ELC ACTIVITY PACK
This Maths Week Scotland explore our new ELC activity pack to support learning about maths.
This resource provides adult-led experiences that support high-quality interactions and thoughtfully planned spaces.
Maths Week Scotland
Tag: Children and Families
Film nights at Royston Wardieburn
WICKED – SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER at 6pm
We are having Family Film nights at the centre, starting on 26th Sept @ 6pm with Wicked being our first movie (see above).
Register for a Free Entry ticket, all children must be accompanied by an adult, bring your own snacks and drinks, or purchase some on the night.
Tickets can be collected free from the Community Centre reception or booked through Eventbrite.
DENISE AULD
Children First encourages families in Edinburgh to check eligibility for Warm Home Discount
Scotland’s national children’s charity is urging Edinburgh families worried about energy bills to get in touch with its support line to check if they can benefit from the Warm Home Discount.
The charity’s support line team provides practical advice to families struggling with the cost of gas and electricity, including support to access benefits, grants and other help with household bills to lower their bills and keep their homes warm.
The Warm Homes Discount scheme provides a £150 discount on electricity bills for eligible households. While some households in Scotland will receive the discount automatically, others may need to contact their electricity supplier to apply so it is important to act as soon as possible before the scheme opens on 1 October.
Children First can help families understand whether they may be eligible for the Warm Homes Discount, support them through the application process and provide other practical, financial or emotional support their family may need.
In 2025, the charity put £1.8 million in financial gains back in families’ pockets.
Linda Jardine, Director of Children and Family Services at Children First, said: “The Warm Home Discount could provide valuable help towards energy costs for eligible households, but knowing whether you qualify and understanding how to apply can sometimes feel confusing.
“With colder weather and longer nights putting increased pressure on household energy use, families don’t need to face financial worries on their own. If you’re concerned about keeping your home warm, struggling to afford your energy bills or simply unsure what support you may be entitled to, please get in touch with our Children First support line.
“You don’t need to wait until you’re in a crisis to get in touch for help.
“If you are not eligible for Warm Home Discount, our friendly team can provide free, expert advice and help you access other support.”
Parents and carers in Edinburgh can contact the Children First support line on 08000 28 22 33 or start a webchat at childrenfirst.org.uk/supportline.
Families can also find information and advice about money and energy costs at: https://www.childrenfirst.org.uk/get-support/financial-help
WICKED at Royston Wardieburn!
FREE MOVIES AT ROYSTON WARDIEBURN COMMUNITY CENTRE
Book your seats today !!
Donations welcome.
Tea, Coffee, Soft Drinks & Snacks can be purchased from our cafe.
Doors Open Days Can Help Us Fall In Love With Edinburgh Again
Over 100 venues across Edinburgh and East Lothian to open their doors for Scotland’s largest free heritage festival
Fall in love with Edinburgh again – that is the challenge to residents as Doors Open Day returns with its most accessible ever programme of events.
The two-day festival on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September 2026 will give locals free access to buildings, unique experiences and a new perspective on the spaces and stories that shape Edinburgh and East Lothian.
Coordinated locally by The Cockburn Association, Edinburgh’s civic trust, this year’s event will bring together over 100 venues spanning the length and breadth of the city, and beyond, with a programme ranging from guided walking tours, events for children and young people, novel partnerships, and rare behind-the-scenes opportunities.
This year’s theme, Heritage at Risk: Revive, Resist, Reimagine, invites participating venues and visitors to explore how Edinburgh’s built heritage is being protected, adapted for new uses, and reimagined for the future.
As the coordinators of Doors Open Days in a region shaped by the pressures of over-tourism, The Cockburn Association believes residents should also benefit from their own city’s cultural landscape, and that engaging with local heritage brings genuine benefits to health and wellbeing.
This year’s festival builds on our digital offerings, making it more accessible than ever and giving residents more ways to take part without leaving their homes.
