Exam arrangements now in place

The city council has confirmed alternative arrangements for pupils sitting exams next month who are affected by the current school closures.

The contingency plans have been put together as exams start in the first week of May, and all pupils will be sitting their exams in the schools they are currently attending.

The arrangements are:

Royal High, Drummond and Firrhill pupils will use their own schools
Gracemount and Craigmount will be sitting their exams at their host schools of Liberton and Tynecastle respectively

Individual schools will update pupils and parents regarding their specific arrangements.

Over the past week the Council has had very positive discussions with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) about exams and the contingency arrangements.

Education Convener Councillor Paul Godzik said: “With the first exams only a few weeks away it is absolutely vital that we have these plans in place and pupils are given notice as to where they will be sitting their exams.

“Pupils have enough to do with their studying preparations without additional worry over where they may be sitting them. Despite the hugely challenging situation the Council have tried to ensure our pupils are given every chance to prepare properly and that as far as possible they are not impacted by the school closures.

“We will be outlining in detail to the SQA the arrangements we have put in place and how this has affected pupils, as well as providing additional study support to pupils where we feel this is necessary.”

Jean Blair, SQA Director of Operations, said: “Clearly our primary concern is for all the young people involved. We continue to work closely with City of Edinburgh Council and the individual schools to support them in the practical arrangements for the exams, which begin on Wednesday 4 May.

“The national timetable of exams will continue as planned and pupils should continue with their studies in preparation to sit their exams on the dates in the published exam timetable.”

The programme of structural surveys arranged by the Edinburgh Schools Partnership is continuing. Parents will be provided with further information on individual school surveys once the full reports are received and assessed.

Closed High Schools: Practical exams postponed

Practical exams due to be held this week have been postponed due to the ongoing Edinburgh PPP1 schools closures. Continue reading Closed High Schools: Practical exams postponed

Higher still for Edinburgh pupils

The anxious wait is finally over for thousands of pupils across Edinburgh as they received their exam results today. Early indications are that candidates have once again improved on their performances in many areas from last year and that the overall good performance of city schools has been maintained.

A total of 40,425 resulted awards were certificated for 8,120 candidates (includes special schools, adults and mainstream secondary schools).

Highlights include:

By the end of S4 39% of the roll achieved five qualifications at National 5 Level which is an increase of over 1% from last year.
Across the city there were 17,700 presentations for National 5 courses (pass rate A-C of 80%).
By the end of S5 58% of all pupils achieved one or more Highers – a 4% improvement on last year and a 16% improvement since 2009.
Across the city there were 6,354 presentations for the revised Higher (pass rate A-C of 77%) and 4,693 for the new Curriculum for Excellence Higher (pass rate 82%).
By the end of S6, 63% of the S4 roll achieved one or more Highers – a 2% improvement on last year and a 15% improvement since 2009.

Overall for S4 pupils 1,325 awards were certificated at SCQF Level 3, 6,779 awards were certificated at SCQF Level 4 and 13,562 awards were certificated at SCQF Level 5.

Nicola Wilson, 16, is an S6 pupil at Broughton High School. She said: “I’m really keen to study Speech and Language Pathology at Strathclyde University so need at least 2As and 3Bs in my Highers. I did well last year in my exams so am hoping for the same again this year.”

Education Convener, Councillor Paul Godzik, said: “Early indications from the SQA exam results show that 2015 has been another really positive year for our pupils which is really encouraging . It’s a real achievement to have not only sustained but built on the successes of last year.

“I also want to congratulate all our teaching staff on their commitment to delivering learning experiences of the highest standards especially given the introduction of the new exams. Our pupils should be very proud of themselves too – all their hard work has certainly paid off and praise should also go to parents who have supported their children over the past year.

“The Council is committed to making sure all school leavers enter a positive destination of employment, training or further education. This year a record 93.1% of young people achieved and sustained a positive destination through initiatives such as the Edinburgh Guarantee. We will be looking to build on this in the future and look forward to seeing many more placements and positive results.”

