Tag: education

Top university for student mentoring launches innovative fresh take

Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh has launched another pioneering mentorship project with a novel twist that will better prepare students for the world of work. 

To build upon the success of its inaugural QMU Employer Mentoring Programme, QMU has developed the Rotational Leadership Mentoring Programme (ROME) – the first of its kind in the education sector. This has been designed to give students the opportunity to understand the various industries and career paths available to them by pairing them with four expert mentors. 

In this new rotational set-up, students from 2nd year and above can meet with each of their four mentors to focus on a key skill required for that specific role or industry. This means that students can concentrate on key areas with different specialists, such as analytical skills, critical thinking, decision making, team building, and other leadership skills. 

Mentors already enrolled for the upcoming year include professionals working across all sectors, including those in the NHS, The Scottish Government, the IHG Hotel group and Dakota Hotels. QMU’s own Principal, Sir Paul Grice, has also been named as a mentor for this year.  

Juan Garcia, Employability and Development Advisor at QMU, who is the brainchild behind the innovative mentoring programme, explained: “The idea of rotating mentors is completely new to the higher education sector, and something I was keen to drive forward to ensure our students have the best chance to develop their employability skills and learn from different industry experts. 

“What also makes this so unique is that most mentorship programmes aren’t available to students until their 4th year. We wanted to make this available to our students from as early as their 2nd year to give them the best head start. It is vital that we continue to adapt and develop our career programmes to keep up with the ever-changing needs of our students, so they feel really well equipped to step into the world of work. 

“We want students and graduates to have the confidence, skillset and knowledge to hit the ground running.  Input from good mentors can help to give students excellent industry insights that will give them the edge, allowing them to stand out in the crowd. They can also help direct them into key areas and open doors to other work opportunities.” 

Graeme Cleland, Business Development Manager at law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn and one of this year’s mentors, said: “It’s fantastic to see QMU developing new ways to extend the proven benefits of mentoring programmes to even more students.

“This programme will allow mentees to progress faster by drawing on the experience and contacts from their mentor, learn how to navigate entering their chosen field, and understand what skills they should focus on developing. 

“Mentors involved also benefit too. As well as lending a helping hand to those aspiring to build a career, they also learn a lot from mentees about what the next generation of colleagues are looking for in the workplace, which can be taken back into their business.” 

QMU’s mentoring schemes are distinctive from other university mentoring schemes in that they are particularly student driven and internationally recognised. The University aims to deliver what students really need and want, as well as ensure students develop the skills that employers are looking for.  

The award-winning and accredited QMU Employer Mentoring Programme, which was established in 2013, was created with the aim of increasing student confidence and developing excellent industry links and job opportunities. Since its inception, the programme has provided over 500 students with expert mentorship from across a huge variety of sectors and professions.  

Adrian Crichton, a graduate of QMU who took part in the mentorship programme when he was a student, is now returning to be a mentor in the rotational project. Adrian, who graduated from QMU in 2019 with a BA (Hons) in PR, Marketing and Events, is now the Director of Business Planning and Strategy within the Global Strategy and Enablement team at American Express. 

The pilot Rotational Leadership Mentoring Programme will be open to QMU students for two weeks from the 16th September 2024. 

Find out more on our website – https://www.qmu.ac.uk/study-here/services-for-students/careers-and-employability/careers-and-employability/employer-mentoring/ 

Record number of pupils in “good or satisfactory” schools

Investment drives major improvement

A record number of pupils in Scotland are being taught in schools in “good or satisfactory” condition, official figures show.

The 2024 School Estate Statistics show that a record 91.7% of school buildings, with a total of 647,773 pupils, are in a good or satisfactory condition.

This is an increase of 29 percentage points since April 2007. Since then, 1,139 school building projects have been completed.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “This government is determined to deliver high quality learning environments for all pupils in Scotland – and a key part of that is delivering a world-class school estate.