Now in its 36th year locally, after beginning in France in 1984. Doors Open Days first arrived in the UK in Glasgow in 1990. It has since grown into Scotland’s largest free cultural festival, with more than 950 venues taking part nationally last year.
Unlike much of Edinburgh’s cultural offer, Doors Open Days is aimed squarely at residents, encouraging people to see their own city with fresh eyes, and it’s FREE.
Stephen Jardine, President of The Cockburn Association, said: “At a time when Edinburgh is under more pressure than ever, it’s easy to overlook what makes Scotland’s capital so special.
“Doors Open Days is a chance for us to encounter the amazing heritage we have all around us. I’d encourage everyone to use it as an opportunity to explore the city with fresh eyes….and to fall in love with Edinburgh again”
Rowan Brown, Director of The Cockburn Association, said: “I’m thrilled that the Cockburn is coordinating part of Scotland’s largest free heritage festival and delighted that it’s set to be our most accessible yet, with something for all ages, interests, and abilities.
“There is unequivocal evidence that engaging with heritage makes you happier, and healthier, so be kind to yourself, your friends and your family and join in one or, ideally, several, free Doors Open Days events.
“I’m extremely grateful to our Doors Open Days Venue Hosts and Volunteers, my colleagues and our sponsors, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Neilson Family Foundation, whose collective civic spirit is simply inspiring.”
INVITING EVERY PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILD IN EDINBURGH, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IMPACT ARTS
This year’s festival also includes a landmark initiative to send a Doors Open Days invitation to every primary school child in Edinburgh, extending the festival’s reach to the city’s youngest residents and helping build a lifelong relationship with the city’s heritage from an early age.
Delivered in partnership with Impact Arts, a Scottish charity established in 1994 that uses creativity to tackle inequalities and transform young people’s lives, engaging communities across almost all of Scotland’s local authorities, the first 10,000 primary school children to attend selected venues on the 26 and 27 of September will receive a free box of Cockburn-branded coloured pencils and a monochrome artwork created by Impact Arts.
Due to a shipment delay, free boxes of Cockburn-branded coloured pencils will be available at some, but not all, participating venues.
Children are then invited to colour in their artwork and submit it as part of a competition, with prizes generously donated by Camera Obscura, Filmhouse, the National Galleries of Scotland and Contini which will be awarded by our President. Competition entries must be submitted by Friday, 9th of October.
Winners will be notified on Monday, 26th of October, ahead of our prize-giving ceremony on Thursday, 12th of November (venue to be announced).
Impact Arts will also host an exhibition at St Michael’s Parish Church, accompanied by a booklet showcasing the artwork and participating venues, available in print and online.
PARTNERING WITH INVISIBLE CITIES
This year’s festival also includes a partnership with Invisible Cities, a social enterprise that trains people with experience of homelessness to become walking tour guides.
The Cockburn Association has funded four tours over the Doors Open Days weekend, giving residents a unique perspective on the city.
PARTNERING WITH THE TRINITY NETWORK
As part of the digital offerings, The Cockburn Association is also partnering with Jill Harrison, a research associate at the Open University and the lead of the Trinity Network to curate an online exhibition on Trinity Apse, one of Edinburgh’s finest medieval structures, and all that remains of a church built in the 1460s for Mary of Guelders, Queen of Scotland.
Built around this year’s Doors Open Days theme, Heritage at Risk, the exhibition revives the story of the apse and its founder, resists their slide into obscurity, and reimagines what the building’s future could hold.
All events are free to attend, but on some experiences, spaces are limited.
The full programme of venues and activities went live on the Doors Open Days website on 31 July 2026, at www.doorsopendays.org.uk.
Young mathematicians invited to celebrate Maths Week Scotland in landmark 10th International Maths Olympiad Challenge
Free-to-enter global competition launches as new PISA results reignite focus on numeracy and attainment
Youngsters aged 4 to 14 are being invited to put their mathematical skills to the test as part of Maths Week Scotland 2026, with entries now open for the 10th International Maths Olympiad Challenge.
