Latest News

SQA exam results will be published on Tuesday 8 August 2023. Candidates who signed up to the MySQA service will receive their results by email or text, and they will be posted to all candidates.

There is lots of support available to learners in understanding results and planning next steps.

The traffic lights at the Finstown roadworks are being removed for almost three weeks.

The works have temporarily paused – until 14 August - while routine maintenance is carried out at the tar plant – an annual occurrence around this time of the year.

Could you or someone you know spare a few hours to help out for a short time to ensure the bairns at Burray and the ‘Hope Schools are getting a hot, healthy meal at lunchtime?

We have two term time, part-time kitchen assistant posts up for grabs until the end of June 2024. So if you fancy giving the role a go, then please get in touch with Scott Pring, Schools Catering Manager on (01856) 879238 or scott.pring@orkney.gov.uk 

Do you want your kids to rockout to a workout, dance to hip-hop, improve their balance skills by walking on water, maybe try their hand at netball or riding a pony, learn to swim or enjoy soft play?

Thanks to the hard work of the Council’s Sport and Leisure team, school age children and young people from across Orkney will be able to do just that after last minute additional funding was announced by the Scottish Government to allow for the programme of activities to be extended.

Orkney athletes will once again be able to apply for funds to help support them with travel costs, thanks to an ongoing partnership between sportscotland, Stagecoach and Orkney Islands Council.

The scheme helps ‘elite pathway’ athletes – athletes with potential to reach elite levels of competition and performance – from Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles gain better access to competitive and training opportunities without having to relocate from the islands.

Orkney Islands Council’s Youth Services team is advising the county’s young folk they now have until 1 September to stand up for what they believe in, by standing for election onto the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP).

Anyone aged between 14 and 25 can nominate themselves to stand, via a quick form on the SYP website.

Our Community Councils team will be heading to the Hup show on 9 August to encourage local folk to stand in the upcoming community council election for the area.

The South Ronaldsay and Burray community council area – one of 20 around Orkney – has been without a community council for a year.

The drive is now on to encourage community members to nominate themselves to take up this important role, providing a vital grass roots link between the Council and communities.

The £400,000 Playpark Renewal Fund has reopened for applications from communities striving to improve their playpark areas.

Six applications were received from eligible organisations in the county in the first round earlier this year.

The fund, created thanks to Covid-19 recovery funding and managed by the OIC Sport and Leisure service, is now open for applications until 5pm on 8 September 2023.

Orkney Islands Council has welcomed £2m from the Scottish Government to improve the energy efficiency of homes across the county, after a record response by local householders to the government’s Heat and Energy Efficiency Scotland scheme.

Since 2015-16, the HEES: ABS  (Heat and Energy Efficiency Scotland: Area Based Scheme) and similar previous initiatives have helped nearly 950 households in Orkney make their homes warmer through the installation of energy-saving improvements, primarily insulation.

As the dust settles on a fantastic 2023 Guernsey International Island Games, the baton has been handed over to Orkney for what will be the biggest single event ever to be held in the county.

This, the 20^th Games in 2025, is a chance for Orkney to showcase the islands to the 24 other member islands from across the world from the 12-18 July 2025.