Wick High School
Encyclopedia
Wick High School is a secondary school
in Wick, Scotland
, under the control of The Highland Council. In September 2008 it had an enrolment of 838. Being one of only two secondary schools in Caithness
, it takes in pupils from a large number of primary schools.
, Intermediate 2
, and Higher
level. It also offers selected courses at Advanced Higher level, however due to the relatively small number of pupils there are usually only less than a dozen Advanced Higher courses available.
Courses in Hairdressing, Psychology
, Cosmetology
, Engineering
, Construction
and Welding
are also available to some pupils in connection with the North Highland College in Thurso
and Wick.
and football teams in both local and national tournaments. In 2004 the U18 rugby team lost to eventual champions Bell Baxter, a state school from Cupar, Fife, in the second round of the Bell Lawrie Cup, the national tournament.
Wick High School has a large sports hall, three football and rugby pitches, and an all-weather pitch all of which are used by the school for physical education
lessons, and the public. Most notably, the all-weather pitch is used by the semi-professional Caithness rugby union team during the winter when the rugby pitches are unplayable.
The way pupils view the school was stated as "Pupils now have a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school through the introduction of uniform and positive approaches to encouraging good behaviour. Staff and young people have been very successful at improving the overall atmosphere in the school."
The school's expectations of pupils was described thus - "The school has high expectations of young people’s behaviour. Staff are applying the behaviour policy well in class and around the school. Staff with pastoral responsibilities give strong support. The climate for learning within the school has notably improved in recent years. Most young people enjoy being at school, feel safe and know those they can speak to if they are upset about something. The school celebrates success through the use of awards at assemblies, display boards in the corridors and articles in the local press. The school has recently made use of outside speakers to help raise attainment and young people’s expectations overall." This was published in a report given to all members of staff and all pupils. It was also made available online. At the time of the report, there was a enrolment of 838, and the rector
was Alistair Traill.
An HMI team returned to the school at the end of August 2009; just 2 weeks after the start of term. This follow-through report noted that "In S1/S2, attainment has improved. At S4 to S6, almost all measures of attainment show improvement. On some measures, attainment is now more in line with that of schools which serve young people with similar needs and backgrounds."
HMIE (2009)also noted that "In S1/S2, the school now builds more effectively on what young people have learned in primary school. Teachers in the mathematics and English departments are now working more closely with teachers in associated primary schools to ensure better transitions. At S3, young people opting for skills for work courses no longer have their other options limited. Working with the education authority, senior managers and staff at Wick High School have made some helpful improvements to young people’s attainment and learning experiences. The school now needs to ensure that these improvements are consolidated and extended further, particularly for the most vulnerable young people."
Recently The Glasgow Herald conducted a survey of all of Scotland's
secondary schools. The survey gave a percentage of how many senior pupils had achieved five Highers or more in their tenure at the school, and a percentage of how many pupils received free school meal
s. In a list of Highland
Schools, Wick came 21st out of 30 with 5% of senior pupils having achieved five highers or more. This is 5% behind both the Highland average and the Scottish average of 10%. However, Wick came 3rd out of 30 when it came to free school meals, scoring 15.6%, both ahead of the Highland average of 9.6%, and the Scottish average of 12.7%.
There are improvements currently taking place (2010) including new toilets and changing rooms, transformation of the swimming pool into a multi-purpose PE area, limited refurbishment of the cateen.
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...
in Wick, 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...
, under the control of The Highland Council. In September 2008 it had an enrolment of 838. Being one of only two secondary schools in Caithness
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
, it takes in pupils from a large number of primary schools.
History
Wick High School was built in 1910. It was originally only one building looking out onto West Banks Avenue. This building is still in use today, however four extensions were added during the 1960s to cope with the increase in enrolment.Intake
Wick High School takes in pupils from eleven primary schools: Dunbeath, Lybster, Thrumster, Hillhead (Wick), North (Wick), South (Wick), Pultneytown (Wick), Watten, Keiss, Bower, and Canisbay.Courses
Wick High School offers almost all of the SQA courses at Intermediate 1Intermediate 1
Intermediate 1 is an educational qualification in Scotland on the Scottish Qualifications Authority Scottish Qualifications Certificate achievement ladder similar to General Level at Standard Grades; it is the next step after Access 3...
, Intermediate 2
Intermediate 2
Intermediate 2 level is Level 5 on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. Though equivalent to the Credit Level Standard Grade, there is an element of debate to this as it is perceived to be more difficult in some subjects, but less in others....
, and Higher
Higher (Scottish)
In Scotland the Higher is one of the national school-leaving certificate exams and university entrance qualifications of the Scottish Qualifications Certificate offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. It superseded the old Higher Grade on the Scottish Certificate of Education...
level. It also offers selected courses at Advanced Higher level, however due to the relatively small number of pupils there are usually only less than a dozen Advanced Higher courses available.
