The Scope - Issue 14 - The Truth Issue

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TheTruth About VandalismAt LarbertHigh

Lucy Morton profiles the efforts of staff at Larbert High to tackle vandlism

Vandalism. The antisocial behaviour which results in the destruction of another’s property without consent. Sounds pretty bad right? Surely there’s no defence for it? Why, then, are people in Scotland still committing these crimes? Why is it that our pupils, the pupils of Larbert High in Falkirk, partaking in such delinquent behaviour?

Vandalism rates have increased in Scotland ever since the COVID epidemic figures decreased. The underlying issue with this is that the people who commit these crimes don’t think about the consequences of their actions, they only care about themselves and the somewhat inexplicable satisfaction they obtain from these deeds.

However, there is no surprise as to who these individuals are. Primarily speaking, teenagers are the ones to blame. The Youth Justice Board have confirmed 38,518 teenage criminal offences reported from 2020 onwards and 3,750 of these offences were acts of vandalism. But the real question is how has teenage vandalism now become widespread into Larbert High?

Mrs Kirsty Chatburn is the head of the Humanities’ department at Larbert High. She has heard of many cases of vandalism through the words of pupils and staff and has even witnessed the results of destruction in our school. She strongly believes that vandalism in our school is mainly through boredom and pupils don’t realise the destruction of our workplace results in an unpleasant space to learn.

She said: “Undoubtedly there are young people from Larbert High School that commit vandalism in the area but there would be pupils from all other different schools doing this as well. It’s an issue with a small percentage of young people across Scotland and not just our pupils.”

Ms. Chatburn said it's not just our local area that gets the short end of the stick, our school building and our outdoor learning spaces have been prone to acts of wreckage too.

The Carron Dams seem to face many littering issues, especially after holiday periods, which are damaging to wildlife and unsightly to the eye.

Ms Chatburn also added that the school toilets have faced the most brutality from Larbert pupils and quite a lot of money has been invested out of school funds just to fix these issues.

One way in which the school has been able to tackle these issues is by adding glass panels to supervise the hand washing area. This has reduced the amount of repairs needed in this part of the school and therefore benefiting pupils.

Ms. Chatburn also said: “I notice a bit more rubbish after holiday periods but we encourage our S1 classes in particular to go out and do litter picks. In terms of litter it’s bad, but in terms of vandalism I have never seen any destruction of the signage or any of the art installations there.”

This shows that our pupils have recognition of their wrongdoings and Larbert High is taking the right course of action: setting pupils on the right track which will benefit their education.

Mrs Chatburn also said: “Some young people are prone to commit acts of vandalism and I think it’s because they don’t actually think through the consequences: who has to pay for it, who has to fix it and what impact it has on our local area.”

Some young pupils from our school have a complete disregard towards others and just blatantly think of themselves, especially when they partake in activities which harm the community they are a part of.

But do teen vandals know there is always a price to pay? If someone convicted of vandalism is under the age of 17 they will either be charged with on-the-spot fines or community service.

However, Mrs Chatburn added: “I think the problem is that they don’t believe what they are doing is vandalism and is therefore a criminal offence. They think it’s quite innocent and don’t realise that is the crime”.

This creates many issues for our school as if they continue to act disruptively in and out of school, they may end up with a criminal record to their name. These disruptive acts also lead to the cleaning staff being misused. They have certain time schedules to oblige to and they shouldn't have to go out of their way to clean someone else’s mess. These vandals don’t think before they act.

With all that being said, Larbert High is a place for students to learn. For some amount of time, it did not provide students with this from the several distractions all around the school but it is nice to see that these issues are now attempting to be fixed. The school is making an outstanding effort to try and alter the school to benefit the pupils. If more students became aware that vandalism is such a regrettable crime, there wouldn’t be as many cases within our school. If we keep up this pattern and discuss the value of things within our school, Larbert High School will start to see much more benefits.

TheTruthaboutPeerPressureatLarbertHigh

Lucas Guthrie addresses how peer pressure iimpacts on the lives of pupils... and what is being done to support them in handling it

Peer pressure can happen anywhere in and out of classes across lots of different schools

Mr MacDonald, a pupil support teacher at Larbert High School, said it was a consequence of pupils attempting to “fit into a specific category” But are all pupils aware of doing this? And what are the issues with their attempts to fit in? When do the pressures become too much?

