Tag: education

Coronavirus: 140,000 children and young people provided with free school meals

Around 140,000 children and young people across Scotland are being supported with the provision of a free school meal as part of efforts to support the most vulnerable children during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Local authorities are providing the majority of meals through vouchers, direct payments or home deliveries, according to the latest monitoring data.

Meals are also provided at some education-early years hubs, around 400 of which are open across Scotland to ensure continuity of education and pastoral care for vulnerable young people including those with additional support needs, as well as children of key workers.

New guidance to support continuity of learning at the start of term 4, which for the vast majority of children and young people will be experienced at home, will be published in the coming days as Easter school break ends. The Parent Club Scotland website also continues to be updated with a range of advice and support through the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Scottish Government is working with a range of partners to support children and families and mitigate the impact of the outbreak and the necessary social distancing measures on education and other vital services to support health and wellbeing.

Funding has been provided for a range of local and national projects, including through the £350 million Communities support package announced last month to help those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes extra support for care-experienced young people, providing updated advice and IT support for families, and responding to a rising demand for counselling from children and young people.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “In the midst of this terrible pandemic, with the harm and potential harm to our loved-ones and communities, Ministers remain steadfast in our determination to support children and families, both for their health and wellbeing and to help everyone continue their learning, whether through the education hubs or with home learning.

“Free school meals are a key measure for families, children and young people who need some extra help and I am pleased that so many are receiving them. We have worked closely with local authority partners to ensure they are able to put in place provision that meets local needs and circumstances.

“As schools term 4 starts in the next few days, we will be publishing guidance from Education Scotland, both for teachers/practitioners and for families, to support continued learning. This will provide information about curriculum, teaching and learning at home, including digital learning, and include sources of further advice and support.

“I am grateful for the commitment of all those working in Scotland’s education system in their efforts to support families and learners during this difficult time. Parents and young people too must be commended for how they have responded to the disruption caused by COVID-19 and by the very necessary closure of schools.

“The Scottish Government will continue to review the available advice and guidance to ensure parents, carers and learners get the support they need, when they need it. That includes work with key partners to provide and adapt a range of support for those children and families facing particular disadvantages or additional vulnerabilities during this crisis.”

Cllr Stephen McCabe, COSLA Spokesperson for Children and Young People, added: “In the face of the massive challenge posed to our communities by the coronavirus, Local Government has moved quickly to support those most in need.

“With the closure of schools and early learning and childcare settings councils have rapidly set up bespoke methods to ensure that eligible children continue to receive free school meals, whether that is through vouchers, direct payments, home deliveries or providing food through community hubs.

“Councils will continue to work at the front lines to make sure that the most vulnerable in Scotland’s communities are supported as we respond to COVID-19.

An estimated 122,000 children and young people are eligible for free school meals because their families are in receipt of qualifying benefits.

The Scottish Government provided local authority partners with £30 million of new investment to support families unable to access food as a result of COVID-19, with £15 million specifically for free school meals.

Information about free school meals can be found on the MyGov website.

Reassurance for students

Prospective university and college students are being reassured that they will receive their results on time, and universities and colleges will assess qualifications as part of the admissions process.

Minister for Further Education and Higher Education Richard Lochhead has written to students emphasising that their educational futures are being protected during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Universities are also being urged to observe a moratorium on changing offers made to undergraduate students.

In a letter to principals, Mr Lochhead underlined the need for a stable Higher Education admissions system while the country collectively responds to the challenges of COVID-19.

Mr Lochhead said: “I understand that many students who have applied to university or college this year will be anxious that school exams cannot go ahead as a result of the impact of COVID-19.

“The Scottish Government took this action to prioritise the health and wellbeing of our children, young people and staff.

“While the protection of life remains our utmost priority, I am absolutely clear that we must ensure that the interests and life chances of our young people are protected, and that they will be rewarded for their hard work.

“Despite the disruption, students will quite rightly have their achievements recognised, and gain the qualifications and awards that they deserve after so many years of hard work.

“I am also confident that institutions will act responsibly, and recognise that our shared priority now must be to ensure the stabilisation of the Higher Education admissions system, which is in all of our interests, whilst we respond to the unprecedented challenges COVID-19 presents.”

The letter to University and College applicants has been published on the SAAS Student Information Scotland website.