Organised by Glasgow-based educational technology provider British Youth International College (BYITC), the free-to-enter challenge will run during Maths Week Scotland from 21 to 27 September, giving young learners from around the world the opportunity to compete alongside their peers in a global celebration of mathematics.
The launch comes as the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results highlight the growing importance of raising attainment and engagement in mathematics. The international study, published this week, showed England improving its position in maths, reading and science, while Scotland and Wales recorded lower rankings, reinforcing calls across the education sector for continued investment and innovation to support numeracy and learning outcomes.
Since its launch, participation in the International Maths Olympiad Challenge has grown significantly, with numbers increasing by approximately 60 per cent since 2015 and thousands of students from more than 50 countries now taking part each year.
Notably, around 90 per cent of Olympiad winners to date have come from the UK, demonstrating the strong mathematical talent being developed across the country while also highlighting the opportunity for young people to benchmark their abilities against peers from around the world.
Dr Rashmi Mantri OBE, Founder and CEO of BYITC Supermaths, said: “Reaching the 10th International Maths Olympiad Challenge is a proud milestone for everyone involved with BYITC.
“The latest PISA results have once again sparked important discussions about educational standards and attainment. Opportunities that encourage children to engage positively with mathematics, build confidence and challenge themselves beyond the classroom have never been more important.
“Through the Olympiad, children can experience the excitement of competing on a global stage while strengthening logical thinking, problem-solving abilities and numeracy skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.”
The competition has been designed to encourage children to challenge themselves, improve their speed and accuracy, and develop a positive relationship with mathematics. Open to all children aged 4 to 14, the Olympiad allows participants to test their abilities against age-appropriate challenges in a supportive and competitive environment.
A key feature of the competition is the technology that enables thousands of participants from different locations to take part in a common challenge. BYITC Supermaths has developed sophisticated digital infrastructure to support the online delivery of the Olympiad, including assessment, results processing and participant management at scale.
Dr Mantri added: “One of the most valuable aspects of the Olympiad is the opportunity for children to measure themselves against international peers.
“While UK participants have historically achieved remarkable success, winning around 90 per cent of awards over the years, the competition also exposes children to a truly global learning environment that broadens horizons and inspires ambition.
“Technology has played a vital role in the growth of the Olympiad over the past decade. It allows us to connect children from different countries, provide a seamless competition experience and celebrate mathematical achievement on a global scale.
“Most importantly, the Olympiad demonstrates that mathematics can be exciting, rewarding and accessible to every child.
“As we celebrate Maths Week Scotland, we are encouraging families, schools and young learners to get involved and experience the challenge for themselves.”
Participants will compete for a range of awards, with trophies and certificates presented to winners across the various categories.
The 10th International Maths Olympiad Challenge is free to enter and open to children aged 4 to 14 worldwide.
For more information and to register, visit: International-Maths-Olympiad – British Youth International College.
Scottish Prison Service: Play Learn Connect sessions
Over 500 children visit a loved one at HMP Edinburgh every month. For many, it can be an overwhelming experience. That’s why our staff work tirelessly to make every visit as positive and supportive as possible.
Putting children first is at the heart of everything they do. Through their Play Learn Connect (PLC) sessions, often referred to as bonding visits, children can spend meaningful time with their dads in a more relaxed and natural environment. Unlike traditional prison visits, these sessions allow families to move around freely, play together and take part in shared activities.
As one visitor, who brings her newborn grandson to visit his dad, explains: “The bonding visits are just a chance for dads to let their guard down and be more authentic with their kids, in a way that they can’t really do if there are other prisoners around.”
She spoke about the impact imprisonment has had on her family: “Although he’s been in and out of jail for a while, this is the time that it feels like it’s truly punishment because he can’t be there.”
However, she also praised staff for the support they’ve provided to help maintain their connection: “When the baby was a couple of weeks old, they did handprints and footprints. They also got a photo taken together at the bonding visit. Obviously there’s no phones, so there’s no opportunity to get a photo of your baby otherwise.”
