Latest news with #ArbroathHighSchool
Scottish Sun
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Gender-neutral school toilets to stay in Scots council area following Supreme Court ruling
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) GENDER-neutral school toilets in a Scottish council area are set to stay in place following the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman. Last month, judges unanimously found 'sex' under the Equality Act referred to 'biological sex'. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Arbroath High School has two toilet blocks of separate cubicles which are accessible to all young people Credit: Google And it means guidance around toilets, changing rooms and other facilities will have to be changed to exclude trans people where single-sex services are provided. Arbroath High School has two toilet blocks of separate cubicles which are accessible to all young people. The school also has designated single-sex toilet blocks and single occupancy rooms. Angus Council chiefs confirmed that their current provision meets legal rules as it does not have schools with only mixed-sex toilets. And there are no plans to alter the layout of the brand new £66million Monifieth High School campus. The new school will have designated facilities for males and females throughout the building, as well as unisex single occupancy rooms and accessible toilets. An Angus Council spokesperson said: "Angus Council is aware of the UK Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland Limited v Scottish Ministers dated 16 April 2025. "Officers are considering the implications across the Council's operating areas. "Angus Council does not have any schools with only mixed-sex toilets. "One secondary school (Arbroath High School) has two toilet blocks of separate cubicles which are accessible to all young people. Maggie Chapman saved from AXE by SNP after accusing Supreme Court of 'bigotry & hatred' "This provision is in addition to designated single sex toilet blocks and single occupancy rooms which are accessible and can be used by young people of either sex. "There are no plans to alter the layout of the new Monifieth High School. "The new school will offer a range of provision, with designated facilities for males and females throughout the building. "In addition, there will be unisex single occupancy rooms, unisex accessible toilets, and Changing Places facilities." It comes after judges ruled schools must provide single-sex toilets for pupils. Lady Ross KC told the Court of Session she would issue a court order making it a legal requirement for Scottish state schools to provide toilets according to biological sex. The case had been brought by parents Sean Stratford and Leigh Hurley following concerns about pro-trans policies at Earlston Primary, where their son Ethan, eight, was a pupil and their daughter Ivie, 3, was due to start. The council had built a new school for £16.6million but had not included single-sex toilets.
The Courier
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Courier
Gender-neutral toilets to stay in Angus schools after ruling
Gender-neutral toilets in two Angus secondary schools will stay in place following the landmark Supreme Court case around the definition of a woman. Last month, justices handed down the unanimous ruling that under the Equality Act 2010, 'sex' means biological sex. It has prompted councils in Courier Country to consider their use of mixed-sex toilets. Angus officials have confirmed their current provision satisfies legal rules since no school has only mixed-sex toilets. And the Supreme Court outcome will not force any change to the setup at Arbroath High School or the design of the new £66.5 million Monifieth High School campus. A spokesperson said: 'Angus Council is aware of the UK Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland Limited v Scottish Ministers, dated April 16. 'Officers are considering the implications across the council's operating areas. 'Angus Council does not have any schools with only mixed-sex toilets. 'One secondary school (Arbroath High School) has two toilet blocks of separate cubicles which are accessible to all young people. 'This provision is in addition to designated single sex toilet blocks and single occupancy rooms which are accessible and can be used by young people of either sex.' The council added: 'There are no plans to alter the layout of the new Monifieth High School. 'The new school will offer a range of provision, with designated facilities for males and females throughout the building. 'In addition, there will be unisex single occupancy rooms, unisex accessible toilets, and Changing Places facilities.' Work on the Monifieth campus is nearing completion, ahead of its planned handover in July. Pupils will move into the 1,200-capacity secondary at the start of the new school year. In the wake of the Supreme Court decision, Court of Session judges ruled Scottish schools must provide single-sex toilets for pupils. It followed a challenge after only gender-neutral provision was installed at a Borders primary school. The ruling has left Perth and Kinross Council with a possible question mark over three schools. It currently has nine schools with mixed-sex facilities. Six of these also have separate male and female toilets. Three have been designed with floor-to-ceiling cubicles in semi-open plan areas that will allow schools to reassign separate toilets for males and females.
