Welcome to Portobello High School’s website. We are pleased to provide those visiting our site with information about the school and aspects of our work. Good communication is important to us as a school and we regard our relationship with parents/carers and the wider community as crucial to the success of the school.
Here at Portobello High School we are committed to providing a challenging and rewarding educational experience. We are a non-denominational, six year comprehensive based in the East of Edinburgh. Our school roll is over 1400 pupils and despite being the largest school in Edinburgh, the House System we operate and our policies and procedures ensure that every pupil is welcome, known and supported.
We pride ourselves in being an inclusive school which offers many and varied opportunities, both within and outwith the classroom, for the growth and development of pupils in our care.
Please contact the school if you require more information.
Ruth McKay, Head Teacher
As part of Career Ready we are required to demonstrate the skills that we have gained over the 2 year programme. We have decided to have a bake sale to raise money for Edinburgh Cat and Dog home which will go towards sponsoring a kennel or cat pen.
The bake sale will take place this Thursday, 24th March in the assembly hall at break time. Your support in this is greatly appreciated.
Our S1 football team are in the semi-final of the League Cup – Saturday, 19th March 2016 against Ross High. The game takes place at Cavalry Park, with kick off at 9:30 a.m.
The boys would really appreciate any support if anyone fancies coming along to watch
S3 History pupils enjoyed a day out to New Lanark on Tuesday, 15th March to learn more about nineteenth century cotton factories and what life was like for those that lived and worked there. Pupils took a ride on the Annie McLeod Experience, explored a nineteenth century classroom, took a trip into the homes and shops of past New Lanark residents, and saw a cotton mill in action! The pupils were excellent and really engaged. Great day out for all!
Mr Mackenzie (History Teacher)
The Welcome Wall Art competition was won by Niamh Mackintosh (1A2) and 2nd prize awarded to Rosie Hunter (2B1) who was a close runner up. Both girls win vouchers.
The standard of entries was excellent. Well done to all who entered
The S6 Library Prefects chose to celebrate International Women’s Day by decorating the Library with pictures and information about their favourite influential women
Andy Irving 4D2 has been selected for the U16 Scotland Football Squad, see attached squad letter.
Each year PHS Eco Committee host a School Grounds Saturday Surgery to help maintain the biodiversity garden and other green areas in the school grounds. This year, we’re asking parents to help us work on the flowerbeds, bark paths and the sensory garden, please!
The surgery will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, 19th March 2016, in the biodiversity garden (accessible from the East entrance to the school).
Eco Committee volunteers will provide free tea / coffee and bacon / veggie butties to parents who come along. We have some gloves, large forks and spades but please bring along other tools or your own gear if preferred!
Please let me know at sophie.coats@portobello.edin.sch.uk if you are able to attend. Looking forward to working with our school community to make the school grounds greener and more pleasant for our pupils!
Sophie Coats, (Eco-Schools Co-ordinator)
Primary 5 at The Royal High Primary School received this email to great excitement yesterday! We are the only school in Edinburgh to progress through to the online voting stage of this competition. As a class we would really appreciate if you could visit this site and read the wonderful article we entered. The prize is a 3 day visit to Orkney!
“I am very pleased to let you know that The Royal High Primary School’s entry into the Legion Scotland Stories Of the Sea Competition has made it into our final stages and is online for the public to vote for their favourite!
You can vote for your school or favourite entry on our website: http://www.legionscotland.org.uk/schools/school-competition-2015-16
Please note each computer can only vote online once – to vote again on that computer an incognito tab must be opened. This is to try and make sure that the votes are fairly collected.
Voting closes on 21st March so please do spread the word and encourage as many votes for your school as possible!”
Thank you for taking the time to read and choose one you enjoyed.
Irene Clark and Primary 5, The Royal High Primary School
I am writing to advise you that unfortunately the opening of our new school will be delayed.
Our contractors, Balfour Beatty have informed us that they are unable to meet the planned completion date that would have allowed us to move in to our new school in August 2016. This is mainly due to an issue with securing a drainage connection with Scottish Water.
Work is ongoing to resolve the issue, however in the meantime we are planning on the basis that we will move into the new school in January 2017.
There is still a chance that this issue can be resolved more quickly and if that is the case, we would move at the earliest school holiday period which would be the October 2016 break. We are keen to achieve this if at all possible.
The later entry date will allow for orientation visits for both staff and pupils before the new school opens. It will also allow our new S1s (currently P7) to settle into the routine of secondary school before they have to get used to the new building and we will be developing specific plans to support the transition for them.
Our plans to commemorate our current building are not affected by this development, and I hope that many of you will take to opportunity to take part in the events planned for Friday 3 and Saturday 4 June 2016. We will share further details on the school website in the coming weeks.
While any delay is disappointing, I am sure if you have passed the construction site recently you will see that work is progressing well. Having been inside our new building on several occasions now I am confident that it is going to provide a wonderful learning and teaching environment for our school community.
Ruth McKay, Head Teacher
In preparation for our move to the new site we are responding to many requests for opportunities to remember the years we have spent as a school community in our current building, which opened on 1 December 1964.
An exciting programme of celebrations will be launched with a music concert on Thursday, 28 April. The old school building will be open to the general public for guided tours on the afternoon of Friday, 3 June and from 10:00 to 16:00hrs on Saturday, 4 June.
Some classrooms will be fitted out with memorabilia from each decade of the life of the building, and visiting former pupils will be encouraged to share their memories and /or sign their names on displays.
A café and exhibition will be in place, where we hope to honour some of our former pupils who have excelled in their chosen fields.
Information and details will be updated on the school website as they happen
