Retired and semi-retired individuals in Edinburgh with a passion for learning are set to benefit from a new agreement that will see them able to participate in University research projects. Edinburgh Napier University has signed a partnership agreement with University of the Third Age (U3A) as a commitment to supporting the life-long learning passions of its members in the city. Continue reading Edinburgh Napier links-up with University of the Third Age
OneFamily customers across Edinburgh have less than one week left to nominate a local community project for a OneFamily Foundation Community Award – giving them the chance to win up to £25,000. Continue reading Nominate now for OneFamily community awards
While it seems the political fight against massive council cuts has been lost, one local community group at least has continued to fight to retain essential council services. Royston Wardieburn’s Power to the People group say the cuts – and the ongoing council ‘transformation’ – will damage services and hit poorer communities particularly hard. Continue reading Never give up: Power to the People group challenges council cuts
Happy New Year!
Our adult learning classes begin next week and we still have spaces available for some courses. Please spread the word! Starting from Monday 23 January for an 8 week term.
We also have FREE Walking: Tuesday mornings 10.15-11.15am free walkers group to encourage people to become more active. They will be gentle walks building up into longer sessions. These start from Tuesday 24th January. Just come to the school for 10am. Wear waterproofs and good waterproof shoes and bring a bottle of water.
Plus a drawing class on Monday afternoons, Scottish History through Novels on a Wednesday afternoon and Mindfulness on Thursday afternoons and a New year, New You class on Saturday mornings to help make 2017 your best year ever!
Courses cost £48 for the 8 weeks (£24 for senior citizens and £15 for people receiving concessions)
All the best
Fiona Henderson
Fiona Henderson|Community Access to Schools Development (North) |Craigroyston Community High School, 67 Pennywell Road, Edinburgh, EH4 4NL | Tel 0131 477 7801 | or Tel 0131 538 7285 | Fiona.Henderson@craigroyston.edin.sch.uk |www.craigroyston.edin.sch.uk | community@craigroyston.edin.sch.uk
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.
Programme offers something for everyone
Drawing for Graphic Novels, Wall Building, Decluttering your Home, Paint a Scene at the Lyceum Theatre and Criminology are just some of the new courses being offered in the City of Edinburgh Council’s 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 something new, brush up on your skills, meet new people or improve your job prospects then check out the courses which can be booked NOW! Booking on line is the best way to secure a place on your chosen course.
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: “The amount of classes and subject matter on offer this year is absolutely fantastic. It’s a really varied and interesting programme which has been designed by our adult education team to meet the needs of people of all ages and abilities.
“Learning should always be enjoyable, and we hope these courses will inspire people to learn something new or more in-depth. Taking up a class can help people develop confidence and keep mentally and physically active as well as acquiring new skills.
“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 to get a brochure or pick one up from your local library, community centre or GP surgery. Classes can still be booked by post, phone or in person as well as online.
Also on offer are Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) courses at Higher and Unit levels, run by Edinburgh College. Many other classes are held all over Edinburgh in schools and community centres.
You can find full details at www.joininedinburgh.org/enrol/
Craigroyston Classes poster April 2015
Our adult education classes at Craigroyston Community High School start back from 27 April and if we do not have enough numbers, the council will cancel classes, so please do encourage people to sign up -use it or lose it!
Also some Lone Parent Scotland cookery classes ongoing at the moment :
Cookery class at Craigroyston Community High School
67 Pennywell Road, Edinburgh EH4 4NL
Run by Lone Parent Scotland
Wednesday 15 April 10am-12.30pm
Making healthy burgers and coleslaw (ingredients all provided) for vegetarians and beef burgers
Thursday 16 April 10am -12.30pm
Making chocolate birthday cake (ingredients all provided)
All lone parents welcome with their children
Fiona Henderson
Working with Scotland’s communities is a national study to find out more about the diverse range of paid workers and volunteers that provide community learning and development (CLD) across Scotland.