Peer pressure can occur over a wide variety of different aspects of growing up Most commonly though this can be to do with different social trends in order to fit in with everyone else Certain pupils at Larbert High School can be a victim to these types of pressures: whether its vaping, smoking, skipping classes, or simply what a person wears, pupils are encountering all sorts of pressure pushed on them by their peers Pupil support teachers, like Mr MacDonald, are aware of problems pupils face with peer pressure across the school While they work to address these problems, it can be hard to prevent as these events can occur outside of school times in more private areas that teachers don’t know about

There can be serious aspects of peer pressure which can affect people's physical and mental state Dangerous uses of smoking, vaping or even drugs can be forced upon pupils to fit in with a specific group

This can result in threat and violence which can make others frightened and therefore pressured down darker paths ”

Mrs Lester, a pupil support teacher at Larbert High said that teachers are well aware of these sorts of problems and she hopes pupils feel safe to discuss them

She said: “I do think we have a good school and when people are pressured into things they would be able to let us know in order to keep them safe

She said she believes that pupils can be trusted to not get involved with underaged crime and if so, they can inform a teacher which can result in involving the police to protect one’s self

Social media can also be a major factor that contributes to peer pressure which teachers are not fully aware of as these matters happen outside of school on the internet Mr McDonald said that pressures like social media change who we are

He said: “growing up and making the right decisions can be influenced by others ”

Mr McDonald said that there is a vast change in pupils from the start of High School and you can see a lot of how they have developed as a person over the years

During class time when the pupils are in school learning, the teachers have plans in place such as having a period of MESP once a week for everyone in the school to tackle social issues like peer pressure The teachers intentionally do this as part of mandatory learning for the pupils as it touches on different aspects of social problems being taught

Mrs Lester said pupils are being taught “to say no to things and to stand up to your own beliefs ”

So, is peer pressure all about fitting into a current trend or category and can we do anything about it? Most commonly peer pressure between pupils is to do with the people around you that can influence a lot of your decisions throughout your time as a teenager and it is something that will probably never go away

Mr McDonald said: “staff and pupils also have the opportunity to plan things around the school in order to help the matter ” Mr Mcdonald also said he believes that the school is an incredibly safe environment for all pupils The school is mostly aware of pupil’s well-being and safety, despite the occasional incidents that can take place behind their backs, and while peer pressure might never go away, it can at least be minimised so everyone can feel happy in school

The Truth about Vaping at Larbert High

Euan Roberts illustrates how the new trend for vaping amongst young people is affecting the pupils of Larbert High and what is being done about

Vaping is quickly becoming a crisis issue around many high schools in Scotland and Larbert High School is no exception A former pupil support teacher, Mr MacDonald, feels it is more than just a new habit amongst pupils

He said: “vaping is a kind of socal trend ”

So why is this happening? And what can be done about it?

To further explore this social agenda we first need to find out exactly what it's all about Vaping wasn't just some overnight sensation that just appeared out of nowhere At first vaping and more specifically vapes were designed to be a more healthy and cheaper alternative to smoking for adults However as vapes grew in popularity so did their use and also their accessibility

Mr MacDonald said: “A lot of it is down to how young people see vapes getting used ''

He suggested that most young people get their access to vapes and they gain vaping habits by watching older people

Mr MacDonald said that there was a quite simple reason for vapings popularity

He said: “I think it comes down to how accessible they are ”

Research suggests that 27 5% of high school students use vape products Which, if this statistic is true, means that at the near 2000 students in Larbert High School that's roughly around 550 pupils vaping In fact if you take a look at the number of students per year group that would work out as roughly 92 per year 92 students vaping seems outrageous especially considering in at least 5 of these 6 years the people vaping are considered underage and not legally able to buy these products

Mr MacDonald said there were also other reasons for vapes wider appeal

He said: “I suppose another thing that stands out is that it's very discreet compared to cigarettes ”

In large part he’s right If you look at it from face value it is very easy to both remain discreet when having a vape and or when disposing of one Compared to actual cigarettes vapes can easily be disposed of when finished by simply binning them or disposing them via other means As well as this another factor can be how easily they can be hidden

Mr MacDonald said: “a vape is just like a small device you can hide in your pocket ”

Mr MacDonald said that tackling Larbert High pupils’ use of vapes is something he does every day

He said: “Even just walking around the campus or being up the street I rather often find kids and have to tell them to put their vape away or to even take it off them ”

So it seems that in many ways vaping is a rather large crisis at Larbert High High schools are trying as hard as they can to clamp down on vaping as a whole But the real question is still, are they doing enough?