Councillor Cathy Fullerton, Education Vice Convener, spoke to pupils and parents this morning at Craigmount High School where Minister for Education Angela Constance, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning paid a visit.

She said: “It was a real pleasure to chat to pupils today to hear how they had done in their exams. Their parents were rightly proud of their results and I hope everyone who was successful today achieves their full potential in whatever future career path they embark on.”

All candidates will receive their results by means of the traditional postal delivery on Tuesday 4 August. Those candidates who have activated their MySQA accounts, through which they can choose to receive their exam results by text in addition to their results certificate, will also receive these by 9am on Tuesday 4 August.

Higher and Higher!

Scottish students achieve record number of Higher passes

Students across Scotland have achieved a record 156,000 Higher passes this year – up 5.5 per cent on 2014. Welcoming the figures, Education Secretary Angela Constance said the results are ‘very encouraging’.

Results certificates have been sent to 142,862 candidates sitting a wide range of qualifications – including new Highers for the first year and Nationals for the second year; and existing Access, Intermediates, Highers and Advanced Highers.

Figures released by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) show attainment is again high this year, with Higher English passes up 17.7 per cent to 27,902, and Higher modern languages passes increasing by 15.2 per cent to 7,419.

The pass rate for the new Maths Higher was 70.8 per cent, similar to that in previous years. The SQA awarding process continues to take into account the level of difficulty of the exam.

Advanced Higher passes have increased by 4.0 per cent to a record level of 18,899.

This year also saw significant shifts onto the new National Qualifications at other levels, as the process of transition into the new system continued. For example, there was a large increase in National 5 course entries, particularly among those taken beyond fourth year – with 229,870 A-C grades awarded.

There has also been strong performance in qualifications related to wider skills for life and work, with attainment in Awards, National Certificates and National Progression Awards up 22.8 per cent, to 33,931.

Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Angela Constance said: “This is another strong performance by our young people. They have worked hard, and I congratulate each and every one of them, as well as the families and carers, and teachers and lecturers who have provided support.

“Scotland has seen record numbers of Higher and Advanced Higher passes. Students are performing particularly well in English and in modern languages.

“Despite concerns about the new Higher Maths exam, it’s clear that the system worked, that candidates have been treated fairly, and that standards have been maintained. The checks and balances in place ensure that students who would have gained a particular grade in a qualification in any previous year will still have done so at the same grade this year.

“This year we have already seen a record percentage of school leavers in employment, education or training. Today’s figures show that qualifications recognising life and work skills – such as Awards, National Certificates and National Progression Awards – are up a massive 22.8 per cent. This is very encouraging, as we support schools to do more to prepare our young people for the world of work.

“We now have a curriculum and assessment system designed to get the very best out of students and give them every possible chance of entering employment, training or further education.

“If you have not done as well as you had hoped or if you’ve done better than expected – help is on hand to discuss your future options by calling the exams results helpline on 0808 100 8000.”

Edinburgh’s young people worry over career prospects

But STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) offers good career opportunities for young women too

As thousands of teens nervously await tomorrow’s exam results, new research from Scottish Gas has highlighted the depth of anxiety among youngsters in Edinburgh about their career prospects …

Two thirds (66.5%) of young people in Edinburgh worry they might not find a career
Young women are the most anxious about salary expectations: over a half are concerned about their future earnings
Young men in Edinburgh show more confidence when it comes to salary, expecting to earn £34,732 before the age of 30
The survey shows young people believe their parents’ generation had it easier

Two thirds (66.5%) of 15-22 year olds surveyed in Edinburgh are concerned about the possibility of not being able to find a job in the future, while 67.5% are anxious about ending up in a ‘dead end’ job.

Research shows that young women are concerned most about being in a low paying job, with 58% admitting they fear that being in this situation in the future, compared to 77% of young men.

In Edinburgh, young women’s salary expectations reflect these worries: those surveyed assumed their earning potential was over 13% lower than their male counterparts. The research showed that on average, young women expected to earn £29,963 by the time they are 30, while young men expect to earn £34,732.

Young people are convinced their parents’ generation had it easier. Over half (55%) of those surveyed think it is more difficult for them to find a good job than it was for their parents.

