Community Update 20 February 2025

Please see below a brief update of some key workstreams:

Wellbeing and Academic Leadership Teams 

We are currently in the middle of our interview process for our Heads of Year, Assistant Heads of Year, Heads of Department and Assistant Heads of Department.  We hope to give you the finalised structures and appointees in due course.

Staff Training 

Our staff training programme to support the transition to the new Senior School is now in full flow. As part of this, all teachers in the Senior School have been doing reciprocal culture visits between the Schools. These visits are designed to help staff gain a deeper understanding of the students, environments, and cultures of both schools, with the aim of shaping a unified culture and ensuring a smooth transition for students and staff alike.

During these visits, staff have had the opportunity to explore various aspects of each school from classroom setups and resources to clubs and examples of student work. They have been encouraged to observe the working practices of the students as well as their physical learning environment. The visits have also enabled staff to witness how elements of the school’s heritage are embedded in daily life.

Following the visits, staff have been asked to provide feedback on the key aspects of each school’s culture that they feel should be retained in the new Senior School. Along with feedback from students and our alumni, these observations will be invaluable in informing decisions as we move forward.

We are excited to see this programme develop and look forward to rolling out similar cultural alignment activities for our Junior School staff.

Our New Director of Physical Education and Sport 

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Nichola Aitchison to the role of Director of Physical Education and Sport. Currently Head of PE at The Mary Erskine School, Nichola brings a wealth of experience and passion for sports education. In her new role she will oversee our entire sports provision from Nursery to Sixth Form. The appointment marks an exciting new chapter for ESM as we strengthen our focus on participation and performance in physical education and sport. Nichola will begin the role immediately, ensuring a smooth transition to our new School, shaping the future of physical education and sport and driving continued excellence.

Student Engagement 

With senior student engagement already underway to help us shape the new School, we are now ready to progress with a programme to engage our Junior School students. This work will begin next week with class discussions to help us identify the aspects of the merger that children would like to be involved in. Once we have collated the children’s responses, we will then proceed with a wider engagement programme.  Ideas and feedback will be gathered through a range of channels including members of the School Council and Rights Respecting groups, pupil focus and action groups, polls and class discussions.

Uniform 

In the coming weeks we will be seeking feedback from students and parents on our uniform. As a first step, we will be sending a survey out to parents to understand your experiences with the current uniform, so please look out for this. At the same time, we will begin to gather feedback from students expressing a desire to be involved.

Best wishes

Anthony Simpson

Principal