th July.  Connor and Joshua spent 2 weeks off-shore on a continuous voyage from Dunkirk to Aberdeen in the Sea Cadet Square Rig Sailing ship, racing with ships with young people from all over the world.

Drill Instructor Certification (1-week course during summer holidays at HMS Caledonia) (1st of August: Both Joshua and Connor qualified as Instructors at Royal Navy Drill level (excluding Sword Drill due to age).

RYA Dinghy Instructor Certification (5-day Instructor course, only available after 100s of hours of sailing and pre-requisite qualifications, including Powerboat 2 license) (13th - 17th of October): Both Joshua and Connor have been awarded the RYA Dinghy Instructor qualification, allowing them to teach sailing to young people and adults. This qualification, issued by the Royal Yachting Association, provides them with the potential for paid employment at RYA-approved sailing locations and the authority to issue certificates to trainees.

This is quite a list of achievements! Congratulations on all of these.

Dates for you diary:

6 and 11 November – S4/5/6 Parents’ Evening – 4.30-6.30pm

20 November – Parent Council – all welcome – 6.30-8pm (School Library)

3 December – S2 Parents’ Evening – 4.30-6.30pm

8 December – S1-S3 Winter Ball – 7-9pm

11 December – Christmas Concert – 7pm – Assembly Hall

11 December - S1-S6 Flu Vaccinations (library)

16 December – S4-S6 Winter Ball – 7-9pm

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

 

 

HEAD TEACHER'S UPDATE 23 OCTOBER 2025
Published: 23 October 2025

Staffing

Teacher of PE from October2025 - December 2026– interviews took place on 10 October and Kathryn Coats has been appointed to this post.

Acting Curriculum Leader of Communications (English and Languages) - Emma Reynolds (English) has been appointed to this post for the next 6-8 weeks. The 6-8 month temporary post, which will run until the end of April/May, will be advertised today.  The post is to backfill Ms Machen, who is currently acting DHT whilst Mr Illingworth is at Preston Lodge High School.

Mhairi Chalmers, one of our teachers at Meadowpark, will be finishing with us on 13 November. I would like to thank her for all her hard work and commitment during her time at our school and wish her all the very best for the future.

Lucy Thom, also a teacher at Meadowpark, will be leaving us on 5 November to take up a teaching position at Earlston High School. I would like to thank Lucy for her work with pupils, staff and parents/carers at our school and wish her well in her new post.

Leighton Thomas, our Head Janitor, retires following work next Thursday (30 October 2025). We would like to thank him for all his hard work at Knox Academy over the last 20 years and wish him all the very best for a long and happy retirement.

Posts currently being advertised/about to advertised:

CDT/Computing – temporary until SQA exam leave – went live on 17 October for 2 weeks

A Pupil Support Worker – 27 ½ hrs a week – permanent

Acting Curriculum Leader of Communications (English and Languages) – until April/May 2026.

Information for all parents/carers

S1-S3 Tracking Report

The first S1-S3 Tracking Report of the session was issued digitally through Parents' Portal on Wednesday. For those who have not signed up, paper copies have been issued to young people. Due to a technical issue, S2 History and Modern Studies Tracking Reports have been sent separately by email. If you have not already done so, please do consider signing up to the Parents' Portal as this is the preferred method for sharing reports in the BGE.

S4-S6 Parents' Evening

S4-S6 pupils will be issued with their sign-up sheets on Monday, ahead of the Parent's evenings on Wednesday 6 November and Tuesday 11 November. The sign-up sheet will be double-sided to allow young people to choose appointments on the most suitable date. By providing two evenings, we do hope to see as many parents/carers as possible. This is sure to be a valuable evening ahead of the prelim diet (beginning 18 November 2025)

Assemblies

This week our assemblies have been on anti-bullying. Anti-bullying week takes place from Monday 10 – Friday 14 November. More information can be found here.

Rights Respecting Schools

The Right of the Week (these are written by the UNCRC) is Article 10:

If a child's parents live in different countries, the child and parents have the right to stay in contact and the child has the right to visit both parents.  

Pupils’ Success Stories

Karate

Congratulations to Bella Gold (S6), whom, during the October break, travelled to Kidderminster to train with Sensei Tsukada, 9th Dan, Sankukai karate. During this she was awarded her adult 2nd Dan black belt. What a great achievement!

Squash

Good luck to Jamie Pearman (S6) who is competing in the British Junior Squash Championships in Sheffield at the end of next week. He will play in the U17s event.

Music

Robin Mitchell (S1) achieved a distinction in his Grade 7 piano exam. What an achievement!

Dates for your diary:

Tuesday 28th October – PTA - 6.30pm in the School Library – All Welcome

6 and 11 November – S4/5/6 Parents’ Evening – 4.30-6.30pm

20 November – Parent Council – all welcome – 6.30-8pm (School Library)

3 December – S2 Parents’ Evening – 4.30-6.30pm

11 December – Christmas Concert – 7pm – Assembly Hall

11 December - S1-S6 Flu Vaccinations (library)

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:

remote learning resources, course choices, supported study and careers news. Clicking on these headings takes you straight to these pages.