The Truth about Substance Abuse Support at Larbert High

Poppy DeRuiter explores how the wider social issue of substance abuse impacts on the lives of Larbert High pupils and what the staff at the school do to support pupils affected by it

Substance abuse amongst young people is a topic which is often discussed, yet nobody seems to truly know how much it affects school pupils There are varied views on how common substance abuse is, with mixed views from the pupil support teachers who try to address substance abuse to the students who actually participate in the substance abuse At Larbert High there is a startling difference in views between the pupils (who will remain anonymous for their privacy) and the perceptions of their support teachers

In 2018, there was a survey (SALSUS) carried out by the Scottish Government Within this survey, 21,559 pupils were surveyed and it was revealed that there was a small increase in 13 and 15 year olds who took drugs a month prior to the survey taking place, from 2% and 11% in 2013, to 4% and 15% in 2018 Out of these, cannabis was the most used (19% of 15 year olds said they had consumed cannabis) Using this data we can estimate that the current percentages of substance abuse within 13 and 15 year olds, as of 2022, would be 5 6% and 18 2% Clearly, this is an issue within Scotland, but is it as much of an issue in Larbert High?

Miss Lester is a well known figure at Larbert High and she is a pupil support teacher She said that substance abuse wasn’t much of an issue at Larbert High and that MESP lessons were effective in helping educate students about substances

She said: “of course we cover a lot of this (substance abuse) in MESP but I wouldn’t say that theres a big problem with it, certainly not here at Larbert High School ”

She said that many school children don't participate heavily in drugs and only dabble occasionally, trying things every so often if they’re curious

However an anonymous pupil disagreed with this They said that they feel like MESP lessons do not help address drug use and that the lessons aren’t personal enough They did, however, partly agree that a lot of people were just dabbling in drugs Additionally though, they said that they believed a number of students were getting addicted to various drugs and using them regularly This could indicate that teachers at Larbert High arent as aware of drug use as they may think

With the rise and fall of the COVID-19 pandemic you would assume that there has been added stresses and anxieties in students' lives, which may have led to an increase in substance use However, Miss Lester said that she hadn’t noticed a lot of increased issues when it comes to substance abuse, certainly not in the S5 group she supports However, if somebody is struggling with substance abuse they rarely ever come to teachers directly and it’s primarily through teachers and parents noticing details in the pupils behaviour that these issues come to light

The anonymous pupil had a different view They said they believed there was a “huge increase” in pupils of all ages consuming drugs of some form They said that the reason pupils were choosing not to ask teachers for help was because they are afraid of being punished in some form: for example, a dreaded phone call home or detention

We’ve established that, certainly from the anonymous pupils perspective, there is potentially an issue with substance abuse at Larbert High But what can pupils do to receive help?

Miss Lester said there were many routes to take, such as speaking to your pupil support teacher, accessing self-help websites and once again, MESP, where students can express their concerns freely

She said: “Hopefully MESP is there for pupils to have a safe space ”

While MESP can be effective in stopping drug use, it isn’t as effective tool as it could be Miss Lester said the MESP lessons could deal with some minor tweaks, like introducing police talks or covering more areas of drug use, if it was to effectively address the problem

Ultimately drug use by Larbert High pupils (as with most young people in Scotland) remains an issue, but it is an issue that can be fixed

TheTruthaboutClassicsatLarbertHigh

Erin Hagan considers how staff teaching Classics at Larbert High are using their subject to introduce pupils to a whole new world

While the ancient world of Romans and Greeks may seem far off in the distant past at over a thousand years ago, learning about their way of life may be closer than we think. Miss Leach, head of English and Classics - along with pretty much everything else under the English department umbrella - is personally championing the subject at Larbert High. From ‘cultural capital’ to the impact of Classics on the world we live in today, Miss Leach said that a subject full to the brim of gods, monsters, betrayal and consequences is introducing Larbert High pupils to a whole new world.

