With our senior pupils now on study leave and fully prepared, we have an ideal opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved over the past few months. The Spring Newsletter highlights just some of the many wonderful successes of our young people and staff. Whilst we have included a wide range of achievements, there are many more worth celebrating than this newsletter can capture.

I would encourage you to share celebrations of success by emailing me at kevin.christie@renfrewshire.school so that we can include them in future editions.

This edition includes:

• Renfrewshire Schools Track & Field

• Renfrewshire Schools Swimming

• Renfrewshire Schools Cross Country

• Debating Club success

• Pickleball Championships

• Renfrewshire Young Musician – Finlay Jones

• IOP Girls into Engineering

• Young Weir Wise

• Higher D&M

• S4 History Heroes

• S3 History Heroes

• Wellbeing update

• SmartSTEM

• STEM CPR Sessions

• Fair Achiever Award Renewed

• Bridge of Weir United 2013 Football

• Learning through Drama

• Seasons for Growth

• The Promise

• Bereavement Charter Scotland

• MSP Visit – Natalie Don-Innes

Music continues to be a key strength within our school and the wider local community. The Spring Concert was a fantastic way to round off the term. This free event showcased an impressive range of talent, with pupils from Bridge of Weir and Houston Primary Schools joining us. Their performances demonstrated the strong pool of musical talent across the Gryffe cluster.

The evening also featured performances from the winners of our Young Musician of the Year competition. Congratulations to all who performed and thank you to everyone who came along to support the event.

Our Duke of Edinburgh Award programme remains a major strength of the school. This year, our young people and dedicated staff have raised the bar once again through their commitment, skills, and determination. I strongly encourage all pupils to aim to complete at least the Bronze Award, as it helps develop resilience and teamwork, and readiness for life beyond school.

With the Qualifications Scotland exams in full swing, our S1-S3 pupils are gearing up for their Activities Week this month, where Residential trips are complemented by a wide range of local activities. We truly believe there is something for everyone and I look forward to seeing new friendships forged and wonderful memories being made.

Jordan challenged the 16 Gryffe debaters to come up with different topics however abstract then talked them through the best way counter arguments and ensure you keep the audience in board. This was great advice for the upcoming S2 competition as well as added preparation for Alexandra and Alexander in S4 who will be competing in the national Mace competition on Feb 28^th.

Thanks to Jordan for an entertaining and informative session which saw the debaters leave full of enthusiasm and confidence.

We are delighted to confirm that we won both senior and intermediate competitions and were also runners up in the intermediate section.

On 28 February Alexandra McCann and Alexander Higgins represented the school in the national junior debating competition and were a very close second as it went to the head judges decision- a bit like strictly but not as sparkly.

on Tuesday 24 February, our S2/3s took part on the Crown Office public speaking competition and did really well on their first ever competition.

A huge congratulations to all pupils - fantastic achievements.

The girls into engineering included talks from women working in STEM industries with a description of school subjects, career paths and day to day roles in their jobs. The girls then took part in workshops beginning with tower building. They then looked at medical uses of Physics and got hands on with an ultrasound detector to scan and identify insects hidden within the gel.

The girls worked with others to build a system of gears to turn a fan. They tested their systems to see which group produced the most energy. They managed 1.47 phone seconds, well done!

The girls took part in various workshops across the two days. These included investigating polymers where they varied the ingredients and tested how high they could bounce. The girls looked at the properties of hydrogels and used salt to “cut” the hydrogel and turn it back into a liquid.

Pictured is Amelia’s original designs of a catapult which was built and tested to see how far the object could travel.

With bikes, scooters, roller skates and skateboards available to hire, pupils were able to get a full understanding of the urban indoor skate parks aesthetic.

Pupils went prepared with questionnaires, tape measures and cameras to record the information they required. They are now currently designing a solution to the design brief.

We would like to thank Jack and his team at www.theloadingbayglasgow.com  for allowing us to visit.

At Gryffe, we have found that nearly a quarter of pupils are not getting the recommended hours of sleep each night. One common factor affecting sleep is exposure to blue light from phones, tablets and other electronic devices. This light can reduce the production of the sleep hormone melatonin, making it harder to fall asleep and reducing sleep quality.

