The new term’s programme of adult education courses on offer across Edinburgh has been released.
The city has successfully run this programme for over 115 years, providing a variety of daytime, evening and weekend courses from Art, Archaeology and Craft to Languages, Tai Chi and Yoga.
There is something for everyone to try and enjoy and is an excellent opportunity to discover a new interest and learn skills for life.
Courses are offered online, outdoors and in many venues across the city.
The programme ensures that education is accessible, affordable and inclusive to all and would encourage anyone interested to sign up. Have fun learning!
Two charities in Fife were welcomed to Amazon’s fulfilment centre in Dunfermline to gain fresh ideas and practical support to help develop their logistics and operations.
The event, organised by Pilotlight, brought together Fife Gingerbread and Big House Multibank with the team at Amazon in Dunfermline. Pilotlight is an organisation that connects business experts with charities to help deliver greater social impact.
More than 30 Amazon employees from Dunfermline took part in a day of collaborative problem-solving sessions. The charities shared some of the challenges they’re currently facing and Amazon employees worked in teams to come up with practical, strategic solutions, drawing on their professional skills and experience.
Kirsten Harrower, an Amazon employee who took part in the event, said: “It was an amazing experience to apply our skills in support of two incredible charities that do so much for our community.
“It felt great to be part of something that can make a real difference.”
Jamie Strain, General Manager from Amazon in Dunfermline, added: “We’re proud to support Fife Gingerbread and Big House Multibank and events like this are a great way to use the skills of our team to give back.
“We’re committed to playing a positive role in the communities where we live and work.”
Linsey Proctor, from Fife Gingerbread, said: “We’re grateful to the Amazon team for giving their time and energy and for continuing to strengthen their relationship with us.
“The ideas shared will help us shape our future plans and move forward with confidence.”
Community donations and employee volunteering are just two of the ways Amazon supports the communities where it operates.
Amazon co-founded The Big House Multibank in Fife with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to support families in need. The Multibank network has now donated more than 8 million surplus goods to over 600,000 families across Scotland, Wales, Greater Manchester, London, Tees Valley and Birmingham.
Amazon has supported more than one million students across the UK with free STEM education programmes through Amazon Future Engineer and helps community organisations transport meals and other essentials to families in need through its pro bono logistics programme, Amazon Local Good.
Amazon partners with Comic Relief and is the official home of the charity’s iconic Red Nose. Together with its employees, customers, and partners, Amazon has raised over £4.8 million to fund projects that support people across the UK, and around the world.
Pupils from Edinburgh primary schools swapped the classroom for beekeeping as they had the chance to visit Fort Kinnaird’s thriving beehives for a day buzzing with educational fun.
During the session, 12 pupils from Niddrie Mill Primary and Castleview Primary learned about the world of bees – including how they are essential to the local environment, how hives function, and what it takes to care for bees first-hand.
The visit was delivered in partnership with Colin Mackie of Fine Scottish Honey Ltd – a local beekeeper who has maintained the centre’s two on-site hives since they were installed in May 2024.
The experience follows a series of in-school sessions delivered by Colin in partnership with Fort Kinnaird as part of the Young Readers Programme, an award-winning initiative between its co-owner British Land and the National Literacy Trust, which aims to encourage children to read and learn outside of the classroom.
More than 230 pupils at Niddrie Mill Primary, Castleview Primary and Brunstane Primary took part in the sessions, which included honey tasting, candle rolling, creative craft activities and an interactive storytelling session. As part of the project, pupils also decorated bird boxes which are due to be installed at Fort Kinnaird.
Liam Smith, Centre Director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “We’re proud to work closely with local schools and community partners to offer educational experiences that are fun, hands-on and genuinely inspiring.
“Opportunities like this give children the chance to learn in a different way – not just by reading about nature, but by seeing it and asking questions in real time.
“It’s been brilliant to see our beehives come to life and thrive over the year to support both the centre and local community biodiversity – this is all part of our sustainability plan which includes zero waste and 98% renewable energy use.”
Young achievers from the capital are recognised for personal development beyond academic success
Ten pupils from across Edinburgh have been recognised for their exceptional personal growth, resilience, and workplace readiness as recipients of the first-ever Ken Muir Award for Exceptional Achievement—an award which celebrates the skills and attributes that go beyond exam results.
