Tag: education

No joke – 1 April is Edinburgh College Open Day!

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Edinburgh College is holding two Open Days to advertise a wide range of courses starting this August.

Tuesday 1 April

Granton and Midlothian campuses, 3 – 8pm

Wednesday 2 April

Milton Road and Sighthill campuses, 3 – 8pm

The Open Days will feature live student performances and demonstrations, course and funding guidance and live August course applications through the Edinburgh College website.

So whether you want to get improve your employment or career prospects, continue your studies or learn new skills, why not call in to find out about the great opportunities available?

For further information go to www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk

or email info@edinburghcollege.ac.uk

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Council acts to tackle rising school rolls

Flora Stevenson and Wardie are among Edinburgh primary schools earmarked for additional classrooms as the city council faces the ongoing challenge of rising school rolls …

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Plans to deliver new classrooms to deal with the issue of rising rolls in the capital have been revealed by the City of Edinburgh Council.

The Primary School Estate Rising Rolls report lists seven schools where space pressures may arise for the start of the 2015/16 session – Clermiston, East Craigs, Flora Stevenson, Gilmerton, Pentland, Ratho and Wardie Primary Schools – and a number of possible solutions.

In addition three other schools south of the city centre – Brunstfield, James Gillespie’s and South Morningside – face similar issues. A separate report which considers their specific issues and the possible approaches in that area as a whole will also be discussed at the Education, Children and Families Committee on 4 March.

With primary school rolls projected to rise to a peak of nearly 31,000 pupils by 2019 – an increase of about 15% on the position at the start of the 2013/14 school year – the Council is actively tackling the issue. £15m has already been pledged to help build extra accommodation; Granton, Trinity and Wardie Primary Schools all received new classrooms at the start of this school year receiving positive feedback from parents, pupils and staff.

A total of 18 new classrooms will be built at four schools for the start of the next school year in August 2014 – Broughton, Victoria, St David’s and Craigour Park – with a further 6 additional classrooms being provided at Fox Covert, Stockbridge, Flora Stevenson, Bruntsfield and Gylemuir Primary Schools by adapting the existing buildings.

Councillor Paul Godzik, Education Convener, said: “This report highlights the schools where we believe there will be accommodation pressures and outlines how we can meet demand for places from catchment pupils in 2015/16. The increase in rolls comes at a time when budgets are under increasing pressure, and so the Council has a responsibility to plan ahead, and ensure we provide a solution that fits with our needs and our budget.

“Despite the difficult financial climate the Capital Coalition has doubled the budget available for rising rolls, pledging £15m to tackle the issue. This has already resulted in fantastic new accommodation being delivered at several schools across the city.

“The primary school roll projections are updated every year to identify those schools where future accommodation pressures might arise allowing us to plan in advance for any changes necessary to deal with increased pupil numbers. We will now consult with these schools to identify the best solution to address the pressures should they arise.”

Cllr Godzik added: “Whether or not it is traditional extensions, new build accommodation or adapting existing space, we are committed to providing the very best educational environment for our pupils and are determined to listen to parental views and work with school communities as we move forward.

“In the longer term finding a sustainable solution to the problem of rising rolls is really important. We have to ensure there is space available for our catchment pupils. That’s why we will be laying out proposals to deal with the issue south of the city centre in the Brunstfield, James Gillespie’s and South Morningside area, and why we are working very closely with planning colleagues to look at the wider impact of housing developments included in the Local Development Plan.”

A further report will be considered at the May committee with a proposed solution for each school.

 

WOW! Helping women into work for 25 years

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An Edinburgh charity that helps women prepare for work celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Women Onto Work (WOW) provides individual packages for women who are keen to get back to work, but don’t know where to start.

Its first project was in Wester Hailes in 1989 when it ran a training course for 10 women. Since then it has provided support for thousands of women across the city, from a wide range of backgrounds such as low skills and qualifications, returning to work after being a mum, or having confidence issues.

And there are places available now for women who are not in work and are thinking about finding a job.

