Tag: Children and Families

Bin the Spin: Scottish Government talk of ‘positive discussions’ on teacher pay largely a PR exercise, says EIS

Scotland’s teacher unions have expressed their collective anger and disappointment with the continuing lack of progress in pay negotiations with the Scottish Government and COSLA.

An SNCT negotiating meeting that was held last Friday, which was again labelled as “positive and constructive” by the Scottish Government and COSLA, once again failed to result in any progress whatsoever toward a new pay offer to Scotland’s teachers.

While trade unions remain committed to a fair pay agreement, negotiated through the SNCT, teachers’ representatives are increasingly questioning whether the Scottish Government and COSLA truly share this commitment. No further negotiation meetings of the SNCT are currently scheduled.

Commenting, Des Morris – EIS Salaries Convener and Chair of the Teachers’ Side of the SNCT – said, “It is becoming increasingly clear that both the Scottish Government and COSLA have little or no interest in finding the modest additional funding that could bring a new offer to the table to potentially end this pay dispute.

“Five months since their sub-inflationary 5% pay offer was overwhelmingly rejected by teachers, and more than two months since a rehashed version of the same offer was again rejected, the Scottish Government and COSLA brought absolutely nothing new to the table in last week’s meeting – just a  stubborn stance that Scotland’s teachers should accept 5% which represents yet another substantial real-terms pay cut that only further erodes the value of teachers’ pay.

“The reality is that the union side wants to negotiate, and has offered a wide range of suggestions towards the potential ‘compromise’ that the First Minister and her Cabinet Secretary have said is needed to reach agreement.

“We have had absolutely no proposals from the Scottish Government and COSLA, however – merely the same old tired lines, and a repeated and unreasonable insistence that all of the ‘compromise’ must come from Scotland’s teachers.”

Mr Morris added, “It is disingenuous and unacceptable for the Scottish Government and COSLA to continue to misrepresent negotiations as positive and constructive.

“The cold, hard truth is that, despite all their public claims of ‘working tirelessly’ and ‘turning over every stone’ to reach agreement, their entrenched position and refusal to offer any compromise at all leaves teachers, children and young people, and their parents facing the prospect of continuing and escalating strike action in Scotland’s schools.

“The ongoing and planned strike action is entirely avoidable. The Scottish Government and COSLA need to come forward with a genuinely improved offer that unions can put to our members.”

SSTA to Take Two Further Days of Strike Action

The SSTA National Executive has, following another failed SNCT negotiating meeting, authorised two days of strike action on Tuesday 28 February and Wednesday 1 March.

The SSTA will be joining members of sister unions in national strike action in a coordinated campaign of industrial action.

Seamus Searson, SSTA General Secretary said: “The SSTA has taken a measured approach to industrial action due to the impact it would have on the pupils preparing for exams.

“The deliberate inaction of the Scottish Government and COSLA just shows the lack of respect and level of contempt, not only for teachers, but for the pupils they teach, forcing teachers to take more strike action. The Scottish Government and its accomplice COSLA are failing education, having deliberately refused to put any new money on the table since August last year”.

“The Scottish Government and COSLA were adamant during the pandemic that schools needed to be kept open and education needed to be continued regardless of the risks and dangers that teachers were placed in. These are the same people who have allowed this pay dispute to continue, see schools closed and pupils’ education disrupted. How can these people sit on their hands and seek compromise when they have refused to make any movement in five months?”

“How many more times are teachers to hear the same old rhetoric ‘we value teachers, and we are putting together a new offer’ only for another week to pass without a penny being put on the table. The SSTA has no option but to step up its industrial action”.

Catherine Nicol, SSTA President said. “Teacher unions are standing together and, with the support of the public and parents, we will succeed. However, we urge parents and members of the public to help by demanding action from the First Minister and Councils and get teachers back to school teaching”.

“Teachers have been propping up the education system for years by working many more hours a week than they are paid for and this goodwill is running out due to the arrogance of the employers and government who appear to want to break teachers resolve. I can assure them teachers are standing firm to get a fair pay settlement. Teachers need to say ‘No to Free Overtime’ and demand a salary that will retain and recruit teachers for the future”.

Get gardening with Dobbies

Garden Centre hosts two free sustainable workshops in Edinburgh

Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre, is hosting two free interactive workshops in its Edinburgh store this February, to help residents get their garden in shape. 

Dobbies’ February Grow How session will be held on Saturday 4 February and will focus on teaching customers how to sow Sweet Peas, the scented favourite. The workshop will emphasise the importance of sowing in early February for earlier blooms.

Customers in Edinburgh will also learn the right temperature for optimum growing and frequency of watering to ensure a successful transition from seed to flower. 

