THE rector of Lochgelly High School took time out of her busy schedule to meet with the Times and explain some of the initiatives that the school is currently undertaking as the desire continues to increase pupils’ ambition.

Carol Ann Penrose-Campbell was in a positive mood as she enthusiastically told the Times what the school has been up to of late.

She said, “What do we really want to focus on? Ambition. Creating a culture of ambition and a can-do attitude. We are teaching the kids that there is nothing stopping you doing whatever you want to do in life apart from having a lot of focus and hard work. A big part of the journey over the last three years has been the mindset of growth.” Carol Ann acknowledged that while Lochgelly and the surrounding area does not enjoy good health indicators and that community deprivation is having an impact in terms of health and well-being, this is something that they are keen to avoid at Lochgelly High.

“We are having a big push on health and well-being. We’ve done a lot with sport and extra-curricular clubs. We’ve really improved our facilities and have increased the number of clubs that are running. We’ve enriched the PE curriculum so that everyone gets two periods of PE from first year to sixth year.

“This has been really well supported in the community by councillors who have similar priorities. Mark Hood is a kindred spirit who understands the importance of healthy body, healthy mind.

“The brand new cycle path near the school, is incredibly exciting as pupils will have access. We are hoping to get funding for road bikes to enrich the curriculum. There are loads of exciting things we can do with that.

“There has been a big drive on healthy eating and we have a very strong home economics department. We’ve done a lot of work in teaching what is healthy food and giving tasters of exotic fruits and veg. This has been very popular and recently we’ve had a couple of initiatives like the free breakfast club. Everyone is entitled and they get toast, cereal and juice so they are not tired, and ready to learn.” Carol Ann explained that free soup at lunchtime is another project they’re undertaking and she also told the Times about their playground allotments and beds from last year.

The rector said, “I have never been in a school where you could have strawberries, beans, cabbages, cauliflowers and carrots in the middle of the playground. Nobody went near it, nobody vandalised it. It’s a measure and a marker of how strong the ethos is and how much respect there is within the school. Our soup idea is one for the longer term – the kids will grow veg in the allotment and then cook it in the kitchens. We can also sell soup bags as an enterprise activity.” Carol Ann was keen to point out that at Lochgelly High, mental health is as important as physical health and that resilience, confidence and self-esteem are very much on the agenda.

“We have a resilience programme with our first years where the kids learn that there is no such thing as inherent intelligence, it develops as you put yourself through challenges. This has been very successful and negative referrals have fallen by 80% for our first years compared to last year. We are seeing good evidence that it’s having a big impact.

“There’s a big drive in the school for raising attainment as achievement, attainment and qualifications are the ticket for success. That’s how you succeed in the world.” The final thing Carol Ann talked about was the Youth Philanthropic Initiative (YPI), which aims to pull the school and the community together.

“It’s a really interesting initiative based on charities. We try and build responsible citizens - we get a lot from our community so it’s how we give back.” Carol Ann concluded by reflecting on how far the school has come and where the school fits in the context of her time as a teacher.

She said, “There is tons of stuff going on and I could go on and on! I am really proud with a lot of the work. It happens because of the young people. I’ve worked in a number of schools in twenty years and the young people here are by far some of the best I have worked with.

“The children are phenomenal and we have fantastic parents as well. They are very committed to the school and the community. I’ve never seen staff work so hard. They get really excited about the impact that they can have and they go above and beyond. They laugh at me when I say we are changing lives and we’re about changing the world but it’s true – they know it, believe it and love it. That’s why they are here.” Find out next week how the pupils see the initiatives developing.