Term 4, Week 6

Dear Parents and Carers,

We hope you have had a lovely week. We have been busy preparing for activities for our junior pupils next week and then the new timetable starts for all pupils on Tuesday 7th June.

A quick reminder that school is closed for pupils on Thursday 2nd or Friday 3rd June due to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and is also closed on Monday 6th June as all schools have an in service day.

Today’s update has 5 notices:

• Timetable Change (Mr Ewing)
• S5/6 Learner Agreement (Mr Ewing)
• SQA Exam Update (Mr Ewing)
• Positive Behaviour and relationships (Mr Harvey and  Mrs Watson)
• Activities (Ms Devlin)

​We hope you all have a relaxing weekend,
Miss Claire Meakin
Head Teacher

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Timetable change

Our new timetable will begin on Tuesday 7 June. We will be running a series of assemblies to update pupils on college and other arrangements. We are hoping to keep any subject changes to a minimum as the timetable settles, but we recognised that after pupils receive their results, changes may be required and further details on how this will work will follow shortly.

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​S5/6 Learner Agreement

​All S5 and S6 pupils will be required to sign a learner's agreement at the start of the new session, and I will be asking parents to sign this as well. The learner's agreement will be given to S5/6 pupils as a hard copy on the first day of the new term. The agreement will be a two-way document with clear expectations of the attitude and work ethic we expect from S5 and S6 learners but also what pupils in S5/6 should expect from the Kirkwall Grammar School.

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SQA Exam Update 
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As we near the end of the SQA exams can I say a big thank you to our pupils for the huge effort they put into their exams and to all parents and carers for the support they have provided throughout the exam period.
As there are still a small number of exams to go so, I’ve included the advice on Exceptional Circumstances below:

​Exceptional Circumstance
The information below is a reminder to parents of the protocol should your child be too unwell to sit their exams.
The Examination Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service (EECCS) supports learners who are either:
· unable to attend the exam or prevented from completing the exam due to a personal circumstance outwith their control (such as a medical issue) or
· affected during the exam by a disruption, or other exam circumstance, reported by the chief invigilator
It is available for all exams that appear in the exam timetable. There is no charge for this service.
· Only schools, may submit requests. they have experienced a valid exam exceptional circumstance
· they have completed all the compulsory non-question paper components
· an estimate has been submitted for them
· alternative evidence is available
The service is not available to learners who complete the exam, even if they feel they have underperformed due to a personal circumstance beyond their control. Learners who have underperformed relative to their estimate will be eligible for the 2022 appeals service.
If your child is not able to attend an exam, they should contact Mr Ewing neil.ewing@glow.orkneyschools.org.uk as soon as possible on the day of the exam

Appeals Service
If on results day a pupil feels their result is lower than expected, they may be able to appeal that result. Appeals can be prioritised if pupils have a conditional place at university or college. There is no charge for appeals. Eligibility criteria for Appeals 2022 are in place to support fairness and to ensure that learners are accessing the service on an equitable basis. Therefore, the following criteria must be met:
· Learner’s estimate is greater than their certificated grade. For example, if the learner’s exam result is a grade C but their estimate was a grade B.
· All centres must submit an estimate to SQA for each learner per subject/level. Estimated bands of zero or blank will not be eligible.
· Learners must have taken and/or submitted all coursework and formal assessments including exams.
· At least one component of the course assessment must be marked by SQA. Fully internally assessed courses are not eligible for appeals
The deadlines for submitting a priority appeal are:
· Learner direct - Tuesday 16 August at 11.59 pm
· Centres - Friday 19 August at 5 pm
Results of all priority appeals will be released to centres on Monday 5 September and sent to UCAS on Tuesday 6 September.
The deadlines for submitting all other appeals are:
· Learner direct - Tuesday 30 August at 11.59 pm
· Centres – Friday 2 September at 5 pm

 SQA Results day
This year's results day is Tuesday 9th August. Pupils can sign up to get their results by text and details are in the Your Exams link below Your Exams 2022 (sqa.org.uk) 

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Positive Behaviour and Relationships (Mr Harvey and Mrs Watson)
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It has been positive to see an improvement in pupils arriving punctually this week. We look forward to this positive move continuing into the new session.
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We continue to support our pupils’ positive behaviour and efforts by awarding house points which contribute towards the winning of the school cup. 

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Activities days – S1-3 pupils: Monday 30th May – Wednesday 1st June

There will be no registration time on Activities days. All pupils should go straight to their chosen activity room at the usual registration time of 8.35am to be registered by the Activity leader. 

Consent forms for Activities outwith the school grounds
Pupils who have not returned the excursion consent forms for their activity by the day of the activity will be unable to participate in that activity. We will offer an alternative Activity subject to spaces.
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Unpaid Activity costs
Almost all of the activities offered this year are free. Unfortunately, where an Activity incurs a cost, and the school has not received the payment by the day of the Activity,  the pupil will be unable to participate in that activity. We will offer an alternative Activity on the day, spaces permitting.