Staffing  

Following interviews on Monday and Tuesday, Bobby Douglas is our preferred candidate based on pre-employment checks.

PT Guidance Post – interviews will take place for this on Monday.

The PE post is being leeted and interviews for this will take place after the Easter break.

ESgoil- S4-S6

It has been great to see so many pupils attending supported study sessions after school. Esgoil is also running a programme over the Easter break and I would encourage our seniors to sign up for this too to support their revision. Pupils will need their GLOW details to do this and they can get these from any of their subject teachers if they don’t already have this.

Uniform Consultation

The outcome of this will be shared with parents/carers and pupils at the beginning of next week.

School Improvement Planning for Session 2026-27

Thank you to the parents/carers who took the time to complete this.  We have also spoken directly with some parents/carers who left specific comments so we could get some more information from them. Overall we got a 13% response from parents/carers to this survey. Although such a small % return rate means that it is not truly representative of the Knox Academy parent/carer group,  we still value the comments and responses made to help us plan for next session.

Rights Respecting Schools (RRSA)

Our Article of focus this week is Article 25 - Review of a child's placement

Every child who has been placed somewhere away from home - for their care, protection or health - should have their situation checked regularly to see if everything is going well and if this is the best place for them to be.  

Deaf Awareness

This week's sign of the week is 'help'.  In BSL, signs are often directional so signing 'help me' is different to 'help you'.  Did you know that in BSL, facial expressions are used like tone of voice and emotion in speech!

Events/Trips

Spring Concert
The Knox Spring Concert this year will take place on Thursday 26th March, 7-9pm. We are all very excited to have the opportunity to display the wonderful musical talent from many of our students!! We have an excellent programme of groups and individuals performing an array of styles and beautiful music.
Tickets: £4 adults and £2 concessions. Tickets are being sold every breaktime in the music department and every lunchtime in the foyer. There will also be tickets available on the door.
All proceeds from the concert are going to be divided between the Knox Spring Concert fund and our chosen charity, Home-Start East Lothian . (By Bella Gold, S6)

Pupils’ Successes/Information

Please do contact admin@knox.elcschool.org.uk to tell us about your young people’s successes so we can share these with our school community.

Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI)

S3 Shine in a Fantastic YPI Final

This year’s YPI final was a real highlight of the school calendar, showcasing the passion, teamwork, and confidence of our S3 pupils. Every group delivered an engaging and thoughtful presentation, demonstrating just how committed they were to supporting causes that make a difference in our community.

After a closely contested final, Robyn Carter and Emily Westgarth emerged as this year’s winners, securing an incredible £3,000 grant for East Lothian Young Carers. Their presentation was powerful, heartfelt, and clearly communicated why the charity plays such an essential role in supporting young people across the region.

The event was slickly and warmly hosted by last year’s winners, Max Sutherland and Ruaridh Mainstone, who kept the morning running smoothly and brought a fantastic sense of continuity to the occasion.

A huge thank you goes to our panel of judges:

• Fiona Docherty, parent of Knox
• Louise Begbie, Rotary Secretary
• Robert Flood - CL social studies
• Zara Machen - Depute Head 

Their thoughtful questions and careful deliberation made the final both rigorous and encouraging for all involved.

This year’s S3 set a high bar with their enthusiasm, creativity, and commitment. Next year’s cohort certainly have big shoes to fill! (By Mrs Reynolds, CL Comms)

A huge thank you to the English team for nurturing the skills of our S3 to be able to research these charities and present on them to such a high level.

Gymnastics

You will remember a few weeks ago I reported that  Kira Mihhailova (S2) competed in the British Gymnastics Qualifier 1 for TeamGym with her team Youth Level 3. They successfully placed 3rd, receiving the bronze medal and were awaiting news about whether or not they would qualify for the British Championships or not. The good news is they have! This will take place on Friday 17^th and Saturday the 18^th of April in Newcastle. We wish them lots of luck in their performance.

East Lothian Young Musician of the Year

The East Lothian Young Musician of the Year competition took place at St Mary's Kirk on Wednesday 18^th March.

Knox Academy was proudly represented by the following young people:

S6 James Gorman - Drum Kit - Funk Junk by Chris Burgess

S2 Gregor Mitchell - Trumpet - The Enchanted Trumpet by Allen Vizzutti

S1 Robin Mitchell - Piano - On the Sunny Side of the Street by Jimmy McHugh

What an outstanding evening of music with an incredibly high standard of musical skill and overall musicianship. James, Gregor and Robin all performed brilliantly and should be very proud of themselves. The music department would like to thank Liz Woodsend for accompanying and to Jennifer Marr and all the IMS staff who work so tirelessly to organise such wonderful extra-curricular events.