Mrs Leach said the idea was something that occurred to her at quite a challenging time for education in general.

She said: “I had the wonderful idea of introducing [Classics] just before covid started. Its first year was about 2019 or 2020, so the first year we taught it we were doing it remotely.”

The subject explores a unit on Ancient Greece, a unit on Ancient Rome and another unit on a piece of ancient literature, often Homer’s The Odyssey. The subject is often described as a mixture of both Humanities and English, blending literacy and history together as one. Classical studies in general, including Ancient Greek and Latin, are most popular with Italians compared to any other European country. With this statistic in mind, it is easy to see how lucky Larbert is to be one of the first state schools in Scotland to have the opportunity to study this aspect of ancient history.

Unfortunately, there are several schools which are unable to access this unique and vibrant subject. While a majority of private schools offer many Classics-related choices as part of their curriculum, very few state schools have qualified teachers or ample resources to be able to teach Classics.

This means that poorer or middle class young people find it more difficult to achieve another qualification in something that they are passionate about. Miss Leach said this can be problematic.

She said: “There’s a big thing in education about ‘cultural capital’. It is felt that impoverished students have less cultural capital than their richer, more well off peers, and arguably Classics is one of those things.”

However, all is not lost. On the 11th of March 2020, the University of St Andrews hosted a campaign in association with Classics for All (CfA), Advocating Classics Education (ACE) and the Classical Association of Scotland (CAS). During this event, both classicist and non-classicist teachers alike were invited, along with presenters who would give a talk on various aspects of Classics including why they felt it was important to introduce it into more curriculums nationally. Dr Alex Imrie was the spokesperson for CAS, and made attendees aware of ways in which they could receive help in beginning to integrate the subject into their schools.

Due to the wide-ranging abundance of myths dotted throughout classical history, it is fascinating for pupils to see that an entire society of people formed their belief system off of these strung-together anecdotes, no matter how absurd. Despite people of ancient societies being long gone, the memory of their intriguing lifestyle lives on through Classical Studies.

Miss Leach said philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle play an important role in many of our school subjects in the modern world. Aristotle revolutionised literature in the creation of his tragedies which is still seen through classic books of the 19th century, and even in modern novels.

She said: “[Classics] can give you a wider understanding of the belief systems. I think the world we live in shows that it’s more important than ever that we have tolerance for each other and understand each other.”

Although ancient civilisations may seem alien to us at first glance, their influence has shaped many things we know today, including our own language and literature. Learning about the ways of ancient worlds can emphasise how distinctive and individual different cultures are in the modern world, and shows the importance of learning about more than just our own society.

Contrary to popular belief, there’s more to the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds than mythology. In the midst of all the compelling and often terrifying myths, it truly is a shame that more niche areas of such a broad, rich subject do not get the recognition they deserve. Miss Leach said: “I really just enjoy the idea that it’s about more than just these mythological stories, that they’re about how they explained the world and that they created their belief system out of these sorts of things.” From festivals to ritualistic practices, religious buildings to the great theorists of the time, there are so many other corners of the Classics universe yet to be ventured into that too frequently go unnoticed.

By creating such a close relationship with ancient history through Classics, it is easy to see why this subject is in such high demand and how fortunate our school is to be able to present the opportunity of studying it to pupils. In a way, it is a tragedy, though not of Euripidean scale, that so many students are unable to access it as part of their curricular choices.

The Truth about Technology at Larbert High

Hannah Cochrane discusses how Larbert High School are taking a future-focused approach

which is modernising education for the better

Technology is taking over the world as we know it. Eyes glued to 6 inch LCD displays, fingers pattering vigorously on keyboards, postures permanently plundered due to the hours upon hours spent hunched over desktops. Society’s very framework has become completely and utterly reliant on technology. And that framework does not omit schools.

The school structure of Scotland has welcomed the ever glowing presence of technology with open arms in recent years, with devices that, in the best hopes of teachers and parents alike, will prove to be a successful catalyst to the academic success of kids all over the country. As of September last year, everyone enrolled in a high school in the Falkirk Council area has had access to their own, one-to-one, personal iPads. Digital devices are spreading all across all aspects of our schools. This is thanks to the Scottish Government’s investment in technological hardware to be introduced to secondary schools across the country. £1.3 million was the figure paid most recently in the government's pursuit of more tech in education With such a big figure of commitment, there comes potential risks and ramifications. The implementation of technology, in particular iPads in schools, has altered the courses of students’ academic lives. Whether that interference will be positive or negative is not yet clear.

