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

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.

​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.

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 [email protected] 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) 

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.
​
We continue to support our pupils’ positive behaviour and efforts by awarding house points which contribute towards the winning of the school cup. 

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.
​
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. 

Dear Parents and Carers,

This week has been another busy but hugely positive one. Thank you for your continued support as we work to build back into our school calendar, some of those unmissable activities.

Today’s update has 3 notices:

• SQA Exams (Mr Ewing)
• Mobile phones (Mr Harvey and Mrs Watson)
• Activities days and Moving on (Ms Devlin)

We hope you have a lovely, relaxing weekend.

​Miss Claire Meakin
Head Teacher

We are now at the end of the fourth week of the SQA exams and Biology has been the biggest exam of the week.  We know pupils are putting a huge amount of work into their exams and we are really proud of their efforts so far.
The information below is a reminder to parents of the protocol should your child be too unwell to sit their exams and an overview of the appeals process

Exceptional Circumstance
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 [email protected] 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)

Immersion timetable
There will be a series of immersion events during study leave across the school to support pupils in the days leading up to their exams. The immersion timetable has been sent to pupils and is also on the KGS website
​
Studying in school during exam leave
When a pupil has finished an exam, they should leave school. S1 to S3 pupils are still working in classes so it is important that disruption is kept to a minimum.
We have had quite a few pupils studying in school and pupils are very welcome to do so but can all pupils please:
Wear dress code (top layer) Sign and out of school only at the following times: start of the day, break and lunch time and at the end of the school day. This will be strictly enforced. Be prepared to study and not to socialize

Can we ask parents/carers to remind their children about appropriate Mobile Device use in school. We expect mobiles to be switched off and in bags during all learning times including registration.
​
Over the next week we will be having conversations in PSE and across the school with a focus on how we all treat each other with respect and kindness. We would appreciate your support by having similar conversations at home.

​The planning and preparation for this year’s activities days Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the week beginning 30th May is going on apace and will be a great end to the year before the bank holiday weekend and the new timetable starting on Tuesday 7th June. Just a wee reminder that study leave finishes on 2nd June and all our young people move up into their next year on Tuesday 7th June with their new timetables. 

Dear Parents and Carers

Thank you for your continued support this term. We are incredibly proud of how well our senior pupils are engaging with their national examinations and Mr Ewing has included a few reminders later in this update.

We are also really pleased that the current covid-mitigations allow us to start building back into our school calendar some of those activities that make our school so special. A few of these include:

• Activities days for S1 – S3
• Sports day
• School production
• Transition days for next session’s S1 pupils

We look forward to sharing updates with you about these activities when we can.

Today’s update contains 4 notices:

1. Exam reminders (Mr Ewing)
2. Notice about dress code and PE kit (Mr Harvey and Mrs Watson)
3. Update on Activities days (Ms Devlin)
4. Notice about our upcoming Sports Day (Ms Devlin)

We hope you have a lovely weekend,

Miss Claire Meakin
Head Teacher

SQA Exam Update
We are now at the end of the third week of the SQA exams with English being the biggest day so far. We know pupils are putting a huge amount of work into their exams and we are really proud of their efforts so far.
The information below is a reminder to parents of the protocol should your child be too unwell to sit their exams and an overview of the appeals process

Exceptional Circumstance
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 [email protected] 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
Further details on Exceptional Circumstances and Appeals can be found here: Support services for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher learners (sqa.org.uk) Exam Timetables The Exam timetable, study support and results day resources can be found here. Pupils were issued with personalised timetable in school earlier this week. Exam timetable and learner apps

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) Immersion timetable There will be a series of immersion events during study leave across the school to support pupils in the days leading up to their exams. The immersion timetable has been sent to pupils and is also on the KGS website Studying in school during exam leave When a pupil has finished an exam, they should leave school. S1 to S3 pupils are still working in classes so it is important that disruption is kept to a minimum. We have had quite a few pupils studying in school and pupils are very welcome to do so but can all pupils please:
Wear dress code (top layer) Sign and out of school only at the following times: start of the day, break and lunch time and at the end of the school day. This will be strictly enforced. Be prepared to study and not to socialize

We would like to thank parent/carers for their support in encouraging pupils to attend school wearing the correct Dress Code. With the warmer weather pupils often want to take their school hoodie off. So as pupils remain in Dress Code throughout the day it is important that they have a school t-shirt on.

The PE dept would like to remind pupils and parent/carers of their current kit and injury/note policy.  Pupils need a full change of PE kit for lessons.  This includes:

• a change of top e.g. t-shirt, long sleeved top.
• a change of trousers e.g. shorts, leggings or track suit bottoms. Jeans are not appropriate.
• Suitable shoes/trainers

If pupils wear smart shorts, leggings or track suit bottoms to school they should bring a separate change for PE lessons. 

​Where a pupil cannot participate in their PE lesson then a note from a parent or carer to excuse them should be brought in.  During these lessons pupils will be asked to complete differentiated work/tasks which may include time keeping, score keeping and other official roles where appropriate.

We are delighted that nearly all pupils’ choices have been collated and their activities choices will be confirmed early next week. Staff are really looking forward to being able to offer this relaxed and enjoyable three-day break from our usual timetable with the wide variety of activities on offer – and hopefully a bit of fun for our younger pupils after another challenging year. 

​The PE department are also delighted to be able to hold a Sports Day again this year. A tentative date has been set for this for Thursday 26th May, but of course, it is always weather permitting!