Category: Secondary Department

Welcome to the Secondary Department

The secondary department has 8 classes and pupils follow the principles of Curriculum for Excellence: a broad general education in S1-S3 and the Senior Phase in S4- S6.   The curriculum is varied, relevant, challenging, enjoyable and adapted to meet our pupil’s individual needs.  Pupils also visit a range of specialists, have access to relevant therapeutic inputs and participate in wider community events.

Howes Hoose Work Experience

  By , , , ,

The pupils in Howes Hoose have been very busy on work placements. They now have the opportunity to work at Airyhall Community Centre and Somebody Cares. Work placements are very important for the pupils to meet and work with new people, increase their confidence and independence. Everyone on work placement is working hard and they are very polite to people they meet. Well done to all the Howes Hoose pupils for representing Orchard Brae in the wider Community in such a positive way.

Science Week

  By , , ,

Room 16 enjoyed celebrating Science Week last week by doing their own sensory experiment. We made our own lava lamps by adding Vitamin C tablets to oil and coloured water. We enjoyed the smell of the orange from the vitamin C, the sound of the fizzing and the sight of the bubbles coming through the layer of oil. It also gave us all the opportunity to practise our motor skills with pouring the water and oil. We shone lights underneath our lamps and put the lights out – they looked awesome!

Red Nose fun in 15

  By , ,

This week Room 15 have been busy learning to play Boccia in class. It has been so much fun getting to play all together as a class. We’ve been taking turns and practising our throwing skills and trying to get as close to the white ball as possible. 

On Friday, we celebrated Red Nose Day by making some squishy red noses of our own. We filled bits of tights with red pom poms and then glued on some googly eyes and wool to make them look funny! Some of us used really big eyes, some used small and some used a mixture! Then we made some red gloop to play with. It was so sticky!

Boccia in Room 15

  By ,

This week Room 15 have been busy learning to play Boccia in class. It has been so much fun getting to play all together as a class. We’ve been taking turns and practising our throwing skills and trying to get as close to the white ball as possible. 

We have also been getting really good at making playdough. Using our skills to measure out the ingredients and mixing them together.

Fairtrade Week

  By , ,

There has been lots of fun going on in school this week as pupils and staff have been busy exploring Fairtrade.

Classes took part in a Fairtrade scavenger hunt around the school, and explored Fairtrade products through a variety of sensory activities as well as arts and crafts and cooking.

It’s been wonderful to see how engaged everyone was in their learning and we enjoyed sharing our learning in this afternoon’s whole school assembly.

For those of you who were unable to join us, you can view our assembly PowerPoint below.

We hope that you have all enjoyed our Fairtrade week. Thank you to all the staff who made this possible and to all the pupils for their enthusiasm – who would have guessed that pancake day would fall in Fairtrade week!?!?

Have a great weekend and hopefully the songs don’t stick in your head too much!

Room 16 Random Acts of Kindness

  By , ,

Room 16 have been celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Day this week! Everyone took a turn to choose a familiar member of staff they wanted to give a treat to. All the pupils made very clear choices! We then went round school to find the staff members and deliver their treat along with a message using a Big Mack switch. We loved seeing everyone’s reactions to their surprise treats. We also took the opportunity to learn the Makaton sign for kind.

More shape in Room 17

  By ,

Room 17 have been continuing to explore shape.  We have been identifying 2D and 3D shapes.  We have been actively participating in exploring a variety of 2D and 3D shapes and using them in class.  Last term we made some trash band instruments and explored the 3D containers we used to make these instruments. This term we have also had a tongue drum that we enjoyed exploring and playing.  Some of us liked our own trash band instruments and some of us really liked the feel and sound of the tongue drum