Staff also organise a range of family-focused experiences and events throughout the year, including sports days, movie nights, and Christmas and Easter celebrations. If a child has a birthday approaching, staff will even arrange for a cake to be shared during a PLC session, giving families the opportunity to celebrate together.
Nicola Leatherbarrow, a First Line Manager at HMP Edinburgh, is always looking for new ways to create meaningful shared experiences for children and their dads. Future plans include an outdoor area where children can learn to ride a bike with their dads, as well as homework packs that families can complete together. “I’m trying to do things that we take for granted,” she says.
Recently, 1919 Magazine spent time at HMP Edinburgh to better understand the experiences of visiting families. The team visited the Visitors Centre, run by our partners Barnardo’s Scotland, and spoke with staff and families about the importance of maintaining family connections.
Read the full article here: https://1919magazine.co.uk/…/child-friendly-prison…/
Edinburgh Zoo lantern trail returns
Back for another magical year! 
Our spectacular outdoor lantern trail is back – this time with an out-of-this-world space safari twist! 
From glowing galaxies to towering cosmic creatures, get ready to explore a luminous interstellar adventure like never before.
Book your ticket now – https://shorturl.at/4hUM8
Every Primary School in Scotland to receive free singing resource as The National Youth Choir of Scotland celebrates 30 years
The National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCOS) is marking its 30th anniversary by launching an ambitious initiative designed to help bring singing back into classrooms across the country.
Arriving in schools from September, NYCOS Singing Time is a free online resource that will be gifted to every primary school in Scotland, providing teachers with accessible, engaging singing materials developed by one of the country’s most influential music education organisations.
Created as the centrepiece of NYCOS’s 30th anniversary celebrations, the initiative brings together three decades of expertise in youth singing, musicianship and music education. Featuring 15 songs and accompanying singing games, the resource is designed to help children experience the joy of singing while developing musical understanding through play. The films were directed and edited by Lewis Landini and feature three young presenters – Connor Going, Holly Clelland, and Tawana Maramba.
The launch comes at a time when many teachers report feeling less confident about teaching singing and music in the classroom, while opportunities for young people to sing together have declined. NYCOS Singing Time aims to remove those barriers by providing a free, easy-to-use resource that can be accessed by any primary school, regardless of musical experience or budget.
Based on the Kodály principles that have shaped NYCOS’s educational approach for three decades, the resource uses games, movement and age-appropriate repertoire to help children absorb musical concepts naturally and joyfully. The songs span a range of traditions and languages, including English, Scots and Gaelic, reflecting both Scotland’s cultural heritage and NYCOS’s belief that singing should be open and accessible to all.
More than simply a teaching resource, NYCOS Singing Time represents what the organisation describes as a “gift to Scotland” as it celebrates a milestone birthday.
Founded in 1996 by conductor Christopher Bell, NYCOS was created at a time when opportunities for young singers at regional level were disappearing across Scotland due to local government reorganisation.
What began as a single national youth choir has grown into a nationwide organisation that supports thousands of young people every year through regional choirs, national ensembles, schools’ programmes, teacher training and creative learning initiatives.
Over the past 30 years, NYCOS has helped shape Scotland’s singing culture at every level. Its national choirs have performed on some of the world’s leading stages, from the Edinburgh International Festival and BBC Proms to major international tours, while its regional choir network has enabled young people across Scotland to experience the social, educational and artistic benefits of singing close to home.
The organisation’s influence extends far beyond music. For three decades, NYCOS has championed the well-documented benefits of singing for confidence, self-esteem, communication, social connection, literacy and learning.
Thousands of young people have passed through its choirs, many going on to careers in music and the arts, while others have taken the skills, resilience and friendships they developed through singing into every walk of life.
As NYCOS enters its fourth decade, the organisation believes the need for collective singing among young people has never been greater. Alongside NYCOS Singing Time, the charity is marking its anniversary year with a series of major initiatives designed to widen participation and create new pathways into singing.