“Positive school environments play a huge role in the education of Scotland’s young people and our investment is paying dividends, with a record high number of schools being in good or satisfactory condition.

“The Scottish Government is continuing its investment in the school estate through the £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme. As set out in our Programme for Government, construction will begin on a further eight school building projects over the next year.

“This means that by the end of 2027-28, Scotland will have seen 47 modern, state-of-the-art school buildings open, thanks to our investment.”

School estate statistics 2024 – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Charity urges Secondary Schools to use new resource to inspire pupils’ confidence to live tobacco-free lives

ASH Scotland is encouraging secondary school teachers in Edinburgh to use a new resource pack as part of cross-curricular learning to inspire young people to make confident, informed decisions to protect their long-term health by not taking up smoking or vaping.

The Tobacco-free Schools pack, which features 28 engaging activities that can be used in group lessons, is being launched by the charity at a time when the major public health issues of youth smoking and, increasingly, vaping are causing great concern for teachers and other school staff working with children.

The pack provides up-to-date facts and statistics covering a range of topics such as ‘Understanding addiction’, ‘Smoking and mental health’, ‘Are e-cigarettes safe?’, ‘Being confidently nicotine-free’ and ‘Cigarette butts and e-cigarette waste’ to support the delivery of personal and social education classes or for classwork across various subjects.

Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive for ASH Scotland, said: “With concerned teachers across Scotland regularly contacting us for information and advice about tobacco and vapes, it is important that those working with young people in Edinburgh can access robust, evidence-based tailored resources to engage and empower youngsters to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.

“We are pleased to launch our new Tobacco-free Schools resource pack which is specially designed to be an effective learning aid to enable teachers to facilitate classwork to help equip pupils to increase their knowledge about the risks associated with both smoking and vaping.

“The pack’s interactive resources offer opportunities for teachers to promote a smoke and vape-free culture on school campuses through building the confidence of students to prevent peer pressure from steering them in a harmful direction and, instead, make positive choices to protect their physical and mental health by not smoking or vaping.”

To download the pack, visit www.ashscotland.org.uk/schoolspack

‘An inspiration and a true local hero’

Master’s is child’s play for hero who holps orphans in Ukraine 

Gavin Menzies, a 38-year-old from Carrick Knowe, has graduated with a Master’s degree in Play Therapy from Queen Margaret University. His journey to this achievement is remarkable, as he put his career and studies on hold to help people in Ukraine during the war. 

Within weeks of the full-scale Russian invasion, Gavin travelled to Kyiv to support children who had lost their families and to provide end-of-life care to the elderly. Despite the risks, he was determined to alleviate the suffering of those caught in the conflict. 

Before his involvement in Ukraine, Gavin ran support businesses for children in Edinburgh. The pandemic highlighted the complex challenges faced by the children he worked with, prompting him to study the MSc Play Therapy at Queen Margaret University.

This course, run in collaboration with the specialist play therapy organisation With Kids, equipped him with the skills to better support young people. Due to his volunteering in Ukraine and his local commitments, he studied the course part-time over three years. 

Since the full-scale invasion, Gavin has made several trips to Ukraine to provide vital supplies. During his time there, he supplied clothing, supplies and Christmas presents to over 600 orphans in Odessa.  

Once home in Edinburgh, Gavin continued to provide vital support to the orphaned group of children by maintaining their extraordinary connection online. His volunteering also allowed him to apply the knowledge gained from his course to enhance his ability to serve children with complex needs in his local community. 

As a former player with the Pleasance Basketball Club, Gavin uses sport to give children a head start in life. His High Flyers Basketball Academy has grown to provide coaching to 300 kids across Edinburgh and the Lothians. 

Gavin opted to use the last year to focus on his Master’s course to ensure that he was better qualified to support his groups of children.

This July, he graduated from Queen Margaret University with a MA Play Therapy with merit. However, the ongoing plight of the Ukrainian people weighed heavily on his mind.

