Staffing

Mrs Sinclair leaves us today. On behalf of all at Knox Academy, I would like to say a huge thank you to her for her leadership of the Communications faculty this session. She has inspired us all and led a number of fantastic initiatives at the school and her commitment and passion for her role shone through. We wish her all the very best for her return to Portobello High School, who is lucky to have her.

A massive thank you also goes to Ms Machen, who has been acting DHT during this session. She has led with enthusiasm and commitment to getting the best results for all young people at the school. Although she returns to her role as Curriculum Leader of Comms, we look forward to Ms Machen continuing to work alongside SLT to embed the initiatives she has started on learning and teaching.

Mr Illingworth returns to Knox Academy, on Tuesday 20 May, following his secondment to Dalkeith High School as acting Head Teacher. It will be lovely to welcome him back and we look forward to hearing from him about his experience and what he has learned that we may be able to adopt, or adapt, here to continue our forwards journey.

Temporary teacher of Support for Learning – Katy Coats has been appointed to this post.

Geography – permanent one day –interviews will take place next week.

PT Equity (acting) – Mr Elliot Elder-Smith has been appointed to this post and will take this up on Monday 2 June. Thank you to Mr Welsh for leading on this until the end of May.

SQA Examinations

A reminder that all pupils sitting an exam on Monday must attend for these (even though a holiday for pupils). 

S1 HPV Vaccinations – Wednesday 21 May 2025

All young people in S1 are offered the HPV vaccine which protects them from HPV-related cancers such as head and neck cancers and cervical cancer, as well as genital warts in later life. The HPV vaccine is given as an injection in the upper arm and most young people will only need one dose. These vaccinations will take place at Knox Academy and Meadowpark on Wednesday 21 May. Please note some MMR vaccinations will also take place on the day, for those pupils who received a consent form and returned it to school.

Please click on this link for further information, including videos about why vaccines are offered to young people and what to expect at the vaccination session

Quadrant Design

The quadrant/outdoor classroom is making great progress with numerous planters, seating areas and a pond! Our totem pole will be going up soon – which features the designs of some of our pupils, and tells the history of the school.

Activities Week

We were blessed with the best weather possible for our activities week, with the sun shining every day! All year groups seem to have had a great time, whether they were in school, out and about on trips (S2) or on the S3 PGL residential down in Yorkshire or out and about in Edinburgh too. Thank you to pupils for giving their best and using the opportunity to learn new skills and knowledge – and many made new friends across the year group. A huge thank you to staff for your planning and giving freely of your time to make this the success it was. Thank you to parents/carers who also go in touch re feedback and we will certainly take your views into account when planning future activities and trips.

Edinburgh Marathon Festival

Good luck to all the staff and pupils who are taking part on this event on Saturday 24 May to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Please do support us by clicking on this Link. Your donation—no matter how big or small—will directly support teenagers battling cancer. Thank you.

Mental Health Awareness Week

This is mental health awareness week and this year’s theme is Community. We can all do our bit to be kind and support one another at all times during the year (s). Feeling supported to others can make a huge difference to our health and wellbeing – being included and valued. To find out more about this year’s theme and to access resources, click here.

Pupils’ Successes

Keep Scotland Beautiful

Congratulations to Poppy Davidson-Kelly in S2 who entered the Keep Scotland Beautiful Young Reporters Photography Competition and won first place in the Photo Story category for ages 11-14! The task was to take a photograph that shows beauty and explain why it’s important to keep Scotland beautiful. She has been invited to attend a celebration lunch with other competition winners. Well done, Poppy!

Rugby

Congratulations to our Under 14 ‘s team who won the East Lothian 7s Cup last Saturday. They beat North Berwick in a hard fought final. Great teamwork!

A huge well done to our Knox Academy/Dunbar Grammar girls’ team who won the trophy at the East Emerging Finals day at Pefermill yesterday. They were unbeaten in all 8 games!!

Cyber Security Challenge

Four of our talented pupils have been recognised for their outstanding participation in the Cyber Security Advent Calendar Challenge, organised by tech education charity DressCode. The nationwide challenge attracted over 30,000 pupils, with daily cyber puzzles designed to test problem-solving and promote digital resilience.

Congratulations to Poppy Davidson-Kelly (2L1), Neve Hunter (2L1), Gregor Mitchell (1G2), and Seth Paterson (1G1), who were each awarded a Tobbie Robot as a prize for their efforts.

Duke of Edinburgh

Our S3 pupils were out on their first practice expedition on Tuesday/Wednesday this week. They performed really well in all aspects - the walking, cooking and camping! Thank you to Mr Boyle for his leadership of this group and his commitment to it.

Dates for your diary:

25 April – 30 May – exam leaves for S4-S6 pupils  

19 May – Pupils’ holiday and staff in-service day (note those doing SQA exams this day must attend for these)

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

26-30 May – S3 Work Experience

2 June - New Timetable starts

5 June – S3 BGE Graduation Ceremony

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. E-Sgoil also has some great resources.

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   @knoxacademyHT for the latest information and updates.