Susan Watt, WOW’s chairperson, says: “We would love to hear from any women in Edinburgh who would like to know more about our service. Please get in touch.”

“WOW is open to every woman who feels she’s struggling to make her way in the job market and we can offer help with childcare and travelling expenses where required.

“We are the only gender based employability organisation in Scotland, but we are about so much more than just finding women jobs, we offer personal and professional support so that women can achieve their full potential.”

WOW’s services include one to one coaching with a wide range of activities and courses from personal development to an enterprise course aimed at women thinking about working for themselves. Its funders include the Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council and the Big Lottery.

For more information check out WOW at www.womenontowork.org

STV provides FAST support for family school project

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Save the Children has received over £177,000 from the STV Appeal 2013 to deliver its Families and Schools Together (FAST) programme across Scotland.

Families and Schools Together (FAST) is an award-winning, family focused programme that brings together parents, children, teachers and the wider community to make sure children get the support they need to fulfil their potential at school and in life.

The eight week programme, aimed at parents, carers and children aged three to eight, has been proven to help children achieve more in schools and improve family relationships and links between home, school and the local community.

The programme is entirely voluntary and open to all families, with typical activities including singing, family games, imaginative play, and sitting down together to eat a family meal. It provides a fun and relaxed space for families to experience a mixture of play and learning activities, hands on coaching and support for parents and carers.

FAST was originally developed in the US by Professor Lynn McDonald and runs in partnership with Middlesex University throughout the whole of the UK. Funds from the STV Appeal will allow Save the Children to run FAST in 20 schools and six local authorities across Scotland, potentially reaching over 800 children.

The STV Appeal was set up in 2011 by STV and The Hunter Foundation and in 2013 the Wood Family Trust pledged its support to the Appeal. Now in its third year, the STV Appeal has raised a total of £5.8million which has been invested in 163 big and small community projects across all 32 local authority areas in Scotland, helping over 18,000 children. Every penny raised stays in Scotland and goes directly towards helping the children who need it most.

One in five children across Scotland live in poverty – and for some communities that figure is even worse. In parts of the country every second family is living in poverty meaning that in every community there will be a family struggling to feed its kids, a family struggling to clothe them in the winter, a family struggling just to make ends meet. The STV Appeal works in communities all over Scotland helping those young people and giving them the same opportunity that other children take for granted. Working at a local level, the STV Appeal has helped projects in every local authority.

Neil Mathers, Save the Children’s Head of Scotland, said: “FAST has been phenomenally successful in Scotland and the feedback we get from schools and parents is always so positive. More families than ever are keen to be involved this year and with the help of STV Appeal, we will be able to make this happen.

“It’s clear from visiting each FAST programme how much children enjoy the activities and time spent with their families and that this has a positive impact on how they view school.”

Rob Woodward, STV CEO and trustee of the STV Appeal, said: “The third year of the STV Appeal has been our most successful yet. With the help of our generous supporters and fantastic fundraising efforts taking place right across Scotland we have now raised over £5.8m. The money donated to the STV Appeal stays right here in Scotland and will help make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable children and young people on our doorstep.”

Sir Tom Hunter, trustee of the STV Appeal, said: “The STV Appeal is for Scotland by Scotland’s people who truly have stepped up to support our work in trying to beat the horror that is child poverty here in Scotland. This is a long haul but at the end of the day we can and we will eradicate the impacts poverty has on Scotland’s young people. Every single penny we raise goes directly to tackling the issue of child poverty across all of Scotland something I’m really proud of.”

Sir Ian Wood, trustee of the STV Appeal, said: “This is the Wood Family Trust’s first year of involvement with the STV Appeal to help tackle the issue of child poverty in Scotland. We are delighted to be part of the fundraising endeavours of so many, which have enabled the distribution of such significant financial support to local projects in our own communities. We are optimistic that with the generous total raised by supporters of the STV Appeal, combined with the on-going hard work and dedication seen in communities across Scotland, the lives of children and young people affected by poverty in Scotland can, and will, be changed for the better.”

