Tag: primary schools

UK Space Agency launches satellite logo design competition

Children across the UK have the chance to make history by designing a logo that will be displayed on the first small satellite launches from the UK next year

The competition, run by the UK Space Agency, is open to primary school children aged between 4 and 11 years old, and will help inspire the next generation to consider a career in space.

Next year, the UK is set to become the first country in Europe to host small satellite launches, as set out in the National Space Strategy. Satellites help us monitor climate change and improve connectivity, so having the capability to launch them from the UK will benefit people and businesses across the country.

This new competition will draw on the creativity and enthusiasm of children from across the UK to design a logo to commemorate the first launches.

Logo designs should reflect how data from small satellites can help inform solutions to climate change as well as generate a source of pride in the UK’s space ambitions. Around half of the different types of data needed to accurately monitor the Earth’s climate are currently collected from space.  

To enter, go to logoliftoff.org.uk.

Science Minister George Freeman said: “2022 will be a historic year for the UK space and satellite industry, with the exciting prospect of the first small satellites launching from British soil.

“The continued strength of our growing space industry depends on finding and attracting future talent, and this competition is a great way for children to learn about the importance of satellites and to showcase their creativity.”

The UK Space Agency competition will run until March 2022 to ensure teachers, parents and children have sufficient time to get involved.

The overall winning design could be displayed on the rocket that launches into space and finalists may even have the opportunity to attend the first satellite launch from the UK.

Ian Annett, Deputy CEO, UK Space Agency said: “Next year, small satellites will launch from UK spaceports for the very first time, helping to support our world-leading Earth observation capabilities and create high-skilled jobs across the country.

“This competition offers young people the chance to learn more about this exciting activity and hopefully inspire them to be the next generation of space talent and be part of the UK’s thriving space sector.”

Satellites are used routinely to monitor the polar ice caps and changing sea levels, measure the temperature of the oceans and deserts, and even to count endangered animals such as whales and walrus.

The UK is playing an important role in three new missions to measure carbon emissions from space (MicroCarb), improve climate data (TRUTHS) and monitor the health of forests (Biomass).

Older students (16+) and adults can enter a separate competition to design a satellite that could be used to help inform solutions to climate change.

Flora pupils play Climate Savers Top Trumps inspired by COP26

26 children’s designs feature on an exclusive deck of Climate Savers Top Trumps following a UK-wide competition ran by Royal Bank of Scotland.  

  • Over 2,000 pupils and teachers from primary schools across the UK entered the competition through its NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank brands.
  • The Climate Savers Top Trumps were on display to delegates and world leaders throughout COP26 in Glasgow.
  • COP Principal Partner NatWest also awarded nearly £30,000 to three schools to fund new green projects.

Pupils at an Edinburgh primary school got their first glimpse of the COP26-inspired climate savers Top Trumps which they helped design.

The Royal Bank of Scotland tasked Scottish primary school pupils with designing an exclusive set of the iconic playing cards promoting sustainable behaviours.

Across the UK through its NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank brands, the competition received over 2,000 entries. The 26 winning designs, showing the everyday actions young people can take to combat climate change, were featured in an exclusive Top Trumps deck for COP26.

The Climate Savers Top Trumps were on display to delegates and world leaders throughout COP26 in Glasgow between 31 October and 12 November, for which the bank was a principal partner.

One of the winners was Flora Stevenson Primary School pupil Honor, age 11, for her card design which suggested recycling old clothes. Honor was joined by the rest of her classmates at the Edinburgh primary school to play the iconic children’s game.

COP26 President Alok Sharma said: “The interest and engagement that NatWest’s climate competition for schools has generated shows how important this issue is to schoolchildren across the country.

“It has been a fun programme which has allowed everyone – pupils and teachers – to get involved and it will be exciting to see them bringing their ideas to life.

“Everyone can play their part by going one step greener and MoneySense Climate Savers Top Trumps is a great way to also make it a fun and creative process.”

Over 2000 entries to the competition were received in less than a month. The bank’s Chief Financial Officer Katie Murray was one of the competition’s judges, alongside TV presenter Ade Adepitan.