However, Larbert High School are certainly a school who are leading on this new development and seem to have a plan of action to make this introduction of tech effective. Along with the iPads given to pupils came digital champions. Those in the position of a digital champion have the duty of patrolling and controlling the use of iPads throughout Larbert High, as well as instructing fellow teachers on how to effectively make good use of technology in class. I had the pleasure of talking with one of Larbert’s most undisputed digital champions, Mrs Katie Couper, an English and Media teacher at the school.

Her binding responsibilities in the role have since bled into burdensome hurdles. A significant group of teachers were rather close-minded in regards to the iPads, and had their aspirations set on sticking to what they knew.

Mrs Couper recalled her struggles in getting staff on board with the technology.

She said: “At first, it was really hard. There were a lot of teachers that were stuck in their ways and didn’t want to move to digital.”

She said many opposers were set on their stance until a certain disruption rippled our academic equilibrium.

Digital education experts believe that the reliance on technology during the Corona Virus stricken years of the early 2020s has resulted in many students and teachers now being able to navigate and use technology to their advantage in the world of work and learning.

Mrs Couper said: “I think with the pandemic, everyone having to go digital resulted in people suddenly being really interested in wanting to learn how to be digital.” Those who were initially against the modernisation of lessons and learning had been enlightened and were now open to the idea.

From a teacher’s perspective, the impact of technology in modern school settings warranted a mixed response in the beginning. Over time thought, it's become considerably evident that the vast change in atmospheres in classrooms has been beneficial to the educational experience and has helped teachers plan and execute engaging and influential lessons.

Mrs Couper said there had been a change in pupils’ behaviour since the launch of iPads, She said: “At first, I thought it was going to be a negative change. Pupils had their iPads all the time and I could always see them doing things they shouldn’t be.”

However, as time has unfolded, and students have become more accustomed to the presence of iPads in class, she said everyone seems more comfortable with technology and has learned to benefit from the use of them inside and outside of class.

She said: “Technology gets through to pupils and engages them more to use the digital means.”

Beneath the layers of distractions and hurdles with iPads, there is an underlying link between technology and young people which ultimately paves a path to successful and prosperous destinations for students. It allows pupils to express themselves through their work and feel at ease in academic atmospheres.

Edinburgh City Council made several cases in favour of iPads within their school system. These include points stating that the Apple devices offer “a range of innovative accessibility features to improve access to the curriculum for pupils with additional support needs,” as well as allowing “pupils to work online simultaneously in a class or collaboratively outside the classroom.”

Of course, technology has always been directly affiliated with subjects such as Graphic Communication and Computer Science. These subjects’ foundations are solely built on digital devices. On the contrary, more traditional subjects like English were not composed with technology in mind. This poses the query - is technology necessary in non-digital subjects?

Mrs Couper reflected on the impacts technology has made on her own teaching experiences: She said: “English was probably one of the hardest ones to bring (technology) in because it is so traditional.”

However, the triumph of technology pulled through yet again as it demonstrated its versatility through a number of handy features. Digital annotations through eBook applications, and the practicality of not having to deal with the inconvenient consequences of paper copies, are just some of the benefits technology provides in the subject of English, according to Couper.

To conclude, it seems the influence of the modern world, and its innovative components, on pupils’ education has been progressive and uplifting. Its accessibility has encouraged learners, and its immense array of abilities have made young people aware of their bountiful bucket loads of potential. Our educational environment has undeniably flourished under the surveillance of digitality, and it’s fair to say the Scottish Government will not be regretting its extravagant investments Following such success, we can only hope technology will lead us, as pupils, on to even better and bigger things in the future.

