Parent Council minutes

25th June 2020

Attendees:

Jodie Hannan (Head Teacher) Shona Sloan (DHT) Pauline Sharp (DHT) Deirdre Henderson (Chair) Marie Hernandez (Vice Chair) Nicola Clark-Tonberg (Secretary) Connor Flannagan, Andi Christie, pupils Sandra Bagnall, Catriona Scott, Rachel Blythe, Peter Millington, Shasta Ali,

Edmund Farrow, Abi Bremner (parents and carers)

1. Welcome and apologies

In the light of the coronavirus pandemic, this meeting was conducted by Zoom.

Apologies from Lucy Gray, Denise Padgett, Mr Marcello, Mure Dickie.

2. Minutes and matters arising

The minutes of the last meeting and AGM were agreed. No matters arising.

3. Heads of School and Pupil Voice

Andi and Connor both introduced themselves and stated their excitement at having been successfully appointed of Heads of School.

Andi said she was looking forward to improving the school, in particular making sure pupils feels safe and comfortable on return. She is especially interested in supporting good mental health for all.

Pauline confirmed that Heads of House will be responsible for implementing the biddy system for S1 pupils.

4. Head Teacher (HT) report

Jodie welcomed all. The HT report prepared for 23 June meeting is below. It is noted that the announcement of the Deputy First Minister, John Swinney has impacted hugely on dates for new term, with expectation that all pupils will now return on 12 th August, if guidance at that time deems it safe to do so.

Parent Council Tuesday 23 June 2020Headteacher’s report

Staffing

o Fully staffed for August with two additional probationers allocated, an ICT Technician in post for the first time in four years.

Dates for the new term – if blended learning is required in August

o 10 & 11 August Inset days for staff onlyo Wednesday 12 August Population A Induction dayo Thursday 13 August Population B Induction dayo Friday 14 August Population C Induction day

The populations, based on the 33% model for BGE and 50% for Senior Phase, will be explained by S Sloan in school renewal planning item 3. This model may change depending upon guidance from the Scottish Government and CEC.

Communications with parents

o Home Learning bulletino HT Bulletino Website & appo P7-S1 Parents’ evening on Monday 22 June

Food parcels

o Will continue over the summer to a number of families.

Keyworker provision o Drummond will staff its own pupils in a keyworker hub from August. Further

information on how to apply to follow.

Summer mailing

o The mailing with all information that families will need to prepare for August ie uniform etc will go out in the summer. This will include the days that children will be in school so parents can plan for this.

o Ties will be provided for S1 and we anticipate that like school bags, these can be worn into school then cleaned on the days out of school.

o Individual pencil cases will be provided for all year groups and can be replenished from the office when needed.

o Planners will be provided for all year groups.o Catering in school will be limited and pupils can bring in a packed lunch.

Catering is likely to be a reduced option meal deal/ packed lunch. o S1 pupils should remain in school grounds at interval and lunch times until after

the October break.

It may be that S1 and S2 pupils will remain in home rooms, while other years move around the school for subject specific lessons.

School renewal planning themes 2020-21

1. Health & Safety planning

Our priority is to ensure the health and safety of all pupils and staff in school and this is reflected in the timetable model that Mrs Sloan will talk through. This includes separate entrances, exits and playground spaces for S1 & S2, S3&4, S5&6.

o Handwashing and social distancing remain the first lines of defence. Pupil and staff will also wipe surfaces before and after use.

o Signage will be in place within school corridors and communal spaces.o Staff are in the process of rearranging classrooms in line with social distancing-

at the time of writing this is 2m.

2. Blended learning planning

Our aim is to provide the best teaching and learning and curricular experience we can provide within the constraints. This will include practical lessons where possible. o Primaries are providing us with the latest information on which new S1 pupils

have/ do not have devices and/ or wifi access. We will likely need to ask everyone again in August to ensure our information is up to date.

o Professional learning and guidance on an approach to blended learning is being provided by CEC, supported by professional learning in school.

3. Timetable model - S Sloan

o Overview of the timetable model from August with particular reference to S1 plans and classes ie homerooms

o Can be phased to 50% when possible.o Explanation of practical and non-practical subjects.