Dobbies’ Edinburgh store will also host its monthly Little Seedlings workshop on Sunday 5 February, perfect for kids aged 4-10.

This educational session is all about The Wonder of Weeds, shining a light on the various kinds of weeds, also known as wild flowers, found in the garden; how they spread, how they can be removed and what they can be used for. Children will also learn some fun facts and the health benefits of weeds.

Dobbies’ Partnership and Events Manager, Sarah Murray, said: “We’re passionate about getting our customers in Edinburgh into gardening and are looking forward to our Grow How and Little Seedling Club sessions. 

“Our February workshops are a great chance to learn more about your outdoor space. Grow How will showcase beautifully fragrant and easy to grow Sweet Peas – you can even plant them in pots so you don’t worry about having a big garden space.

“Our Little Seedlings workshop will get kids interested in weeding, where they’ll understand the dos and don’ts, how to prevent them, and some of the health benefits associated with them.”

Sustainability is at the heart of Dobbies’ Edinburgh workshops, and the horticultural experts will highlight the great selection of environmentally friendly products that can be purchased in-store.

For more information about the two workshops and how you can take part, visit:  www.dobbies.com/events

Free Food! Cooking with Emma at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre

Would you like to learn how to cook some new recipes and learn about food, nutrition and looking after your oral health? Sign up for our new cooking course at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre in partnership with LINKnet Mentoring.

We will be delivering a FREE 6 week course starting Thursday 2nd February from 1pm to 3pm. Come and join us for some fun activities, food and meet new people!

If you would like to know more or to sign up, please contact Emma at 📧emma.hamill@edinburghcommunityfood.org.uk, ☎️ 0131 467 7326 or sign up online at https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx…

#NHS Lothian

#The Scottish Government

#ccforalhealth

#oralhealth#

healthyeating

#communitycooking#community#cookingclass#freecookingclass#healthyeatingmadeeasy#healthyeatingrecipes#cookclub#sugarreduction#sugar#oralhealth#infantoralhealth#childhoodnutrition#familysmiles#sustainablecooking#nutritionistedinburgh

Letters: Urgent need for autism commissioner

Dear Editor

As a group of organisations who support vulnerable children and young people, many with autism and a learning disability, we would add our support to concerns relating to a delay in a Scottish Government commitment to establish a commissioner to promote and protect the rights of autistic people.

Currently too many of those with autism and learning disabilities are struggling to get the support needed, with their human rights breached, and a commissioner is vital to help them fight their corner.

However, with a delay in public consultation on this until late 2023, there is a real concern that the delivery of a commissioner is simply not being prioritised.

While not by any means a panacea, a commissioner for autism and learning disability would be the first of its kind in the world, established in law to champion the human rights of autistic people and people with a learning disability.  

It would be a powerful voice, improving access to services and advocating on people’s behalf when they cannot. A commissioner would also close the current gap between what the law says and what actually happens, delivering improvements. Importantly people would also have recourse when the system falls short and fails to deliver for them.  

Many of those with autism and learning disabilities feel invisible, and such a role can help people live good lives with choice and control, free from discrimination. We would urge the Scottish Government to develop a sense of urgency on this vital matter.

Yours faithfully

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:

Kenny Graham, Falkland House School

Lynn Black, LOVE Learning

Stephen McGhee, Spark of Genius

Niall Kelly, Young Foundations

4 Queen Street

Edinburgh EH2 1JE

Tel: 0131 603 8996

NHS Lothian: Nasal flu vaccine drop-in clinic at Royal Hospital for Children and Young People this Saturday

Has your 2 – 5 year old still not had their flu vaccine?

You can book or drop-in to a mop-up clinic at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People this Saturday (21 January).

To book an appointment, please call 0300 790 6296

PYCP’s 2023 programme

Happy New Year 🥳

Above is our new programme which starts on the 17th! We hope to see all our young people back next week and welcome any new faces who want to join us!

If you completed a consent form last year, you are good to go – if you haven’t, pop in and see us for a form!

We’re so excited to get back to it 🤩🤩

MILESTONE SMASHED: 4 million children now taking part in the Daily Mile – DOUBLED since 2019

  • 4 million children across more than 16,500 schools and nurseries across 90 countries are now signed up to The Daily Mile, the life-changing children’s health and wellbeing initiative. 
  • 2 million children taking part in England alone.
  • The Daily Mile, supported by INEOS, gets millions of children active through 15-minutes of outdoor exercise to promote positive physical, mental and social health. 
  • Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS: “INEOS has supported the Daily Mile for years because it’s a free, simple, and effective way to improve children’s physical and mental wellbeing. It has been a natural fit for us to work with an initiative that is so passionate about helping more children enjoy exercise more often, and we look forward to its success as it continues to transform more lives around the world.”
  • Elaine Wyllie MBE,  Founder of The Daily Mile:  “From a single school in Stirling to now over 16,500 schools and 4 million children, it is staggering to see how this initiative has grown into a global movement in a little over 10 years.”