Letter to University Principals

14 April 2020

You may be aware of a letter issued by Michelle Donelan, the UK Government Universities Minister, on 3 April informing Higher Education providers in England of the moratorium, until 20 April, on changing offers made to undergraduate students, such as converting conditional offers to unconditional offers or changing entry requirements.

I know you will understand very well that this practice risks destabilising the admissions system, increasing financial uncertainty and volatility for all institutions at a time when universities are already facing significant pressures.

I firstly want to thank you all for not having changed offers to students, or participated in any activity that has led to the moratorium being necessary. I am, however, writing to you in expectation that Scottish institutions maintain this position and observe the moratorium until 20 April, to ensure consistency with English providers.

I am confident institutions will act responsibly and recognise that our shared priority now must be to ensure the stabilisation of the Higher Education admissions system, which is in all of our interests, whilst we collectively respond to the challenges Covid-19 presents.However, I feel it’s important to provide some reassurance to our prospective students about the admissions process at what is an extremely worrying time for them.

I will therefore shortly be issuing a message to reassure applicants that they will receive their exam results in good time for universities to assess qualifications in the usual way; and to remind them that the UCAS May deadlines are being extended by two weeks to give students more time to make decisions about their future.

My purpose in writing to you at this time is to seek your support to ensure our sector continues to act in a way which maintains the stability of the university admissions system and ensures students’ best interests are safeguarded.

I am aware that the sector in Scotland is already working with SQA and my officials to ensure that the admissions process works for this year’s applicants. I would like to commend you for that and my hope is that we can continue to work collaboratively on this matter in the coming weeks and months.

I would like to extend my thanks to all universities and colleges in Scotland for their support in dealing with these unprecedented circumstances.

Yours sincerely

RICHARD LOCHHEAD

Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science

Extra hardship payments for students

A £5 million package of emergency financial support is being put in place to help students facing hardship as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Extra cash will be available to any university and college students now struggling as a result of COVID-19, including those attending private institutions.

The £5 million includes an additional £2.2 million for Scotland’s Higher Education (HE) Discretionary Fund specifically to address COVID-19-related hardships, which will be available to colleges and universities immediately.

University and college students will be able to apply for any emergency discretionary payments directly to their own institutions.

Further and Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead said: “We are ensuring students studying in Scotland should have access to emergency support should they be facing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 or the social distancing and isolation measures that have been introduced.

“All bursaries, grants and loans are continuing to be paid as planned but the current unprecedented situation has resulted in increased hardship. That is why we are making extra funding immediately available for students most in need, to help alleviate concerns around accommodation costs, mental health issues, general living costs and wellbeing.

“Institutions will be provided with specific guidance on the discretionary funding related to COVID-19, to explain all relevant details while students can access the latest information on COVID-19 on the Student Information Scotland website.”

Student Information Scotland (SIS) website

An additional £2.2 million will be available immediately through the Higher Education Discretionary Fund, and will supplement £569,000 already issued. The remaining £2 million emergency student funding has been forward by the Scottish Funding Council from Further Education student support budgets for immediate use.

Other details of the emergency package include:

•    £100,000 available to support around 1,000 students studying with private providers, administered by Student Awards Agency Scotland and paid directly to affected students.

  • a three-month suspension by SAAS of all new debt recovery actions in respect to grants and bursaries, for students whose circumstances have changed and therefore may have to return overpayments – expected to benefit around 600 individuals. Where a student is experiencing difficulties SAAS will work with them to agree the best options, with suspension potentially one of the solutions. Some individuals may still wish to continue recovery with a reduced payment plan.•   an extension of the Care-Experienced Accommodation Grant from early April allowing eligible students to access support of a non-repayable grant of up to £105 per week – this is eight weeks earlier than usual benefiting around 200 students worth an estimated £200,000.

Moggy Modules make home schooling pawsome

Cats Protection comes to the rescue of parents struggling to make home schooling fun, with the Moggy Modules; five pawsome new free learning tools to keep kids happy and engaged.

 Each of the online resource packs includes cat-themed worksheets, quizzes, creative writing exercises, feline facts, recipes and other fun learning activities linked to one of the five cat welfare needs; a place to live, behaviour, the right diet, good healthcare and space.

 The packs have been created by Cats Protection’s educational experts to help young learners discover more about our feline friends and their welfare needs, with age-appropriate learning tools for children aged five-seven and seven-11.