NatWest Group Chief Financial Officer Katie Murray, said: “COP26 is a once in a lifetime event and a great opportunity to get children to join the discussion on climate.

“This competition shows just how much young people want to get involved and make a difference – and what innovative ideas they have for doing that.

“We received an overwhelming number of entries and the quality of ideas and solutions impressed all the judges. It was hard to decide who should win. It was also brilliant to see the geographical diversity of the entries. 

“Importantly, the competition has shown that, with the right mindset, the journey to a greener future can be fun and inspiring and I’d like to thank all those who took part.”

The competition also gave teachers the chance to win up to £15,000 to fund new green projects for their school. Bolton’s Thomasson Memorial School saw off competition from over 2,000 entrants to take home the top prize of £15,000 in the teachers’ competition.

Our Lady of the Missions Primary School in Glasgow and Brookfield Primary School in London have also been awarded £7,000 and £4,000 respectively.

Charlotte Siggers, the winning teacher at Thomasson Memorial School – a school for deaf children aged four to 16 – received widespread praise for her project, which will see the creation of an area within the school’s grounds where pupils will be given the opportunity to grow their own produce and be responsible for the upkeep of the land.

The campaign builds on the bank’s MoneySense programme, which, for more than two decades, has been teaching financial skills to young people. It follows the 2020 launch of the bank’s Island Saver game – a video game built for games consoles and mobiles themed around cleaning up a magical island, collecting litter and building money skills. The bank is principal partner of the climate summit.

To see the full list of winners visit www.mymoneysense.com

39 Scottish Primary Schools to begin mental wellbeing challenge

  • 39 Scottish schools start I Can’t to I Can mental wellbeing challenge on 8th November to build self-confidence, resilience and self-esteem mental ahead of Anti-Bullying Week
  • The 5-day Challenge was created as a response to anxiety pandemic amongst young people during these uncertain times
  • Half of all mental health conditions present themselves by the time a child reaches 14 but most cases remain undetected and untreated
  • I Can’t to I Can provides teachers with resources to teach simple brain hacks that can last a lifetime and turn around a child’s negative thinking within a week

The ongoing pandemic, concerns about climate change along with the endless horrific news headlines are enough for any young person to deal with. Add into the mix the normal issues of growing up magnified through the lens of social media and it’s no wonder that young people are 50% more likely to have a mental health problem than they were three years ago.

From 8th November, 39 schools in Scotland will be taking part in the RTT 5-Day ‘I Can’t to I Can’ mental wellbeing challenge.

The aim is to provide children aged 7 – 10 with a series of mind hacks to help build confidence, self-esteem and resilience. This will give them the mental stamina to cope with these challenging times and skills to support them throughout their life if they learn to practice them daily.

Available online, the free resource is based around the RTT concept of the inner cheerleader. Everyone is born with an inner cheerleader as without that driving force encouraging us, babies would give up after taking their first, unsuccessful attempt at anything.

Sadly, the inner critic can kick in as young as 5 which is why the skills taught in ‘I Can’t to I Can’ are so key and it takes just a week to instil positive new approaches in children aged 7 to 10.

Commenting on the challenge, Dr Sian Peer, therapist and Director of the RTT School said: ‘As a parent myself, I know how crippling anxiety can be for a young child. We wanted to share some of the incredible mental wellbeing tools that are the cornerstones of RTT to help primary school children understand and manage their emotions.

“The 5 Day Challenge provides teachers with a daily lesson plan over a week, each building on the learning from the previous day. There are videos, fun exercises and ideas to do at home making the whole experience interactive and memorable.’

Although most schools will participate in the challenge during the week of 8th November, the resources are going to be accessible to schools on an ongoing basis.

Schools interested can visit www.rtt.com/method

Broadcasters unite to support The Daily Mile campaign

ITV, STV, Sky, and Channel 4 have joined together in a national campaign to encourage millions of children to get back to being fit and active with The Daily Mile. 

Launching today, the TV advertising campaign highlights the powerful impact that The Daily Mile has on children’s physical and mental wellbeing. This campaign is part of a £10m commitment from broadcasters, and INEOS’ ongoing support to improve children’s physical and mental health. 