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The Daily Mile Foundation, supported by INEOS, has announced that 4 million children in 90 countries worldwide are taking part in the health and wellbeing initiative, up double in size since 2019. 

The initiative has received formal backing from the Scottish Government and in 2022 Scotland was announced as the world’s first Daily Mile Nation, meaning over half of primary schools across all 32 local authorities are doing the Daily Mile, developing healthy habits for life.

The Foundation’s expanding network of partners in the UK, Europe, USA and beyond continues to focus on increasing the number of schools taking part. In England alone, partnerships with Sport England, supported by the National Lottery, ITV and London Marathon, have led to record engagement with The Daily Mile, resulting in over 2 million children participating.

The support from national and local partners around the world who share the ambition to help children become more active is critical to the continued growth of The Daily Mile. 

The Daily Mile initiative was founded by Elaine Wyllie MBE in 2012 – born out of a concern around children’s lack of physical fitness. Headteacher of St Ninians’s Primary School in Stirling at the time, Elaine got her pupils moving for 15 minutes every day to improve their overall health and wellbeing.

The Daily Mile in partnership with ITV created an advert to promote the benefits of The Daily Mile, which highlighted how The Daily Mile can contribute towards improved academic attainment, and encouraged more schools to join the initiative. As did high profile support from sporting legends including marathon record-breaker Eliud Kipchoge and rugby’s All Blacks. 

Research shows the benefits of The Daily Mile for children’s physical health, mental wellbeing, and learning. Increased activity means increased fitness, helping children feel happier and supporting children’s focus and concentration in the classroom. Research by the Universities of Stirling and Edinburgh found that the success of the initiative lies in its core principles and ease of implementation. 

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS says: “INEOS has supported the Daily Mile for years because it’s a free, simple, and effective way to improve children’s physical and mental wellbeing.

“It has been a natural fit for us to work with an initiative that is so passionate about helping more children enjoy exercise more often, and we look forward to its success as it continues to transform more lives around the world.”

Elaine Wyllie MBE, Founder of The Daily Mile says: “From a single school in Stirling to now over 16,500 schools and 4 million children, it is staggering to see how this initiative has grown into a global movement in a little over 10 years. Being active is key for everyone’s health and wellbeing.

“I’d like to thank the children, teachers, schools and all of our partners in 90 countries who share our vision of helping children across the world to get fit for life. Reaching the 4 million milestone is a brilliant way for us to kick off the year and we’re excited to continue to make a positive impact on children’s lives in the years to come.”

If you want your school pupils to benefit from taking part in The Daily Mile, sign your school up here. 

NSPCC Scotland needs YOU in 2023

As we begin a new year, many people will be reflecting and looking ahead to what the coming weeks and months will bring (writes Adeniyi Alade, Service Head of Helplines (Childline) .

Often New Year’s resolutions focus on healthy living, learning a new skill, supporting a cause, or giving up a bad habit.

This year, NSPCC Scotland is appealing for people to resolve to donate some of their time to one of the charity’s many services for children and young people.

At NSPCC, we are lucky to have a dedicated group of volunteers who give their time week-in week-out to help children and families when they need us the most.

However, to help ensure that we are here for all children, all day, every day, all year round, we need more people of all ages, and from all walks of life, to become volunteers and help us be there for young people.

Our two Childline bases in Glasgow and Aberdeen have a team of amazing volunteers who talk to children about a range of issues including mental health, abuse and neglect, family relationships, loneliness grief, and sexuality.

Childline bases across the UK held over 200,000 Childline counselling sessions with children and young people last year and need more volunteers to enable them to continue being there for children.

Could you be that person?

Our Schools Service volunteers also play a vital role, protecting a generation of children by helping them understand abuse and giving them the confidence to speak out if they need help. 

Could you help children feel empowered to know who they can speak out to if they are worried?

If you aren’t able to commit to a weekly or monthly volunteer role, why not consider joining as a fundraising and events volunteer, or you could even support NSPCC Scotland with your own fundraising event throughout the year.

No matter how much time you have to give, NSPCC has a volunteering role for you. It can be a great way to give back to the community and also learn new skills.

At NSPCC, we give you all the training needed to get you ready for your role, as well as a hugely supportive team of volunteers and supervisors to guide and help you on your volunteering journey.

You can get more information at: www.nspcc.org.uk/volunteer

Could you help us be there for all children?