Going Forward at Ross High School

09 February 2023

Katrina Donaldson, Depute Headteacher at Ross High School in East Lothian has given us her thoughts on the delivery, and impact, of Going Forward sessions at Ross High School.

Can you tell us a bit about Ross High School?

Ross High School is a large secondary school in Tranent, East Lothian. As of April 2021, the school roll was 1,259, making it the largest secondary school in East Lothian by pupil roll.

How have the Going Forward sessions integrated with the work that you already deliver?

The sessions have absolutely enhanced and complemented the work that we do at the school, not just in PSE, in other departments as well. The topics that are discussed in the sessions are so relevant for the pupils attending the sessions. Yes, we select who we think is most appropriate to attend, but the style, tone, content and two way engagement within the sessions is excellent and absolutely meets the people where they are at in terms of knowledge, needs and expectations.

What did you particularly like about the sessions?

It sounds really simple, but having a different face coming into talk to young people about some really emotive subjects (alcohol, drugs, sexual health, consent) makes a massive difference. It isn’t just about the different face, though. Whilst the Fast Forward are extremely knowledgeable about each of the subjects that they address, the informal, chatty and interactive style of the sessions makes in really easy for young people to openly talk about subjects and issues that are often difficult to address.

What sort of impact do you think the sessions have had on the young people that you support?

We know, as a team, that the sessions will have long term impacts in young people making more informed, healthier and safer decisions – we just don’t know when and where yet. Laura’s sessions focus on building trusting, open, empathetic relationships, meaning that young people have a role model that encourages healthy and positive decisions. She has been fantastic!

In the short term, the PSE team are clearly seeing that day-to-day attendance is improving amongst the group. It isn’t perfect yet, but we are seeing what were generally ‘sporadic’ attenders now coming to school more. Several of them have reported that they are coming in because they enjoy the sessions.

Beyond improvement in attendance, we can see that the young people attending the sessions are clearly working harder when they are in school, so they are attending more regularly and they are putting more in when they are here.

There are other attitudinal improvements. They are wearing their uniform more, showing that they ‘buying into the badge’ feeling more part of the school.

Prior to attending the sessions, one of the pupils was getting regular referrals for poor behaviour. They haven’t had any referrals since the sessions.

Would you recommend Going Forward to another school and would you be interested in continuing to receive Going Forward sessions in the future?

100%, I would absolutely recommend the Going Forward programme to other schools. The funding picture for many schools is not particularly favourable at the moment, but we would love to stay involved with the project in the future if funding allows.

Want to find out more about Going Forward?

To find out more about the Going Forward project, or discuss ways in which Going Forward could work with your organisation to develop and deliver a programme of sessions tailored to the specific needs of the young people that you support, simply e-mail the team, or give us a call:

 

 

<   Back to all news