17/06/2014 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

All aboard the PlayTalkRead bus!

The playtalkread bus is in North Edinburgh next week, providing free fun activities for parents and carers and their children.

The bus will be hosting free storytelling and rhythm sessions and a range of play and activity sessions for children and their parents, to promote and raise awareness of the benefits of positive parental engagement with simple free activities and resources – which parents can then take home to further build upon the ideas and activities sessions with their children.

The activities are open to parents and children on a drop-in and information basis.

You can hop aboard the bus:

Tuesday 24 June – Morrisons, Ferry Road/Pilton Drive North

Wednesday 25 June – Muirhouse Shopping Centre

Thursday 26 June – Royston Wardieburn Community Centre

If you have any questions and or would like to arrange session times for groups of children and parents, call Hannah Mitchell on 0131 664 5390 or email hannah@workingonwheels.org

Schools PE on target – but do sums add up?

A record number of schools are meeting PE targets but Scottish Greens say the government must try harder …

New National Statistics released today (Tuesday 17 June) show that 96 per cent of Scottish schools are now meeting the target of delivering two hours, or two periods, of physical education each week to pupils, with 98 per cent expecting to be on target by August.

The figure has risen from 89 per cent last year, and just 10 per cent in 2004/05, as more schools across the country meet the national target.

This year’s survey of local authorities also asked whether schools not currently hitting the target will meet it from the start of the new school year. Survey results show 98 per cent of schools expect to meet the target from this August.

The figures come as COSLA and Cabinet Secretary for Sport, Shona Robison, jointly published the new Sport Strategy for Children and Young People – Giving Children and Young People a Sporting Chance – that is backed by almost £6 million of investment over 2014-16. The Strategy sets out a plan to ensure that Scotland is a great environment for children and young people to embark on lifelong participation in sport.

Speaking at the launch of the East Lothian Primary Games, Ms Robison, said: “Today’s figures highlight the excellent progress that is being made across Scottish schools. In 2004/05 only 10 per cent of schools were meeting the recommended target of two hours, or two periods, of PE each week. Now we are at an outstanding 96 per cent, and we expect that to rise to 98 per cent by August, with just 41 schools still to meet the target out of 2419 schools across Scotland.

“Scotland is striving to become a healthier, more active nation and we will continue to work with COSLA, Education Scotland, and sportscotland to build on this performance.”

Investment of almost £6 million through Education Scotland and sportscotland between 2014-16 to support delivery of the target was a key feature of the draft Youth Sport Strategy published in December.

Ms Robison added: “I am delighted to launch this strategy. It has been shaped by the Young People’s Sport Panel, and informed by the views of almost 3,000 children and young people.

“The strategy highlights the importance of putting the views of children and young people at the heart of delivery and provides a framework for collaborative working to deliver their sporting aspirations.”

Councillor Harry McGuigan, COSLA Spokesperson for Community Wellbeing said: “COSLA is delighted to be launching Scotland’s sport strategy for children and young people in partnership with the Scottish Government.

“We want our children and young people to participate in and enjoy sport, but we need to create the right opportunities and we must celebrate their talents and successes. It is our collective responsibility to realise the aim of lifelong participation in sport.

“Councils provide nearly 90 per cent of public sector investment in sport, including the delivery of the community sports hubs. Local authorities and leisure trusts make a huge contribution to the delivery of Scotland’s sport, providing opportunities through a wide range of activities and provision, to achieve better outcomes for our children and young people.”

However far from congratulating the government on it’s achievements, Green Party Education spokesperson Alison Johnstone is renewing her call for action she says the latest figures show a further drop in secondary schools meeting targets for physical education!

The Greens say the percentage has dropped to 90 per cent, compared to 91 last year and 92 in 2012. The lowest figure, of just 33 per cent of secondary schools achieving 100 minutes of PE per week, was recorded by East Lothian. In many local authority areas there is a significant drop between S2 and S3.

Alison Johnstone MSP said: “To see a further drop is a real worry and suggests the Scottish Government has taken its eye off the ball. We need proper facilities and proper coaching so that exercise remains attractive and enjoyable as our young people progress through the school system.

