Peebles High School

Peebles High aims to do everything we can to ensure a positive experience and outcome for our young people while they are here with us. To do this we published a very ambitious document in 2106 entitled “ Vision 2020”. This captures the how and why we hope to do this for every member of our school. Please download this pdf or continue down this page to read more fully about our ambition and commitment. phs_about01 phs_about02 phs_about03 phs_about04 phs_about05 phs_about06 phs_about07 phs_about08 phs_about09 phs_about10 phs_about11 phs_about12 phs_about13 Our Values Our values are taken from the mace of the Scottish Parliament: Justice, Wisdom, Compassion and Integrity. We aim to exemplify these values in our actions and encourage each other to live by these values. Our decision making and strategic planning are founded on these values. Mente et Manu. Compassion We care about each other, the wider school community, and the whole of society. We see ourselves as global citizens with a responsibility to help those less fortunate than ourselves. We try our hardest to understand those who hold different values and beliefs and celebrate our differences. Integrity We promote and practise our values in our actions and reflect these values in our policies. We aim to face our challenges, identify areas for improvement and focus on meeting learners’ needs by applying these values with honesty and transparency. Justice We treat everyone fairly and always strive to provide equal opportunities. The safety and happiness of our school community members will be prioritised as we aim to deliver the very best opportunities for all to achieve and surpass their ambitions. We believe in, and are committed to, being an inclusive school. Wisdom When making decisions we will apply our knowledge, experiences, understanding, common sense and insight. We understand that at times the rights of our community members may be conflicting and we will always consider our values to help us arrive at the right decisions. We are all committed to learning every day. Our Key Aims To improve the lives and the life chances of all of our students. To promote respect and positive behaviour in all of our relationships. To ensure every student is included, participative and takes advantage of the wide range of activities on offer. To deliver the highest levels of attainment and achievement possible for every individual. To deliver positive and aspirational destinations for all of our students as they leave school. Self-evaluation for self-improvement Evaluating the quality of learning and teaching to ensure it is of the highest standard is given priority in our school. We ensure everyone involved in school life understands their responsibility to evaluate their performance and all stakeholders take an active role in identifying what the school needs to do to improve outcomes for learners. Using a variety of strategies, we involve different groups of parents, pupils and staff to lead, plan, implement, monitor and evaluate our improvements while avoiding overly bureaucratic approaches. We are committed to our School Improvement Partnerships with other schools, looking for and learning from best practice within Scotland and further afield. We listen carefully to advice from SBC, Scottish government and international sources, while also considering the best available research, to reflect on our practices and when planning new initiatives. Gathering and analysing data, information and views underpins our approach to identifying what we need to do to improve and we are always mindful of the impact of our approaches on workload for young people and staff. Learning, Teaching and the Curriculum 7 Principles At every stage of learning all of our students will benefit from their entitlement to a curriculum that is… challenging and enjoyable, broad in scope, progressive, deep, personalised by genuine choice, coherent and relevant Dialogic Teaching We harness the power of talk to stimulate and extend students’ thinking and advance their learning and understanding. Staff are skilled at using dialogic teaching to diagnose students’ learning needs, frame their learning tasks and assess progress. This empowers students for lifelong learning and active citizenship. Active Learning Providing active learning experiences is a priority for all of our staff. Our students are eager and active participants in all lessons. We engage all of our students in collaborative learning activities, outdoor learning, and provide learning experiences that are meaningful to a digital generation. Assessment for Learning We are committed to using assessment to aid the learning process. We believe that making and learning from mistakes is a vital aspect of learning and formative feedback, peer assessment and AifL strategies are at the heart of our approach to Learning and Teaching. 3-18 Experience We are committed to partnership working across Tweeddale to ensure that all of our students benefit from a coherent experience that builds on learning at every transition point. Across Tweeddale there is a consistent approach to pedagogy, a commitment to cross sector working/CLPL and a commitment to prioritise Literacy, Numeracy, Health and Wellbeing and Skills for Learning, Life and Work.