Craigmount High School is a large comprehensive school located in West Edinburgh. Our projected roll next session is over 1250 and rising. The majority of our pupils come from our five associated primaries: Corstorphine, East Craigs, Fox Covert, Hillwood and Roseburn. In addition, we also receive a high number of placing requests. Our new school campus opened in 2004 and offers a high-quality learning environment. Visitors immediately pick up on an ethos characterised by positive caring relationships and a fantastic staff team driven by a desire to ensure all pupils maximise their potential no matter their ability level. As a result, attainment levels are high, and last year 94.41% of leavers went on to a Positive Destination. High numbers of pupils take Advanced Higher in a wide range of subjects and the size of our school means we are able to offer Highers in a broad range of subjects. Typically, we have around 120 UCAS applications each year and high numbers of pupils going on to University, including Oxbridge. Staying on-rates are very high, with around 75% each year continuing on into S6.
We also have an inclusion unit, with a small number of pupils with Additional Support for Learning Needs in each year-group fully integrated into the curriculum. There is also a rich programme of extra-curricular opportunities, both sporting and cultural, with our pupils often successful at national level in a range of activities. One prestigious example is that we are the only state school to win the Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Prize – three times! Our pupils also normally benefit from the many local, national and international trips on offer throughout the year. Every May there is a very popular Health and Wellbeing week. Support for Health and Wellbeing is a defining characteristic of Craigmount and we are currently the only Scottish school to have the Carnegie Mental Health Silver Award. Our Parent Council is also active and supportive and in recent years, as well as fund-raising, has played an invaluable part in our curricular consultations. Last session they co-delivered a new parental engagement wellbeing festival.
In May 2017 we moved to a new curricular structure which allows pupils in S4 to study up to 7 National Qualifications in S4. We are very proud of the range of electives and wider achievement opportunities this now allows, as well as the specific time dedicated to life and employability skills in S1-S3 courses.
In partnership with our school community in recent years, we have developed new vision and values. Our values create the acronym ADAPT which stands for Awareness of others, Drive, Aspiration, Purpose and Trust. These were developed with the Pupil Council and in session 2018-19 the pupils devised the tagline, Aim High, Adapt, Succeed, as part of their time in Tutor Group. We have also been creating new branding for our school community, which has been in place since August 2019. All of these developments have been in tandem with our work as a Rights Respecting School and we currently have Silver Rights Respecting School accreditation.
Since August 2015, we have also appointed over 50% new teaching staff, including the entire senior leadership team, and the Pupil Support team. This session we also expanded the senior leadership team due to our rising roll and have appointed a fourth depute headteacher. All staff are now involved in school improvement through our collegiate programme and many staff have taken on leadership roles across the school. We encourage leadership at all levels and pride ourselves on the collegiate approach to school improvement.
Awareness
We realise that our actions impact on others. We aim to be mindful of this and to support each other.
Drive
We know that hard work is needed to ensure success.
Aspiration
We aspire to be the best we can be. We can all be leaders.
Purpose
We are aware that a clear sense of purpose will ensure we achieve our goals both as individuals and as a school community.
Trust
We understand that trusting relationships underpin all that we do.