4. Health, wellbeing & resilience - P Sharp

o Feedback on pastoral support and wellbeing plans for pupils in school renewal.

5. Some good news

o S2 pupils worked with the Superpower Agency to produce a book which has now been published and will be given out to participating pupils at a prizegiving assembly. Pupils engaged extremely well in the collaboration, and the book will also be available to buy in local shops and Toppings. Live readings are also being considered.

o Phase two of the Design, Engineer, Construct (DEC) collaboration is underway, made possible by a donation of hardware and software from

Bentley Corporation. Drummond is the flagship school for this project, which works with big building and construction companies.

Questions from Parent Council (replies in blue)

When the schools go back in August will the pupil still be expected to wear school uniform?

Yes, and bring school bags. No items should be shared between pupils.

How will practical subjects like PE or chemistry work?

We are aiming to provide all pupils with as much of a normal timetable experience as possible within the constraints of staff availability and social distancing reducing class capacity. Some practical subjects such as FCT (Food Consumer Technology) may only be possible every few weeks.

Can there be room for online discussions?

I presume this means Teams discussions and support? There will continue to be significant element of home learning supported by the learning and teaching in school

Could the school recognise the social themes of lockdown; black lives matter, shielding and disability, gender imbalance in households and use them to celebrate the diversity of the community to support the mental health of the pupils and their families?

We have always been committed to educating our pupils about racial equality and will build on the success of last sessions’ Show Racism the Red card project between the S6 Leadership class and the new S2 pupils. Mrs Sharp will share these plans.

How are staff sharing ideas between schools?

Staff continue to collaborate within and between schools using established networks and the Learning and Teaching team in school are looking at the guidance provided by CEC to support Drummond’s approach to blended learning.

Could staff record their classes for showing on Teams?

We are working on approach to blended learning from August onwards.

Are teachers being upskilled in teaching distance learning?

A number of Drummond staff have been holding weekly Teachmeet sessions to support colleagues developing digital learning skills such as SWAY and recording voiceovers on PowerPoint. This professional learning will continue into the new session.

How often will pupils be in school?

Shona Sloan will explain the 33% timetable model and how this can move to 50% capacity when social distancing measures decrease. All of our timetable plans and associated information ie uniform etc will be sent to all parents once confirmed and are subject to change depending upon guidance from Scottish Government and CEC

Do you have an amended curriculum for exams for next year?

At the time of writing the SQA have indicated that exams will go ahead in 2021 although perhaps later than May. This may change.

How is the school going to support the pupils’ mental health?

We recognise how important it is support pupils’ mental health & wellbeing upon return to school and across the session. Mrs Sharp will cover this matter this evening.

Have all the pupils got the right equipment and internet access now?

To the best of our knowledge from the ICT audit in early May, we have identified which pupils still need devices and or wifi. We have invested in more new iPads and will be distributing these, as well as a number procured by CEC for Senior Phase pupils in August.

Topics/Feedback:

A P7 thanked the school for the videos and info.

Parents have expressed their recognition that the task ahead for the schools is not easy. We would like to thank parents for their support, patience and understanding. We’re all looking forward to coming back into school and to teaching young people in person.

Additional questions were:

Sandra: what are the plans for cleaning when school goes back? Jodie replied that janitorial and facilities staff will be doing this regularly, with potential for staff and pupils to also wipe down tables after use.

Sandra also thanked staff for their efforts over this difficult time and was pleased at the good news about staffing for the new school term.

Connor: will rooms such as the S6 hub be closed? Jodie replied that it will depend on physical distancing measures and guidance, which have to be confirmed.

5. Edinburgh Parent Council Network

Marie provided an update on the latest meeting with parents, which she felt was a valuable forum.

There were concerns about a second spike of the virus, and what was Plan B if this happened.

Parents wanted to feel that the planning for 33% or 50% pupil return to school wasn’t wasted, but how can blended learning be better?

Marie’s view was the City of Edinburgh Council were looking for consistency for consistency’s sake, and the pace of planning is too slow and doesn’t include experts. She also felt that great and emerging practice was being stifled, and parents’ views were perhaps not being accurately represented.

