HAVE YOU SEEN DEAN?

TEN YEAR OLD BOY MISSING FROM WEST PILTON TRACED

*** UPDATE ***

!! Dean Campbell, 10, who was last seen in the Pilton area has been traced safe !!

Original message:

POLICE are appealing for your help to trace Dean Campbell aged 10 who was last seen at Forthview Primary School, West Pilton Place, Edinburgh, around 10am yesterday (Wednesday 23 August 2023).

Dean is described as white, 4ft tall, slim build with short blond hair.

When last seen he was wearing black tracksuit bottoms with yellow markings, a white polo shirt and black trainers.

Sergeant Michael Thomson said: “There are growing concerns for Dean’s welfare. Anyone who may have seen Dean since this time, or who has any information on his whereabouts, is urged to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 1065 of 23 August 2023.”

Fabulous Forthview supporting families through COVID

Local Primary School’s ‘highly-effective practice in family learning and parental engagement’ is shared across Scotland

Education Scotland has highlighted Forthview Primary School’s outstanding work during the pandemic in their latest Scotland Learns e-bulletin .

When HM Inspectors visited Forthview Primary School as part of the thematic inspection of family learning, they noted their highly-effective practice in family learning and parental engagement.

The school have provided a recovery update on how their practice in family learning and parental engagement has been developed during lockdown and since schools returned in August.

They share what is working well for Forthview children and their families at this time. A sketchnote (above) has been developed to share this practice.

Edinburgh’s Festivals have reached 92% of city schools

Edinburgh’s major festivals have revealed the extent of their year-round school engagement programmes, which have reached almost every school in the city over the period January 2018 – May 2019. 

The new report finds that Edinburgh’s festivals have reached more than 90% of schools across the city through wide ranging activity which takes place both during and out with live festival time.

Through mapping of activity across the 18 months period, the study shows that festivals have engaged with every secondary school in Edinburgh, and almost all the city’s primary and special schools.

The engagement has had a big impact locally.

In West Pilton, Forthview Primary School has a particularly strong relationship with the festivals, being involved in 8 programmes and with over 1,400 pupil engagements since 2018.

The school regularly attend performances at the Children’s Festival, and the Book Festival’s Bailie Gifford programme. It is also part of the Fringe’s Children and Young People scheme, which offers free Fringe vouchers and bus tickets, to help overcome some of the barriers for pupils and their families to see shows.

Forthview is one of six Edinburgh primary schools participating in the Children’s Festival’s Immerse project, an ambitious 3-year initiative which embeds creative learning in the classroom.

The project started in autumn 2019 with each school hosting the ground-breaking immersive theatre production ‘The Lost Lending Library’, which uses drama to support attainment in literacy.

 In Leith, Leith Academy have a long standing relationship with many festivals, regularly participating in programmes such as the Book Festival’s Bailie Gifford programme, the Science Festival’s Career Hive and the Film Festival’s Media Days workshops.

The Edinburgh International Festival has partnered with Leith Academy for a three-year residency, opening up a series of unique cultural opportunities for pupils. Three artists in residence are working in the school, with creative workshops linked to festival performances, and a culture club which offering social trips to experience theatre, music, visual art and dance in the city throughout the year.

The residency also looks to develop personal and vocational skills, with pupils being supported to work towards Personal Development Awards qualifications, and mentoring for senior students by festival staff to help build confidence and prepare for their next steps.

There have been over 58,000 pupil engagements – the number of times pupils have been involved in festival activities – with many benefiting from multiple opportunities. 

From Gilmerton to Granton, Corstorphine to Craigmillar, the festivals are working with children and teachers across the whole city to bring young people enriching experiences and opportunities for creative learning.

These cover regular longstanding education programmes as well as new projects, through which festivals have supported learning in areas including music, drama, visual arts, science, technology, film and many more. 

In addition to their spread throughout Edinburgh, there is a clear focus to the festivals’ engagement. It is within areas of the city with the lowest attendance at festivals that there is the highest participation in school programmes: a great step toward an Edinburgh where everyone regardless of background has the opportunity to make the most of the festivals.

Two thirds of residents attend shows and events at the festivals each year, but it is also hugely important to enable young people to engage with culture and develop the next generation of festival-goers. 

There are several examples of programmes working over a long-term period, involving deeper engagement to create truly collaborative projects that will be of lasting benefit.

As well as directly working with pupils, the festivals also work with teachers on continuing professional development opportunities. These encourage and enable teachers to see the wider creative learning possibilities of engaging with festivals and help teachers bring creativity into the classroom. 