Meshaym Nadeem, Matthew Caballero, Saif Mohammad, Milo Potter, Michael Godley, Leoni Morrison, Elena Munoz, Anna Thomson, Amber Denholm and Hazel Szeto, all S5 and S6 pupils from Balerno High School, Craigroyston Community High School, Drummond Community High School, Liberton High School, Portobello High School and St Augustines RC High School in the city, were among 86 recipients from across Scotland of the inaugural Ken Muir Award.
All recipients of the coveted Ken Muir Award had successfully completed the Powering Futures Challenge Programme – a nationally-delivered course equivalent to a Higher, which supports senior-level pupils in becoming workplace ready.
While over 1,000 pupils nationally earned a formal SCQF Level-6 qualification through the process, the Edinburgh award winners impressed their teachers with their personal development throughout the programme – with winners recognised for growing in confidence, strengthening their teamwork and communication skills, and taking meaningful steps towards their future careers.
Clare Thomson, a teacher at Portobello High School, said: “We’re incredibly proud of our pupils for receiving the Ken Muir Award.
“What’s been most rewarding isn’t just seeing them earn a qualification, but witnessing the confidence, maturity and resilience they’ve developed along the way.
“They’ve learned to communicate more effectively, work collaboratively under pressure, and reflect meaningfully on their own growth.
“These are life skills that will stay with them far beyond school and into the world of work. This recognition is truly well deserved.”
Professor Ken Muir – after whom the awards are named – has played a key role in advising the Scottish Government on the future of Scottish education.
As a key contributor to the 2023 report It’s Our Future – Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment, Professor Muir has called for reforms to Scotland’s system of education to better prepare learners for the world of work.
Professor Muir said: “We need a culture shift in Scotland’s education system. Of course, grades are important – but so is working hard, reflecting on progress, and growing as a person.
“These Awards are symbolic of this shift. They celebrate personal development, resilience, communication, and teamwork. These are all critical attributes that help young people thrive in life and in work.”
The Powering Futures Schools Programme, now in its fourth year, sees pupils tackle real-life business and industry challenges in teams, developing vital meta-skills while building links with employers.
Jennifer Tempany, Co-Founder of Powering Futures, said: “These Awards highlight the often-overlooked achievements that sit beyond academic results, but which can inspire confidence and purpose in young people as they go into the world of work.
“We are proud to play our part in helping young people see their potential, and congratulate every recipient, including those from Edinburgh, for their well-earned achievement.”
Team GB athlete Jennifer Dodds made a special appearance at Trinity Primary School last week to help deliver an exciting workshop on the importance of energy saving in partnership with British Gas.
The visit formed part of British Gas’ Get Set for Positive Energy Roadshow which aims to educate pupils across the UK on energy saving behaviours and habits.
Through an engaging session led by Jennifer and British Gas representatives, 77 pupils at Trinity Primary School participated in a range of activities including designing posters to encourage energy saving at home and school, spotting ways to prevent energy misuse, and suggesting improvements to make their school a greener place.
During the summer, the Get Set for Positive Energy regional Roadshow will see British Gas and a group of Olympic and Paralympic athletes visit a selection of other schools across the UK, leading workshops and inspiring the minds of the future to get involved in energy saving from a young age.
Aimi McIntosh, Deputy Headteacher at Trinity Primary School, said: “It was lovely to see the children enjoying themselves so much during the workshop hosted by Jennifer Dodds and British Gas – they particularly loved suggesting creative ways to make our school a greener environment and hearing all about Jennifer’s journey as a Team GB athlete.
“It was a really inspiring and educational session and a fantastic opportunity for our school, so we’d like to thank all involved!”
Hannah Lawrance, Strategic Brand Partnerships Lead at British Gas, said: “We really enjoyed visiting Trinity Primary School last week alongside Jennifer Dodds for our Get Set for Positive Energy workshop. We met some brilliant pupils who threw their all into the energy saving activities we had planned which was great to see.