The Herald Scotland
29-04-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Scots delegation to honour Arbroath born Italian partisan
Mackenzie was born in Cheshire, the son of Edinburgh-born Captain Lynedoch Archibald Mackenzie, and is known for escaping from a prisoner of war camp near to Piacenza before joining Brigata Stella Rossa and fighting in the resistance. Fighting under the nom de guerre 'Captain Mack' he was killed in October 1944 at Ponte dell'Olio. Read More: Less well known is the story of Carini, who was born in Arbroath on March 11 1923 to Italian immigrants Cesare Carini and Filomena Curà. His parents ran a fish and chip shop and he attended St Thomas Roman Catholic Junior School and subsequently Arbroath High School where he played football for the school team and local youth teams. Carini's mother began suffering from health problems and he followed her on her return to Italy in 1938 as she sought relief from the harsh Angus weather. His father, Cesare, was interned on the Isle of Man in a prisoner of war camp following the outbreak of the Second World War. A talented footballer, he made his debut for Piacenza in Serie C, the Italian third division, in the 1942-43 season; ultimately making 13 appearances and scoring two goals in his role as a midfielder. Carlo Carini, centre, ahead of a Piacenza match (Image: Davide Solenghi) A convicted anti-fascist, he joined the resistance in 1944 and thanks to his knowledge of English was key in rescuing Commonwealth soldiers who'd been captured in the African campaign and were interned in San Lazzaro and Veano. Indeed, he adopted the pseudonym 'inglese' or 'English'. As a partisan Carini fought for the 141st Garibaldi brigade under commander Guglielmo Beghi as part of the so-called 'flying squad' which would launch raids for weapons and ammunition as well as attacking enemy vehicles in transit. On October 31 1944 while on a raid in Piacenza with his comrade Aldo Bruschi, and following a firefight, he was captured and taken for interrogation. The following morning, at dawn, the pair were taken outside and shot, with Carini's father not discovering until after the liberation what had happened to his son. Eight descendants or relatives of the two partisans will make the trip to Italy next month, along with the historian Shaun Hullis and members of the British division of the National Association of Italian Partisans (ANPI). The delegation will visit a restored and relocated memorial to Carini as well as meeting with representatives from ASD Folgore, one of the youth teams for which he played. They will also have a reception with the mayor of Borgo Val di Taro, where he was buried.
The Courier
28-04-2025
- Health
- The Courier
Clowndoctors spread smiles at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee
'Do you like Minecraft?' Dr CousCous asks Dennis. The six-year-old from Montrose immediately lights up. 'Yes!' 'You look like a Minecrafter,' Dr CousCous nods enthusiastically. 'I can tell.' It has been a long night for Dennis, who is sitting in a giant bed at Ninewells Hospital, surrounded by pens and colouring-in books, a juice box and an easter egg. He looks tiny. He was brought to the Dundee infirmary the day before with suspected appendicitis after a fit of vomiting and stomach pain. Since then, he's undergone multiple blood tests and scans to diagnose the issue. His mum Maria is worried. Dennis, who misses his brother and doesn't like the needles, wants to go home. But the visit from the clowndoctors – Dr CousCous and Dr McFlea – has, at least for now, replaced his tears with giggles. 'He says he can't wait to go back to school and tell his friends about the clowndoctors,' Maria tells me afterwards. 'I'd never heard of the clowndoctors before. 'But it's good for kids and it's good for [the adults] as well. It makes everyone laugh.' The clowndoctors, deployed by Scottish charity Hearts and Minds, are professional artists who use clowning in medical, health, play and educational environments. They travel in pairs to hospitals, care homes and other health care facilities across Scotland. They visit the children's ward at Ninewells every week. Six-year-old Ellie, who receives treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease at the hospital every month, looks forward to their visits. While she and her big sister Orla are entertained by Dr CousCous and Dr McFlea, I chat to their dad Jamie. He says: 'We've been coming here for just over a year and see the clowndoctors most times. 'They will usually give Ellie a wee activity to do and make jokes.' Laughing, he adds: 'They usually embarrass me, make me sing and that kind of thing.' The family, from Perth, tend to spend two or three hours at the hospital each time. Jamie says: 'She has to get used to having these needles and cannulas and things like that. 'But [the clowndoctors] mean it is something that she kind of looks forward to. 'They just kind of make her laugh and smile when it would be pretty rubbish to be here every month otherwise.' Millie Cassidy, 14, is also well-acquainted with the clowndoctors. The Arbroath High School pupil has been coming to the hospital, where she receives regular infusions for her Crohn's disease, since she was nine years old. 