TheTruthaboutMathsatLarbertHigh

William Lawless

discusses the course with the staff of Larbert High, who feel what they are teaching pupils a vital skill for life

Mr Rennie-Evans, the Principal Teacher of BGE in Mathematics at Larbert High School, said that Maths is “one of the three things that are massively important to take away from school ” So why do so many of us find the study of it a dreadfully monotonous endeavour? The stereotype of old, pale men frantically scribbling symbols onto a chalkboard with little care for those not naturally talented enough to keep up remains prevalent But, in Larbert High the Maths Department is doing all it can to change that

In 2021 there were over 700,000 students in Scotland, the vast majority of which will study Maths The way Maths is taught has the ability to affect the success of entire generations, something understood by Larbert’s Maths teachers They are a group of young teachers dedicated to the success of the area's young people and they offer a modern approach to the subject

One of the largest criticisms of Maths is it does not teach things which are significant to most pupils Mr Rennie-Evans understands this point He said: “solving equations and inequalities [is required] when for a lot of pupils that might not be something they necessarily have to go on and explore later on in life ”

However, Mr Rennie-Evans said that within that outcome pupils “learn to understand that unknowns are a thing ” And this, he said, was something which is broadly more important

Part of what is helping to drive the change in the way Maths is taught is the ‘Application of Maths’ qualification from the SQA This qualification aims to give pupils a ‘a much more realistic’ view of how Maths can be applied to the real world This, in the view of Mr Rennie Evans has made a significant impact

He said: “We’ve got a whole pile of pupils who are sitting in Higher classes now that if you told me they would have been in a Higher class when they were in S2 I would have said there’s not a path way for them to get there ”

Part of the Maths education s remembered by many is a hierarchic of strict top sets and bottom set Rennie-Evans worries that with this s pupils may become trapped not le the skills they need to progress if th placed in a bottom set A significant g the schools Maths department is to the gap between the highest and attaining pupils To do this the depar has gotten rid of sets

Instead pupils who come up from primary schools are put into either Level 3 or 2 classes For the pupils in Level 2 Mr RennieEvans described the goal as one of progression

He said: “We want to help to push these pupils with the view that we would be able to upskill them so we give them all of those skills ”

To many, Maths is still seen as a boring subject stuck in the past However, the work of the Maths department at Larbert High School shows the subject can be a more exciting, practical and diverse subject If the work of the Maths department continues they may manage to create a generation that views Maths as a tool rather than a chore

TheTruthaboutUniversityProgressionatLarbertHigh

Marcus MacKay investigates the progression routes into Higher Education for Larbert High pupils and asks staff about the support available

”Only 30% of pupils at Larbert High go to university,” - but that is looking to change

Choice and options are a vital part of a student’s future and their ability to gain qualifications and attend courses that they want is an essential aspect of achieving their dream job A school’s duty is to train the youth into making an impact in the decades to come Offering a wide and varied curricular pathway is the only way they can do this without fault Therefore it is also Larbert High Schools responsibility to take on the job of giving its pupils the brightest future LHS is on the right path to ensuring everyone has a role in society by giving learners the ability to travel to Forth Walley College do access their apprenticeships and offering multiple extra courses from which you can remove unnecessary classes to do an extra qualification in an area relevant to your future

Karen Cullen, Depute Rector at Larbert High has a lot of involvement in providing a vast roster of subjects for the pupils Cullen is the main reason why LHS is able to offer the college courses to its pupils

She said: “We cannot offer everything” But she also said it is true that Larbert High has a lot on its curriculum However, the college provides courses for subjects that are currently impossible to take at LHS Courses like engineering, construction, software development and hardware are a few, as these courses are all 2 years long and give students work experience and a higher qualification

These courses can shape a young adolescent's life moving forward in the world Going into a higher education early gives them a sneak peek of the future and aids them in deciding their route into the foreseeable future They may also receive an offer from the college to move straight into another apprenticeship which can turn a youth’s life in the complete opposite direction

College isn't the only different type of route a student can take, as college is only available from S4-S6s Something must also be available for those just starting the high school and there Is The Academy program is a subject that anyone In the BGE section of the school can take Some of these include Media, Hospitality, Football and Rugby By choosing one of these you will gain more time in the earlier years at the high school in these subjects The main goal of these is to offer the pupils a more fun alternative to your usual stuff but more importantly so that they can achieve a higher qualification early Cullen said: “When you look at the School of programme (Old name for Academy), every one achieves success in different ways”

This shows how well these pupils do and how they shape young careers in their specific industry They allow you to have a Higher in the bag before you are even 16 which can start the journey into higher education in their subjects

