Hi
I am a parent at Granton Primary School and unfortunately the school has cancelled the traditional ‘qually’ leavers dance: we parents are now having to put this on all at at our own cost as the school is not willing to help.
We are looking for:
Annie Lamb
Mark Lazarowicz MP has welcomed the plan announced at the Scottish Labour conference to use funding from Labour’s cut in pension tax relief for highest earners to set aside £125m extra for the Scottish education budget to close the educational attainment gap between children from rich and poor backgrounds.
The cut in pension tax relief will also provide funding for school leavers to ensure more students from the most deprived backgrounds have the chance to go to university and all young people start their working lives on a secure footing.
The extra £125m is only part of the plan which would also:
Labour also plans to introduce
Mark Lazarowicz said: “This funding from taxing highest earners will enable us to really tackle the gap in attainment between children from the richest and poorest backgrounds which has been too often neglected.
“It will also ensure young people who don’t go on to study at a college or university or gain an apprenticeship are not forgotten by helping them with the cost of training or other expenses as they start their working lives.
“Educational opportunity at every level should be our aim and we must do much more to make that a reality to give all our young people the chance they deserve.”
The Scottish Labour leader, Jim Murphy, has reaffirmed that there will be no tuition fees at Scottish universities if Labour wins the next Scottish Parliament elections but he also went on to highlight the need to widen access so that students from the most deprived backgrounds have the chance to study at university in much greater numbers.
Independent studies show that Scotland currently has the lowest proportion of university students from the most deprived backgrounds in the UK.
The funding would come from the funding that the Scottish Government would receive from Labour’s cut in pension tax relief for highest earners. That would cut
Major event at Holyrood this month
Inspiring young women to be the best that they can be is the key focus of a major event being held at Holyrood on Monday 23 March, hosted by the Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer, the Rt Hon Tricia Marwick MSP.
Announced as part of the Presiding Officer’s Time for Reflection address to the Scottish Parliament on 23 September 2014, the event will bring together 128 young women from across Scotland. It has been designed to encourage young women to develop the confidence and leadership skills needed to help them to achieve.
The Presiding Officer said: “The referendum demonstrated to the world that young people can and should play a full role in determining the future of their countries. This is right and proper. As the Scottish Parliament is led by its first female Presiding Officer with women in key political positions, we have a golden moment now to encourage this generation of young women.
“On 23 March, I have invited young women from schools across Scotland to come to Holyrood. We will explore what it means to be a young woman in Scotland today, what inspires them, what holds them back and what their hopes are for the future.”
Exploring themes of confidence, leadership and barriers that hold young women back from being the best they can be, the young women will meet with and have the opportunity to question female MSPs who are playing leading roles in their parties.
MSPs joining the Presiding Officer on the day are: Leader of Scottish Labour in the Scottish Parliament Kezia Dugdale MSP, Leader of the Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson MSP, Business Manager and Spokesperson for Justice for the Scottish Liberal Democrats Alison McInnes MSP and Scottish Greens’ spokesperson on sport, rural affairs, environment, culture and education Alison Johnstone MSP. Also participating in the day will be key figures in the fields of arts, industry, sport and public life.
Speaking of her own personal commitment, Mrs Marwick MSP said: “All young women should have the confidence to achieve whatever it is they want to achieve. I am determined to play my role in making sure the Scottish Parliament is a place that encourages them and positively impacts on how they see themselves.”
Thirty-two schools across Scotland (one in each local authority area) will each send four young women to attend the Inspiring Young Women event at Holyrood Scottish Parliament staff are working closely with the S4 and S5 year group pupils ahead of the event to ensure they get the best from their time on the day.
Schools taking part are:
‘Law enforcement agencies and governments can only take things so far. The way to change attitudes is to identify and build on the assets you have in your communities. You guys – the students and young people – are the assets’ – Justice Secretary Michael Matheson
Craigroyston Community High School pupils who have learned how to tackle violence and bullying through a training initiatve shared their experiences with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice Michael Matheson yesterday.
The Justice Secretary watched a presentation on the Mentors in Violence Prevention(MVP) initiative and listened to the experiences of participants before chatting informally with students about their participation in the groundbreaking project.
Craigroyston staff and students explained that the Mentors in Violence Prevention(MVP) scheme is already having some success in changing unacceptable behaviour – early feedback suggests improved attitudes amongst those who have taken part.