Please also look at our website for lots of other information. Please also follow us on Twitter for up-to-date news on a day to day basis.

Please also remember to follow us at: www.ka-net.org.uk 84CEAEA2   for the latest information and updates.

HEAD TEACHER'S UPDATE 10 OCTOBER 2025
Published: 09 October 2025

Staffing

Acting DHT – following interviews on Wednesday, Zara Machen (currently Curriculum Leader of Communications) has been appointed to this post. We will now be advertising for an acting CL of Communications to backfill her post.

Teacher of PE from October2025 - December 2026– interviews are in process and I will let parents/carers know following the holidays.

Amber Steele – Pupil Support Worker is also leaving Knox Academy today. She has been an amazing Pupil Support Worker in her time here and we would like to wish her all the best for her future.

Posts currently being advertised/about to advertised:

CDT/Computing – temporary until SQA exam leave – will go live on 17 October for 2 weeks

Pupil Support Worker – permanent (full time) for 27 ½ hours.

Information for all parents/carers

Prelims (S4-S6)

Parents/carers should have received a letter from me on Wednesday outlining the prelim diet dates and the protocol for these. Please discuss this with your young person. Pupils will also have assemblies to support them with studying for these and to point them towards resources (and to highlight the study sessions available at the school and online which will support them – see last week’s HT’s update). Please can parents/carers encourage their young people to study for their prelims during the October break and in the lead up to these. Please can we also ask for your support to ensure they attend school regularly throughout the year so they don’t miss any course work or assessments. Thank you.

Study Support for Senior Pupils

As we approach the October break I felt it was worth highlighting this again to support our senior prepare for their prelims and they can access during the holiday period:

The E-Sgoil Evening online study support programme – which is completely free. Study Support comprises live, interactive webinars and are delivered online by experienced, GTCS registered teachers. 55 different webinars are on offer each week during term time, covering the most popular curricular areas as well as an extensive range of other subjects.  Webinars are due to begin on Monday 27th October. All pupils will need their Glow passwords to sign up and they can ask any of their teachers for this. Further information on how to access the programme can be found here. 

Assemblies

This week’s assembly was led by our S6 pupils, for S5 pupils, on the Jump to Higher (the increase in work from National 5 to Higher and how to approach this). It covered how to cope with the work, how to study for prelims/exams and how to manage stress. It was such a useful assembly led by pupils for pupils and the S5 really seemed to appreciate hearing advice from pupils who has just sat Highers.

Guardian Summaries – Google Classroom

This links gives information about Guardian Summaries and how to sign up for these. The form needs to be completed by parents/carers and the young person.

Meadowpark

Please shop at Tesco and put your tokens in the Meadowpark collection point so we can hopefully be awarded the money and use this to purchase outdoor learning resources. Thank you.  

Rights Respecting Schools

The Right of the Week (these are written by the UNCRC):

Article 9 _ keeping families together

Children should not be separated from their parents unless they are not being looking after properly.  For example, if a parent hurts or does not take care of their child.  Children whose parents don't live together should stay in contact with both parents unless this might harm the child.  

Eco-Committee Collaboration with Pear Tree Nursery

On Monday this week the Eco Committee welcomed 15 children from Pear Tree nursery for an eco-education event. Knox students prepared three different activities for the toddlers: an art activity, a litter picking activity, and a reading activity. The nursery children had a fantastic time learning about recycling and eco-friendly habits. The Eco-Committee represented Knox with confidence, energy, and kindness. They worked brilliantly with the Pear Tree youngsters to give them a positive experience and we're hoping to plan more collaborations in the future to continue to promote a sense of community here at Knox (by Ms Laudi, Languages)

Author Visit - Miranda Moore

We are very excited to be welcoming the author Miranda Moore to the school on Monday 27th October for two creative writing workshops. 

Her new book A Beautiful, Terrible Thing is a young adult novel focussing on the themes of grief, hope and life-altering love. More information about Miranda's book can be found here. Personal copies can be bought from our lovely local bookshop, Night Owl Books, and will be delivered to the school library for the visit.

Any pupils still wishing to sign up to attend a workshop should speak to Miss Robertson in the library ASAP as spaces are limited! 

Disabled Parking Spaces

The disabled parking spaces on the school site are strictly reserved for staff and visitors who hold a valid disabled parking permit. These spaces are essential for ensuring accessibility and convenience for those who genuinely need them.

Please refrain from parking in these designated areas unless you are authorised to do so. Your cooperation helps us maintain an inclusive and respectful environment for all. (Peter Luke, Business Manager).

Trips

S5/6 are attended the Higher Psychology Conference, at North Berwick, on Wednesday 8 October.

October Holidays – Venturing Out

Lots of activities available to book on the programme.