Because you can stay in your Academy from S1S3 your knowledge is so expanded so that doing the National 5 can be fairly easy which can be proven by the fact over 90% of the Languages Academy pupils achieved As at National 5 and some even achieved two qualifications

This is only one of the reasons why Academies are a subject that should be implemented in other schools

These courses weren't always available to the pupils at Larbert High In fact it is only recently where a big surge of new courses became available due to the partnership with Forth Valley College

Cullen said: “In the last 5 years [the range of opportunities] has really spiked up ” This includes the college partnership, new wider achievement opportunities, additional Academy subjects and new bolt-ons These are just a few of the wide range that Larbert High is trying and succeeding to supply

The future is bright for Larbert High’s students as more and more are able to do the courses and subjects that matter the most to them

Cullen said: “Only 30% of pupils at larbert high go to university ” This number is why Larbert High strives to give pupils a head start at qualifications and a head start in experiencing the workplace that they may spend the majority of their working days at It is in Larbert High’s best interests to ensure that all their pupils follow down the greatest pathway that they can achieve LHS has worked with people like Karen Cullen to ensure this is done and it continues to be done effectively every day

TheTruthaboutMentalHealthatLarbertHigh

Katie McMenemy tackles how Larbert High is addressing a mental health crisis for young people, speaking to the staff who do the most to address the problem

What is the truth about mental health at Larbert High?

Adults in wider Scotland can simply reach out to hotlines and professionals to seek help However, mental health is a tricky subject throughout someone’s youth as the stigma of teens' emotions being down to hormonal imbalances contribute to the assumption that there is nowhere for them to turn According to word of mouth, some Larbert High pupils are under the impression that seeking help for their mental health is out of their reach

Common complaints from pupils include staff actively engaging in defending sexist or discriminatory comments beyond confrontation, some feeling personally singled out and targeted for bullying by both staff and peers and the lack of action taken towards real issues such as assault and harassment of a both verbal and physical nature However some in the student body seem to be ignoring what efforts are being made by the school and are unaware of what help is out there For example, they could take note of moments where wellbeing topics are discussed in assemblies and in weekly health classes for all year groups or Mental health weeks which take place each year

A pupil Support Teacher at Larbert High, Miss Lester, defended the school’s approach to tackling mental health issues

She said: “We’ve got so much support there that people might not know about ’

Although blame for negative aspects of the school’s mental health culture are often placed by students on the staff alone, students have failed to consider the members of staff from varied departments who have earned a qualification through mental health training courses It seems to be the case that students do not know the support out there and teachers have urged many to never be too scared to ask

Another pupil support teacher, Ms McPhail, repeated this message

She said: ‘We have an open door policy, pupils can come in and speak to us at any time if anything is on their mind ”

The pupil support staff at Larbert High definitely pride themselves in having an open door approach to be there for pupils at any point Varied assemblies have mentioned the open door policy’ held which emphasises that teachers are people to turn to for personal discussions They have a number of support systems put in place to help those who do come forward For example one to one with pupil support, school listening services and school counselors which are advertised as much as possible on posters and Google classroom announcements, are all available to pupils

When queried about extreme cases inside the school McPhail defended how the school responds

She said: “If we feel there is not something we can do then we shall direct the pupil towards the most helpful support ”

Some pupils do find it difficult to discuss matters in a school setting with unknown teachers which leaves much of the problems unheard It is known that pupils are put on long waiting lists for help outside of the school which undermines the strength of the system However, it seems clear the teachers are trying their best to deal with this but the time on waiting lists continue to be a challenge

Overall, there is enough being done towards the benefit of the students mental health at Larbert High but it’s constantly shot down by the pupils themselves due to fears and poor advice from their peers Aside from the obvious stigma of the youths’ mental health, the support differs from wider Scotland as the teachers at Larbert High are clearly more determined and true to listening in general, while treating their students as equals rather than subordinate

TheTruthabout ThePoolat LarbertHigh

Lucy Morton and Hannah Cochrane explore the issues surrounding the proposed closure of Larbert High's community swimming pool and the public outcry and protests at the closure

Pleas to “save the pool” and chants of “let us swim” rang around Stenhousemuir Library in the early afternoon of Friday 20 January as pupils, teachers and parents alike gathered to voice their opinions on the potential closing of Larbert High School’s swimming pool