Now with his Master’s degree firmly under his belt, he has returned to Ukraine and is currently working to rebuild and revamp the orphanage in Odessa and volunteer in Kharkiv, where Russian forces have made gains these last few months.

He has just delivered supplies to a medical representative at an outpost in Kharkiv, and in the last few days, he has also been supporting orphans in Kyiv while drone attacks and bombing takes place all around them. 

Sir Paul Grice, Principal of Queen Margaret University, said: “Gavin’s selfless dedication to supporting the next generation through sport is what ultimately motivated him to come to QMU and study the MSc Play Therapy.

“Gavin’s drive and determination to make a positive impact on people’s lives epitomises the values of QMU. He is an inspiration and a true local hero.” 

Gavin received his Master’s award at a graduation ceremony attended by QMU’s Chancellor, Dame Prue Leith CBE.

He has now secured a position as a play therapist with the charity With Kids, and continues to blend this work with his holiday camps and basketball clubs, while still volunteering in Ukraine. 

Council launches wellbeing platform for children and young people

Education, Children and Families Convener pictured with Emily Horsburgh, George Buchan and Lily Douglas.

The platform, which provides a safe place to find advice, local support, tips, and tools to help maintain positive wellbeing, was launched at Bonaly Primary School this week (Wednesday 21 August).

The online space features a series of short films where children and young people from Edinburgh schools discuss why it’s important to talk about feelings and share their tips for emotional wellbeing.

There is also advice on apps, information on local supports and signposting to other websites that provide other sources of helpful advice and resources which include helplines and chat-based support.

It follows research which shows that understanding our emotions and learning coping mechanisms can help prevent more serious health problems later in life.

Education, Children and Families Convener Joan Griffiths said: “The wellbeing of our children and young people is at the heart of everything we do, and we understand they’ll face challenges which might cause them to struggle with their feelings and emotions.

“The launch of this new online platform marks a positive step forward in providing them with the tools and resources they need to take care of their mental health and wellbeing.

“Whether they’re seeking advice, finding support or want to connect with others, the platform is designed to be a go-to digital space. I’m confident it will make a real difference to the lives of Edinburgh’s children and young people.”

Gillian Barclay, Depute Principal Psychologist, said: “It’s normal to feel anxious, angry, sad, or frustrated some of the time, but recognising that we are struggling with feelings or emotions is really important. The new platform aims to support children, young people, and the adults around them to maintain positive wellbeing. 

“I hope children, young people and their families in Edinburgh will find it helpful. We’ll continue adding information, support and resources and welcome feedback, particularly from young people and families, to help us do this.”

Extend Child Benefit for your teen by 31 August

Child Benefit can be claimed for children after they turn 16 if they are staying on in approved education or training

Parents have less than 2 weeks to tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) their 16-19 year-old is continuing education or training or their Child Benefit payments will stop.

Hundreds of thousands of teenagers will decide on their future this week as they receive their GCSE results on Thursday (22 August 2024).

For parents of 16-19 year-olds who haven’t yet extended their claim, Child Benefit payments will stop after 31 August. If their child is going to continue in approved education or training, parents can continue receiving Child Benefit and HMRC is urging them to extend their claim now.

To make sure they do not miss out, parents can quickly and easily extend their Child Benefit claim online on GOV.UK or via the HMRC app. More than 270,000 parents have extended their claim digitally so far, with the changes applied to their record without the need to wait on the phone.

Parents should keep their claim details up to date, even if they’ve opted not to receive Child Benefit payments due to the High Income Child Benefit Charge. Parents who want to opt back into receiving Child Benefit payments, can do this quickly and easily online on GOV.UK or in the HMRC app. 

Child Benefit is worth up to £1,331 a year for the first or only child, and up to £881 a year for every additional child.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “Child Benefit is an important financial support for many households and we don’t want to see any eligible family miss out.

“You can extend your claim quickly and easily online or via the HMRC app, just search ‘Child Benefit when your child turns 16’ on GOV.UK.”

