Dr Vance’s first letter to parents/carers and pupils for this session is available at the link below. It covers matters such as:

• School Calendar 2021-22
• Coronavirus Update
• Building Works
• Messages for each Year Group

Highland Council have released the following statement this afternoon regarding the new toilets at Culloden Academy.

The new S1/S2 and S3/S4 toilets have been completed in line with the programme dates advised to the Stakeholder Group in June and communicated in end-of-term letters to pupils and parents.  These improvements are necessary in order to provide additional, fit-for-purpose toilet facilities to address the pressures from the increased school roll. 
 
There are similar facilities in place at Alness Academy, Wick High School, Inverness Royal Academy and Charleston Academy.  These are in line with what is happening across Scotland – open plan / unisex facilities are generally being used in new-builds and refurbishments.
 
The new toilet cubicles and doors are full height and fully enclosed for improved security and privacy for pupils. The handwashing areas are open plan and can be easily supervised from the corridor. This approach provides greater flexibility in how the school makes use of the facility either now or in the future.  It is widely considered that this model of toilet facility can contribute to positive pupil behaviour and reduce the potential for vandalism.
 
An Interim arrangement was put in place at the start of the new session until the S5/S6 toilets are completed, with the new toilet areas being unisex. Following feedback from pupils during the first week, this has been reviewed and the S1/S2 toilets are to be redesignated as boys’ toilets and the S3/S4 toilets as girls’ toilets with effect from Monday morning.
 
The plan is that these arrangements will continue after all the toilet improvements are complete, and the third new toilet area will be designated as unisex. However, there will be ongoing dialogue with pupils in the coming weeks.
 
If pupils have any particular concerns about the toilet facilities, they are encouraged to speak to their Guidance Teacher regarding this.

There are some minor changes to the bus arrangements for pupils getting the school bus to/from Culloden Academy. From Tuesday 17th August the Nairnside/Clava service will be operated by D&E. All other services continue to be operated by Stagecoach. The timetables for both services are available at the links below.

Dr Vance has written to all Pupils and Parents/Carers concluding the challenging session now at a close and with important information about the new session ahead of us in 2021-22. His letter contains important information about:

• SQA Certification
• Covid 19 Lateral Flow Testing
• Toilet Refurbishments
• Dress Code expectations for August
• Staffing Changes

Highland Council has written to all Parents and Pupils ahead of the summer break. See the links below.

Please see the letter from Donna Manson, Chief Executive, about forthcoming plans for building improvements/extension for Culloden Academy.

Please see the letter below from Highland Council about SQA Provisional Grades. At Culloden Academy these Provisional Grades will be shared with pupils in (former) S4, S5 and S6 on Monday 21st June. Pupils have been made aware of arrangements for this.

Please see the letter below from Dr Vance for all students in S4, S5 and S6. The letter contains information about receiving your assessment results and the appeals process.

The Fire Service recently shared this presentation for secondary age pupils about water safety. During this warm weather and with wild swimming becoming much more of a mainstream activity, it is important everyone is aware of the risks and how to remain safe.

On the In-Service Days on 7th & 8th June, some senior pupils will be completing assessments in school. Only those pupils with assessments scheduled need to come in to school on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th June. Buses will run as normal for those pupils who require transport but the canteen will not be open. The letter below explains the assessment arrangements for these two days in detail.