Courses in Hairdressing, Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, Cosmetology
Cosmetology
Cosmetology is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty including hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/pedicures, and electrology....
, Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, Construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
and Welding
Welding
Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes...
are also available to some pupils in connection with the North Highland College in Thurso
Thurso
-Facilities:Offices of the Highland Council are located in the town, as is the main campus of North Highland College, formerly Thurso College. This is one of several partner colleges which constitute the UHI Millennium Institute, and offers several certificate, diploma and degree courses from...
and Wick.
Sport
Wick High School has fielded rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and football teams in both local and national tournaments. In 2004 the U18 rugby team lost to eventual champions Bell Baxter, a state school from Cupar, Fife, in the second round of the Bell Lawrie Cup, the national tournament.
Wick High School has a large sports hall, three football and rugby pitches, and an all-weather pitch all of which are used by the school for physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
lessons, and the public. Most notably, the all-weather pitch is used by the semi-professional Caithness rugby union team during the winter when the rugby pitches are unplayable.
HMIoE Report
In September, 2008, Wick High School underwent an inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education. The subsequent report was reasonable given the very short period of the inspection; mentioned as particular strengths were "Polite, well-behaved and considerate young people and the commitment by staff and the community to develop a wider range of activities for young people". Other aspects noted were "More young people now take part in activities related to sports and the arts. Many are committed to improving the quality of the environment and a group recently participated in a debate on the environment at the Scottish Parliament", and "The majority of tasks set by teachers meet young people’s learning needs. Those with additional and complex needs are well supported in their learning".The way pupils view the school was stated as "Pupils now have a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school through the introduction of uniform and positive approaches to encouraging good behaviour. Staff and young people have been very successful at improving the overall atmosphere in the school."
The school's expectations of pupils was described thus - "The school has high expectations of young people’s behaviour. Staff are applying the behaviour policy well in class and around the school. Staff with pastoral responsibilities give strong support. The climate for learning within the school has notably improved in recent years. Most young people enjoy being at school, feel safe and know those they can speak to if they are upset about something. The school celebrates success through the use of awards at assemblies, display boards in the corridors and articles in the local press. The school has recently made use of outside speakers to help raise attainment and young people’s expectations overall." This was published in a report given to all members of staff and all pupils. It was also made available online. At the time of the report, there was a enrolment of 838, and the rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
was Alistair Traill.
An HMI team returned to the school at the end of August 2009; just 2 weeks after the start of term. This follow-through report noted that "In S1/S2, attainment has improved. At S4 to S6, almost all measures of attainment show improvement. On some measures, attainment is now more in line with that of schools which serve young people with similar needs and backgrounds."
HMIE (2009)also noted that "In S1/S2, the school now builds more effectively on what young people have learned in primary school. Teachers in the mathematics and English departments are now working more closely with teachers in associated primary schools to ensure better transitions. At S3, young people opting for skills for work courses no longer have their other options limited. Working with the education authority, senior managers and staff at Wick High School have made some helpful improvements to young people’s attainment and learning experiences. The school now needs to ensure that these improvements are consolidated and extended further, particularly for the most vulnerable young people."
Recently The Glasgow Herald conducted a survey of all of Scotland's
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...
secondary schools. The survey gave a percentage of how many senior pupils had achieved five Highers or more in their tenure at the school, and a percentage of how many pupils received free school meal
Free school meal
A Free School Meal, provided to a child or young person during a school break, is paid for by Government. For a child to qualify for a Free School Meal, their parent or carer must be receiving particular qualifying benefits as stated by Government...
s. In a list of Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
Schools, Wick came 21st out of 30 with 5% of senior pupils having achieved five highers or more. This is 5% behind both the Highland average and the Scottish average of 10%. However, Wick came 3rd out of 30 when it came to free school meals, scoring 15.6%, both ahead of the Highland average of 9.6%, and the Scottish average of 12.7%.
Refurbishment
During the summer of 2009 work was going to start on the £1m refurbishment of the canteen, pupil/staff toilets, and changing room. Initially, the removal of asbestos tiles was completed before the new term on Aug 18th. Deconstruction/construction work was going to start in earnest during the October holidays 2009. This would have involved almost doubling the size of the canteen to provide much-needed additional seating and servery options and coupling the canteen with the assembly hall to create a flexible concert/refreshment facility. Pupil toilets will be completely rebuilt, as will staff toilets. This upgrade will provide much-needed social space for the pupils. However, most of the work was put on hold with the news of the Scottish Government part-funding the build of a new school.There are improvements currently taking place (2010) including new toilets and changing rooms, transformation of the swimming pool into a multi-purpose PE area, limited refurbishment of the cateen.