Knox Academy has recently updated its Safeguarding Policy which can be viewed in the Policies and Procedures section of our website.

Safeguarding can be defined as "Protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes”.

The purpose of this policy is:

• To protect all children and young people who attend Knox academy;
• To provide staff and volunteers with the overarching principles that guide our approach to safeguarding and child protection.

The Sports Extra-Curricular Timetable for Term 2 this session is now available.

Knox Sports wonderful volunteers provide a range of activities, classes and sessions to help improve everyone's health and well-being. 

Whether it's Dance, Yoga or a Team Sport we aim to provide something for everyone. If you haven’t been involved in something this term yet – There is never a better time to get started then Right Now! 

For any further information on any of our programs or if you think you could help us to start a new program, please get in touch by contacting: Mr Steve Wands (Sport and Physical Active Schools Co-ordinator) by phone (07969 428 526) or Email

We would like to invite our parents/carers along to our Home Learning Evening on Tuesday 6 March 2018 in the school assembly hall. This is open to parents/carers of pupils in all year groups and will focus on the launch of our new Home Learning Policy and also give you some information on our new digital communication platform for home learning activities known as Show My Homework. The programme for the evening is below.

6.30pm – Welcome from the Head Teacher

6.35pm – Presentation from Mrs Falconer (DHT) - Our new Home Learning Policy

6.45pm - Presentation from Mrs Falconer (DHT) – Show My Homework, a new resource to support home learning.

7pm – Five 10 minute workshops on supporting Home Learning. The workshops will focus on the following;

• What do is needed to complete good quality learning at home and how parents can provide the appropriate support? (Led by Anya Reynolds)
• How to complete effective research (Led by Angela Leggatt)
• Strategies to support reading at home. (Led by Emma Reynolds)
• Types of home learning we do, what to expect at different ages/stages. (Led by Calum Blair and the Pupil Learning Team)
• Effective Revision (Led by Dot Ferguson)

7.50pm – Closing Remarks – Head Teacher

We do hope you are able to attend and that you will find the evening informative and helpful.  To this end, we would be grateful if you could use the link knox.is/hle to register your interest in attending and help with our planning. Please complete this by Friday 2 March 2018 and note that we are limited to 2 people attending per family, due to limited space in the hall. Pupils are welcome to attend.

Haddington and Lammermuir Area Partnership has been working with East Lothian Council and local community partners to identify a suitable location in Haddington for a community shelter.

This has arisen following a request from young people for a place where they could meet to socialise in Haddington and was first raised when the Area Partnership began developing their Area Plan in 2014. The request was duly noted as a potential outcome in the Area Plan and then gained further momentum during the construction of the skatepark on Whittingehame Drive in 2016.

In early 2017, a survey of some local young people was carried out which identified the area around Tynebank Road, Haddington as being their preferred location. East Lothian Council have also agreed that this is their preferred location for a shelter. The Area Partnership has previously supported the design, build and installation of a shelter in Garvald  and has already committed funding to install a similar shelter in Haddington.

A consultation seeking views on this proposed location has now begun. For more details, and to take complete the online survey. Alternatively please email your comments to Haddington and Lammermuir Area Partnership at handl-ap@eastlothian.gov.uk by no later than Friday 9 March 2018.

School Day Timings

As you know, we have been carrying out a 5-week pilot of changed school day timings, with a shortened lunch break and an earlier finish. Thank you to all those parents and carers who shared their opinions on the change: 53% of parents who responded prefer the new timing; 33% of parents who responded prefer the original timing; other respondents do not feel strongly about it either way. Staff who responded are 100% in favour of the new timing. Pupil feedback has come via talking to pupils informally around the school at lunchtime and via register classes: pupils’ opinions are mixed but, overall, more register classes are in favour of the change than against it. What is very noticeable is that pupils are now more positive about the new timing than they were before we started the pilot. One of their concerns - not having enough time to eat their lunch in 45 minutes - has not been the problem they expected for most pupils. The other concern was that there would not be as much time for lunchtime activities. Of course this is the case, but pupils report that, generally, they have already got used to the shorter time.

Taking account of all the feedback, we have decided that we will continue with the 45 minute lunch break and the school finish of 3.50 pm for the rest of the school session. 

Thank you again to all parents and carers who took the time to provide feedback.