Monifieth High School

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Monifieth High School is the only high school in Monifieth, Angus, Scotland. Its current headmaster is Richard Coton. It was founded in 1976. The school contains about 1100 pupils. Its catchment area does not only include Monifieth and parts of Barnhill but also Birkhill and other rural areas of Angus.

The school caters for pupils with assisted needs and the Support For Learning (SFL) department is housed in the bridge joining the P.E. block to the main part of the school building. The school's SFL department takes part in a number of activities throughout the year to enhance the learning of the pupils involved, this included a "21st Century Record of Achievement" run by the Ides Network.[1][2]

The school operates a house system with three houses: Balmossie, Dalhousie and Panmure. The pupils are separated into these for registration classes (in the majority of cases, although there has been some exceptions in senior classes) and also competes in these houses in sporting events throughout the year. The house that performs the best overall wins the house trophy at the end of the year which is presented in a prize giving ceremony. Other prizes awarded at the prize giving ceremony include subject prizes (S3 to S6), Academic Achievement awards, Certificates of Merit and the school Dux & Proxime Accessit awards.

The school was recently inspected by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education[3] (November 2006), and their report is expected within the following months.

Contents

[edit] Staff

With a few exceptions (see Controversy) the staff of Monifieth High School (teaching and non-teaching) are normally well-commended by visitors, including Her Majesty's Inspector's (see above). One such teacher was Mrs. Rhona Goss, who won The Teacher Of Physics award in 2005 though, to be fair, Mrs Goss has since left the school.[4] Mr. Graeme Kiddie, a depute-rector and Physics teacher at the school is a member of The Education Institute of Scotland Council[5]

Although it cannot be taken entirely as truth, as with any school, Monifieth High's RateMyTeachers profile can be of use to any parents, pupils or teachers at the school.

[edit] Facilities

The school has recently experienced a vast overhaul of its facilities, with an improved reception area, brand new changing rooms, the installation of many interactive whiteboards in classrooms[6] and the renovation of toilet facilities. However, the school still has many faults, mainly due to the poor planning of the building in the 1970s. The classrooms vary from being unbearably hot to freezing; the S6 Common Room is far too small, narrow and basic; and other senior pupils only have the 1st floor landing to call their own during break and lunchtimes. Also the outside of the school has been compared to a prison due to its bleak, brown appearence, although this has changed slightly since the addition of the new brown-pink PE block and new white office area extension. Some people have speculated that the aforementioned improvements to the school only occured because of the also aforementioned visit by Her Majesty's Inspectors.

[edit] The School Library

All pupils and staff are automatically members of the school library. It is open Monday to Thursday between 8.30am and 5.00pm and on Friday from 8.30am until 3.30pm. It is not open during interval (10.40am to 10.55am) or the first 15 minutes of lunch (12.45pm to 1.00pm). S5 and S6 may use the library any lunchtime during the week however the other years (S1-S4) can only use it on certain days. The days they are allowed to visit is worked out using a rota system. Many teachers will take classes into the library on occasion to use the excellent resources within, much to the consternation of S6 pupils who are squashed into a small area of the library with only 3 PCs and 8 seats available, with little talking allowed. Library users are allowed to take four items out on loan for a maximum of 2 weeks under normal circumstances. Further loans and longer loan periods may be negotiated on an individual basis.[7][8]

[edit] Pupil Councils

The pupil councils in Monifieth High School aim to promote and enhance the quality of school life for staff and pupils. There is one per year group for S1 to S5 and consultation for S6 is via the school captains. There are two representatives per register class for years S1 to S5, generally a male and a female. The school is currently exploring ideas to improve two-way communication between pupils and pupil council representatives.[9] One of the things spoken about at the last S6 pupil council was the fact that many pupils were not reaching their full potential in the school. Hopefully, thanks to the pupil council, something will now be done about this problem.