Victoria Benson, CEO of Gingerbread, the charity for single parent families, said: “Child Benefit is valuable to families and particularly single parent families, who are forced to make ends meet on a single income.

“It’s really important, with the 31 August deadline fast approaching, that parents whose children are going into further education and training extend their claim as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this crucial financial help.”

Child Benefit can continue to be paid for children who are studying full time in non-advanced education, which includes:

  • A levels or Scottish Highers
  • International Baccalaureate
  • Home education – if it started before their child turned 16, or after 16 if they have a statement of special educational needs and it was assessed by the local authority
  • T levels
  • NVQs, up to level 3

Child Benefit will also continue for children studying on one of these unpaid approved training courses:

  • in Wales: Foundation Apprenticeships, Traineeships or the Jobs Growth Wales+ scheme
  • in Northern Ireland: PEACEPLUS Youth Programme 3.2, Training for Success or Skills for Life and Work
  • in Scotland: the No One Left Behind programme.

If a child changes their mind about further education or training, parents can simply inform HMRC online or via the HMRC app and payments will be adjusted accordingly.

Parents can check the status of their claims at any time by viewing their proof of entitlement in the app or online. 

Parents will need a Government Gateway user ID and password to use HMRC’s online services. If they do not have one already, they can register on GOV.UK and will just need their National Insurance number or postcode, and 2 forms of ID.

Education Secretary welcomes female Afghan medical students

Nineteen female Afghan medical students have arrived in Scotland after they were banned from completing their studies by the authorities in Afghanistan.

The Scottish Government amended student funding legislation to ensure the women could be treated as home students and receive free tuition and cost of living support.

Scottish charity the Linda Norgrove Foundation has been supporting the women and secured agreement with four Scottish universities – St Andrews, Glasgow, Dundee, and Aberdeen – where the students will now continue their medical degrees as they work to become doctors.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth met the students at Edinburgh Airport to welcome them to Scotland.

Ms Gilruth said: “Gender should not be a barrier to accessing education, and I am pleased that the Scottish Government has been able to support these extraordinary women in their journey to complete their medical education.

“The changes we made to the legislation will ensure they can access the same benefits as their peers, including free tuition and student support. 

“Scotland has a proud history of welcoming people from across the world who need support.

“I wish each and every one of these inspiring women the warmest of welcomes to Scotland and look forward to the positive contribution they will make to our country.”

Improving relationships and behaviour in schools

Guidance published to support pupils and teachers

New guidance to empower schools to take action on mobile phone use and next steps in ongoing work to improve relationships and behaviour in schools has been published.

The ‘Behaviour and Relationships in Schools’ action plan, and targeted guidance for teachers to manage mobile phone use in schools, set out steps to be deployed at the national, local and school level over the next three years in response to concerns about relationships and behaviour in schools, including:

  • supporting the effective recording and monitoring of inappropriate behaviour
  • encouraging schools to reinforce a positive ethos and culture
  • providing guidance and support to ensure schools can embed relationships and behaviour policies which set clear expectations of relationships and behaviour

The new guidance on mobile phone use makes clear that while it is for individual schools to determine what action to take, head teachers are empowered to take the steps they see fit, including a full ban on mobile phone use in school if that is their judgement.

Aside from impacting behaviour, a growing body of evidence shows mobile phone use also impacts on learning. The Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 data showed that almost a third of 15-year-olds in Scotland and across all Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries reported being distracted using digital devices in most or every maths class – and around a quarter reported being distracted by others using digital devices.

During a visit to Stonelaw High School in Rutherglen, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “Since the last action plan on relationships and behaviour in Scotland’s schools was published in 2017, our children and young people have experienced periods of significant challenge, including a global pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis which is causing real difficulty for families across the country. There is no doubt this has had a major impact on their schooling and how they learn.

