Tynecastle High School Edinburgh thoughts

[Shandonmum]

My daughter is starting high school this year and Tynecastle HS Edinburgh is our catchment school. She has a good friendship group at primary but unfortunately none of them are going up to the same secondary. Some moved out of the catchment to get into Boroughmuir or Firhill schools and some going private. She is quite worried about heading there with no pals. We see families moving out the area to avoid this school. Just looking for reassurance for the school really. She is bright and likes school at the moment, so am keen she can continue in this vein.. the reputation of THS is so mixed! And attainment compared to others not briliant...

I wouldn’t if you have a choice. Violence and disruption is fairly out of control in Scottish schools and it’s having a devastating effect on educational outcomes. To put it bluntly the more middle class the school catchment the lower it is likely to be, hence others moving.

Do you have the option of moving?

I know someone who sent her kids there. Both kids had great outcomes (very competitive degree apprenticeship and very good uni). Remember her commenting about number of primary classmates who went elsewhere though. Friend thought that her kids would do fine at Tynecastle.

My own kids went to less middle class school like Tynecastle in another city but if you looked at the results by SIMD against comparator schools then the kids in higher SIMD did well regardless of the overall school performance.

My daughter isn’t there but at a similar city school with a similar catchment. Mixed reviews but she is doing quite well, particularly considering her surroundings. Shes had amazing teachers and wonderful opportunities but has also grown up a lot. She’s very much looking forward to later years when the children who don’t want to be there can leave for other things.

(attainment is a bit of a silly metric though as it measures success against the intake and in a school like ours, many kids aren’t there by s5 so they can never have great attainment numbers no matter what. Typically a bright and motivated kid will do very well in s5/6 in a school like this as so many kids will leave in s4.)

From what I know, kids who are able and willing will do well. It has a poorer reputation because traditionally a lot who can afford to leave the area/ go private do. One year when I taught p7, only 3 pupils went there! Its much better now. I bet I know what school your kids are at! I don't work in that catchment any more but I do live there and the kids are usually polite and friendly when I'm out walking my dog.

Our kids will be going there and we've had involvement with the school through transition and other activities. The Head seems absolutely brilliant and I am not easily impressed by education professionals. Really committed, welcoming, recognition and understanding of the challenges families in the catchment area are facing without being patronising or paternalistic. Seems like a good culture.