It was announced in late November that Falkirk Council would be shutting down school swimming pools along with town halls and other leisure facilities The council have revealed that their budget for the year is not enough to sufficiently continue to fund its many different buildings, and they are hatching plans to close down these facilities These are facilities which many claim play a significant and vital role in our community

The general consensus amongst the peaceful protesters outside of Stenhousemuir Library was that the pool should not be shut down, due to the many benefits and opportunities it provides for young people, many of whom come through the LHS’ school system Every year, 350 P5 pupils from primary schools within the Larbert Cluster are granted access to the pool for weekly lessons over the course of approximately a month This allows the children to either develop their swimming skills, or learn the basics and fundamentals of the sport On top of this, the prospect of the pool at high school is something that appeals to primary pupils heavily Moving up to secondary school is oftentimes daunting, but with exciting facilities such as the pool, pupils nerves can be reduced a sizable amount

Scott McCallum, a P7 teacher at local primary school, Ladeside, who made the journey to the protest expressed their concerns about the pool closure

He said: “Primary 7 pupils here at Ladeside are looking forward to going up to Larbert High School, and they might miss out on the opportunity to learn how to swim or develop their swimming skills ”

Joining Scott at the protest were several high school students and teachers, who shared the adamant opinion of being firmly against the closure of the pool

"It’s an utterly ridiculous idea,” said Brian Townsend, Principal of Health and Wellbeing at LHS

The demographic that use the pool regularly isn’t just pupils, either There are roughly 1200 local young people who use the pool through a range of community clubs, such as Falkirk Otters, Swim Easy, Evolution Swim Team, and Donna’s Swim School It’s an established fact that Larbert High’s pool is well used and has a positive influence upon the hundreds of people that use it daily

If the conclusion of the council's efforts ever came to it closing down, it would affect the livelihood that some earn through their usage of the pool

Take Donna Simpson for example, owner of Donna’s Swim School and PE teacher at Larbert High School who said: “As a swim teacher, I want to make use of as much time as possible to encourage swimming and spread how important it is ”

The people’s passion for their right to swim echoed through their dedication as they attended the peaceful protest in full voice It’s rather evident that the swimming pool is not ineffectively used as it could be, but this doesnt necessarily merit its closure Its not some burden to the school, nor the council It provides comfort and several wondrous opportunities for all sorts of people

Over the years, there’s been a triumph of swimmers that have trained and competed at the LHS pool Many memories have been made and goals have been fulfilled Kids have learned to swim, people have learned to coach and the community has been brought together Swim coach, Eilidh McDuff, vocalised her gratification for coaching at the pool

She said: “My experience with the pool has been great, I really enjoy coaching the kids ” The numerous advantages that the pool yields isn’t limited to enjoyment, either She went on to say: “I get my money from it, and I look forward to it every week ”

Our community values the school’s leisure facilities highly, and with the possible closure of the pool, an abundance of people’s passions and aspirations would be harder to maintain and thrive on

One particular member of the resolute turnout that stood out from the rest was Councillor Jack Redmond of Bonnybridge and Larbert Asserting his own personal opinion, he claimed that the pool was the wrong thing to be cutting, due to it “meaning so much to so many people ” His perspective of the concern was judicious, and he offered an informative point of view

He said: “the council’s got a £33 million budget gap we need to save this year ”

Additionally, he shed light upon the more serious side of swimming and its importance: He said: “there’s just under 100 drownings in Scotland every year, and it unfortunately might go up with less people being able to swim ”

As he said this, numerous signs with the bold, heavy slogan of ‘swimming saves lives’ plastered on them were raised to the sky by the fierce, young protesters gathered at the library

This highlighted the vital aspect of swimming - it can save someone’s life It’s critical that our youth, as well as other generations, are comfortable enough in their swimming abilities to be able to save themselves, or somebody else, if they were ever to find themselves in a vulnerable or dangerous situation in and around the water

Without access to a pool, it would be significantly more difficult to develop this basic, yet essential adeptness at swimming Moreover, swimming is another means for people to become fit and prolong that sense of being active, which is key for young people everywhere Larbert High offering such a broad and extensive range of fitness facilities, including the pool, is exceptionally beneficial to pupils, as it allows them to choose what suits them best in regards to their health and wellbeing