It was also discussed whether the Council were supporting staff, and is this done well?

Marie felt the forum was an opportunity to make things better for school, with positive parental influence.

6. Promoting the school

Deirdre wondered how school will promote itself in current times and maintain links with schools if physical school visits aren’t possible.

Nicola commented that the social media activity staff have created to welcome new pupils presented Drummond extremely well.

7. Growing and Cooking Project

Rachel provided an update, which is in full below:

Report on the ‘Growing and Cooking Project’Drummond Community High School Parent Council meeting of Tuesday 23/06/2020

BackgroundThe “Growing and Cooking Project” is currently a partnership with 4 partners: Broughton Primary School Parent Council; Leith Walk Primary School Parent Council; Saheliya (a wellbeing support organisation for ethnic minority women); and Drummond Community High School Parent Council. The partnership started in

January 2019, with a funding application to Leith Chooses. This application was successful. £3910 was awarded. The funds awarded were to be spent by 31 March 2020, and reported on by 30 April 2020. A wide range of project activities was run by all partners, over the period March 2019 to March 2020. Some were activities involving one partner; or some, activities for 2 partners, together; and some activities for all 4 partners. (Due to delays in project activities, some particularly associated with specific project partners, and some connected with COVID 19, not all project funding was spent by 31 March 2020. There are discussions to be resumed, concerning to what extent unspent project funds can still be spent. This discussion and the project’s reporting will take place in Autumn 2020.) The project partners are continuing their activities on beyond the end of the current funding, through a combination of seeking new funding and of promoting small scale or self-funding activities. The Leith Chooses funding body maintains a strong interest in the sustainability of the partnerships and activities, which it funds. The project partners are also interested in adding Abbeyhill Primary School Parent Council to the partnership. This is being explored.

Contribution of Drummond Community High School Parent Council (DCHS PC) and Drummond Community High School (DCHS) to the Project January 2019 to March 2020 The project was designed so that DCHS PC would be a minor supporting partner. DCHS

PC and DCHS have more than fulfilled this role! Contribution to the promotion of the project, which led to its successful funding in January

2019. Deirdre Henderson promoted the project, at project’s stall at the Leith Chooses event, which decides funding. Other Drummond Community High School families turned out to vote for the project at this event.

Contribution to liaison within the project and attendance of both project planning meetings (26/03/2019 and 19/11/2019, Nicola Clark-Tonberg and Deirdre Henderson each attended one meeting). Contributed many good ideas to overall project planning. Both planning meetings were held in DCHS.

DCHS Business Manager, Lyndsy Adam and some s4 and s5 DCHS pupils attended the Broughton Primary School planting day on 24 May 2019 and contributed strongly to the digging out and weeding of planters and to carrying watering cans etc.

The Growing and Cooking Project’s ‘Event to Pass on Project Learning’ was teamed up with a DCHS Open Afternoon on Thursday 12 March 2020. Both were held simultaneously at DCHS. This enabled the Growing and Cooking Project’s event to have an audience of parents visiting the Open Afternoon, as well as its own invited guests. The Head Teachers, some pupils and some parents from both Broughton Primary School and Leith Walk Primary School attended, as well as the main Saheliya representative, Pamela Couper. Soup and mint tea were served.

Opportunities and Initial Ideas on how Drummond Community High School Parent Council and Drummond Community High School might take the cooperation forward from June 2020 onwards:

Proposals to ‘Drummond Decides’ have include self-watering re-cycled plastic planters and plants for the greenhouse (challenge of looking after plants outwith the school term). This demonstrates an ongoing interest in growing, including the desire to site some growing activity at DCHS. The planters were also considered as a possible target for Tesco funding, being looked into by DCHS pupils. There are also ideas about having a garden in the quad and the possible involvement of Support for Learning.

DCHS made the very nice offer that its School facilities might be used for cooking by groups from the primary schools, if these groups were able to be supported and supervised in this, by their own class teachers. This idea could be further explored.

