Staffing
Steven Illingworth’s secondment is being extended at Preston Lodge High School until March 2027.
This means Zara Machen, Emma Reynolds and Hannah Milligan will continue in their posts, until this date too.
Our Modern Studies teaching post (permanent, full time) is now live and closes on Sunday 22 February.
We are also advertising for a full-time, permanent Pupil Support Worker – this closes on Sunday.
Parents’ Evening S1
It was great to see so many parents/carers and young people along to our parents’ evening on Tuesday. I hope you found the feedback from teachers useful in terms of your young person’s next steps. Certainly those parents/carers I spoke to seemed very happy with the review of progress this far and next steps.
If you were unable to make this evening for any reason, please do contact the House Team so we can get some feedback for you on your young person’s performance.
Access to School after the end of the day
Pupils are welcome to stay on after school to attend study sessions/clubs and to study in the library (until 4.15pm). Unless attending a club/study pupils are expected to go home as they are not being supervised. Please can you discuss this with your young person to ensure they are aware of this. Thank you for your support.
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. 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.
Rights Respecting Schools (RRSA) –
Our Article of focus this week is Article 21 – I have the right to the best care if I am adopted. If a child is adopted, the first concern must be what is best for them. The same rules apply whether the adoption takes place in the country they were born, or if they moved to another country.
HPV vaccine (S1) consent packs – please sign and return the consent form.
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 Tuesday 27th May.
Young people in S1 should have brought home a consent pack from school with more information. NHSScotland encourages parents/carers and young people to chat about the free HPV vaccine using the enclosed information leaflet, before signing and returning their consent form to school in the envelope provided by Friday 20th March.
If your child is currently absent from school, they can collect their consent pack at registration on their return. If they did not receive a consent pack and were present at school, please ask them to speak to Alison the School Welfare Assistant.
Please visit NHS Inform for further information, including videos about why vaccines are offered to young people and what to expect at the vaccination session. (By Mrs Swallow, Welfare)
Pupils’ Successes
County Cross Country Championships
We are proud to announce that our students lived up to our expectations and smashed their performance at Foxlake at the County Champs.
Results were:-
Our 5 individual medallists.
Branna K 1st (S2 Girls)
Jack F 2nd (S3 Boys)
Laurie S 3rd (S3 Boys)
Emily W 2nd (S3 Girls)
Isaac SA 3rd (Senior Boys)
Our Overall Team results
S1 Boys 2nd
S1 Girls 3rd
S2 Boys 3rd
S2 Girls 3rd
S3 Boys 1st
S3 Girls 1st
Senior Boys 1st
Senior Girls 4th
In the whole school competition we were 2nd in the County, with PL, Ross High, North Berwick, Rosehill and Musselburgh in order behind us.
None of these achievements would have been possible without the dedication, resilience, and positive attitude shown by every pupil who took part. A huge thank‑you as well to the staff and supporters who helped make the day such a success. We are incredibly proud of our athletes - well done to everyone who represented the school so brilliantly! (By Katy Coats, PE)
Meadowpark Paired Reading Programme
The pupils below have excelled in their paired reading programme:
Corran
Kaiden - 76,587 (words read)
Zander-57,534 "
Leven
Connor - 19,807 "
Tay
Jordan 1,527
The class who has collectively read the most words is ..... CORRAN with an outstanding 271,140 words read. Well done to all! (By Miss Rebecca McHugh)
Events/Trips:
The S6 Burns Supper was a great success. Thank you to all who attended and to Mr Flood for organising this with the S6 and to Maria Millar (and her team of Elaine and Liz) and S5, for doing the amazing catering and serving.
Valentine’s Disco – This was a well attended, fun evening. Thank you to S6 and Mr Flood/Mr Elder-Smith for organising this and to all staff who supervised. Thanks also to the PTA for attending and leading on cloakroom and refreshments.
Author Visit -Brian Conaghan will be visiting on Friday 13th March to speak to all S3s.
Skillsfest Edinburgh hosted by Lloyds Banking Group
Saturday, Mar 7 from 2 pm to 4:30 pm GMT
Overview
Join us for an afternoon of discovery and exploration filled with workshops, demos, & networking at Skillsfest Edinburgh
Skillsfest Edinburgh
Join us for an afternoon of learning and networking at Skillsfest Edinburgh
For students aged 14 -19 Skillfest is all about helping you make more sense of the range of careers out there, your skills and what type of roles might suit you. We debug the difference between going to uni or pursuing an apprenticeship and you get to see inside Lloyds, meet apprentices and our early careers experts.
The event will be held at The Mound, so mark your calendars and get ready for a productive afternoon. Together we'll help you move your career Faster. Forwards.
NEW FOR 2026
Our 2026 line up of experiences will include:
- all about our apprenticeship schemes and hiring for September 2026 entry including from existing apprentices themselves
- skillsbuilder crime fighter - try your hand at keeping our millions of customers safe from a simulated online fraud
- learn how to develop a customer proposition and try your hand at creating an app to help our customers with financial empowerment
IMPORTANT POINTS TO NOTE
The lead booker must be 16 years or older
Up to 5 tickets can be reserved per booking
All guests need to be at least 14 years old on the day of the event to be granted access
Use this link to book – Skillsfest 2026
General Info/Community
Water Bottles
A reminder that all pupils should be bringing their own refillable water bottles to school and using the water machines to top these up during break and lunch. Pupils should not be accessing the school office to ask for cups for water.. We are also requesting that pupils do not bring to, or counsume, energy drinks at school.
Save the Date - Family Quiz Night
The PTA are organising a family quiz night on Friday 20th March. There will be more details after the February break but in the meantime please save the date. We would like your support with raffle prizes. Whether it’s a voucher, a gift item, or something fun, every contribution is gratefully received. Please email the PTA on kasupportgroup@ka-net.org.uk or prizes can be handed into the school office. Thank you for your support.
Dates for your diary:
16-23 February – holiday for pupils (staff 16-20 February with 23 February in-service day)
26 March – Spring Concert – 7-9pm (Assembly Hall)
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