“The programme aims to educate children on building a more sustainable future, which helps us to create a more sustainable community for all. We’re using our partnership with Team GB and ParalympicsGB to inspire schools to get more active and consider different ways to create a positive impact.”
The Get Set for Positive Energy Roadshow makes up part of British Gas’ wider Get Set for Positive Energy initiative, a free cross-curricular programme that aims to educate young people aged five to 11 on the importance of saving energy to drive change, getting active and building healthy everyday habits.
Through Get Set for Positive Energy, British Gas aims to reach up to 8,500 schools and 1.5 million young people and families across the UK by 2028, taking inspiration from the Olympic and Paralympic values to motivate young people to be active in creating a greener future for themselves and their community.
The partnership between Team GB, ParalympicsGB and British Gas launched in 2023. The five-year collaboration will last up until the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028.
The excessive workload demands that continue to be placed on Scotland’s teachers have been highlighted in the results of a national survey carried out by the teaching trade union EIS.
Almost 11,000 teachers took part in the survey, providing a clear picture of the issues facing teachers in schools across Scotland. Yesterday, in the first of a series of themed papers based on the survey results, the EIS published its Workload Briefing.
Commenting on the results, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “The results of the EIS national survey paint a stark picture on the matter of teacher workload. It is a story of persistent, excessive workload demands being placed on teachers at all grades and at all stages of their careers.
“This has serious health, safety and wellbeing implications for teachers, and is contributing to a worrying upward trend in stress-related illness throughout the teaching profession. Having teachers who are overworked and stressed is in no-one’s interest, neither teachers themselves or their families, nor the young people learning in our schools.”
Ms Bradley continued, “Our survey returns indicate that almost half of all teachers (44%) work more than 7 hours extra, unpaid, each week just so they can keep on top of their workload. That’s the equivalent of an extra working day, each and every week.
“Even more shocking, more than one teacher in ten (11.5%) is working 15 or more extra hours per week – essentially an additional two working days, unpaid, every week. Of teachers who are considering leaving the profession within the next 5 years, the most commonly cited reason for this is excessive workload, with 48% of teachers considering leaving the profession identifying workload as the main reason.”
Ms Bradley added, “Tackling excessive teacher workload is one of the key aims of the EIS Stand Up for Quality Education campaign, and the EIS will continue to press local authority employers and the Scottish Government on this vital issue.
“73% of survey respondents indicate that their preparation and correction requirements are unachievable within their normal working week, and this was something that the Scottish Government in its last election manifesto pledged to address by reducing teachers’ class contact time by 1.5 hours per week.
“Four years on from that pledge being made, there has been absolutely no tangible progress towards delivering it, and no proposals as to how it will be delivered.
The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) has launched its ambitious fundraising campaign KEEP RHET FREE, aiming to raise £50,000 by December to ensure that children across Scotland continue to access free, unbiased, high-quality rural and food education.
The campaign was launched at a food and farming day at Bonnington Farm near Peebles last week (15 May), where close to 100 school children, farmers, teachers, and RHET supporters gathered to celebrate the hands-on learning that RHET has delivered for over 25 years.
The campaign was developed to support RHET to evolve and focus on securing a new rigorous, long-term fundraising stream alongside Scottish Government funding.
“RHET is free for schools — but it’s not free to run,” said Katrina Barclay, RHET’s Executive Officer. “With rising costs and increasing demand, RHET needs to find new and robust funding streams to continue its important work.”
Each year, RHET engages children through farm visits, classroom talks, and food education activities, helping young people understand where their food comes from and how the countryside works.
RHET Chairman, Hugh McClymont, says: “Every year, over 80,000 young people across Scotland experience something they’ll never forget thanks to the Royal Highland Education Trust.
“But without new avenues of support, these important experiences for children to learn about food, farming and the countryside could be at risk.
“I’m asking for individuals and businesses to dig deep and support a charity that makes a real and lasting difference in the lives of young people and supports vital storytelling for the agricultural industry.”
RHET’s goal is to give every child in Scotland the chance to learn about food, farming, and the countryside, to create a wider understanding of the environmental, economic, and social aspects of rural Scotland.