Moggy Modules are free to download: https://education.cats.org.uk/moggy-modules-for-learning-at-home/

On completing #TheMoggyModules, children can download and print a colour certificate to celebrate their knowledge of the five cat welfare needs.

 The Moggy Modules support Cats Protection’s call for animal welfare to be included as a mainstream topic in the National Curriculum to give children a basic understanding of how to respect and care for animals.

Shelley Brown, Cats Protection’s Education Team Manager, said: “Children learn best and stay focused longer if they enjoy what they are doing. Home schooling can be fun for families.

“Our Moggy Modules are designed to give parents a helping hand, while teaching children about better animal welfare and encouraging them to be better stewards of our environment for years to come.”

A social media campaign will encourage parents to share their stories, photos and videos on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the #TheMoggyModules hashtag.

 Cats Protection’s learning library has additional video resources: www.cats.org.uk/education

Concerns raised over escalating number of children needing additional support

  • Increase of over 97,000 in the number of pupils with ASN since 2012
  • Decline in number of specialist ASN teachers by 376 since 2012
  • Decline of almost £1000 spend per ASN pupil since 2012/13

An alliance of leading independent and third sector organisations, the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), has called for greater resourcing to support children and young people with additional support needs (ASN), both during and after the Covid-19 crisis.

The call comes as new figures from the annual Scottish Government pupil census reveal that while the number of specialist teachers supporting those with ASN has dropped the number of those with ASN has escalated dramatically.

Between 2012 1 and 2019 2 the number of specialist teachers supporting those with ASN (publically funded primary, secondary, special and centrally employed) has decreased from 3,840 to 3,464, a decline of 376. 

This fall is against the background of an overall increase by 82.9 per cent since 2012 in the number of pupils identified with ASN, from 118,034 3 to 215,897 in 2019 4,  representing just under a third of all pupils (30.9 per cent).

Recently revealed figures also indicate that average spend per pupil on additional support for learning by local authority (primary, secondary and special education) has fallen from £4,276 in 2012/13 5 to £3,286 in 2018/19. 

Against a background of a per pupil cut in spending and in specialist support, the SCSC has called for greater resourcing from both the Scottish Government and local authorities to ensure that those with ASN in Scotland’s schools, who disproportionately come from lower income families and areas of deprivation, are getting the care and support that they need.

It has also raised concerns about the effectiveness of a presumption of mainstreaming, meaning that all pupils are educated in a mainstream educational environment unless exceptional circumstances apply.

The fall in the number of specialist teachers is set against a background of dramatic increases in the reasons pupils being identified with ASN, such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems, in Scotland’s schools.

A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: ““It is vital that those with ASN get the care and support they need, especially during and as we come out of the current Covid-19 crisis.

“This is also key if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap as we know that those with ASN disproportionately come from lower income families and areas of deprivation. Such a situation is clearly challenging in an environment of austerity and evidence of cuts in spending per pupil with ASN and in the number of specialist teachers supporting this group.

“While we also support the presumption of mainstreaming, which means that all children and young people are educated in a mainstream educational environment unless exceptional circumstances apply, it is clearly difficult to see how this is functioning properly for all those with ASN given this fall in specialist support and increase in the number of those identified with conditions such as autism and mental health problems.

“The Scottish Government and local authorities need to work together to provide the necessary resourcing to address the needs of those children and young people with ASN, who represent some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society.”

Edinburgh Napier University commended

The UK’s independent higher education quality body has commended Edinburgh Napier University for a range of good practice, including its ‘strategic approach to widening participation and direct entry’ and its ‘support for developing students’ skills in employability, enterprise and entrepreneurship’.  

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) appointed a team of five independent experts to review the University in October and December last year.

In particular, the team commended the University in seven areas:

  • Its strategic approach to widening participation
  • Its support for developing students’ skills in employability, enterprise and entrepreneurship;
  • Its approach to monitoring postgraduate student academic progress
  • The systematic enhancement of leadership in learning, teaching and research;
  • Its clear partnership working between academic and professional services staff;
  • The effective development available for academic and support services staff; and
  • The developing institutional approach to the use of data.

Professor Alyson Tobin, Vice Principal of Learning and Teaching, Edinburgh Napier University, said: “I am delighted that Edinburgh Napier University has been commended for our approach to widening access and for the support we give to our students to develop their employability skills.

“The report also highlights the opportunities our students have to engage in entrepreneurial and professional development opportunities to enable them to be successful in their future careers.”