On 16 September, NYCOS will launch a new Glasgow Regional Choir, expanding its network of regional choirs and creating opportunities for even more young people to sing regularly in their local communities.
Earlier this year, the organisation launched the NYCOS BSL Youth Choir bringing together Deaf and hearing young people from across Scotland in what is believed to be the first ensemble of its kind in Scotland.
Developed in partnership with leading accessible music practitioner Paul Whittaker OBE, the choir enables young British Sign Language users aged 14-18 to experience the creativity, connection and shared expression of choral performance through sign language. The ensemble made its debut at the Opening Ceremony of the Scottish Parliament on 27th June 2026.
The anniversary programme also includes, for the first time, Full Circle, an initiative designed to nurture the next generation of choral leaders in Scotland. Accomplished former NYCOS singers are invited to train as musicianship teachers, enabling them to return to the organisation’s regional choirs and support the next generation of young singers.
Led by internationally respected Kodály specialist and NYCOS Creative Learning Director Lucinda Geoghegan, the first cohort of 21 participants have undertaken intensive training before being placed within regional choirs across Scotland, where they have observed classes, taught alongside experienced staff and begun leading their own musicianship sessions.
The celebrations culminate with NYCOS’s 30th anniversary tour and a landmark gala performance at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall on 13th September.
At the heart of the programme is Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, a work that holds a special place in NYCOS history as the first major piece performed by the choir when it was founded in 1996, then comprised of only 60 singers.
In August 2026, the choir performed the work in Paisley, Aberdeen and Perth alongside regional choirs from across the country.
The gala performance at Usher Hall will bring together 170 young singers with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
Christopher Bell, Founder and Artistic Director of NYCOS, said: “Thirty years ago, we set out with a very simple belief: Scotland needs a National Youth Choir to develop and showcase the talent of its young singers. Since then, we have expanded beyond our dreams and have created one of the largest and most dynamic youth organisations in Europe.
“Thousands of young people have sung with us over the last three decades. We have seen singing transform confidence, create lifelong friendships and open doors that many young people never thought possible.
“NYCOS Singing Time is our gift to Scotland as we celebrate this anniversary year. We want every child, in every primary school, to have the opportunity to sing.
“If we can help bring singing back into more classrooms, then we can help another generation discover the same joy, confidence and sense of belonging that singing has given so many young people over the last 30 years.
“When young people sing together, something remarkable happens. They learn to listen, to communicate, to work together and to express themselves. Those benefits extend far beyond music, and that is why this work remains so important today.”
NYCOS Singing Time is available online at https://nycossingingtime.co.uk/
Bright Horizons marks International Literacy Day
Children at Bright Horizons Cramond in Edinburgh are being encouraged to explore stories, songs, rhymes and language through everyday play and interactions, helping to build the foundations for literacy from an early age.
Literacy begins long before a child learns to read or write, and International Literacy Day is an opportunity to highlight how parents can support their child’s language and literacy development through simple activities at home.
Zoe Austen, Director of Education at Bright Horizons Cramond, said: “Literacy begins long before a child learns to read or write. From the moment babies have their first interactions with others, hear their first stories, songs and rhymes, they are building the foundations for literacy.
International Literacy Day gives us a great opportunity to remind parents that some of the most important steps in this journey happen through simple, everyday interactions at home.
“The best way parents can support early literacy is by making language a part of everyday life, without it feeling like a lesson. Talking, singing, sharing stories, rhymes and play can all help develop their vocabulary and confidence.
“Babies and young children are constantly tuning into the rhythm and patterns of our speech, as well as our facial expressions, tone and gestures. It all helps them to understand language and build connections with the people around them.
“Giving children plenty of opportunities to interact, listen and explore language in a fun, pressure-free way helps build their confidence and encourages them to see literacy as something enjoyable, rather than something they must learn.
“These positive early experiences can lay the foundations for a lifelong love of reading and learning.”