“This is so much more than a school trip,” said Nicki Istephan, a local teacher from Peebles. “RHET brings the curriculum to life. It helps children see the real world beyond the textbooks. It is important that our curriculum reflects our local community and provides the children with life-long skills”
Every pound raised via the KEEP RHET FREE campaign goes directly to delivering rural learning experiences across Scotland’s 12 RHET Countryside Initiatives.
Handball players from around the world who could help to boost Scotland’s status in the sport are being invited to apply for a new scholarship programme that is thought to be the first of its kind in Europe, if not worldwide.
The Handball Scholarship is an expansion of Oriam’s existing Sports Scholarship programmes, which help athletes to study at the same time as competing in high-level sport.
Handball is one of Scotland’s fastest growing team sports, with Scotland seeing a 500% jump in participation in the sport over the last two to three years, according to Scottish Handball. On an international level, the 2024 final of the European Men’s Handball Championship in Germany last year attracted 1.2 billion views.
This very fast and exciting sport involves two teams of seven players competing to score goals by throwing the ball past the goalkeeper into the opposing team’s goal.
Ewan Hunter, Chief Executive of Scottish Handball, said: “Handball is popular because it’s fast, exciting to watch and really easy to pick up.
The basic rules are very quick and simple to understand. And inclusivity is built into the sport, so boys and girls play together through primary school. We’re seeing very strong growth in handball at a grassroots level in Scotland and for the last couple of years, we’ve been focusing on developing pathways from there through into the higher levels of the sport.
“This scholarship programme is the next natural step on that journey and builds on our long relationship with Oriam.”
Scottish Handball has been a partner of Oriam’s since the centre opened in 2016 to help Scotland’s top athletes train and prepare for competition at the highest levels. Oriam is one of only a few venues in Scotland with a full-sized 40 by 20 metre indoor court for handball, and Scottish Handball hosts most of its major events here.
This includes Scottish Cup and Super Cup Finals, where the top two handball teams from England and Scotland in the Men’s Senior League and the Women’s Senior League compete for the British Champion title and European qualification.
Ross Campbell, Executive Director of Oriam, said: “This is an exciting expansion of our Sport Scholarship programmes that also deepens our partnership with the Scottish Handball Association. This allows us to work together to support handball athletes, not only from Scotland, but from across the world.
“The key aim of our scholarships is to help athletes perform both academically and in their chosen sport through access to our world class facilities and Oriam’s performance staff. All of these factors make this programme an exciting opportunity for athletes to be a part of.”
Katrina Gibbon, Performance Sport Manager at Oriam, explained the different elements of the Handball Scholarship in more detail. She said: “Athletes joining this programme will have access to specific technical training in handball and they’ll also have strength and conditioning sessions with our sports science team.
They’ll have weekly access to our hydro pool for recovery, alongside sports psychology support and access to physiotherapy through our Oriam Clinic. Oriam’s Athlete Lifestyle and Advocacy Co-Ordinator can also support athletes with any potential clashes between academic and sporting commitments.”
The partners say they are not aware of other programmes in the world of handball that combine academic study and athlete support in this way.
While handball is not played professionally in Scotland, as it is in other parts of Europe, the aim of the new scholarship is to continue building the sport at an amateur level.
“Handball will continue to be an amateur sport in Scotland for the foreseeable future,” Ewan said. “But we want to embrace that – and our hopes for this scholarship are really clear.
“We hope it cements the pathway for the development of handball at all levels. That means primary school, secondary school, community club, full club and age group level. We recognise that 99.9% of people who play sport in Scotland will not end up earning a living from the sport they play. But with this scholarship, you can still continue your development and growth as a handball player – without having to put your career or academic aspirations to one side.”
Athletes offered a scholarship will be able to show a strong track record in handball at an amateur club level or international age group level.
“We are looking for players who will add quality and value to the handball community here in Scotland,” Ewan said.
One of Oriam’s existing Sports Scholars, Rory Semple, has already played handball for Great Britain at Boys and Men’s age-group level.
Rory, 20, from Renfrewshire, started playing handball at Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow and is at Heriot-Watt in the third year of a degree in economics. “I started playing handball at school when I was 13 and through the years progressed to playing for Great Britain,” Rory explained.