Have a great summer October break and we will look forward to welcoming our young people back on Tuesday 21 October for Term 2.

Dates for your diary:

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

Tuesday 28th October – PTA - 6.30pm in the School Library – All Welcome

6 and 11 November – S4/5/6 Parents’ Evening – 4.30-6.30pm

20 November – Parent Council – all welcome – 6.30-8pm (School Library)

3 December – S2 Parents’ Evening – 4.30-6.30pm

11 December – Christmas Concert – 7pm – Assembly Hall

11 December - S1-S6 Flu Vaccinations (library)

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:

remote learning resources, course choices, supported study and careers news. Clicking on these headings takes you straight to these pages.

Please also look at our website for lots of other information. Please also follow us on Twitter for up-to-date news on a day to day basis.

Please also remember to follow us at: www.ka-net.org.uk 84CEAEA2   for the latest information and updates.

HEAD TEACHER'S UPDATE 3 OCTOBER 2025
Published: 03 October 2025

Staffing

Congratulations to Susanne Fox (PT Inclusion) who has been appointed to Newbattle High School at their PT Inclusion. A start date has to be confirmed.

We also say goodbye to Jamie Balfour (Computing) on Friday 10 October. He leaves us to take up a Computing post at Dunbar Grammar School. We wish him all the very best in his new role.

Music – temporary one day (Friday) – Maria Townsley is our preferred candidate subject to pre-employment checks.

Acting DHT – interviews will take place on 8 October.

Teacher of PE from October2025 - December 2026– interviews will take place on 10 October

Posts currently being advertised/about to advertised:

CDT/Computing – temporary until SQA exam leave – will go live on 17 October for 2 weeks

Information for all parents/carers

Assemblies

This week our assemblies have been about:

Duke of Edinburgh – an opportunity for those in S3 who would be interested in being part of this programme to apply for a place on it. This award is run by Mr Boyle (Science). Places are limited.

The Pupil Leadership Team also led an online assembly about the work they have been leading on in the school.

Rights Respecting Schools

The Right of the Week;

Article 8 Identity

Children have the right to their own identity - an official record of who they are which includes their name, nationality and family relations.  No one should take this away from them, but if this happens, governments must help children to quickly get their identity back.  

Study Support for Senior Pupils

Our Study Support timetable is available here. Please encourage your young people to attend these – especially if they are in S4/5/6 and about to sit prelims and their SQA exams in April/May next year. Our senior can also use ACHIEVE (most departments are using this so pupils should speak directly to their teachers for more guidance on how to use this to its maximum).

There is also an opportunity for all of our Senior Pupils to join the E-Sgoil Evening online study support programme – which is completely free. Study Support comprises live, interactive webinars and are delivered online by experienced, GTCS registered teachers. 55 different webinars are on offer each week during term time, covering the most popular curricular areas as well as an extensive range of other subjects.  Webinars are due to begin on Monday 27th October. All pupils will need their Glow passwords to sign up and they can ask any of their teachers for this. Further information on how to access the programme can be found here. 

We also have an ADHD support group running at school and there is a great resources designed to support them study. However I am sharing this resource more widely as it has great tips for all young people and for parents/carers to support their study.

Trips

S3 Spanish – trip to see a Spanish film at the Fraser Centre on 2/10.

Drama Department – 30 pupils to see War Horse last night at the Festival Theatre.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief 

What a wonderful night we had at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre on Thursday night (25th Sept)! Forty three of our S1 to S6 students avidly watched Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Musical. The singing was fantastic, it was excellent platform to see young role models, acting and singing at such a high level in this west end show. It was inspiring and captivating. 

Thanks to all parents/carers who managed to arrange transport making this a very enjoyable night for all. (By Mrs McSherry, PE)

Pupils’ Success Stories

East of Scotland Junior Squash Championships

Congratulations to Hamish Westgarth (S1) who won the Under 13s title. In the Under 15s, Phoebe Hamilton won all her matches to win the title, with Emily Westgarth coming 3rd. In the boys’ Under 17 age group, Jamie Pearman took first place, after winning all his matches, and Fraser Westgarth took the 3rd spot. Jamie also entered the Under 19 event and came 3rd, with Calum Scott in 4th place.

Dates for your diary:

9 October – P7 Information Evening – 5-7pm

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

6 and 11 November – S4/5/6 Parents’ Evening – 4.30-6.30pm

20 November – Parent Council – all welcome – 6.30-8pm (School Library)

3 December – S2 Parents’ Evening – 4.30-6.30pm

11 December – Christmas Concert – 7pm – Assembly Hall

11 December  - S1-S6 Flu Vaccinations (library)

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:

remote learning resources, course choices, supported study and careers news. Clicking on these headings takes you straight to these pages.

Please also look at our website for lots of other information. Please also follow us on Twitter for up-to-date news on a day to day basis.

Please also remember to follow us at: www.ka-net.org.uk 84CEAEA2   for the latest information and updates.