Upcoming events

Dear Parent/Carer,

I hope all Braes families are doing well just now. It is good to see our young people continuing to be focused on their learning and involved in the wider life of the school. Please see an update on a number of matters below :

Friends at Braes

Our parent-led fundraising group, Friends at Braes, continues to support our school community in many ways, providing additional funding for pupil activities and running a well-appreciated uniform recycling scheme. At last week’s meeting the group heard a great presentation from the “Lego League” club, with young people talking about their work this session and receiving funding to support their club. It is always good to have new people involved in FAB, and if you would like to find out more please contact Chairperson, Susan MacKinnon at friendsatbraeshigh@gmail.com.

Parent Council

The next meeting of the Parent Council takes place on Wednesday 26th November at 7pm. At this meeting, which takes place in the school library, there will be a chance to engage with our pupil STEM Leaders, and to hear about our young people’s work in further ensuring Braes is a welcoming community for all.

Hub Cards

Our colleagues working in the school canteen are keen that pupils use their Hub Cards when paying for their refreshments at break times and lunch time. Although pupils can quote their individual card numbers to make payment rather than swiping their lunch card, this takes longer. The new lunch cards were introduced to make payment much quicker by swiping on the payment machines, thus reducing queuing time for all young people. When pupils do not have their lunch card the payment takes a bit longer, increasing the time all pupils have to wait. We have advised our young people of this and appreciate parents/carers supporting their young people in bringing their Hub Card to school. If your young person does not have their Hub Card please contact the school office.

In-Service Day – Friday 28th November

On Friday 28th staff are involved in in-service training. The school will be closed to pupils on that date.

Yours faithfully,

Iain Livingstone

Course Choice Trawl – Information for S4 and S5 Pupils

Dear Parent/Carer,
This morning (31 October 2025), all S4 and S5 pupils attended an assembly to introduce the Course Choice Trawl process.
The course choice trawl provides an early indication of the subjects pupils are likely to choose during the final course choice process in February 2026. The information gathered helps us plan which courses are likely to be offered, supports our quality assurance processes through the review of current tracking data, and enables us to identify any potential gaps in pathway provision. Please note that this is not the final course choice process, that will take place in February 2026.
A link to the Course Choice Trawl form, along with a copy of the assembly slides, is available on your child’s Year Group Teams page. All S4 and S5 pupils are asked to complete the online Google Form by Friday 14 November 2025.
Thank you for your continued support.
Mrs Cameron

Dear Parent/Carer,

It has been lovely to see our young people back in school this week. I hope that our pupils enjoyed their break and are ready for another positive and productive term ahead. Please see an update on a number of matters below:

Assemblies

Our assemblies this week are focusing on how we support our young people to challenge discrimination in various forms. It has been good to see the very mature and sensible responses from our young people on this subject.

Friday 31st October

This Friday sees the annual Braes Charity Fancy Dress Day. Young people are invited to dress up for the day. We would ask that pupils be mindful that this is still a school day, and that they refrain from including `scary’ masks in their outfits. At lunchtime there will be events led by our School Captains for their fellow pupils. Pupils should still expect to be working in lessons, and should still bring any necessary equipment to school, such as iPads, PE kit, Home Economics containers etc. If any young person does not wish to dress up, they can wear non-uniform that day. The usual rules of no football colours, or inappropriate clothing apply.

As ever, our School Captains are leading charitable fundraising this session. This session they are creating a charity `pot’ across the session. They will engage with their fellow pupils to determine where the monies will be distributed at the end of the session. Should anyone wish to donate to their fundraising efforts on this day, this can be done via ipay, or pupils can bring in a small cash donation on Friday. Alternatively, we would ask that if pupils wish to do so, they can bring in an item of longer-lasting food, or toiletries as a donation to the Braes Pantry. These will then be redistributed to Braes families in need.

Calendar date changes

Due to the earlier start of SQA examinations, the Senior Awards Ceremony has now moved to the evening of Monday 20th April, while the last day for S6 pupils will take place on the morning of Tuesday 21st April.

Many thanks for your ongoing support of your young person(s) and the school.

Yours faithfully,

Iain Livingstone

Dear Parent/Carer,

On Thursday 25th September, all Braes pupils will receive a new lunch card. They will be able to use this to pay for any food and drink they purchase from the Hub (school canteen) from Friday 26th September. Pupils will be able to swipe their lunch cards when paying for items, helping to quicken queuing time. There is no other change for pupils or parents/carers as a result of this. Money stored into your young person’s account is unaffected. If you have any queries please contact the school.

Kind regards,

Braes High School