Within PSE lessons, pupils learn about the importance of sleep and how to build healthy bedtime routines. Our Staff Wellbeing Committee is also working with pupils to better understand what affects their sleep and how the school can further support positive habits.

Parents and carers can help support healthy sleep routines by encouraging:

• Limiting caffeine, including cola, energy drinks, tea and coffee

• Consistent bedtime routines to help the body prepare for sleep

• Reducing electronic devices in bedrooms where possible

• A dark, cool, quiet and comfortable sleep environment

NVR

At Gryffe, we use Renfrewshire’s Nurturing Relationships Approach, based on the principles of Non-Violent Resistance (NVR), to support positive behaviour and strong relationships across the school.

Staff across faculties use NVR strategies that focus on understanding and supporting pupils rather than reacting in the moment. This includes approaches such as “striking when the iron is cold,” where conversations about behaviour take place once emotions have settled, allowing for more meaningful and restorative discussions. Staff also focus on “looking behind the behaviour,” recognising that behaviour often communicates an underlying need or difficulty.

Another key principle is the “shield of shame,” which helps pupils reflect on their behaviour without feeling embarrassed or singled out in front of others. Alongside this, staff use consistent language, relational gestures and restorative conversations to maintain positive connections with pupils.

Through these approaches, we aim to create a calm, supportive environment where pupils feel understood, relationships remain strong, and learning can continue positively.

The girls were introduced to women working in the STEM industry where they described their journeys into their current roles. They then took part in multiple workshops such as tower building, designing cabling to transfer electricity through seas and looking at how electricity was made and how it is networked through different countries.

There was a hands on tech activity where the girls debugged software and saw how websites were coded and tested. During the lunch they were able to look at stalls with different companies involved with STEM where they were encouraged to ask questions by receiving a ticket for an entry into the raffle at the end.

The girls thoroughly enjoyed the day.

This month also saw our s2-3s take part in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal public speaking competition where they put on a good show but lost out to a stronger team of S3s from Trinity High School

March brought the annual Rotary Young Speaker’s competition, and the debating club had an outstanding evening winning both the junior and senior competitions which was a tremendous achievement as this was the first time many of the speakers had taken part in any form of competition.

Senior Team winners Alexander, Alexandra and Anya

Junior Team winners Cora, Caleb, Haleema, Runners up Murray, Ethan and Ryan

March has also brought the inter house competition and the twelve teams have been a credit to their houses showing excellent debating skills which will be put to good use in the Glasgow Bar competition for S1-3 which takes place in May.

The S1 boys basketball have had a momentous ride over the past months in both the Glasgow Cup and Scottish Cup.

First up in February was a fixture against Louden academy which was a quarter final of the Glasgow Cup. In a tight low scoring game Gryffe came out victorious 18-11. Next up was a semi-final against Robert Burns Academy, with Gryffe coming out on top 40-9 leading to the final.

The finals day took place at the Gladiators arena in Play sport, East Kilbride. Our opponents Stewarton Academy had teams in each age group final of the day. Despite working hard as a team, we lost out 45-19. In the Scottish cup semi-final a trip to Edinburgh brought a fixture against a good James Gillespie's team; despite competing well we lost out in the end. 

Well done to the boys for a good run in each competition. 

Our Renfrewshire 3v3 competition saw two entries from Gryffe across two leagues. The Gryffe 1 team finished joined 3 in what was a competitive league. The Gryffe 2 team finished 2^nd in League play and therefore entered the Play-off finals where they unfortunately lost out to Castle head. 

The pupils achieve these certificates by completing a piece of work on a local History subject. The task set was to look at impact of the Trade of Enslaved Africans in Renfrewshire.

We had many interesting pieces on the Cunninghams of Craigends and James Milliken of Johnstone.

This a fantastic achievement - well done to you all!

So far they have been involved in activities such as researching Scottish STEM inventions and presenting the information to S1 classes and teaching science lessons at home.