“Now I’m playing at Heriot-Watt University and still at my club at Kelvinside in Glasgow, but playing under 20 at the Great Britain level.
“The Sports Scholarship at Oriam has been really helpful. It’s pushed me to absolutely smash my limits at physical training in the gym here. It gives me a great social balance as well because there are like-minded scholars my age here and we’re all competing at the same sort of level. The coaching staff are absolutely excellent too, so the support is 10 out of 10.”
Handball originated as a sport in the 19th century and has its roots in Europe, particularly in Germany and the Nordic countries, including Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The sport is played professionally in these countries and has also been one of the longest standing sports at the Summer Olympics. 02:07
The rules of the game include a ‘rolling substitution’ rule, meaning there’s no limit on substitutions during a game.
This means there’s “a space and place for anybody of any size, shape or physical fitness,” Ewan said.
Oriam’s facilities include multiple sports halls, outdoor pitches, an indoor tennis centre and a state-of-the-art gym. It also has a performance wing with facilities including a strength and conditioning gym, hydrotherapy pool, medical and rehabilitation suite and sauna.
Sports clubs and governing bodies who use Oriam as a training and performance hub include Scotland’s national rugby team, Heart of Midlothian Football Club and Scottish Squash.
British University and College Sport, the national governing body for higher education sport in the UK, ranked Heriot-Watt University 25th out of 127 institutions for the number of sports scholars it supported in 2023-24.
Oriam is a wholly owned subsidiary of Heriot-Watt and is funded by The Scottish Government, sportscotland – Scotland’s national agency for sport – and City of Edinburgh Council.
The centre is based on Heriot-Watt’s Riccarton campus to the West of Edinburgh and is around four miles from Edinburgh Airport. Other facilities on campus include the Marriott Bonvoy hotel, opposite the Oriam complex.
Still figuring out what to study at university? This two-week summer course offered by the University of Edinburgh Summer School could be the perfect next step for those interested in science
Our Using Data in the Sciences summer course is designed for 16–18 year olds who are keen to explore subjects like biology, chemistry, physics, geoscience and more!
Students will get hands-on with real data, build critical thinking skills, and experience what university life is really like
It’s a great opportunity to explore university life and grow confidence before making big academic decisions!
This afternoon (Friday) we noticed some unusual e-mail activity on our schools and early years IT network.
As a precautionary measure we have reset passwords across our schools and early years network – including those of our learners and students.
We have issued communications to all parents/carers and schools to advise of the phishing attempt and explain the action that we have had to take to make sure our IT networks remain secure and protected.
Schools and early years staff will be prompted to reset their own password on their return to school.
Students currently sitting exams will be given priority support to reset their password. They can access their personal revision materials by going to their school tomorrow (Saturday 10 May) between 10.15am -12 noon and a member of staff will issue them with a new password.
Education, Children and Families Convener Councillor James Dalgleish said yesterday: “This afternoon vigilant colleagues noticed some unusual and suspicious activity on our schools and early years IT network.
“As a result, we took the precautionary decision to immediately reset passwords for all users across our education service.
“We have contacted all parents, carers and schools to update them and explain the situation.
“I fully appreciate the impact this will have, particularly on those students preparing for their exams next week – but, unfortunately, we had no choice. This was a difficult but necessary decision to ensure our networks remain secure and protected.
“I want to reassure our students that they are our priority and that we are doing everything we can to make sure they can get back online as soon as possible. In the meantime, we are signposting them study support materials available elsewhere and individual schools will be uploading these to their websites too.
“We have created a dedicated webpage on the council website and will update this with further information as and when we get it.
“I’d like to thank colleagues for their vigilance and quick thinking today – and for their ongoing work over the weekend to minimise the impact on our students and their families.”
No data has been compromised. The council has have been in touch with SQA and EIS to make them aware of this attempted phishing incident. CEC is re also keeping Scottish Government’s cyber co-ordination centre updated.
Our Using Data in the Sciences summer course is designed for 16–18 year olds who are keen to explore subjects like biology, chemistry, physics, geoscience and more!
It’s a great opportunity to explore university life and grow confidence before making big academic decisions! 