[edit] A School Day

It lasts from 8:45 to 15:30. There are fifteen minutes for class registration at the start of the day. There is six periods of class, four in the morning and two in the afternoon. Each period is either 50 or 55 minutes. There is a morning interval form 10:40 to 10:55 and there is an hour for lunch between 12:45 and 13:45.[10]

[edit] Subjects and Curriculum

In first year (S1) when pupils first come to the school, they study Physical Education, Social Education, Religious and Moral Education, English, Mathematics, Art, Music, Geography, History, IT, Home Economics, Science and either French or German.

In 2nd year (S2) the course is relatively similar but IT and Home Economics are dropped and Technical Studies is started.

3rd year and 4th year (S3 and S4) are the pupils Standard Grade years (although Intermediate 1 and 2 subjects are taught in these years as well). At the end of S2 the pupil has to choose 8 subjects to study in S2 and S3, English and Mathematics must be studied, so must a Modern Language (Spanish is added to the choice of languages). Pupils must also take a minimum of one Science subject, Biology, Physics or Chemistry and 4 other subjects from a choice of History, Geography, Art, Music, Technical Studies, Computing, Information Systems, Graphic Communication, Craft and Design, Home Economics Administration, Business Management, Religious and Moral Education and Physical Education. Also, core Social Education (1 period a week), core Religious and Moral Education (1 period a week) and core Physical Education (2 periods a week) must be taken.

5th year (S5) introduces Highers to pupils (other courses may still be taken) and the pupil must choose 5 subjects to study for this year. English must be taken and the other 4 are a choice of the pupil with much the same list as for S3 and S4 with Philosophy, Health and Food Technology, Product Design and Human Biology added and Home Economics, Religious and Moral Education and Craft and Design dropped. 6th year (S6) is much the same as S5 but with the choice of studying Advanced Highers. A minimum of 3 subjects must be taken, and this is from the same list as S5 with the inclusion of Psychology.[11]

The school curriculum is being cut back and Administration will be dropped as the Business Studies department that provides Business Management and Administration is being cut in half. The school has previously taken Accountancy out of its syllabus which was provided by the same department.

Also the school does not let pupils study Media Studies or Modern Studies although there is a great demand for the subjects.

Others flaws in the school curriculum include the fact that pupils could not study both Geography and History at Standard Grade level, however, the new 2006 Standard Grade choice sheet has finally allowed this choice. Also, the school puts a severe disadvantage on pupils who wish to study Geophysics in university as the school refused to let pupils study both Geography and Physics Advanced Higher in the 2006 S6 course choice sheet. Doing both of these subjects would give pupils an ideal grounding in the Geophysics degree but due to the school's lack of planning, this was not able to occur. A final problem with the 2006 S5 course choices was that only pupils attaining a grade 1 at Standard Grade were able to take Higher Chemistry and a pupil gaining a grade 2 or less was forced to take Intermediate 2 Chemistry due to lack of space in the class. As a pass at Intermediate 2 is equivalent to a Standard Grade Credit (grade 1 or 2) pass, this meant that many pupils were resitting a course below their proper level. Also due to lack of space in the Higher Chemistry class, S6 pupils wishing to resit their Higher Chemistry were unable to do so.

[edit] Uniform

The official school uniform is as follows: a white or blue blouse/shirt; a school tie; navy blue or black v-neck sweater or cardigan without any logos; grey, navy blue or black trousers or skirt; black or very dark shoes; outer jackets are to be worn in inclement weather, brightly coloured or denim jackets are not to be worn.[12]

The school is very strict when it comes to tucking your shirt in and wearing your tie, but other uniform items can be changed and the pupil will not normally be penalised for this. Many pupils at the school wear black shirts or shirts of other colours, instead of the permitted blue or white. Very few pupils wear v-neck sweaters and most just wear dark jumpers, hoodies etc. Pupil can also get away with wearing logos. Some pupils wear denim to school, even though this is against the rules. Finally, shoes are barely ever checked so many pupils wear Timberland boots, Converses or other types of shoes not formally recognised as school uniform. Approximately once every term, a 'non-uniform' day takes place, with pupils paying a small fee (usually £1) to wear clothing of their choice. Variations on this theme include a "Pink Day" in aid of Cancer Research UK, and "Funny Hat Day".