Well done also to Fraser Westgarth, Lachlan Baillie, Elyn McInnes and Adam Russel who performed a beautiful arrangement of Moon River with the Wind Ensemble while the judges deliberated.

Anthony Nolan Trust

The last few years many of our S5/S6 has linked with the Anthony Nolan Trust to have a swab taken to see if they are possible donors for life saving stem cell donation. Following this, one of our pupils, Connor Docherty (6G2) has been selected as a possible donor. Herein follows his story.

My donor journey with the Anthony Nolan charity who do excellent work to support people suffering with blood cancer. Becoming a donor is an amazing way to potentially save someone's life through donating stem cells. My stem cell donation is scheduled for mid-March but I've already experienced  part of the donation journey and have committed a significant amount of my time to this. 

So what does the donation journey involve? Knox Academy ran an event last year for students over the age of 16 to sign up for the donor list. When a patient needs a stem cell transplant Anthony Nolan will search the donor register and if they find a match they contact the potential donor. If you are a potential match and might be eligible to give stem cells, a nurse will come to your house and take a quick blood test, which only takes about 10 minutes. They take the blood sample to the lab and process it for around 6 to 8 weeks after which you get told if you are a match. Anthony Nolan invites you to the next stage which is a medical. This will involve heading down to the Anthony Nolan Centre in Nottingham. After you finish the medical they'll give you injections to go home with. These injections are taken for the four days before the donation. At this stage you are finally ready for going to your donation which is where I am now. 

Anthony Nolan has great support and always has people on the phone that you can talk to about any part of the process. The process does involve a heavy amount of time commitment on your end and travelling a reasonable distance for the medical and donation. I think the effort really pays off given that you're giving someone else a potential treatment for their blood cancer and could save their life. 

General Info/Community

About meningitis

Meningitis is an infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord (meninges).It can affect anyone, but is most common in babies, young children, teenagers and young adults.

Meningitis can be very serious if not treated quickly. It can cause life-threatening blood poisoning (septicaemia) and result in permanent damage to the brain or nerves.

A number of vaccinations are available that offer some protection against meningitis.

Symptoms of meningitis

Symptoms of meningitis develop suddenly and can include:

• a high temperature (fever) over 37.5C (99.5F)
• being sick
• a headache
• a blotchy rash that doesn’t fade when a glass is rolled over it (this won’t always develop)
• a stiff neck
• a dislike of bright lights
• drowsiness or unresponsiveness
• seizures (fits)

These symptoms can appear in any order and some may not appear.

When to get medical help

You should get medical advice as soon as possible if you’re concerned that you or your child could have meningitis.

Trust your instincts and don’t wait until a rash develops.

Phone 999 for an ambulance or go to your nearest accident and emergency (A&E) department immediately if you think you or your child might be seriously ill.

Phone 111 or your GP practice for advice if you’re not sure if it’s anything serious or you think you may have been exposed to someone with meningitis.

How meningitis is spread

Meningitis is usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection. Bacterial meningitis is rarer but more serious than viral meningitis.

Infections that cause meningitis can be spread through:

• sneezing
• coughing
• kissing
• sharing utensils, cutlery and toothbrushes

Meningitis is usually caught from people who carry these viruses or bacteria in their nose or throat but aren’t ill themselves.

It can also be caught from someone with meningitis, but this is less common.

Read more about the causes of meningitis

Vaccinations against meningitis

There are vaccinations offer some protection against certain causes of meningitis.

These include the:

• meningococcal B vaccine – offered to babies at 8 weeks, 12 weeks and between 12 and 13 months
• 6-in-1 vaccine – offered to babies at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age and at 18 month

• pneumococcal vaccine for babies – offered to babies at 16 weeks and between 12 and 13 months old
• MMRV vaccine – offered to babies aged between 12 and 13 months, and 18 months
• meningococcal ACWY vaccine – offered to young people at around 14 years of age

Treatments for meningitis

People with suspected meningitis will usually have tests in hospital to confirm the diagnosis and check whether the condition is the result of a viral or bacterial infection.

Bacterial meningitis usually needs to be treated in hospital for at least a week. Treatments include:

• antibiotics given directly into a vein
• fluids given directly into a vein
• oxygen through a face mask

Viral meningitis tends to get better on its own within 7 to 10 days and can often be treated at home. Getting plenty of rest and taking painkillers and anti-sickness medication can help relieve the symptoms in the meantime. Read more about how meningitis is treated. If you wish to check your young person’s vaccination status please contact your GP.

In Scotland the Teen Booster Vaccination and MenACWY are offered to all S3 pupils and these took place at Knox back in January.

Dates for your diary:

26 March – Spring Concert – 7-9pm (Assembly Hall)

Friday 2 April – Monday 20 April (inclusive) – Easter Break

Start of summer term – Tuesday 21 April for staff and all pupils.

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