MVP Scotland trains senior pupils to become mentors who, in turn, equip younger students in ways in which to intervene and prevent incidents that could lead to gender violence, which can be domestic abuse, sexting, assault or homophobia. Pupils are taught to challenge their own friends and peers about their behaviour if and when it’s appropriate.
It was first piloted in Portobello High by the Violence Reduction Unit in 2011 and has since been rolled out to 11 secondary schools in the Capital. The unit’s Chief Inspector Graham Goulden spoke to pupils during the morning’s visit about its work.
Chief Inspector Goulden (above) said: “The MVP programme is emerging as a great way to continue to safely discuss many issues that contribute towards abuse and violence in Scotland. It provides schools with an approach that supports learning, as young people are faced with a range of external influences that impact on their resilience, such as online media. Bullying is still an issue in our schools and also strips young people of control.
“At the heart of violence and abuse is a breakdown in relationships. Let’s use relationships in the form of friendships to counter all of these issues allowing young people to do their best at an important time in their academic lives.”
Forth Councillor Cammy Day – who is also Edinburgh’s Community Safety Convener – also attended the event and spoke about how MVP is an important part of the local anti-crime #StrongerNorth campaign.
He said: “MVP is a key feature of the #StrongerNorth initiative as it really engages young people by helping them to recognise unacceptable behaviour, and gives them the power to face up to it. These skills are helping them to change attitudes whether it’s in school, in their homes or when they’re with their friends.
“Most school children have a great attitude and are involved in many positive schemes, but we know that the bad attitude of even just a few can have a real impact on communities.
“#StrongerNorth and projects like MVP and Total Craigroyston are aimed at nipping unacceptable behaviour in the bud before it escalates into something worse, and it was fantastic to hear first hand today about how these schemes are really working.”
Justice Secretary Michael Matheson (above) said: “I was delighted to be invited along to Craigroyston Community High School to see the excellent work ongoing to tackle the issues of violence and bullying in schools.
“Since 2008, incidents of violence among young people have halved across Scotland, but it is crucial we are not complacent and education is key to ensuring our young people change the culture of violence in our society.
“The work being done through the Mentors in Violence programme by the Violence Reduction Unit to train these young people to deliver their own training is having a huge impact not only within the school but also throughout the wider community.
“The programme empowers young people by bringing issues such as bullying and violence out into the open to allow for full, frank and informed discussions around the risks and consequences.
“Most importantly, it’s giving our young people a confidence and sense of responsibility that will benefit them throughout their lives.”
Some images from the Craigroyston event (also on Facebook):
Education Secretary Angela Constance has called on all Scottish schools to make the most of opportunities offered by digital learning, as National Digital Learning Week continues.
Ms Constance was speaking as she visited Mauricewood Primary School in Penicuik to see how technology is being used to support learning in the school.
National Digital Learning Week (2-6 March) highlights how learners and teachers are using digital technologies in schools across Scotland.
At Mauricewood, Ms Constance saw a presentation about ‘The Moscars’, a project where groups of pupils used technology to develop a short film. She also chatted to pupils who are using technology in a variety of ways to find out more about other countries and their cultures.
She said: “We want learners and teachers in Scotland to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by technology in order to raise attainment, ambition and opportunities for all. Technology is all around us and we want all of our schools to tap into its rich potential for learning.
“There’s exciting events going on every day throughout National Digital Learning Week and I am delighted to see some great examples for myself at Mauricewood.
“At Mauricewood and in other schools across Scotland, there’s great examples of technology being woven into day-to-day learning, bringing subjects to life and opening up opportunities for research, collaboration, communication and creativity.
“This week also marks the start of a National Digital Learning Community, where we want teachers and educators across Scotland to continue conversations and reflections about digital learning, and we want this conversation to continue long beyond this week of activity.”
Activities are ongoing throughout the week, including TeachMeets in a number of authorities for teachers to share good practice, practical innovations and personal insights in teaching with technology, GlowTV events and daily blog updates at
:https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/ndlf/
Conversation are also continuing all week on Twitter using the hashtag #digilearnscot.
A video message from Ms Constance, marking the start of Digital Learning Week, can be accessed at
#DigiLearnScot
What’s it all about?
National Digital Learning Week is your chance to give digital technology a go and join the national debate on how digital tools can help transform the way pupils learn.
We are encouraging all schools to make a pledge to develop their digital practice in school. These will be shared on our blog. This could range from trying a blog for the first time to using augmented reality to make your walls come alive!