'I enjoy their visits,' she tells me. 'They always try to make me laugh. It's quite nice. It's a good distraction. It helps to lift my mood. 'It kills a bit a time as it can be boring otherwise. 'I am here for about four hours each time. I usually bring games and things.' Millie's mum, Lesley, says: 'We've got our favourites. 'Because we've been coming for a while, it's nice to see the same clowndoctors 'They're always good at remembering who you are.' Indeed, spirits in the ward appear immediately lifted by the goofy clowndoctor duo, who riff off of one another effortlessly. ('Oh, it's the PRESS,' Dr McFlea greets me. Only to be nudged by her companion: 'She's not dePRESSed, silly!') But their clown therapy is not 'just for laughs', says Lucy McGreal, co-artistic director at Hearts and Minds. 'That's a byproduct of it, 'she says. 'But healthcare clowning is a real tool to enable empathy and compassionate curiosity. 'We make no judgments about a young person's experience in the hospital. 'The beauty of healthcare clowning is that we can meet them where they are with no expectations.' This means giving the children full agency, allowing them to end an interaction whenever they want to, or to simply observe. It is evidently an intense role, which requires intense training. Joanne Brown, head of development at Hearts and Minds, explains: 'The clowndoctors are really highly skilled. 'They have usually gone through some kind of performing arts education. 'And then when they come to us, they have a year's worth of in-depth training for healthcare clowning. 'And then once they've 'graduated' from their healthcare training, there's continual assessment and observation of the work.' Scotland's clowndoctors are considered some of the best in the world, I'm told. The team are part of an international network and often meet with similar charities across Europe to share their knowledge. Dr McFlea – otherwise known as Zoe Darbyshire – has been doing the job for 23 years. The visual artist, who lives in Ladybank, says it is a 'great privilege'. 'It's incredible how we're given access to people who are so generous to us – it's like an exchange with the families. 'There are kids I've worked with for a long time, from babies through to the end of life, because Scotland is a small community of hospitals. 'We work across various locations, including schools and hospices, so we see them in different places. We follow the families.' She adds: 'Sometimes they just want us there, and it's not about getting smiles, it's about being their friend with no conditions. 'We are just someone who is neutral they can have a relationship with.' The nature of the job means it can be emotionally demanding at times. It is one of the reasons clowndoctors always work in pairs, and why they are given access to a support facilitator. Dr CousCous – whose name I learn is Colin Moncrieff – has been working with the charity for 15 years. The Glasgow-based actor says: 'We do see kids going through really difficult times. 'There was an occasion when someone resembled the age of a clowndoctor's own child, which was tough, so she stepped out and someone else stepped in. 'There's loads that gets under the wire, so we have to find our own self-care as well. 'There are times we've had memorial sessions, where we have thought about children that have been lost. It gives us time for that reflection.' But he channels this energy into what he does. 'Even if [the children] are going through difficult things and trauma, then we cut through that to be with them in the moment and connect,' he says. Around 20 clowndoctors work for the charity on a freelance basis. Along with their intense training programme – it's not a cheap process. It costs around £28,000 to fund clowndoctors in a children's hospital for one year. Part of this is supported by the NHS, but the rest depends on Hearts and Minds, which is financed by community donations, corporate partnerships and various trusts and foundations. Funding issues mean the charity, which was founded in 1997, has been forced to reduce its output in recent years. While funding at Ninewells – the only hospital that clowndoctors visit in Tayside and Fife – has just been secured for the next three years, the charity can no longer afford to visit institutions it once used to, including in Aberdeen and Inverness, despite repeated requests. The is one reason Joanne's role was created. The former director of Edinburgh Art Festival joined the team last year to oversee fundraising and marketing. She says: 'What I'm aiming to do is develop a funding model for the charity which means that we're not overly reliant on any one area. 'There is a cost of living crisis just now, and those of us who have got pensions are aware that our stocks and shares are in pretty dire situations. 'Each of those things has a knock-on effect on the various bits of funding that the clowndoctors receive. Joanne adds: 'From bake sales to ceilidhs, sponsored walks to school fundraisers – every effort helps. 'Right now, our kiltwalkers in Edinburgh and Glasgow are preparing for their big days. 'We'd love to see a Dundee Kiltwalk Team join them this year on August 17. 'Community fundraising is all about making some noise for the clowndoctors – and having fun doing it.'