The fast-growing initiative for primary schools has been a huge success with children, parents and teachers worldwide. It has been particularly effective in getting children moving again after the disruption caused by Covid and school closures.

The Daily Mile recently reported that the number of children running a mile a day has skyrocketed to more than 3 million (3,175,461) in over 13,000 schools and nurseries, spanning 85 countries now taking part. 

The Daily Mile is inclusive and accessible to all. It encourages children to run, jog, wheel or walk at their own pace outdoors for 15 minutes every day, and has also been proven to improve concentration and attainment in class. 

The Daily Mile was first developed in 2012 by Scottish headteacher Elaine Wyllie MBE. Since 2016 it has been supported by INEOS, who funded the creation of the advert.

ITV formed a partnership with The Daily Mile in 2018, helping the campaign to generate over 7,000 additional schools sign ups and nearly 2 million more children participating since the partnership began. 

ITV’s Senior Manager of Social Purpose, Annabel Barratt, said: “We’re incredibly proud of the success of our partnership with the Daily Mile so far. After the last school year was so difficult, ITV wants to use our platform and reach to encourage more healthy choices, and we’re so pleased Sky and Channel 4 are on board too.

“We know The Daily Mile boosts children’s mental wellbeing, concentration and self-esteem as well as their physical health so we’re excited to be helping as many schools as possible take part” 

Verica Djurdjevic, Chief Revenue Officer, Channel 4 said: “The past school year has been really tough and means this initiative is more important than ever for the growing number of children benefiting from the boost to both their physical and mental health.

“It’s a great example of the positive impact broadcaster collaboration is delivering.” 

Fiona Ball, Group Director, Bigger Picture, Sky said: “We’re delighted to partner with ITV, STV and Channel 4 once again to support The Daily Mile’s work to encourage children across the country to make choices that will support their physical and mental health.

“At Sky, we believe in using our reach for good and want to provide young people of all backgrounds a voice and support a better future for themselves and society.” 

Founder of The Daily Mile, Elaine Wyllie MBE, said: “Thank you to ITV, STV, Sky, Channel 4. Their help to raise awareness of the benefits of The Daily Mile is so important. It’s been brilliant to see children returning to school and back to The Daily Mile.

“They are all having fun together outdoors and staying fit in a way that comes naturally to them. We want to help schools as they do a great job of supporting children to be happier and more physically active – this has never been as important as it is now.” 

Teachers and parents are encouraged to visit www.thedailymile.co.uk for further information on how they can participate in The Daily Mile safely and in accordance with the latest Government guidelines. 

ITV’s investment in the importance of children’s mental and physical health extends across other initiatives including Britain Get Talking and Eat Them To Defeat Them.

Back of the net! Primary pupils showcase their talent in first student-led football tournament

A group of Edinburgh College students brought together schools for a day of football fun at Oriam, Scotland’s national performance excellence centre at Heriot-Watt’s Riccarton Campus. Continue reading Back of the net! Primary pupils showcase their talent in first student-led football tournament

Scottish Engineering Leaders Awards highlight inspirational problem solvers of the future

The Depute Provost of Renfrewshire, Cathy McEwan, has welcomed Stephen Metcalfe, MP on his inaugural visit to Scotland as HM Government Envoy for Year of Engineering. The visit came on the final grading day of the Scottish Engineering Leaders Award 2018, an innovative award that attracted more than 15,000 entries from 262 Scottish Schools. – some of the inventions will go on to be built by local colleges and universities. Continue reading Scottish Engineering Leaders Awards highlight inspirational problem solvers of the future

More school safety checks as further faults found

“We will be seeking answers from ESP as they have once again let down the parents and the Council over the condition of the school.” – City of Edinburgh Council Chief Executive Andrew Kerr

Following proactive inspections by the Council of recent repairs carried out by the Edinburgh Schools Partnership (ESP), further work is to be carried out immediately on Oxgangs Primary School. Faults have been identified on the roof and in the suspended ceilings of the school following the inspections last month.

Continue reading More school safety checks as further faults found