[edit] Music in Monifieth High

Monifieth High School runs a very successful Music department.[13] It runs several bands and choirs, including a junior choir, a senior choir and a brass band. The school also offers lessons for a large number of instruments including guitar, drums, piano, violin and saxophone.

The school has also produced a large number of bands and musicians over the years, with many going to prestigious musical colleges such as the Royal Academy. The most famous of these being Snow Patrol's keyboard player, Tom Simpson, the only Scottish member of the band.

[edit] Sport in Monifieth High

On the school grounds there are several football pitches, a rugby pitch, two hockey pitches - one blaize and one grass - and there is also a running track. There is a sand pit for long jump. In the P.E. block there is a games hall, a gym and a swimming pool which is also open to the public at the weekend and during school holidays.[14] Recently new changing rooms have been built onto the P.E. block and a new reception area also. The school hosts many sport clubs which range from athletics to skiing.[15][16]

The school has a special tie for those who participate in a sport at national level. It features a red band instead of the usual grey and a logo in the centre. It is awarded to pupils during assemblies and is meant to encourage younger pupils to take part in sporting activities. A large number have been awarded for sports as varied as basketball and ju jitsu. So far the scheme seems to have achieved a relative amount of success although no real numbers are available.

[edit] Controversy

There has been a little controversy surrounding the school and its catchment area over recent years. The school is under the control of Angus Council, not Dundee City Council, which means that children living in the surrounding areas of Angus are automatically accepted to the school, but the school is also on the border with Dundee and children living in nearby Barnhill and Broughty Ferry are occasionally not accepted into the school as they live in a different county and because the school is already over capacity.

This means that many children who live a five minute walk from the school but live in Dundee are not accepted whereas a child living a half hour-long bus journey away but in Angus is automatically accepted. This has upset some parents and children from the surrounding area, mainly children who go to Barnhill Primary School. The Parents and Teachers Association from Barnhill Primary School has tried many times to have the catchment area changed but as yet to no avail. Angus Council's reason for this is that as Barnhill residents pay their dues to Dundee Council and not Angus Council like Birkhill and Newtyle residents this is understandable.[17][18]

Another notable controversy in the history of the school was when an higher English teacher stormed out of class and refused to teach them in early 2006. The story appeared in the The Courier, the local newspaper, and the class was given another teacher for the rest of the year.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "21st Century Record of Achievement – Monifieth High School, Angus", The IDES Network. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
  2. ^ Monifieth High Online -- Support For Learning Department
  3. ^ HMIE -- Monifieth High School
  4. ^ "The Teachers of Physics Awards", Institute of Physics. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
  5. ^ Results of Voting 2006/2007, The Educational Institute of Scotland. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
  6. ^ "Using ICT in Science -- Evaluation of a Secondary School Development Project", Future Learning and Teaching Programme, December 2004. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
  7. ^ Monifieth High School Planner, page 13
  8. ^ "Monifieth High Library", Monifieth High Online. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
  9. ^ Monifieth High School Planner, page 5
  10. ^ Monifieth High School Planner, page 3
  11. ^ "Monifieth High -- Subjects", Monifieth High Online. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
  12. ^ "School Uniform", Monifieth High Online. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
  13. ^ http://www.monifieth-high.org.uk/coldfusion/pupil/Music%20and%20Performance.php
  14. ^ "Sport & Leisure Facilities and Services;Swimming Pools", Monifieth High School Pool. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
  15. ^ http://www.monifieth-high.org.uk/coldfusion/pupil/extra.php
  16. ^ "Sports", Monifieth High Online. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
  17. ^ "Monifieth High Consultation Proposals", Angus Council, 2001-11-15. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
  18. ^ "Monifieth High School report by the Director of Education", Angus Council, 2002-01-22. Retrieved 2006-11-28.

[edit] External links

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