Welcome to Baltasound Junior High School, the most northerly school in the United Kingdom on the island of Unst in the Shetland Islands. We are a fully inclusive school with Nursery to Secondary 4 students all on the same campus. A diverse and enterprising school, we pride ourselves as being part of a dynamic island community with students, staff and parents all working together.
Peerie School, Big Dreams
| Our school motto is “Peerie School, Big Dreams”. This reflects that we are a small rural school on the most northerly island in the UK; although we are able to progress through our school and become anyone we dare or dream to be. It also needs all stakeholders in Baltasound JHS (pupils, parents, staff, partner agencies and community) to do all we can to ensure our pupils have all the skills and qualities required for life beyond school. And this will allow those big dreams to come true. The Shetland word “peerie” (which means small) also shows that our dialect, our location on Planet Earth and our history are also a vital part of who we are.In consultation with pupils and parents, our refreshed school values (ready, safe and respectful) are now fully embedded in our school community. We believe that these encompass what we need to be an active member of our community and to make sure we are equipped with all the skills required in life. If we are ready, safe and respectful then we can be in the best position to learn and grow. We are conscious of the fact that we live in a part of the world that is unique and as a result of this we need to make sure our pupils are ready for their next steps – into further education or employment. Our vision is for all stakeholders of our peerie school, to do all we can, to make our children’s big dreams come true – many of our former pupils work in wide and varied careers across the world and some have stayed in the community, working for local employers such as in aquaculture or for the Local Authority – several of our staff members are former pupils of the school.
The community at Baltasound Junior High School (BJHS) demonstrates strong ownership of the school’s vision, aims, and values – these are reinforced throughout the school in newsletters, emails, wall displays, end of year videos, assemblies and our school ethos/environment. Our Pupil Council have run competitions where pupils earn a values based keyring, pencil or pen for demonstration of the school values. Pupils are confident in sharing the school’s values and show pride in their use in school – the pupils will refer others to the values when they feel this is appropriate. The values replaced the many school rules in place prior to their introduction. We fully understand that the whole community plays an important role in developing and nurturing our young people. Many of our staff also volunteer in other capacities across the island (and in the North Isles of Shetland) and support pupils in different ways. The school values are supported through this collaborative working and we have a shared vision as to how we want our young people to contribute positively to our island home. The school involves all stakeholders—including pupils, parents, and community members—in shaping its direction and this is evident through regular consultations, surveys, and community engagement initiatives such as Bring Your Parents to School Days and Unst Week. |
If you would like even more information or you would like your son/daughter to enrol at the UK’s most northerly school, please use the contact details on the right hand side.
The map above shows our location – we are as far north as southern Greenland and our nearest city is Bergen in Norway.