Heads’ up – it’s time to put your back into learning at Kilgraston School
The full effect of pupils having been away from the classroom for months will take a long time to fully comprehend. However, at Kilgraston, one consequence has already been clearly identified.
“Since returning after the Easter holidays, several teachers began to notice a common theme of slouching,” said Head teacher, Dorothy MacGinty,
It soon became evident that months of home-schooling, crouching over a laptop, hadn’t done anything for pupil posture, with several commenting on sore backs and necks.
“Of course, because of social distancing, staff and dining room chat is severely curtailed,” continued the Head, “it took a few days before we realised that this was a common theme. Since restrictions were eased, there has, quite rightly, been a great deal of national discussion about lockdown lethargy, mental health issues, weight gain and children struggling with speech and language skills, however, none of us were prepared for, or expected, a bearing on personal carriage.”
To try and address the issue, pupils throughout the Kilgraston’s Junior and Senior Years are now being asked to carry-out shoulder-rolls and stretches before each class, with time spent in PE also concentrating on personal posture.
Year-group bubbles are encouraged to think about their stance and the body as a whole. “We’re not quite ‘Miss Jean Brodie’,” said Mrs MacGinty, “but we are asking them to sit-up a bit straighter for their own long-term benefit.”
Senior pupils at Kilgraston School taking part in a pre-English class stretch session
The Daily Mail newspaper also thought this was a good idea, reporting the story on Wednesday 5 May 2021
Deportment for education… school bids to stop slouching
- Scottish Daily Mail
- 5 May 2021
- By Kate Foster
IT is a lesson worthy of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – a ‘deportment’ class to correct slovenly posture.
Now, just like the girls in the classic book and film, pupils at a Scottish boarding school are being taught how to carry themselves, after teachers saw them ‘slouching’ at their desks following months of home schooling.
The posture classes are taking place at Kilgraston, an independent school near Perth where fees range from £11,550 for primary to £33,500 for senior school boarding.
Many pupils have been studying from home during lockdown and when the mostly girls’ school reopened for face-to-face learning two weeks ago, teachers saw youngsters slumping and complaining of aches and pains. Now they are being given daily exercises such as shoulder rolls and stretches before they start lessons, with PE classes concentrating on deportment.
The problem is thought to have been caused by pupils at home not looking up as often as they would do in the classroom – and teachers not being on hand to tell them to sit up straight.
Mrs MacGinty discusses the return to school on Radio Tay
Kilgraston’s Headmistress, Mrs Dorothy MacGinty, featured on local radio station, Radio Tay, to discuss the return to school.
Schools in Scotland have been closed again due to COVID-19 but today sees the return of the youngest pupils, in the Primary 1, 2 and 3 year groups.
You can listen to what Mrs MacGinty said via the link below, around 40 seconds in at the first news and then every half hour news slot thereafter.
What is the view from your window?
Cityscapes, seaside views, countryside idylls: as you sit at home, learning or working during this latest lockdown, what is the view from your window?
Without the freedom to travel, during lock-down, the view from our own windows may have become monotonous, especially as from some of us, this is the third lock-down since March 2020.
So whilst we cannot be together physically, why not see where others are? With this in mind, we asked our wonderful Kilgraston family to share where they have been learning, teaching and working and these are some of the results (music is by Kilgraston’s Clarsach Group).
Rebecca’s story of lockdown learning
My lockdown learning
When the second lockdown started, everyone resorted to online learning but for some people like me, we were going into school for the key worker hub. I go into school on days when both of my parents are working.
We’ve all got an allocated desk so at first it was strange not moving around for each class but I am now used to it. It was really nice to see everyone at the hub and the rest of my class online. Once we finish our morning of online learning, our year group has lunch together and goes on a nice walk around our lovely campus.
It is nice to see all of the teachers supporting the hub and helping our parents by looking after us. I am really enjoying getting out the house and not looking at the same four walls all the time (even if it is only for two days).
Rebecca
You can also read Talia’s story here.
Kilgraston virtual assemblies - January 2021
Kilgraston’s assemblies are traditionally thought-provoking, and inspiring, and this week’s virtual assemblies are continuing this custom.
In Monday’s assembly, Kilgraston’s Deputy Head, Mrs Lund, asked us what might be the connection between a number of objects including an oyster, a NASA Scientist and an American Vice President.