This term they have been learning how to deliver CPR. They have then developed lessons from scratch to teach the S1 classes their new skills. The lessons involved CPR demonstrations, games and activities to test their knowledge.

A huge well done for your outstanding efforts, it was so exciting to see the variety of interactive activities that you all came up with to make them individualised experiences for the S1’s.

Thank you to all the S1 classes for taking part.

Below is the the excellent feedback from our application.

This is a really strong application. It’s clear the school has put a great deal of thought and genuine commitment into Fairtrade over the last two years. There’s a lovely balance of classroom learning, whole‑school activity and creative challenges that show both consistency and enthusiasm. Your challenges both show imagination, strong pupil involvement and a real willingness to try new things. The live talks and presentations added fantastic depth and brought Fairtrade to life in a very immediate, engaging way for pupils.

It also comes through clearly that you’re reflective and forward‑looking, already thinking about how to keep growing your Fairtrade offer and seeking new opportunities. Keeping Fairtrade visible and giving pupils meaningful ways to take action will continue to strengthen your work

We encourage you to keep working – both staff and students – to achieve the goals that you have set out in your action plan, and we are excited to see you reach some of these in your next renewal application, e.g. continuing to build on the success of new challenges land exploring new opportunities. Well done to all at Gryffe High School, you have built a Fairtrade culture that pupils can genuinely feel part of!

Well done everyone - what a fantastic achievement!

A number of our S1 pupils were part of the squad, including Charlie Anderson, Andrew Carroll, Patrick Carroll, Roberto De Pieri, Finn Devine, Leo Harry, Max Hesse, Daniel Lightbody, Olly MacKinnon, Matthew Murphy, Lewis Robertson and Ethan Smith. The boys fought off tough competition round after round, showing incredible grit and determination.

In their final match they narrowly lost 5–4 to Clydebank FC in a game that stayed close until the very end.

Well done, boys!  

We have explored cholslesterol, menstruation and atherosclerosis amomgst others with the pupils playing the parts of the key components. 

Not only has this been great fun the pupils reported visualising the dramas to aid retrieval during assessments. 

The year culminated with a trip to the school theatre to perform in small groups a drama they had written themselves. 

Pictures above of the final productions.

Finlay gave a fantastic performance of Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence by Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Well done Finlay!

A Seasons for Growth group will soon run at Gryffe High School. This programme supports young people experiencing loss or change, helping them understand and manage these challenges.

Changes may include:

Bereavement

Parental separation or divorce

Changes in living circumstances

Friendship difficulties

School-related changes

The programme explores self-esteem, managing emotions, problem-solving, decision-making, communication, and support networks.

For more information or to join, please speak to Mr Gallacher or your Guidance Teacher.

What is the Bereavement Charter for Scotland?

The Bereavement Charter describes a vision for how we can all work together to ensure adults, young people and children who are experiencing bereavement are supported. 

Why do we need the Bereavement Charter?

Many of us will experience difficulties following the death of someone we know.

When that happens, it is important that we receive the support we need from the people around us. The people we know in our neighbourhood, at work or at school can help by being understanding of the situation, and by offering simple support.

The Bereavement Charter for Scotland has been created to raise awareness of the ways we can all support people who are experiencing bereavement.

At Gryffe High we are currently working with St Vincent’s Hospice to put together a Bereavement Charter for Gryffe High.

As part of this we would like to gather the views of as many Parents/Carers as possible.

We would like to hear your views and advice on the things we do as a school that has helped your family and advice on what we could do better during this time of loss.

Please send this information to angela.brown@renfrewshire.school

What is the promise?

The promise is “that all Scotland’s children and young people will grow up loved, safe and respected so they can realise their full potential.”

To keep this promise, all the conclusions of the Independent Care Review must be implemented, in full, by 2030. When people speak about keeping the promise, this is often what they are referring to.

The links below will provide more information on the Promise

https://thepromise.scot/keeping-the-promise/

https://thepromise.scot/learning-stories/a-network-of-promise-keepers-renfrewshire

If you would like to apply to become a Promise Keeper then please contact Angela Brown.

Angela.brown@renfrewshire.school

Pupils got so much out of the session and Natalie was very impressed with their engagement and input.