FAST has already proved to be a great success in North Edinburgh – see the ‘FAST work at Craigroyston’ NEN blog post in March 2012. The STV Appeal grant will now enable FAST to be delivered in new areas in Dundee, Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire.

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SQA Star Awards for Edinburgh College

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Edinburgh College has won two prestigious prizes at a national education awards ceremony, recognising its strong links with industry and outstanding achievements in innovation.

At the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) Star Awards last night, the East Lothian Hospitality and Tourism Academy – a partnership between Edinburgh College, Queen Margaret University and East Lothian Council – won a Highly Commended Award in the Partnership category. The college also won a Highly Commended Award in the Innovation category for a scheme providing industry mentors for students.

The annual SQA Star Awards honour inspirational achievements and commitment from colleges, schools and training organisations across the country.

The East Lothian Hospitality & Tourism Academy caught the judges’ attention because of its close links with industry partners and the benefits these relationships can bring to young people. The academy has benefited from vital support from large hotel groups such as Marriott, Jurys Inn, Novotel, Mercure and Macdonald hotels and resorts, as well as Edinburgh’s own luxury hotel Prestonfield and the Royal Mile’s Fraser Suites.

The initiative, which is now in its second year, exposes young people to the wealth of jobs in hospitality and tourism industries by giving 16-18 year olds the chance to train at college, university and in industry. The success of its first year attracted government funding of £4.6m, which has seen the initiative expand  to many more schools across Edinburgh and East and Midlothian, and the Scottish Borders and include other areas such as health and social care and creative industries. Queen Margaret University and Edinburgh College are partners in all the new academies.

Ray McCowan, vice principal at Edinburgh College, said: “We are thrilled to have been recognised by the SQA Star Awards. The academy is a pioneering project and has been a great success.

“The academy represents partnership working at its very best. It brings together the vision of two educational organisations and a local council, as well as harnessing industry expertise. The college realises the vital importance of strong links with industry and it’s partnerships like these that give our students the vital experience and skills to succeed in a highly competitive industry.”

In its first year, 30 out of 34 students successfully completed the academy. Of the 30 successful students, 18 continued to study the HNC in sixth year, four moved to Edinburgh College to study the SVQ2 in Professional Cookery and eight took up employment in the industry. There are now 163 students across all of the academies in Edinburgh and the Lothians in the fields of creative industries, health and social care, cookery and food science and nutrition, with a new academy planned for engineering.

The college has a number of successful graduates within the field of hospitality and tourism, including James Thomson OBE, owner of Prestonfield House.

Image 2 SQA Star Awards - Partnership - Edinburgh College2Celebrating Edinburgh College’s other honour, Visual Communication lecturer Helena Good said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won the Highly Commended Award at the SQA Star Awards. Our mentoring programme was established to develop a strong working relationship between our students and industry and it’s brilliant that it has been recognised in this way.

“Before the mentoring programme was introduced, the first contact that students had with industry wasn’t until their end-of-year exhibitions. Now we are introducing our students to the key players in leading design agencies from an early stage. This gives them an invaluable experience in working with professionals throughout their course and an insight into how the industry works.”

Helena added: “Since the mentoring programme began, we have won more than a dozen national and international awards including the Scottish Marketing Student of the Year for a second year in a row and four D&AD (Design and Art Direction) nominations, the creative industry’s flagship awards. One of our student’s work was also commissioned by the music brand Goji and is now being sold on high streets across the UK.

“As the initiative gains success, it has attracted more interest from industry. Our work placement programme has become much easier to manage because so many of our recent graduates have secured good agency positions and are a testament to the employability of the students we produce.”

SQA chief executive, Dr Janet Brown, said: “Once again I have been overwhelmed by the quality our finalists’ achievements. Some have overcome challenging personal circumstances and defied expectations while others have shown incredible initiative and commitment to succeed in their chosen disciplines.

