Dear Parents & Carers,

As we reach the end of Term 1 the pace of school life has shown no sign of slowing down. It has been a very positive start to the academic session and I continue to be struck by the calm and purposeful learning environment across the school. Our learners have responded extremely well to the changes introduced this recently including the new school-day structure, Tutor Time at the start of the day and our phone-free school community. These changes are helping to support a strong focus on learning, and I am grateful to learners, staff and families for the way everyone has worked together to make them successful.

Parental engagement has also been a particular focus this term with a series of events taking place with parents/carers in our building to provide families with information and practical advice to help support learners with their learning and next steps. This has included Primary 7 Transition Information Evening, S4 Prelim Information Evening, S5/6 Study Support Session and an S2 Parent Contact Evening. All were very well attended and positive, informal, feedback was received. These events form part of a wider programme of Parental Engagement and Family Learning being led by Mr Breen that will take place throughout the session.

We have also had important opportunities to reflect externally on the progress being made across our school. Our Term 1 visit with Lesley Elder, Quality Improvement Education Officer, was followed by our annual Attainment Review with Audrey May, Executive Director of Children and Families Service; David Bald, Strategic Education Manager for Secondary and Inclusion; and Quality Improvement Education Officers Tim Beattie and Lesley Elder. Their feedback was extremely positive, particularly in relation to our recent attainment, the commitment across the school to securing positive outcomes for all learners, the range of improvement work underway and the breadth of leadership evident throughout Grove.

The breadth of learner experience during Term 1 has once again been impressive. Our Advanced Higher Physics learners have worked with the University of Dundee through a specialist rotational workshop, while senior PE learners have completed practical golf assessment work and other learners enjoyed a memorable visit to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Carnoustie, including opportunities to experience the media side of professional sport. Rugby has also had a strong start, with fixtures for our S1–3 boys alongside the introduction of rugby within the S1 girls’ curriculum.

There are equally strong examples of learners contributing to the learning of others. Our S5/6 STEM Ambassadors have been planning and delivering Science lessons for S1 classes, exploring activities including paper-aircraft physics, rocket design and the ever-popular egg-drop challenge. In Modern Languages, our Language Ambassadors marked the European Day of Languages through a House competition, while learners continue to be recognised through the Linguists of the Month programme. Art & Design learners have also been exploring the opportunities and challenges presented by Artificial Intelligence in creativity, alongside competitions and the development of new Art, Design & Photography Ambassador roles. We also currently have 36 learners in Orlando for a Science based school visit which is providing to be an incredible experience. This in not an exhaustive list of all our activities but gives a sample of the breadth and quality of experiences on offer to our learners.  

Our House competition is beginning to gather real momentum too. Hundreds of points have now been awarded across Dawson, Gillies, Orchar and Reres, recognising learners’ participation, contribution and achievement. Gillies currently leads the way, but there is plenty of the session still to come! The increasing House activity, alongside the extensive range of lunchtime and after-school opportunities available — including History, Debate, Philosophy, Purple Club, Eco Club and subject study support — is helping learners find different ways to participate in school life.

There is still plenty happening before we finish for the October holiday, including sporting events, Outdoor Education, the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge and a major senior trip to Orlando. It is a fitting end to a term characterised by the sheer range of opportunities available to our young people.

Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership and support. I hope all of our learners and families enjoy a well-earned October break, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for Term 2.

Warm regards,
Tim Woodcock
Head Teacher

Please view the attached video created by our Learner GALP Ambassadors.