Find out more – click on the links below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cmVLUU43f8&feature=em-share_video_user
Edinburgh College Open Days next week
Edinburgh College is throwing open its doors next week and inviting anyone interested in careers in the creative industries to find out how they can get on course to success.
The college’s Centre for Creative Industries is hosting three open days to introduce prospective students to its range of courses across three of its campuses, including art and design, computing, broadcast media, photography, music and sound production, and the performing arts.
There will be opportunities to speak to lecturers and students, experience the cutting-edge facilities at each campus, and get hands-on with interactive activities.
The Creative Industries Open Days will take place from 3-6pm at Sighthill Campus on Tuesday (3 March), Milton Road Campus on Wednesday and at Granton Campus on Thursday 5 March.
More than 100,000 people are employed in the creative industries sector in Scotland, with careers in film, radio, media, theatre, music, and digital media available.
Jon Buglass, head of the Centre for Creative Industries, said: “These open days provide the perfect opportunity for prospective students to get hands-on experience of what studying at Edinburgh College’s Centre for Creative Industries is really like. It is an exciting time for the creative industries in Scotland, and our courses provide the perfect framework to develop the skill, nurture the talent and develop the creativity of our students to prepare them for a creative career.”
Visitors to Granton Campus can see the top-of-the-range performing arts facilities at the Performing Arts Studio Scotland (PASS), which provides training in acting, dance, make-up artistry, technical theatre and theatre costume.
Budding musical theatre stars and musicians can visit Sighthill Campus, where the Music Box facilities include recording studios, practice rooms and an auditorium. The Music Box is the high-tech home to most of the college’s music performance students, both classical and pop.
Those who would prefer to study the technical side of music production can visit Milton Road Campus, where courses in sound production and the music business are offered in the CRE:8 creative centre alongside the HND Popular Music.
The campuses also have excellent facilities for those interested in courses in photography, audio visual technology and radio. The college’s computing courses provide essential skills in software development, games design, web development and building and testing computers and IT networks.
The college’s art and design students work to exciting briefs in their chosen field, whether fashion, textiles and costumes, jewellery, interior design, architecture, contemporary arts, interactive media, graphic design or illustration.
Not all courses are taught at all campuses, please check the Edinburgh College website to identify the appropriate open day for your subject area.
Applications for the all the college’s Creative Industries courses starting in August are open now – find out more about the courses available on www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/august2015 or by calling the college course information line 0131 660 1010.
Applications for August courses will close on 15 May.
‘Education is not just part of our sense of ourselves, it’s the key to a better future for young people growing up in Scotland today’ – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
Funding for free nursery places delivering early learning and childcare will double over the term of the next Parliament, increasing opportunities for families and giving children the best start in life, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has pledged.
In a speech on education at the David Hume Institute in Edinburgh, Ms Sturgeon laid out the Scottish Government’s ambition to see every child have the educational opportunities that she herself benefitted from.
During her address, the First Minister set out the contribution education makes to tackling inequality and growing the economy, focusing on the importance of all children, no matter their background, having the best opportunities through early learning and childcare, strong school education and wider access to higher education.
In a move she described as ‘one of the best investments any government can possibly make’, Ms Sturgeon confirmed that free early learning and childcare provision would rise to 30 hours per week, matching the time children spend each week in primary school, by the end of the next Parliament.
Committing to funding this expansion, she pledged that by 2019/20 annual revenue spend on early learning and childcare will have increased from an anticipated £439 million this year to around £880 million.
The First Minister said: “Today I want to highlight some of the areas where we can and must do better. In particular, I want to focus on how inequality in attainment – starting in the very early years, and persisting into adulthood – is weakening our society, holding back our economy, and constraining the life chances of too many of our fellow citizens.
“Early Learning and childcare promotes opportunity twice over. It enables parents to enter the workforce now and provide a better standard of living for their children, and it helps all children to make the most of their potential later in life. It’s one of the best investments any government can possibly make.
“In my view, it is central to any enlightened view of what modern Scotland should look like and that is why it is such a driving priority of my government. That’s why I can confirm today my intention that spending on early learning and care will double over the course of the next parliament.
“That’s in addition to the extra capital spending we will provide. The great capital investment project of this parliament is the Queensferry Crossing. If I am re-elected as First Minister next year, I intend that the great infrastructure project of the next parliament will be perhaps less visible, but arguably even more transformational.
“It will be the investment in care and learning facilities needed to ensure our early years provision matches our primary school provision. These facilities will create a bridge to a better future for children and families across the country.”
