An Edinburgh-based carpenter and joiner has been named joint winner of the Adult Apprentice of the Year award by the Scottish Building Apprenticeship and Training Council (SBATC) at a ceremony held in the Scottish Parliament. Continue reading Alexander is Adult Apprentice of the Year
Every P2 and P3 child in Scotland will receive a pack containing books, games and other materials to help improve their literacy and numeracy skills. Education Secretary John Swinney launched the first packs at Towerbank Primary School, as part of the Read, Write, Count campaign delivered by Scottish Book Trust which encourages parents to actively engage in their child’s learning journey. Continue reading Book gift packs for all P2 and P3 children
An innovative project to encourage girls at city high schools to become more active is being launched by the City of Edinburgh Council today.
The first ‘Girls Day Out’ conference has been organised by the Council’s Active Schools team and aims to inspire, encourage and support girls to become more active, raise the profile of successful girls and their achievements and educate girls on the power of sport.
The event, which has been organised in partnership with Youth Scotland and sportscotland, will involve more than 150 girls from S1 to S5 year groups across the city who will gather at Wester Hailes Education Centre, from 10am until 2pm.
It will be an interactive, fun packed day where the girls will hear from inspiring female role-models and learn about the power of sport. The day will be made up of a number of workshops including nutrition, a mental wellbeing and alternative physical activity sessions including jump rope, trampolining and PiYo (cross between Pilates and Yoga).
Partners Youth Scotland, who will support the delivery of some of the workshops on the day, have also funded for the girls who attend the conference to be put through the Dynamic Youth Awards which is a peer-assessed awards recognising the contributions and achievements of young people in the 10+ age group.
Councillor Cathy Fullerton, Vice Convener for Education, Children & Families at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Often girls give up sport when they start at high school so ‘Girls Day Out’ is a great way to encourage them to become more active and discover the different and fun ways to achieve this.
“I am sure that the great programme of activities at Wester Hailes today will show the girls the benefits of taking part in PE, sport and physical activity.”
Stewart Harris, Chief Executive, sportscotland, said: “Our aim with Active Girls is to work with our partners to increase participation in PE, sport and physical activity amongst girls and young women. ‘Girls Day Out’ is a terrific way for schools, clubs and hubs to showcase the opportunities available both locally and nationally.
“The Active Schools team here in Edinburgh has put together a very comprehensive and innovative programme to highlight the benefits of an active lifestyle in a fun and interactive way. I’m sure it will be a great success.”
Chanter for beginners, exploring local bridges, creative crochet and the history of Edinburgh are just some of the courses being offered in the new City of Edinburgh Council Adult Education Programme.
With hundreds of day, evening and weekend courses available for adults aged 16 and over, the programme really has something for everyone.
So if you’re looking to learn a new language, brush up on your artwork, meet new people or improve your job prospects then check out the courses which can be booked from today (Wednesday 10 August).
Booking online is the quickest way to secure a place on your chosen course and people are asked to be patient as demand is expected to be high.
Among the numerous classes being offered are art, crafts, creative writing, history, computing, cookery, health and fitness, languages, music, drama, walks and talks and much more.
Councillor Cathy Fullerton, Vice-Convener for Education, Children and Families said: “Every year, thousands of people of all ages and in all areas of the city take part in our adult education classes. Learning should always be enjoyable, and we hope that this programme will inspire people to learn something new or in more depth.
“There are many stimulating, creative and challenging courses and opportunities to suit a wide range of interests, purposes and abilities. This is the chance to learn a new language, play a musical instrument, find out more about Scottish literature or learn a new skill such as wood carving or creative writing.
“Research shows that people who are in lifelong learning are more likely to be employed, to remain in work and to be involved in their communities. It truly is about learning for life and it’s never too late to start.
“Plenty of flexibility is built into the programme as to where and when people can study, with opportunities to take classes at different schools and community centres across the city and they can also be a stepping stone on to further education or indeed into a new career.”
A full list of Adult Education Programme classes are available online or by phoning 0131 556 7978. You can pick up a brochure from your local library or community centre or click on the link (below).
As well as online enrolment, courses can be booked by post, phone or in person.
Also on offer are Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) courses at Higher and Unit levels, run by Edinburgh College.
Full details on all classes and how to enrol can be found here.
What’s the most expensive city in the UK for students? Oxford or Cambridge, maybe? Or what about St Andrew’s? No, the answer lies closer to home – Edinburgh is the most expensive city in the UK for students, according to the Royal Bank of Scotland’s student living index. Continue reading Creme de la creme
As the implication of the EU referendum result sinks in and we try to work out what it means, children in Edinburgh showed us what it’s all about with a giant Hokey Cokey sung in one of the most popular languages of Europe! Continue reading In, Out; In, Out: even the kids are confused!
STEM: That’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths – but you knew that, of course!
A team of employees from Edinburgh electronics company Leonardo (better known to us old-timers as Ferranti’s!) are planting a ‘STEM’ seed that could lead to improved career prospects for Craigroyston Community High School pupils. Continue reading Planting the STEM seed at Craigie
From Leith to Inverleith: A glorious stone-by-stone reconstruction for new generations to enjoy
The Botanic Cottage at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh opened its doors to its first visitors – local school pupils, volunteers with an edible gardening project and even a former resident of the building – yesterday. Continue reading Stepping back in time: Botanic Cottage throws open it’s doors
TUESDAYS 1.30 – 2.30 – all welcome