The answer, Mrs Lund explained, was a pearl: the oyster produces a pearl, an item worn eventually by American mathematician, Kathryn Johnson, whose maths helped NASA astronauts land on the moon, and a pearl necklace is today the signature item of the American Vice President, Kamala Harris. A pearl is a small item and Mrs Lund’s message was not to underestimate the difference you can make as an individual, no matter how small.
Someone who began her campaigning small in years but certainly not in stature is activist, Greta Thunberg, and in Wednesday’s assembly, Head of Geography, Dr Phillips, discussed climate change and how Greta has inspired and motivated a generation of environmentalists. Dr Phillips shared some staggering data of the rise in CO2 in the past century, underlining the human impact on the planet.
Assemblies at Kilgraston can be given by staff and indeed pupils and you can enjoy more of these here.
Kilgraston cares for key worker children
Like all schools in Scotland, Kilgraston lessons are now taking place virtually but the school is still open to children of key workers. So here is Upper Four’s Talia to explain what she has been doing in school:
“I have been so glad to get back to school although it is not as it is normally. We have been doing our lessons online with the rest of our class and it has been so nice to see everyone including all of the amazing teachers. We have managed to do our PE challenges set for us by Mrs Ferry. This was a 5k run which was a real challenge and we went round the cross country route three time and managed to complete it, all socially distanced of course.
“We are doing well wearing our masks, washing our hands, hand sanitising all whilst keeping at a distance of two metres. It is the new normal for us. I feel so fortunate to be able to come to school and it is a great chance to get all of my school work done while my parents are both working at this awful time. I understand that there are others in my position who are not as fortunate as me and I just want to say thank you all especially Mrs Muller and Mrs Lyle who have been taking care of me.”
You can read more about via our coronavirus updates and Kilgraston’s Headmistress, Mrs MacGinty, recently talked to national paper, The Times, about the return to school.
PE challenges start of Spring Term 2021
Kilgraston’s PE challenges are well underway. Each week as well as our usual PE lessons, our Head of PE, Mrs Ferry, and the rest of the PE staff are setting weekly sporting events for the pupils to tackle.
In week one of term, it was the Home Learning Chilli Challenge.
Each pupil had to pick a chilli strength, mild through to extra hot, and complete the four challenges within. For our Upper Sixth, this could be completing a five kilometre run, recording a sports commentary, research on testing cardiovascular endurance and designing and completing your own HIIT training session - extra hot strength.
Last week, the pupils were asked to complete a Tour of Scotland. Each year group had to travel from the North of Scotland to the South of Scotland in seven stops. With three different levels of intensity, the pupils had to do an exercise from each of the stops. These included things like how many press-ups in 30 seconds and going for a thirty minute walk, run or cycle.
We all know how important exercise is to our mental health particularly in this current lock-down, so huge well done to everyone for staying so motivated and energised!
For more tips on positive thinking, read this article by Kigraston’s Head of Boarding and Pastoral Care, Mrs Sonja Muller.
Life during and after lockdown - Sixth Form Kilgraston pupil writes in national newspaper about her own experience
Many thousands of column inches have been written about pupils’ return to school, but few have come from the teenagers themselves. Kilgraston School English and poetry enthusiast Anna GH wanted to elaborate on the highs and lows of life in lockdown, her subsequent start of Autumn Term and ‘new normal’ elements that must now be embraced.
Her piece appeared in the national newspaper on 1 September 2020.
Read the full article in TES here
Kilgraston’s Summer 2020 Term - highlights
It may have been different to our typical summer term but Kilgraston’s Summer 2020 term has still been packed full of exciting news and activities.
All of our pupils continued with their education, with Kilgraston teaching taking place online. We held our first Virtual Open Day which was hugely successful, had a number of sporting challenges, and had smaller online versions of our main end of Year celebrations including our 90th Birthday Picnic. and our Leavers’ Assembly.
It seems technology has helped us all over these past few months and where would we be without Zoom? Thank you to all our pupils, families and staff.
We are looking forward to welcoming all our pupils back in August and say congratulations and good luck to our amazing Class of 2020. Here are just some of our Summer 2020 Term highlights.
Kilgraston’s vegetable patch
In her Easter assembly, Kilgraston’s Headmistress told us how she and her family, had built a vegetable patch and been busy planting vegetables as well as building a treehouse for the Juniors.
A number of vegetables were planted including spring onions, leeks, broccoli, beetroot, broad beans as well as tomatoes in the greenhouse. Given all the warm weather, look at how the plants have shot up since April. Looking forward to seeing what Kilgraston’s fabulous catering team can do with all this home-grown veg.