Addressing the need to widen access to university Ms Sturgeon said: “When I became First Minister, I set out the clear ambition that a child born today in one of our most deprived communities should, by the time he or she leaves school, have the same chance of going to university as a child born in one of our least deprived communities.
“And let me stress that – the same chance. Not just a better chance than they have today. But the same chance as anyone else. In other words, where you are born and brought up and your parents’ circumstances will not be the driver of how likely you are to go to university.
“But to ensure we’re doing everything we can, as early as we can, we are establishing a Commission on Widening Access. The Commission will propose milestones, measure progress, and identify improvements. It will be central to ensuring that our ambition of equal access within a generation becomes a reality.
“It is part of a far broader approach to post-school learning. After all, the key test we need to apply is not whether learning takes place in college, at work or in university. It’s whether the learning is relevant, engaging and widens people’s opportunities.
“So since 2007 we’ve focused colleges on promoting skills which help people to work, and which support economic growth. The number of students gaining recognised qualifications has increased by a third in the last 5 years.”
Ms Sturgeon concluded: “So from supporting mothers in the early stages of pregnancy, to helping people gain their first experience of work, this government is committed to promoting opportunities and reducing inequalities. That’s not something that Government, schools, colleges and universities can do on our own – although our role is hugely important. It’s got to be part of a shared endeavour.
“I want Scotland to be a land of opportunity – a country where every individual, regardless of background or race or gender, gets the chance to fulfil his or her potential. Can that be achieved? Yes, I believe it can and education is the key.
“The removal of obstructions to education, and the opening up of new opportunities, has been the focus of many of the major initiatives of my first 100 days. It is a subject which will receive sustained attention for as long as my government holds office. Because education is not just part of our sense of ourselves, it’s the key to a better future for young people growing up in Scotland today. And it is at the heart of the fairer, more prosperous Scotland, that all of us seek to build.”
New classrooms for Wardie and Flora Stevenson but growing pains loom for Ferryhill and Granton
Ferryhill and Granton are among eight Edinburgh primary schools identified by the city council as potentially having accommodation issues for August 2016 due to rising rolls.
The Primary School Estate Rising Rolls report highlights possible pressures for P1 places for August 2016 at Balgreen, East Craigs, Ferryhill, Fox Covert, Granton, Roseburn, St Mary’s RC (Leith) and Towerbank Primary Schools.
Consultation will now take place with the eight school communities – including the recommendation for a catchment review at Towerbank Primary School – and the report will be discussed at the Education, Children and Families Committee next week (Tuesday 3 March).
Councillor Paul Godzik, Education Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “In the past two years we have delivered an additional 46 modern, high quality class spaces in our primary school estate and a further 24 will be delivered for this August.
“The issue of rising rolls will be here for many years to come so it’s important that we consider all the available options when creating space for our pupils. Key to this is our consultation with local school communities which has been really positive.”
Currently there are 28,010 primary school pupils but latest estimates show this will rise to 31,700 by 2020 and then increase further to 35,400 by 2030.
The City of Edinburgh Council will deliver 24 new class spaces which are needed for the start of the 2015/16 session. Local schools set to benefit are Flora Stevenson (3 classes) and Wardie (2) while Clermiston (4 classes), Gilmerton (4), James Gillespie’s (4), Pentland (3) and Ratho (4) will also grow.
In addition South Morningside Primary School will have a temporary annexe created for P1 and P2 pupils at Deanbank Resource Centre and extra internal space will be provided at both Brunstfield and Liberton Primary Schools.
The progress being made by the Scottish Government in reducing the educational attainment gap will be explored by the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Culture Committee as it begins a year long piece of work on the issue.
Recent figures show a large difference between the average attainment of pupils in the most and least deprived areas. For example, 28% of children from poorer families perform well in numeracy, compared to 56% of those from advantaged backgrounds. Children from poorer families are also more likely to leave school early and without a qualification.
The Scottish Government has recently committed to ‘pick up the pace’ in closing the differences in attainment between children from the most and least disadvantaged backgrounds. The Committee will monitor progress and consider how successfully this commitment is being delivered by all bodies.
As part of this, the Poverty Alliance hopes to feed into Session 3 of the inquiry which looks at the involvement of parents. We have compiled a short survey which should take under ten minutes to complete. We would like as many parents as possible to take part. The survey can be found here. If you are a parent, we would love to hear your views.
Please feel free to forward onto anyone else you know who may be interested.
For more information, please email carla.mccormack@povertyalliance.org