“Improving relationships, behaviour and attendance in schools is one of my top priorities as Education Secretary. We have been working jointly on this with key partners such as COSLA and SAGRABIS since I was appointed and this new action plan contains a series of steps to be taken which will ensure that both pupils and staff are safe and supported.

“It takes an evidence-based approach to responding to the relationships and behaviour challenges faced in our schools and has been informed by the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR), which heard from nearly 4,000 teachers and support staff, as well as discussions with a wide range of stakeholders including teaching unions at the three behaviour summits.

“While it is clear that the vast majority of pupils in our schools continue to behave well, there are undoubtedly growing behavioural issues associated with mobile phones.

“This new guidance empowers head teachers to take the steps they see fit for their school to limit the use of mobile phones, including a full ban on the school estate if they feel that is required and I would encourage teachers to take all the steps they feel necessary to combat these issues.”

COSLA Spokesperson for Children and Young People Tony Buchanan said: “Ensuring children and young people feel supported, safe and ready to learn is of vital importance to Local Government, and we need to make sure schools are safe and welcoming places for all.

“We have worked closely with the Scottish Government and our partners across education system to develop the action plan and guidance published today.

“We will continue to work in partnership to enable the provision of the best possible support, in and out of school, so that children and young people to get the most out of their learning.”

Acting Stonelaw High School Headteacher Vicki Rice said: “We were delighted to welcome the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills to our school. The Cabinet Secretary took part in discussion groups with our staff and pupils who were given a valuable opportunity to talk with her about these important issues as part of their work and study on personal and social education.

“We discussed our work earlier this year with our parents and pupils about excessive phone use and the impact that this can have on learning. This work helped inform our plans for this session to protect the learning environment by limiting phone use in certain areas of the school.

“We will continue to work with our pupils and their families to ensure that this remains supported.

“This fits with our wider efforts to create positive relationships and behaviour right across our school. We know that getting this right for our learners means that they feel safer, more included, respected and supported.

“This in turn helps create strong relationships between our learners and staff and helps improve everyone’s wellbeing.”

Commenting on the publication of the National Action Plan on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools and mobile phone guidance by the Scottish Government, Mike Corbett, National Official Scotland for NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said: “While NASUWT is frustrated with the length of time taken to produce this National Action Plan, we have nevertheless engaged in good faith with the Scottish Government, shared our members’ current experiences on managing pupil behaviour and advocated strongly around how they might be addressed.

“We are encouraged by the recognition that a range of approaches and consequences are required given that restorative approaches to poor behaviour do not work for all pupils and cannot be the only tool available to schools when responding to incidents of abuse and violence.

“We need to see better recording and monitoring of behaviour incidents in schools as an essential part of ensuring consistency and measuring progress and improvements over time.

“We very much welcome that the principle of serious consequences for serious misbehaviour, up to and including exclusion, where necessary, has been accepted.

“The Scottish Government must make it clear that serious misbehaviour will carry serious consequences if any plan is to secure a safe and orderly environment for teachers and students.

“Given the recent riots in other parts of the UK, the acknowledgement that more work is needed to support schools in addressing racism and racist incidents, along with other forms of discrimination such as misogyny, is welcome.

“We know that mobile phones can be used as a tool to bully and harass fellow pupils and teachers, as well as distracting pupils from their learning. We therefore welcome the guidance from the Scottish Government that school leaders can take steps to limit or ban the use of phones in their schools if they see fit. However, to be effective, addressing the use of mobile phones should form part of joined up whole-school strategies on managing pupil behaviour.

“While we are pleased to see that the Action Plan intends that schools will be offered support to adopt the recommendations within it, including suggested approaches and exemplars, it is disappointing that the Scottish Government has not as yet committed any additional funding, time or resources to schools to support this work.

“Teachers and school leaders are already dealing with excessive workloads and constrained budgets. Implementing the recommendations of this action plan is too important a task to be simply added to schools’ already lengthy to do lists. Ring-fenced time and funding is needed.” 