A few examples of projects that the festivals have been working on, alongside some comments from teachers who are involved, include:

Teachers’ Theatre Club 

A new collaboration between Edinburgh International Children’s Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society that aims to encourage Edinburgh’s teachers to see more live performance, become more confident in discussing this with their students and enhance students’ learning experiences. 

Serena Jagpal, Pentlands Primary School, said: “When applying to be a part of the Teachers’ Theatre Club, I saw it as interesting CPD. I never thought for a second that it would give me so much more.

“Over the course of the project I have engaged in discussions with a wide range of professionals in the arts, experienced theatre that I would never have thought to go see myself and discussed how I would use these shows with my pupils ….what has taken me by surprise is the camaraderie I have experienced. I hope this project runs for many years to come and I urge as many teachers as possible to experience this.”

Leith Academy residency

A three-year Edinburgh International Festival residency with Leith Academy, involving new cultural opportunities as well as developing pupils’ personal and vocational skills.

The residency includes a series of projects, from pupils working with artists in residence to learning about marketing and branding with the festival’s own teams. In addition, students are supported to gain a Personal Development Award at SQA level 6, with workplace experience with staff at the festival. 

Mike Irving, Head Teacher, Leith Academy said: “In 2019/20 there is an ever greater need to look creatively and collaboratively at our curriculum. Our work with the Edinburgh International Festival helps us harness the skills of creativity, teamwork, problem solving and communication daily.

“This particular branding event allowed our young people to not only see how branding ‘comes alive’, but to actually be part of creating it from start to finish with skilled professionals …

“In a world where the jobs young people will do is a dynamic and fluid one, we are very grateful to the wonderful opportunities the young people of Leith are being offered through the residency in order to open their horizons of what their ‘next steps’ may be.”

Edinburgh Science Festival

Every year, Generation Science offers a programme of interactive shows and hands-on workshops for primary schools, delivered in the classroom.

The Careers Hive, which gets underway this year from 25 February, is an interactive showcase for careers in science and technology, targeted at secondary school pupils and designed to highlight opportunities from studying STEM subjects. Through Generation Science and Careers Hive, Edinburgh Science reach 81 schools across Edinburgh and more than 12,500 pupils. 

With over 90% of the city’s schools already getting involved, the ambition of Edinburgh’s Festivals is to use the collective picture of schools’ engagement to inform the targeting of future projects and initiatives and enhance the lives of many more young people for years to come.

Forthview kids to GoFitba!

Local school children from Forthview Primary School are to have the opportunity to participate in an exciting 12-week community project delivered by The Scottish Football Partnership Trust and The Spartans Community Football Academy.

GoFitba is a free to access football-based health and wellbeing project for Primary schoolchildren developed by The Scottish Football Partnership Trust and delivered by community football clubs. 

The project aims to support the Curriculum for Excellence’s Health and Wellbeing outcomes as set out by The Scottish Government’s Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007. 

Through a fun and progressive structure and delivery, the weekly two-hour project offers young children a platform of regular and fun physical activity and an understanding of the importance of leading a balanced and healthy lifestyle through diet and nutrition.

In addition, the project aims to increase the young people’s self-motivation, improve their self-confidence, further develop their social and interpersonal skills and improve their general self-esteem.

The project timetable provides one structured afternoon per week and takes a holistic approach to teach the children the benefits of regular physical activity within a football environment. 

Starting this Friday, the youngsters participate in an hour of fun football activity, and during the second hour of each session they take part in an interactive educational journey to explore the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle through diet and nutrition.  Each session ends with the children being served a hot, healthy meal and an opportunity to enjoy some social time with their peers.

Stuart McCaffrey, Chief Operating Officer at The SFP Trust said “The sport of football when used positively can act as a significant tool for personal and community development. 

“We are excited to be delivering this project with (name of club) – a club truly at the heart of the community – and to be given the opportunity to positively engage with local school children to encourage them towards a healthy and active lifestyle.”

Douglas Samuel of The Spartans Community Football Academy said, “We are delighted to be working in association with The SFP Trust on this project which will see The Academy welcome 20 local schoolchildren over the next 12 weeks. 

“Spartans Community Football Academy is always looking for new ways to engage with the local community and the GoFitba project is a fantastic way to showcase what we can offer to young members of our community at our excellent facilities here at the Academy. 

“Participation in sport can bring a lifetime of benefits and we look forward to working with the children from Forthview Primary School to Get Fit, Get Healthy and Have Fun!”

Bear with Me: Forthview parents produce fabulous new book

Forthview Primary School parents proudly unveiled their latest story ‘Bear with Me’ at a launch at the City Chambers on Wednesday. Continue reading Bear with Me: Forthview parents produce fabulous new book