Nearly a half (45%) believe it is harder for their generation to find a job with a good salary, while a third (33%) of youngsters think it is more difficult to find a job with good prospects.

When asked about future career paths, the research for Scottish Gas shows that some sectors of the jobs market continue to be overlooked by many young women in Edinburgh. Just under half of those surveyed (46%) admitted they had never considered working in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) sectors.

Last year, just 3.3% of applicants for Scottish Gas’ technical and engineering apprenticeship schemes were women. The company has since put in place a number of measures to attract more women to its apprenticeship scheme. This includes hosting open days aimed at women at its Training Academy in Hamilton and launching a new mentoring programme.

The research found that women in Edinburgh are turning their back on these industries for a number of reasons, including a perception that the industry is sexist (11%), or better suited to the opposite sex (11%). In addition, 44% of young women put their reluctance to work in STEM sectors down to their lack of knowledge of the subject area. A further 6% also say there are not enough role models in these industries.

The results cast doubt on the quality of career advice youngsters get from their parents. The research revealed parents in Edinburgh were almost twice as likely to advise boys to take on an apprenticeship compared to girls. 15% of parents would encourage their son to take on an apprenticeship while only 8% of parents would give the same advice to their daughter. Just over a quarter (28%) of parents said they offered differing career advice to their children, depending on their gender.

John Lochrie, former Scottish Gas apprentice and now Operations Director for HomeCare Services at Scottish Gas, said: “There are some fantastic opportunities for both women and men in these sectors, so I’m concerned to hear that so many young women are put off by careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.

“With boys already taking advantage of apprenticeships, I would encourage girls to think about engineering. Apprenticeships are a great way into an organisation, and at Scottish Gas they allow you to earn while you learn and develop skills for life.”

For young people considering a career in STEM, more information can be found online athttp://www.britishgas.co.uk/the-source.

Julie Dickson (above) is currently training at the Scottish Gas Academy in Hamilton.

Julie, 24, joined the Scottish Gas apprenticeship scheme in January last year. She is now training to become an engineer at the Scottish Gas Academy in Hamilton. She applied for the programme whilst working at Scottish Gas’ contact centre in Uddingston to make appointments to fix boilers.

Julie said: “I started working at Scottish Gas during a really bad winter. I would speak with engineers to make sure they were going to help customers who needed our support first, such as the elderly or those with young children. It was really inspirational hearing how they went the extra mile to help people stay safe and warm, despite heavy snow and freezing temperatures. So when I heard that we were recruiting for apprentices, I decided to apply and I couldn’t believe it when I was accepted!”

When Julie arrived at the Scottish Gas Academy she instantly felt right at home. She said: “On my first day, I wasn’t surprised that I was the only female apprentice. I know, from my own experience, that women aren’t really encouraged to go down this route from school. All the apprentices are treated the same and the support and encouragement I get every day from my instructors is amazing.

Talking about the training, she added: “The training is second to none and it has really built up my confidence as well as a lot of my general skills. I really like the fact there’s a mix of practical and theory on the course. I can be learning how to test a boiler in the classroom one minute then apply what I’ve learnt on a mock boiler in the workshop the next. We also get to shadow qualified engineers as well, so we’re fully prepared and confident in our abilities by the time we get to a customer’s home for the first time by ourselves.”

Julie was also inspired to become an apprentice engineer because of her father, who’s now very proud of her achievements. She said: “My dad works for an aerospace engineering company and started his career as an apprentice. When I was 14, I went along to a ‘bring your child to work day’ at his firm, and that’s when I realised that a career in engineering was for me. I’m delighted I’ve had the chance to get on the road towards following in my dad’s footstep and I’m really excited about the future.”

Now Julie wants to use her experiences to inspire other women to apply. She said: “I’d encourage anyone to consider an apprenticeship. You get to learn life-long skills and get paid to do a job that’s rewarding and enjoyable every day. My goal is to become one of the top engineers in my area to hopefully make other women realise they can get a career in engineering if they work hard.”