Relationships and Behaviour in schools action plan

AI specialist embarks on US-UK exchange to improve diversity in computing

A University of Edinburgh academic and AI specialist will spend a term at one of the top universities in the world this autumn in order to explore ways to encourage more young people from disadvantaged groups to study computing.

Fiona McNeill has been awarded an All Disciplines Scholar Award from the Fulbright Commission and will head to California, the home of Silicon Valley, as part of an academic exchange.

The number of girls studying computing is falling and researchers have warned that the continued male dominance of the digital space could harm the UK’s aim to be a technology ‘superpower’.[1]

Fiona McNeill, a Reader in Computing Education, already runs a tutoring programme for pupils in disadvantaged communities and introduced one of the first robotics competitions for schools. 

Her award at the University of California, San Diego is part of the longstanding US-UK Fulbright Commission exchange programme and she will be furthering her research at first hand on how UC San Diego has successfully broadened the appeal of tech subjects.

Co-funding this Fulbright award is the Rita Allen Foundation, a US philanthropic funder of transformative early-stage research ideas and civic engagement.

And this North American foundation has invited Fiona to join their pioneering Civic Science Network as a Civic Science Associate – addressing biases and fostering inclusivity in research environments.

Fiona McNeill said: “The fundamental problem is that computer scientists are not very diverse. The discipline tends to be dominated by white and Asian males from more affluent social backgrounds.

“Correcting that imbalance is really important because this technology is driving society.  For example, when Apple[2] developed its ‘Health’ app, there was no tracking of periods. The fact that this could be important hadn’t crossed the minds of its male designers. Similar issues come up all the time everywhere.”

Fiona began her career working in AI but has always been interested in education and how to broaden the appeal of computing. She will use her time in San Diego to study the inclusive policies introduced there, why they work and whether they would be equally successful if replicated in Scotland.

Fiona added: “I’ve been doing collaborative work with UC San Diego for a couple of years now. They’ve changed their student support model and we’ve been working together to see how students are responding to that.

“They’ve had a lot of success, however the environments are very different.  I wanted to spend time there to experience it for myself and see what we might be able to copy.

“For this project I’ll be looking at what we can do to improve retention and outcomes for those who go to university. For example, as well as being less likely to take computing in schools, girls are more likely to drop out once they get to university and more likely to end up in a job in a different sector.

“We need to create an environment where girls and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds feel ‘this is the place for me’.”

The US-UK Fulbright Commission was established in the aftermath of the Second World War to foster better understanding between the US and the UK, and promote the empathy gained from cultural immersion.

Active in 150 countries, the Fulbright programme is the largest international education exchange in the world: more than 370,000 people have participated in it globally since it began, and over 25,000 have received US-UK Fulbright awards. 

Sixty-two Fulbright alumni have won Nobel Prizes; 88 have won Pulitzer Prizes and 40 have served as head of state or government.

Maria Balinska, Executive Director of the US-UK Fulbright Commission, said: “Our vision is a world where there are no obstacles to learning, understanding and collaboration.

“Today there are many global challenges to overcome, and the world needs compassionate leaders to tackle them.

“This year’s cohort of awardees will be placing cultural engagement at the heart of their experiences as they undertake ambitious study and research programmes in the US: I am filled with hope for the wonderful collaborations that will ensue.”

Elizabeth Christopherson, President and CEO of the Rita Allen Foundation, said: “The Rita Allen Foundation is pleased to partner with the US–UK Fulbright Commission to support trailblazers co-creating a future where all people can shape science to expand its benefits and horizons.

“We are eager to welcome Fiona to the dynamic community of Civic Science Associates and Fellows working to create new bridges for learning across sectors and communities, using the tools of science and evidence to open access for new generations.”

Fiona McNeill will join a cohort of 31 Fulbrighters heading to the USA from the UK for 2024-25 and is one of a long line of over 600 Fulbright awardees that have headed to California since 1949.