North West Sutherland Schools
Our school
Values
Courage
Aspiration
Respect
Equality
Our CARE values are at the heart of Kinlochbervie High School and underpin everything we do—how we learn, how we teach, and how we treat one another. CARE shapes our expectations for behaviour, relationships and attitudes, ensuring our campus is a place where everyone feels safe, respected and included. These values guide everyday interactions in classrooms, corridors and the wider community, helping pupils develop not only as successful learners, but as kind, responsible and resilient young people. By living our CARE values consistently, we build a positive culture where learning can flourish and everyone is supported to achieve their best.
High School
Broad General Education
Our Broad General Education (BGE) in the High School provides a rich, balanced Curriculum for Excellence experience for young people in S1–S3, ensuring they develop strong foundations in literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing, and a wide range of curriculum areas. Learning is designed to be engaging, relevant and progressive—supporting every pupil to build skills, confidence and ambition as they prepare for the Senior Phase.
Aiming High: Wider Choice and Challenge
As part of our commitment to raising aspirations and widening horizons, pupils access a range of Aiming High opportunities that complement core learning and help young people discover strengths, interests and future pathways. These include:
-
British Sign Language (BSL)
-
Rural Skills
-
Expressive Arts
-
Humanities
-
Natural Sciences
These experiences promote creativity, problem-solving, enquiry, and practical skills, while connecting learning to our local context and the wider world.
Leadership Opportunities
Leadership is built into campus life from the earliest stage of secondary. Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility, contribute to school improvement, and develop confidence as role models through opportunities such as:
-
Pupil leadership roles and committees (e.g., pupil voice groups, events and community initiatives)
-
Peer support and mentoring across stages
-
Supporting primary campus events and transition activities
-
Leading learning in classrooms, groups, and wider school projects
Through our BGE offer, we aim to develop successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors, ensuring every young person is known, supported and challenged to achieve their best.
Senior Phase
Our Senior Phase provision (S4–S6) is built around aspiration, achievement and positive destinations. We are on a clear journey of change, with a strong focus on raising expectations, driving attainment, and ensuring every young person is supported to reach their potential—academically, personally and socially.
Aspiration and Attainment
We prioritise high-quality learning and teaching, effective tracking and monitoring, and targeted support so that pupils are both challenged and well-supported. Our goal is to help young people achieve strong qualifications and develop the skills they need for life, learning and work. We work closely with pupils and families to plan pathways that are ambitious, realistic and tailored to individual strengths and interests.
Courses that Serve Community and Broaden Horizons
Our Senior Phase offer reflects the needs of our rural context while ensuring pupils can access opportunities beyond our local area. We provide courses that:
-
strengthen our community, developing practical skills and employability linked to local industries and services, and
-
broaden horizons, helping young people see and prepare for further and higher education, training, and careers across Scotland and beyond.
This balance ensures pupils can contribute meaningfully to the place they call home, while also feeling empowered to explore the wider world with confidence.
Leadership, Employability and Employer Partnerships
Leadership is a key feature of the Senior Phase. Pupils are encouraged to take on responsibilities that build confidence, communication and teamwork, including roles that support younger pupils and contribute to the life of the school. Alongside this, we strengthen employability through meaningful engagement with employers and partners, including:
-
work-related learning and skills development
-
employer inputs, projects and real-world contexts for learning
-
opportunities for work experience and wider achievement
-
developing career management skills and planning for positive destinations
Through our Senior Phase, we aim to develop young people who are ambitious, resilient and outward-looking—ready to succeed in exams and qualifications, prepared for the world of work, and equipped to thrive wherever their future takes them.
Tracking, Monitoring and Reporting (TMR)
Tracking, Monitoring and Reporting (TMR) is a key part of how we support attainment in the High School. It helps us build a clear, accurate picture of each pupil’s progress over time—across learning, effort and wellbeing—so that we can recognise success early and respond quickly when a young person needs additional support or challenge. TMR also strengthens communication between school, pupils and home: pupils understand where they are doing well and what their next steps are, while parents and carers are kept informed and can work in partnership with us to reinforce learning and routines. By using TMR consistently and purposefully, we ensure that support is targeted, expectations are clear, and every young person is guided to achieve their best.
In addition to ongoing tracking within school, we provide clear, regular updates to families to keep everyone informed and working together to support progress. Tracking updates are shared termly, giving a snapshot of how pupils are doing across key areas, and full written reports are issued twice a year, offering a more detailed overview of attainment, progress, strengths and next steps. This ensures there are no surprises and that support can be put in place early where needed.
Alongside this, our Pupil Portal provides live attainment data directly to pupils, helping them take increasing leadership of their own learning. Because the portal is updated regularly, pupils can see their progress in real time, reflect on what is going well, and respond quickly to targets or areas for improvement—strengthening motivation, ownership and ultimately, attainment.
School Improvement
The school was inspected in October 2024 with re-inspection due in Spring 2026. This is an exciting new chapter for Kinlochbervie High School as we work through the inspection outcomes, update our curriculum and teaching practice and proudly get it right for every child. To access our School Improvement Plan please click on the link below.