QAA’s report also makes a number of recommendations, asking Edinburgh Napier University to:

  • Ensure there are clear student representative structures in place at all levels and make sure there are effective arrangements in place for the recruitment, training and support for student representatives;
  • Continue to develop mechanisms to enhance student engagement and respond to the student voice;
  • Continue to develop support mechanisms for online learners, graduate apprentices, transnational education students and other groups studying off campus;
  • Consider introducing a structured and longitudinal institution-wide induction for postgraduate research students;
  • Ensure that all postgraduates who teach complete the mandatory course prior to commencing teaching;
  • Progress implementation of revisions to the institution-led review process;
  • Make external examiners’ reports accessible to all students; and
  • Review the English language entry criteria and the proficiency of students on all transnational education programmes.

Edinburgh Napier University’s full QAA review outcome, with further details on all the above, can be found on the QAA Scotland website here.

Make us, not break us: Ferryhill plans for life post-Coronavirus

Schools will close today for all children and staff. The Council are working on the emergency arrangements that will be put in place from Monday, 30th March 2020.

We hope to be back in school by the end of June but this will be under the direction of the Scottish Government.

Should this not be the case, we will organise an event to bring our school and community together again.  The current P7 children will be invited and at that event we will celebrate their time at Ferryhill.

This will include the opportunity for the signing of the sweatshirt as well as other celebrations to give them a proper send off from Ferryhill. It may take place in an evening. We will ask parents across the school for help with this.

This situation will make us, it will not break us !

Schools: Exams CANCELLED

  • Exams will not go ahead
  • Teaching, learning and support can continue with local flexibility.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney has updated Parliament on the decision to close schools and confirmed that:

  • the exam diet will not go ahead this year. The Scottish Qualifications Authority will put in place a certification model using coursework, teacher assessment of estimated grades and prior attainment
  • local authorities are taking measures to protect vulnerable children who rely on schools for hot meals or a safe and supportive environment
  • children of key workers will have continuing access to learning or childcare

Mr Swinney said: “My priorities are to ensure the health and wellbeing of our children, young people and staff, and to maintain teaching and learning wherever this is possible, guided by the advice of the Chief Medical Officer and public health experts.

“Teaching, learning and support will continue – albeit in different ways for different groups of children. For the majority, this will be through distance learning and online learning, with different forms of on-going contact with teachers rather than in-school, face-to-face. Teachers and other staff who are well will continue to be working.

“For vulnerable children and those who have parents or carers employed as key workers, local authorities are developing approaches to support them. We will not cut adrift vulnerable young people who often rely on school life for hot meals or for a safe, nurturing and supportive environment.

“Parents are not expected to be a teacher or to recreate the school day – your school will be giving you some resources and suggestions as your first port of call.

“It is a measure of the gravity of the challenge we now face that the exams will not go ahead this year. With the support of the wider education system, a credible certification model can be put in place in the that can command confidence in the absence of the exam diet – to ensure that young people in our schools and colleges who through no fault of their own are unable to sit exams, are not disadvantaged.”

The Deputy First Minister’s statement in full.

Council leader Adam McVey said: “Obviously the health and safety of young people and all the staff working in our schools is paramount and we fully support the Scottish Government’s decision.

“Our dedicated school staff have been planning in depth for such a scenario and a huge amount of work has gone into preparing online resources so pupils’ learning and teaching can continue.

“There will be a particular focus of pupils sitting exams in the coming months and we make sure we liaise closely with the Scottish Qualifications Authority and follow their guidelines.

“We realise that this will cause inconvenience but hope parents, carers and our young people will understand the reasons for taking these steps and fully support this decision.

“I’ve been so proud of the amazing resilience shown by everyone working in our schools – teachers, support assistants, cleaners and catering staff – they have demonstrated tremendous dedication in keeping our schools open during these recent challenging weeks.

“As a Council, we’re determined to do everything we can to protect our communities especially the most vulnerable in our society. We’ve been working on plans to continue to support our young people who currently get Free School Meals during school closures and more details will be announced later in the week.”

Yesterday, teaching union The EIS has welcomed the announcement by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that Scotland’s schools and nurseries will close from Friday of this week.

The EIS has been engaged in discussions with the Scottish government, local authorities and other relevant bodies in recent weeks, as concern over the spread of coronavirus / COVID19 has increased.

EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “The EIS had a series of constructive discussions with the Scottish Government about the need to make a decision to close schools. 

“The escalation of the situation, and the change to government advice earlier this week, led the EIS to the view that school closures were now an absolute necessity. Subsequently, the First Minister has announced, this afternoon, that all schools and nurseries will close by the end of the day this Friday.

“This decision will be welcomed by our members, who have expressed growing concern in recent days over potential increased risk to the health of pupils, staff, their families and the wider community.”

“As the First Minister highlighted, there is a clear need for arrangements to be put in place  to deal with a range of important issues: including providing alternative arrangements for pupils in receipt of free school meals; appropriate provision and support for pupils taking SQA exams; and suitable arrangement for pupils of parents who are critical workers, such as those employed in the NHS or the emergency services.

“On the issue of supporting home learning during this period, a number of Councils are looking at online learning solutions which may offer some provision, although they most certainly should not be seen as a panacea – ensuring equitable access for students is just one challenge.”

“We have written, also, to Education Scotland to suggest that rather than every Council or school reinventing the wheel in terms of providing learning activities while schools are closed, some national provision would be helpful, perhaps even utilising broadcast channels to engage as many young people as possible.”

Mr Flanagan added: “The EIS welcomes the First Minister’s announcement and will now seek to engage both nationally and locally about appropriate working arrangements for teachers, in order that young people and their families can receive as much educational support as practicable during this challenging period.”

Still time to enter Tes Schools Awards

Have you started your submissions yet?

There are just ten days left to enter the Tes Schools Awards 2020.

From your wellbeing initiatives to your environmental endeavours, or the innovative ways you’ve improved results in core subjects, the awards are your school’s opportunity to shout about your triumphs and celebrate the teachers, staff and teams that are making a real difference to the lives of your students.

We know that it can be hard to find the time to complete your entries all at once, so you can start your submissions, save what you’ve done, and return to complete them by Friday 27 March.

Entry is free and open to state schools throughout the UK.

Find out more and enter

This year’s categories:

Classroom support assistant of the year
English teacher or team of the year
Maths teacher or team of the year
Science, technology and engineering teacher or team of the year
New teacher of the year
Headteacher of the year
Best use of technology
Wellbeing and mental health award
Community and collaboration award
Environment champion of the year
School business leader of the year
Creative school of the year
Early years setting of the year
Primary school of the year
Secondary school of the year
Alternative provision school of the year
Lifetime achievement
Overall school of the year

For full details of this year’s awards and to enter, visit
tesawards.co.uk

Schools out ’til summer?

Schools and nurseries will close to pupils from the end of this week, the First Minister announced yesterday.

The Scottish Government is working closely with local authorities to mitigate the impact on three groups as a priority:

  • Vulnerable pupils and those receiving free school meals
  • Pupils undertaking coursework and preparing for exams
  • Key workers including doctors, nurses and emergency service workers who have children

Later today Education Secretary John Swinney will address Parliament to explain the measures being put in place and to address key questions that parents and pupils have.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “This has been one of the hardest decisions we have faced so far as we tackle the coronavirus. SAGE – our expert scientific advisers – are examining new advice that is very likely to tell us to close schools.

“We also know more and more schools are approaching a point where they have lost too many staff to continue as normal. At this stage I cannot promise schools and nurseries will reopen after the Easter break.

“There will require to be a lot of local flexibility and we are working closely with local authorities to put those arrangements in place.

“Teachers, school staff and those in the nursery sector will have a vital role in the weeks ahead and we will work with you to minimise the impact on all our young peoples’ education, and in particular the most vulnerable groups.”

This poses a number of challenges and questions for the government:

Up to 250,000 children in Scotland live in poverty and currently receive free school meals. How will these children receive their meals?

What can parents and carers do to educated their children at home?

More parents will have to take time off work to look after their children, further affecting the economy

Students’ exam results are important in determining their future. If exams are cancelled, how will student grades be asessed and university places allocated?

Councillor Stephen McCabe, COSLA Children and Young People Spokesperson, said: “We have been working closely with the Scottish Government and our local authority partners to consider the implications of the closure of schools and nurseries.

“It is vital that we support staff, parents and children and young people in these exceptional circumstances.

“We will continue this partnership work to ensure that local authorities get the right support and have the flexibility to make the decisions based on local circumstances. This will include support to the most vulnerable, our young people involved in exams and those who provide critical public services.”