“More than ever, qualifications are an essential component of an individual’s successful progress from education and training into further study and employment. Our Star Awards ceremony is an opportunity to congratulate learners on their achievements but also acknowledge the fantastic work of our centres – schools, colleges, training providers and employers who deliver our qualifications – and the people who give learners the guidance and encouragement they need to realise their potential.”

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Parents can go back to skool tomorrow

Edinburgh’s primary schools are opening their doors tomorrow (5 November) as part of a campaign to get parents to send their children to their local catchment school.  Primary Schools Open Day will allow parents with pre-school age children to have a look around and learn more about their local school.

A concerted campaign by the Council resulted in the lowest ever number of parents making out of catchment requests last year as more families sent their child to their local school, and parents should be aware as birth rates continue to rise there is less space in schools which means fewer placing requests will be granted.

Councillor Paul Godzik, Education Convener urged parents to choose their local school and support their local community. He said: “I’d encourage parents to go along and see their catchment school for themselves next week. Sending children to their local school can have many benefits for parents, children and the community where they live.

“A great example is Castleview Primary School which in a recent inspection by Education Scotland was rated as one of the best primary schools in the country.

“More and more families are realising the positive benefits catchment schools offer as shown by the record low number of placing requests last year. I think there is also a growing recognition that the days where you could choose which primary school you wanted your child to go to have gone.

“Next week’s open day is a fantastic opportunity to pop in and have a look around and see your local school in operation. Staff will be on hand to show-off some of the great work taking place as all of our schools offer a high quality education.”

Any parents with children under primary school age are welcome to attend and parents who may be thinking of moving into an area may also find it useful.

Further information on catchment schools and the Open Day, including times for the different schools, can be found on the Council’s website www.edinburgh.gov.uk/primaryschoolsopenday

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Drama to educate pupils on fireworks danger

fireworksAn informative play about the dangers of misusing fireworks will be performed to around 1,500 pupils in schools across Edinburgh during the run up to Guy Fawkes night. TOAST shows pupils how dangerous fireworks can be, as well as raising issues such as peer pressure, bullying and managing aggression.

The production involves two actors playing 11 different characters, with the scene shifting between a hospital, a home, a school and a housing estate. The principal character is drawn into an ill-fated escapade with stolen fireworks, with ultimately tragic consequences.

The play, originally commissioned by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) in Northern Ireland, has been adapted for Edinburgh and is being staged by the Strange Theatre Company. It lasts for 30 minutes and has been organised by staff working in the City of Edinburgh Council’s West Neighbourhood Office.

It will run until Friday (1 November) and will be performed to all S2 pupils in sixteen Edinburgh schools, including locally at Craigroyston – approximately 1,500 young people aged between 12 and 13 will see the drama.

The weeks leading up to Bonfire Night are a time of increased complaints to police and councillors about excessive fireworks noise, with elderly people, the very young and domestic pets often left particularly distressed by fireworks noise.

Councillor Lesley Hinds, Environment Leader, said: “Guy Fawkes night is great fun and families enjoy the spectacle of fireworks as the nights get darker. However, fireworks can be extremely dangerous if handled improperly.

“The play ‘Toast’ is an excellent way of helping young people understand the risks and dangers of misusing fireworks. We will be carrying out test purchasing in shops where fireworks are on sale to make sure that retailers are adhering to the legislation.”

William MacDonald, Group Commander for The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Bonfire Night is the busiest time of year for the fire service and we are urging parents and carers to be mindful of the potential risks from fireworks and the need to heed fire safety advice to ensure this year’s Guy Fawkes celebrations stay safe.

“We work closely with partners agencies including the City of Edinburgh Council to raise awareness of the risks and dangers associated with bonfires and fireworks as well as delivering fire safety advice to schoolchildren across the area.  Toast, which highlights the dangers associated with fireworks, is an excellent example of this type of initiative. “Every year, hundreds of people in the UK are injured by fires and misusing fireworks which are very similar to explosives. Most at risk are unsupervised children, particularly those who play with fire or who get too close to bonfires. We want everyone to enjoy this time of year but to stay safe and advise they stick to supervised bonfires and firework displays.”