The online survey aimed at the organisations that employ these workers and volunteers is now open until Friday 10 April.
We know that community learning and development approaches are used by workers and volunteers with a variety of job titles in a range of different organisations in the community, voluntary and public sectors.
We want to hear from as many of these organisations as possible to build a current national picture of how many workers and volunteers there are, what they do, and what their training and development issues are.
Please be aware that we’re only looking for one response on behalf of each organisation or service.
The findings from the survey will be used to inform national community learning and development policy and planning.
Working with Scotland’s communities is being carried out by Education Scotland on behalf of theScottish Government, in partnership with the following national partners – Youthlink Scotland;The Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC); The Workers Educational Association(WEA); The CLD Standards Council for Scotland; and CLD Managers Scotland.
For more information and to access the survey, please go to the Working with Scotland’s communities page on the Education Scotland website.
High-quality nursery education helps improve performance at school at all ages, a Scottish Government research paper highlighted today.
In 100 days, families will start to benefit from an increase in the amount of funded early learning and childcare available for three and four-year-olds in Scotland – rising from 12.5 hours per week to almost 16 hours.
The same entitlement will, for the first time, be extended to over a quarter (27 per cent) of two-year-olds over the next two years – with those from workless or job-seeking households being among the first to benefit from expanded provision, starting from August 12.
Ministers have also set out in ‘Scotland’s Future’ how they would use the powers of independence to transform provision through a universal system of pre-school childcare.
Today’s paper – drawing on the findings of three major studies, which are supported by other research work – highlights evidence that:
• Pre-school experience enhances all-round development in children – and may particularly benefit disadvantaged children – with improved cognitive development, sociability and concentration when starting primary school.
• The positive effect of attending higher quality pre-school settings on children’s subsequent outcomes in reading and mathematics is evident at age 10, even accounting for the influence of background factors.
• The benefits of early education and childcare can persist into secondary school – with European research showing that, in most countries, pupils at age 15 who attended pre-school education programmes tend to perform better than those who have not.
Minister for Children and Young People Aileen Campbell (pictured above) said: “By improving access to affordable, high-quality early learning and childcare we will deliver many benefits for Scotland, not least – as this research paper highlights – boosting children’s performance all the way through to secondary school. That’s why we’re investing in a skilled workforce and working with local authorities and partner providers to ensure that quality remains at the heart of our plans.
“In 100 days, with investment of more than a quarter of a billion pounds over two years, we will take further steps towards our ambition to transform early learning and childcare. By doing so in a well-managed, phased and sustainable way, we will support children and families both in their immediate circumstances and for their longer-term aspirations.
“With a 45 per cent increase in funded pre-school entitlement since 2007, backed by our investment in the workforce, an independent review of future skills and capacity, and capital investment of £91 million over the next two years, we are using the resources available to us now to build the foundations for the transformational change in early learning and childcare that we can deliver with the powers and resources of independence.”
Commenting on the paper, Jackie Brock, Chief Executive of Children in Scotland, said: “This paper is a helpful summary of both the national and international evidence which underpins Children in Scotland’s belief that good quality pre-school care and learning makes a significant contribution to a child’s development.
“This demonstrates, undeniably, that quality early education and care has advantages for every child but is especially important as one measure to eliminate Scotland’s inequalities in educational attainment.”
Early Years Taskforce member and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, added: “With 100 days to go until the expansion of nursery education this sound research is a reminder to parents about the real value of early education. It shows that nursery education, especially before the age of three, has long term benefits right through school.
“As a Liberal I know that investing in education, especially early education, can change lives and give great opportunities for people to get on in the world. This new research will give a further boost to our efforts for all. I would urge every two year old eligible for the new entitlement of over fifteen hours a week of nursery education be registered so they can take full advantage of the real benefits.”
Craigroyston Community High School’s new term kicks off on 22 April and with activities ranging from learning to play the pennywhistle to pottery or genealogy there’s something for everyone!
See below for further information – it’s never too late to learn new skills!
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