Staffing

Meadowpark

Charlotte Goode started on 4 January 2023 as ASN School Auxiliary.

Lewis Bell started on 16 January 2023 as ASN School Auxiliary.

Paula Lackie was recently appointed as a School & Family Support Worker, on a permanent basis, as of 30 Jan 2023.

Knox Academy

Nick Ball is the preferred candidate for our ASN School Auxiliary subject to the usual pre-employment checks.

Parents’ and Pupils’ Information

Industrial Action – 28 February and I March 2023

I appreciate that the industrial action will cause significant disruption to the learning of all of our young people and that you will have had to make alternative childcare arrangements for these days. To help support your young person’s learning during these days there will be some work available on their subject Google Classrooms. Teachers who are not striking  (of which there are few at Knox Academy) will be putting work on their Google Classrooms, throughout the day, only for their classes. Pupils should check their Google Classrooms first for work in the first instance.

Further work can also be accessed via this link for S1-S3 and S4-S6 and all year groups here. Our senior pupils can also be using the time to revise for their forthcoming exams and use the SQA website to review their subjects and topics covered; to use past papers and also access the SQA Understanding Standards website to see sample answers and how marks are deployed (pupils just need to select their subject and level in the left hand box) – this will help them to answer questions to the best of their ability. If they haven’t already organised a study timetable the SQA timetable builder will help them do this and this will give them a programme right up until, and during, their exams.

S5/6 Parents’ Evening

Thank you to all parents/carers and young people who attended last night’s parents’ consultation. It was a good turnout and the staff I spoke to said the conversations were very engaging and young people and parents/carers very clear about next steps in learning prior to the SQA exams.

Don’t miss out: Education Maintenance Allowance

Young people aged between 16 and 19 who are currently in full-time education or undertaking an Activity Agreement may be entitled to a £30 per week payment. Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is a means-tested award providing financial support to eligible 16 to 19 year olds who want to continue learning. It also applies to those who are in Home Education.

Pupils who turned 16 on or after 1 October 2022 can now apply:

Apply before 28 February 2023 to have the payments backdated to the start of January term

Apply before 31 March 2023 to receive the allowance during the current academic year. Please note that any applications received between 1 March and 31 March will not be backdated; payments will be made from the date the application is received

Applications received after 31 March will not be processed and EMA will not be paid.

Find out more and apply online.

NATIONAL E-LEARNING OFFER: E-SGOIL EASTER STUDY SUPPORT

The e-Sgoil Senior Phase Easter Study Support programme for 2023 will run from 3 to 14 April 2023. The programme comprises live, interactive webinars delivered by experienced, GTCS registered teachers from across Scotland.

A total of 80 webinar groups are on offer this year, covering 30 subjects. Each group will meet for three separate webinar sessions. The service is free to all learners.

Registration for Easter Study Support opens on 1 March. The registration link will be live from 1 March and will give access to the Easter Study Support timetable, registration form, and a range of supporting documents.

This e-learning programme is also an excellent resource for any periods of school closure or if a young person is absent for any reason. Our senior pupils can start their learner journey with the National e-learning offer by clicking on this link.

Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2023

How to apply for a Scottish Apprenticeship

Tuesday 7 or Thursday 9 March, 6.30pm – 7.30pm

Free webinars for young people, parents and carers, with information on apprenticeships, where to find the latest vacancies on apprenticeships.scot and CV and interview tips from a Skills Development Scotland careers adviser. Apprentice employers will also be explaining what they look for in candidates when recruiting and an apprentice with share their apprenticeship experience.

Register to attend one of the webinars on the Eventbrite page

There are also DYW Live apprenticeship sessions taking place across the week too.

DYW Live Apprentice Showcase

School pupils can hear from a range of apprentices and their employers about what it’s like to take an apprenticeship. Choose from up to four 30min online sessions each day of Scottish Apprenticeship Week from 6 to 10 March. Apprentices and employers from a range of sectors will feature and some sessions will discuss current and future apprenticeship vacancies.

Register to attend any free session through the DYW Live website

We would also be keen to let young people know about a social media campaign we are running throughout Scottish Apprenticeship Week – encouraging them to follow the hashtag #ApprenticeShop.

#ApprenticeShop

During Scottish Apprenticeship Week, from 6 to 10 March, young people can follow the hashtag #ApprenticeShop on social media to get a better insight into what apprenticeships are like. Apprentices, employers and learning providers will share lots of information about apprenticeships across the country from a range of sectors including details about current and future vacancies, stories, films and more.

 

Parents’ Information

Knox Academy’s Inclusion Fund

As part of our bid to ensure that all Knox Academy pupils are able to access the opportunities their education provides we have an inclusion fund. This provides families with financial support if/when necessary. 

As part of our efforts to bolster this fund we use Easy Fundraising; this is a donation made to the school from a variety of different companies if you shop with them. We receive a quarterly cheque in the post which we add to our Inclusion Fund. A huge thank you to all parents/carers who have already signed up to this through Easy Fundraising. If you would like to support us, please sign up using this link. It doesn’t cost you anything to sign up but when you make a purchase, our school pupils benefit. Thank you (Mrs McBride, PT Equity).

School Payments

Parents and carers are reminded that online payment is the preferred option, as we can no longer accept cash or cheque payments.  SCHOOLPAY can be accessed here, and also via the SchoolPay tab in the Parent and Carers section of the website.  Users are required to register prior to use, and require a unique identifier to link your young person to your account – please contact the School Office if you require further information. (School Office)

Pupils’ Achievements

Congratulations to Boyd Fearnside (S1) who won two gold and four silver medals in last weekend’s Swim West Lothian 1M Tough Meet. He won the gold medals in the 200m back crawl and 100m butterfly. The silvers were in 200m front crawl, 200m breastroke, 100m front crawl and 100m breaststroke. Congratulations to Morven Kenny (S1) who swam a Scottish National Qualifying time in her 200M swim of 2m29secs. She also got a personal best time in her 100m butterfly. Being a multi-eventer Morven was also at the Scottish Athletics National Age Groups Championships at the Emirates (Glasgow) last weekend and got a personal best in her 60m Hurdles. Great performance! Aoife Swan-Ashe (S2) was also competing at these athletic championships and came 2^nd in the U15 300m final in a personal best time of 43.12 and came 5^th in the 60m final, also in a personal best time of 8.23 secs! What a great start to the season and showing how all that hard winter training is paying off!

Support

Please do not hesitate to contact our Pupil Support Team by emailing your young person’s House Team if you would like to discuss any support we can offer.

• Garleton - garleton@knox.elcschool.org.uk(link sends e-mail)
• Lammerlaw - lammerlaw@knox.elcschool.org.uk(link sends e-mail)
• Traprain - traprain@knox.elcschool.org.uk(link sends e-mail)

 

Dates for your diary:

Tuesday 28 February and Wednesday 1 March - School closed due to industrial action.

Wednesday 15 March – S1 Parent Consultation (in-person)

 

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

Parent Council

The Parent Council has requested a footer on my HT’s update that remains there year round and which offers quick links to 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   @knoxacademy(link is external) @knoxacademyHT(link is external) for the latest information and updates.