Welcome back to one and all. I hope that you had a good summer.

The school has been busy during the holidays – rooms have been repainted and refurbished, and new tarmac laid in parts of the grounds. Staff that were leaving have moved out, and new staff have moved in. I would like to welcome Ms Campbell (Science and Physics); Mr Fyvie (English), Mr Macdonald (PE), Mr Crawford (Art), Mrs Ferguson (Business Studies), Ms Laudi (Modern Languages), Mrs Reynolds (English), Ms Lewis (Support), Ms Connell (Support), Mr Morrison (Support), Mr Muldowney (Support), and Ms Morton (Meadowpark).

The new S1 have settled in well and are finding their way about the building, and I look forward to hearing about their successes as we go through the year.

I am delighted to report that the pupils who sat exams last session did themselves and the school proud: achieving some of the best results that we have had. This means that the new S4, S5 and S6 have a lot to live up to – but I am sure that they are equal to the task.

This morning, I had the pleasure of welcoming Ross Prentice (Haddington Business Association), Max Sykes, and Kevin Sullivan (Canon UK and Ireland) to our first Employability Skills lesson of the session. So many people from local businesses, East Lothian Council and our partners contribute to this course, that gives our senior pupils a real insight into the world of work, and I would like to thank them for this. The course culminates in the pupils getting a mock interview and feedback that should be invaluable to them in the future.

This evening I am looking forward to attending the Beating Retreat by Haddington Pipe Band and others, I just hope that that weather holds.

Next week, on Monday, we have the S1 pupils getting their school photograph taken, and on Thursday we are going to update the S6 on UCAS and LEAPS applications.

Have a good week.

S Ingham