“Given the increasing warnings around diabetes and obesity, and all the talk of creating a national sporting legacy, I strongly urge ministers to look carefully at what can be done to improve performance in S3 and S4. And I would ask East Lothian Council to outline what support they need to enable their schools to do better.”

Statistics, eh? Decide for yourself – see below:

Scottish Government Bulletin

Star student shines with national marketing award

An Edinburgh College student has been crowned Star Creative Student at the Marketing Society Star Awards, a competition that celebrates Scotland’s top marketeers.

HND Graphic Design student Andrew Palfreyman fought off strong competition from across the country to win the award for his outstanding advertising campaign for John Lewis.

This is the third consecutive year that an Edinburgh College student has scooped the prestigious Star Creative Student award, with Jonathan Walton taking the coveted award at last year’s competition.

The Marketing Society Star Awards is an annual celebration of Scotland’s marketing community and highlights the best people within the industry, from up-and-coming FE and HE design students to well-known graphic design agencies such as the Leith Agency and The Union, and major players such as Tesco Bank and Standard Life.

As part of the Marketing Society Star Awards, students from universities and colleges in Scotland were invited to submit a creative brief for the high-profile client John Lewis. The brief challenged students to devise a creative campaign that will establish an emotional connection with John Lewis’ consumers, to build upon the success of the high-street brand’s famous Christmas campaigns and adverts.

A delighted Andrew said: “I was really pleased to find out I had won Star Creative Student. It’s a bit of a hat-trick for the graphic design course as I’m the third student in a row to have been given the award. I think winning a competition like this will really help me when I graduate, and eventually become an art director, which is my ideal job.”

He added: “The idea for my John Lewis campaign was to lead on from the previous Bear and Hare national advert. My advert links into the Commonwealth Games and how the event will affect a British family, as seen through the eyes of a child. It encourages viewers to form an emotional connection with the child and by association the John Lewis brand.”

Andrew will now get the chance to work alongside industry-leading graphic designers at the John Lewis headquarters in London.

Helena Good, design lecturer at Edinburgh College, said: “This is the third year running that our students have won Creative Student of the Year at this national competition. We’re incredibly proud of Andrew for winning and we know he has a really exciting career ahead of him. His success is an illustration of the highly creative, motivated and employable students that we are dedicated to producing here at the college.”

For more information about the awards, visit stars14.marketingsocietyscotland.com/.

Picure: L – R Nick Noble of Sales Force, presenting the award on behalf of Gus Chalmers of The Union, HND Graphic Design student Andrew Palfreyman, and BBC presenter Edith Bowman.

Kicking antisocial behaviour out of the city

Plans to help stop antisocial behaviour from blighting Edinburgh’s communities have been agreed. Prevention and support are key elements of the city council’s Antisocial Behaviour Policy, which was approved by the Health, Social Care and Housing Committee today (June 17th).

Tackling antisocial behaviour is a priority for the city and the policy sends out a clear message that while steps will be taken to stop it from happening in the first place, serious or persistent cases will also be dealt with.

Antisocial behaviour can affect entire communities and their experiences have helped to shape the policy process: tenants groups, community councils and members of the public who participated during the consultation process supported the principles of the policy and agreed there is a need for a robust approach.

The new Antisocial Behaviour Policy supports the aims of Edinburgh’s Antisocial Behaviour Strategy 2013 – 2016, and is based on key principles:

Prevention and early intervention;
Management of tenancy conditions;
Effective partnership working;
Effective legal solutions;
Regular and effective communication;
Quality and performance monitoring.

Community Safety Leader Cllr Cammy Day said: “This policy was developed to help people live safely and free from the distress that antisocial behaviour causes. It was vital that local communities helped to shape this plan, and I am delighted that so many took the time to contribute.

“Any threatening or disturbing behaviour will not be tolerated and I want to send a clear message to those involved that there will be consequences to their actions. The policy also details our plans to target the underlying causes of antisocial behaviour through early intervention and support.

“Edinburgh is generally a safe and welcoming place and we will continue to work with the public and partner organisations to ensure that it remains so.”

All set fair for Saturday’s Summer Blast!

Royston Wardieburn Community Centre’s the place to be for children and young people this Saturday (21 June). It’s Summer Blast Saturday!

Billed as ‘ a celebration of children and young people in North Edinburgh’ you’re guaranteed a day (and evening) of fun fun fun – and it’s all free!