Of the 4 partners involved in the project, DCHS has the most outdoor space and outdoor green space. There may be opportunities, such as replacing missing trees in the school grounds with apple trees, or planting berry bushes.

While secondary schools are particularly concerned with academic learning and assessment, the same sort of cases, which we made in the project application about the right of access to green space, in a built up city centre; the right to purposeful use of green space; and the health and wellbeing gains coming out of this, apply to all age groups.

There are opportunities to link this community based project, to other activities going on in DCHS – perhaps a link to the Duke of Edinburgh Award or continuing the link to ‘Meaningful May’. As well as Saheliya being one of the main partners in this activity, the activity is now linking in more purposefully to other community based projects and activities in the local area, (often other activities, who have an association with Leith Chooses).

Possible link to DCHS PC Cafes? Many of the Parent Council events, run at Broughton Primary School and Leith Walk Primary School now feature contributions to catering, which started from produce, grown by the ‘Growing and Cooking’ Project. While some of this is amateurish, we could look at expanding the general idea of this. The project also has interests in preventing food waste and passing on food products, to yet other organisations in the local area. The DCHS PC Café might also be interested in this sort of area?

Possible links to academic subjects – Food and Consumer Technology; Science (Biology), Technologies (practical woodworking – the project has a growing link to the Edinburgh Tool Library, who help us make planters, signs and composting areas.); Modern Studies link to Leith Chooses, as an organisation, which actively organises local decision making

‘Planting in Schools’ playgrounds’ as a common topic of discussion to promote greater contact with the cluster primaries and the local community.

General Information on the Project’s most recent months – late March 2020 to June 2020

We are still trying to re-establish some of the links between the project partners, because normal communication channels have been disrupted. Broughton Primary School Parent Council have recently continued with the necessary upkeep of ongoing plants and watering, in the BPS playground and have run a small “Plant at Home” campaign, via their Facebook page and the School website. This has included information on: ‘Making flower and seed pots from recycled materials’; ‘Sunflower Growing’ and ‘Growing some potatoes’. Information on other topics, (such as planting pumpkins) is planned for the immediate future.

Pauline felt there was an opportunity to use outdoor space with young people in pupil support.

Drummond Decides projects could also link well.

8. Fundraising

This is a standing point on the agenda, but with ‘Stan’s Café’ currently closed, and the Tesco Bags of Help programme also suspended there is no active fundraising.

9. Treasurer’s report

As Denise was unable to attend, Deirdre confirmed that there is no update since the last meeting, with £2439.43 in the fund, £1,000 which is set aside for Drummond Decides once reactivated.

10. Future meetings

There are usually five meetings per year, and dates would ordinarily be in place at this stage in the year, taking into account key dates such as parent consultations.

Jodie will confirm dates.

It was agreed that interim meetings did not need to take place as often as every month, and perhaps the next meeting would be early next term.

11. AOB

Peter asked how parents will be notified about school reopening. Jodie confirmed again that she will issue a HT Bulletin the week before start of term, and a Summer Mailing mid-July. City of Edinburgh Council will also be issuing letters to parent and carers.

Similarly if there is negative news, such as school having to close, parents and carers will be notified through these mechanisms.

Marie asked about purchasing school ties. Jodie confirmed S1 pupils will be given ties, a planner and a stationery pack in first week. S6 pupils have blazers on loan. But, if any parent wants to contribute towards these items they can.

Connor asked what will happen to pupils who are behind on home learning when school returns. Jodie acknowledged that there will be varying progress, and all pupils will be supported to return to school and get back on track.

Pauline reiterated that Teams and assignments will still be available over the holidays, giving pupils a chance to catch up.

Edmund asked about a Celebration of Achievement event. Jodie confirmed early planning is taking place for an event at The Mansfield Traquair later in the year, dependent on guidance about large gatherings.Shona referenced that some pupils will have struggled with work, and that all families are in different situations, so for those who have perhaps not got the results they want, recoursing will be discussed when pupils return. Pupils will be mailshotted to let them know.

Marie noted her thanks to Sally Barraclough (sp?) and her team for support which has been appreciated.

12. Close of meeting