Penicuik High School
Encyclopedia
Penicuik High School is a non-denominational secondary
state school located in Penicuik
, Midlothian
, Scotland
. It is situated on Carlops Road, opposite the town's main park.
The Midlothian Integration Team is located on the school premises and there are also several rooms used by the Community Learning Division which provides education to adults in a variety of areas such as creative writing
, art and computer literacy
.
Attached to the school, although administratively separate, is the Penicuk Leisure Centre
(opened 2006) with such facilities as a library, gymnasium, swimming pool and weight room. The school uses the Centre on a daily basis
: Clerk Maxwell House in honour of the 19th century physicist
and mathematician
James Clerk Maxwell
and Liddle House in honour of the 1924 Summer Olympics
Gold Medalist Eric Liddell
who was a devout Christian
missionary
and spent many years in China
.
The school follows the Scottish Education System
with pupils starting in S1 (1st year) and progressing as far as S6 (6th year). As with all students in the Scottish system, pupils may leave school at the end of S4, provided that that they have reached the legal leaving age of 16, or will have done so by the last day of September that same year.
There is a uniform policy of black trousers or skirt, white shirt and black pullover. Students in S1-S4 wear a blue and white striped tie whilst S5 and S6 students wear a black tie embazoned with the Midlothian symbol.
Penicuik High School operates a vertical
guidance system whereby a Guidance teacher is responsible for a caseload encompassing students on every year level as opposed to the horizontal system where a Guidance teacher deals only with students in one year group. It is through the Guidance Team that the school has sought to promote a greater understanding and acceptance of diversity and responsible citizenship although whole school involvement is strongly promoted.
Secondary School in southern Malawi
in 2007. Students and staff of PHS have made two visits (in 2009 and 2011) to their sister school and staff members from Thyolo have been to Penicuik High. As of 2011, there were plans to finance the visit of some Malawian pupils and staff to Penicuik. Since the formation of the partnership, Penicuik High has made several shipments to Thyolo of such things as toiletries, computers, football strips and general school supplies. Amongst other things, Thyolo Secondary has presented Penicuik High School with braclets, banners and cloths made by their pupils. The two communities also issued a joint album
of songs performed by their students.
Penicuik High also operates its own record label, Burnt Out Records, and has had numerous artists visit to make guest performances in the ‘Hub’ which formerly housed Penicuik Public Library
.
In 2006, the Guidance Team began to welcome members of the GLBT Youth group to make a presentation to individual S5 (5th year) classes, and as of 2011, Penicuik High was the only high school in Midlothian to engage in this programme.
Penicuik High received its first Green Flag Award
in 2010 in recognition of the achievements made in becoming an eco-friendly school. Apart from ongoing efforts such as recycling and maintaining an eco-garden, every year group takes a turn to pick up litter in the local park and street area surrounding the school.
Since 2007, students in S6, accompanied by the Guidance Team, have been invited to participate in a residential in the Borders
where staff guide them through various team-building activities. The first residential for S1 students began in 2009, it is held in Fife
and normally staffed by S1 register teachers. There is also an ongoing and developing transition programme to assist primary school students make the adjustment to high school.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
state school located in Penicuik
Penicuik
Penicuik is a burgh and civil parish in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. The town was developed as a planned village in 1770 by Sir James Clerk of Penicuik. It became a burgh in 1867. The town was well known for its paper mills, the last of which closed in 2005....
, Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is situated on Carlops Road, opposite the town's main park.
The Midlothian Integration Team is located on the school premises and there are also several rooms used by the Community Learning Division which provides education to adults in a variety of areas such as creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
, art and computer literacy
Computer literacy
Computer literacy is defined as the knowledge and ability to use computers and related technology efficiently, with a range of skills covering levels from elementary use to programming and advanced problem solving. Computer literacy can also refer to the comfort level someone has with using...
.