Summer Blast kicks off at 11am …

For further information contact Callum McLeod on 332 6316 email Callum.Mcleod@ea.edin.sch.uk

Summer_blast_2014

More powers for Holyrood pledge as constitution consultation launched

A fresh start for Scotland, or increased powers within the UK? The SNP launched a consultation on a written constitution yesterday while the three main pro-union parties promised further devolution …

Everyone in Scotland will be asked to have their say on a draft Bill which will set out how an independent Scotland will be governed, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday.

The draft Scottish Independence Bill is now open for public consultation and includes details on how an independent Scotland could prepare a permanent written constitution in a fully participative process led by the people.

The Bill also sets out immediate arrangements for independence – such as the role of government, human rights and the rule of law – and would form the interim written constitution.

The fundamental principle underpinning the Bill is that the people are sovereign – rather than Parliament, as is the case in the UK. The United Kingdom is the only country in the European Union, and the only country in the Commonwealth, which does not currently have a written constitution or Constitution Act.

The interim constitution proposes an obligation to advance towards nuclear disarmament, the strengthening of human rights protection, the safeguarding of the wellbeing of children and protection for the particular needs of local government and island communities.

In a speech at University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Constitutional Law, Ms Sturgeon said: “The great national debate we are engaged in is an intensely practical debate about how independence can improve the lives of people in Scotland.

“The key constitutional and practical point here is that with independence the Scottish Parliament can deliver an economic policy tailored to our needs and designed to take advantage of our great wealth. We will be able to retain the proceeds of growth in our economy in the form of increased tax revenues.

“With independence, Scotland will be a national economy with all the tools of other independent states. Independence as our constitutional future puts the practical responsibility into our own hands.

“A written constitution can be the foundation on which we can build that better Scotland.

“A written constitution is an important part of a nation’s identity – it defines who we are and sets out the values that we hold dear. It would be our ‘Scottish Declaration of Independence’, founded on the principle that in Scotland, the people are sovereign, not the Government or the Parliament.

“Our draft Scottish Independence Bill, and its accompanying consultation paper, set out our proposals for the steps that will follow a vote for independence to provide Scotland with a robust platform to make the transition. The Bill also sets out the framework for the Constitutional Convention that will follow independence and will develop Scotland’s permanent written constitution.

“This Scottish Government has set out some of the proposals that it would make to that Convention for the permanent constitution. But the process of creating the constitution – the engagement by the people in it – will be as important in many ways as its contents. As well as political parties and civic society, the process should ensure that the sovereign people of Scotland are centrally involved in designing and determining a written constitution as the blueprint for our country’s future.

“This principle – of the sovereignty of the people – is also key to the argument for independence. The people who have the biggest stake in a successful Scotland are those who live and work here. There are better outcomes for Scotland when decisions about Scotland are made in Scotland by the people of Scotland. Sovereignty means the people of Scotland always getting the government we vote for to govern our country the way we want.

“Currently we are without a written constitution, and the UK is the only country within the European Union or the Commonwealth that does not have a written constitution or a Constitution Act. But on September 18th the people of Scotland will be sovereign as they make the decision on Scotland’s future. Only with independence can we keep that power over our own destiny.

“This is a very exciting time and I would encourage everyone to have their say on the Bill. It is an exciting and unique opportunity to shape our nation, celebrate and protect our values and commit ourselves to building a better country.”

While Nicola Sturgeon was launching the Bill, the three main opposition parties – all pro-Union – produced a joint statement promising to deliver further devolution to Scotland by increasing Holyrood’s powers.

The Better Together statement – made by Scottish party leaders Ruth Davidson (Conservative), Johann Lamont (Labour) and Lib-Dem Willie Rennie (pictured above) – guarantees further control over fiscal matters and social security.

The leaders said: “We support a strong Scottish Parliament in a strong United Kingdom and we support the further strengthening of the parliament’s powers. The three parties delivered more powers for Holyrood through the Calman Commission which resulted in the Scotland Act 2012.

“We now pledge to further strengthen the powers of the Scottish Parliament, in particular in the areas of fiscal responsibility and social security. We believe that Scotland should have a stronger Scottish Parliament while retaining full representation for Scotland at Westminster.”