Natalie is stepping down as MSP before the elections in May and she said she is really going to miss visits to high schools.

Posting on her social media pages, Natalie said "Thank you so much to Gryffe HS for inviting me along and a very special thanks for a blast from the past in the form of one of my old history books!

We thank Natalie for her visit and wish her all the very best for the future.

Men’s 400m Freestyle Champion - Kyle Connolly

Men’s 200m Breaststroke Champion - Kyle Connolly

15-16 Women 100m Butterfly Champion - Charlotte Craig

15-16 Women 200m Freestyle Champion - Charlotte Craig    

13-14 Girls 200m Breaststroke Champion - Maisie Hunter

13-14 Boys 200m Individula Medley Champion- Jack Handley

13-15 200m Boys Medley Relay Champions -

Jack Handley

Seth Kelly

Logan MacKenzie

Dylan O’Gorman

13-15 200m Boys Freestyle Relay Champions -

Jack Handley

Seth Kelly

Logan MacKenzie

Argyll Sun

13-15 200m Girls Medley Relay Champions -

Heidi Baker

Annaliese Barratt

Charlotte Craig

Gabriella McKinlay

13-15 200m Girls Freestyle Relay Champions -

Heidi Baker

Charlotte Craig

Alba McClure

Cara McClure

A huge congratulations to all pupils - fantastic achievements!

Daniel Bruce (S6) attended his final Indoor Track & Field Champion ships with high hopes in both the Under 20 60m and 400m events. Daniel’s started the day finishing first in heats for each event progressing to the final where he ultimately earned two Silver medals from this national championships.

A huge well done to both boys.

An excellent experience for all athletes and one they’ll continue to look forward to each year to advance on their finishing positions amongst such strong running groups.

Well done!

With a significant increase in boys entrants, year group qualifiers took place towards a final event from which Owen Gifford was crowned this year’s champion following a single point victory in the final against Ben McLeod.

A huge well done to all pupils who took part.

This award challenges the pupils to research the connections from WWI to the local area. We have excellent research pieces involving family members and the local area such as those lost from Bridge of Weir. We have been very fortunate to have the support of the Bridge of Weir memorial website and the book Supreme Sacrifice, amongst other sources.

The pupils' submissions have been excellent, and their certificates will be awarded in due course.

Well done S3 History!

Although they narrowly missed out on silverware, their commitment, character, and quality were evident throughout the season.

Well done!

I’m delighted to announce that our winner was … Mrs Heron in Maths 🎉🎉

A huge congratulations your cake was absolutely fantastic.

During our break this morning, a selection of the wonderful baking was available for staff to sample and they not only looked amazing but were delicious too!

A huge congratulations to all staff who took part - The Great British Bake off next.....

William ran the London Marathon as a UK Duke of Edinburgh Ambassador, to fundraise for the Duke of Edinburgh Award. William achieved his Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award last year and his experience has transformed his life.

The award has opened so many doors for William and taught him important life skills. As one of only 30 UK Ambassadors, he is now on a mission to make the award more affordable and accessible for every young person, regardless of their background or financial situation

If you would like to support William's marathon run for Duke of Edinburgh, you can donate on his fundraiser page via the link below.

https://events.dofe.org/fundraisers/williamsinger

Well done William - an amazing achievement and a true inspiration to all pupils and staff in Gryffe HS!

Lots of good luck for all your future fundraising for Duke of Edinburgh.

He thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly the geographical features on the way!

Well Done, an excellent achievement and an inspiration to both pupils and staff!  

Charlotte and the Team gained numerous medals at the the Scottish National Swimming Championships 2026, known as SNAGS. Swimmers from across Britain compete all year to try and achieve qualifying times just to compete in this competition

The championships, the first nationals of the year, follow months of qualifying events and training. Ren96 surpassed its 2025 performance by competing in 159 individual events and 11 relay team events.

The club, based in Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire, saw 31 swimmers compete across age groups, securing eight national titles, seven gold medals, five silvers and six bronzes.

A huge congratulations to Charlotte on winning her first medal at the SNAGS.