Attached to the school, although administratively separate, is the Penicuk Leisure Centre
Leisure centre
A leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
(opened 2006) with such facilities as a library, gymnasium, swimming pool and weight room. The school uses the Centre on a daily basis
Organisation
As of the 2010-2011 academic year, the school had a roll of around 600 pupils. Students in each year group are divided into registration classes which are then part of the House System. The school is divided into two houses, each named after a famous ScotScottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
: Clerk Maxwell House in honour of the 19th century physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
James Clerk Maxwell
James Clerk Maxwell
James Clerk Maxwell of Glenlair was a Scottish physicist and mathematician. His most prominent achievement was formulating classical electromagnetic theory. This united all previously unrelated observations, experiments and equations of electricity, magnetism and optics into a consistent theory...
and Liddle House in honour of the 1924 Summer Olympics
1924 Summer Olympics
The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...
Gold Medalist Eric Liddell
Eric Liddell
Eric Henry Liddell was a Scottish athlete, rugby union international player, and missionary.Liddell was the winner of the men's 400 metres at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris...
who was a devout Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and spent many years in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
The school follows the Scottish Education System
Education in Scotland
Scotland has a long history of universal provision of public education, and the Scottish education system is distinctly different from the other countries of the United Kingdom...
with pupils starting in S1 (1st year) and progressing as far as S6 (6th year). As with all students in the Scottish system, pupils may leave school at the end of S4, provided that that they have reached the legal leaving age of 16, or will have done so by the last day of September that same year.
There is a uniform policy of black trousers or skirt, white shirt and black pullover. Students in S1-S4 wear a blue and white striped tie whilst S5 and S6 students wear a black tie embazoned with the Midlothian symbol.
Penicuik High School operates a vertical
Vertical
Vertical may refer to:*Vertical direction, the direction aligned with the direction of the force of gravity, as materialized with a plumb line...
guidance system whereby a Guidance teacher is responsible for a caseload encompassing students on every year level as opposed to the horizontal system where a Guidance teacher deals only with students in one year group. It is through the Guidance Team that the school has sought to promote a greater understanding and acceptance of diversity and responsible citizenship although whole school involvement is strongly promoted.
Activities
The Malawi Partnership was established with ThyoloThyolo
Thyolo is a town located in the Southern Region of Malawi. It is the administrative capital of Thyolo District. The current President of Malawi, Bingu wa Mutharika, was born in Thyolo.Economy...
Secondary School in southern Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
in 2007. Students and staff of PHS have made two visits (in 2009 and 2011) to their sister school and staff members from Thyolo have been to Penicuik High. As of 2011, there were plans to finance the visit of some Malawian pupils and staff to Penicuik. Since the formation of the partnership, Penicuik High has made several shipments to Thyolo of such things as toiletries, computers, football strips and general school supplies. Amongst other things, Thyolo Secondary has presented Penicuik High School with braclets, banners and cloths made by their pupils. The two communities also issued a joint album
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
of songs performed by their students.
Penicuik High also operates its own record label, Burnt Out Records, and has had numerous artists visit to make guest performances in the ‘Hub’ which formerly housed Penicuik Public Library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
.
In 2006, the Guidance Team began to welcome members of the GLBT Youth group to make a presentation to individual S5 (5th year) classes, and as of 2011, Penicuik High was the only high school in Midlothian to engage in this programme.
Penicuik High received its first Green Flag Award
Green Flag Award
The Green Flag Award is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in the United Kingdom. The scheme was set up in 1996 to recognise and reward green spaces in England and Wales that met the laid down high standards...
in 2010 in recognition of the achievements made in becoming an eco-friendly school. Apart from ongoing efforts such as recycling and maintaining an eco-garden, every year group takes a turn to pick up litter in the local park and street area surrounding the school.
Since 2007, students in S6, accompanied by the Guidance Team, have been invited to participate in a residential in the Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
where staff guide them through various team-building activities. The first residential for S1 students began in 2009, it is held in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
and normally staffed by S1 register teachers. There is also an ongoing and developing transition programme to assist primary school students make the adjustment to high school.