Some great Back to School advice from Parent Club Scotland
It’s a big week ahead for most kids with the return to school and childcare settings.
If your wee one is going back or starting school for the first time you might be wondering …”how on earth are we all going to be up and ready in the mornings?!”
Mornings can be stressful at the best of times and even more so if you have been out of your normal routine during the summer.
Here are some simple, practical reminders of how we can free up a bit of time in the mornings by planning ahead the night before. (We all know these things are helpful already but handy to have them front of mind again if needed!)
For more advice and support on getting the kids prepared for a new routine again:
Scran Academy is celebrating after being shortlisted for a leading UK industry Award. This week, Scran was announced as a Finalist in the Apprenticeship and Skills category of the Public Sector Catering Awards and the recognition will see the youth-led organisation appear at the Ceremony in London later this year.
Scran Academy’s initial focus was to use the innovative food social enterprise to help young people from North Edinburgh to overcome their learning and life barriers and lead more meaningful lives.
Scran’s community-based school uses food to support learners disengaged from mainstream school to access qualifications and work. Despite being less than four years old, they have grown and scaled their impact to support thousands of people throughout the pandemic and city wide.
This includes the creation of the youth-led Scran Café based at the Comely Bank NHS Centre, which creates a welcoming, relaxing and safe haven for as many as 100 frontline NHS workers and clinical trainees on a daily basis.
Last year Scran also launched the Scran Van, a food truck that provides free healthy food to children and families across the city to combat hunger and increase positive youth activities.
All of these food initiatives puts employability skills, job opportunities and personal development for youth at the heart of what they do.
This award nomination comes as this ground-breaking social venture seeks to empower hundreds more young people with the skills and confidence to lead in the hospitality industry.
At the same time the programme will take a significant bite out of the poverty-related barriers, life challenges and injustices the young people face on a daily basis – being care-experienced, disengaged from mainstream school, at risk of homelessness, unemployed or suffering from poor mental health.
Nominee and Founder of Scran Academy and social entrepreneur, John Loughton BEM, said: “This nomination is a real vote of confidence in our community work and a recognition in the power of food to change lives.
“Will Bain and his team work magic at Scran to ensure food is positive for all people, not just those that can afford it. At Scran we do hand-ups, not just hand-outs and young people go on to change their own lives once they realise people believe in them.
“Scran’s story shows is that if we support local community organisations that are run with passion and authenticity, we can develop creative solutions to social inequality. It also shows that unlike the stereotypes so often in the media, young people make a real and positive contribution to society and your postcode does not have to be your destiny.”
Extended school days should focus on children’s play, socialisation and wellbeing, say educational psychologists
Educational psychologists are urging the government to re-think the way it approaches the so-called ‘catch up’ programme for children in schools, with a focus on play, socialisation and wellbeing as opposed to just adding more hours of lessons to the timetable.
With an extended school day being suggested as part of the Covid recovery plan, members of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Educational and Child Psychology are advocating for a holistic approach to learning within these hours, saying that this is an opportunity to re-set our priorities for our children and their education.
They are also highlighting the need for school to be the heart of the community, with the opportunity of longer school days providing safe spaces for children to play, socialise, and engage in activities such as music, crafts and sports.
Vivian Hill, vice-chair of the DECP said, “If the school day is to be extended, it’s important is that we don’t just fill those extra hours with more and more formal teaching sessions.
“It is about developing a balanced offer and recognising that learning is a dynamic process. We urge the government to use this as an opportunity to re-set the approach we take to education and our children within schools.
“Children don’t have to be sat at desks in a classroom to learn, giving them space to play sports, paint, try different crafts, and socialise will all lead to learning and the development of important life skills.
“We have an opportunity now to re-think what we view as ‘good outcomes’ for children. By having schools as the centre of the community they can be used to help tackle social inequalities and give all children access to the resources and support they need.
“For example, for children who have no safe spaces to play outside at home, having access to the school playground to play football with their friends would be invaluable. For children living in overcrowded accommodation it could give them space to read and do their homework, or find their passion such as music or other forms of art.
“If we create the right environment for our children to thrive, then good academic achievement will be a by-product of this. These plans must be psychologically informed, and children must also be consulted on what they want and what they need to thrive. It is important as well that these services are properly resourced, we cannot expect teachers to just do more and more after an incredibly difficult 15 months.”
NSPCC Scotland is urging primary schools across the country to sign up to its free virtual programme to help children learn about their right to be safe from abuse and neglect.
The children’s charity is highlighting its online assembly, which is hosted by celeb duo Ant and Dec and was first launched in October, as schools open again for the summer term.
The ‘Speak out. Stay safe’ assembly helps children understand, in an accessible and age-appropriate way, how to recognise different forms of abuse and empower them to speak out if they need to.
It also focuses on some of the additional worries that children have been experiencing during the pandemic and lets them know about the Childline counselling service, which is run by the NSPCC.
Before the pandemic, staff and volunteers from the children’s charity tried to visit every primary school in Scotland every two years, delivering interactive assemblies and workshops.
However, due to social distancing measures in place they have been unable to visit schools since March last year, so instead the NSPCC has made a 30-minute online assembly. This is being offered to all primary schools in the UK, along with supporting teaching materials with classroom activities.
Alan Stewart, Service Manager for NSPCC Schools Service in Scotland, said: “Over the past year, because of the pandemic, children have spent a lot of time away from school and cut off from their usual support networks. We know for some children home isn’t always a safe place and that many will have faced increased risk of harm.
“Although our trained ‘Speak out. Stay safe’ staff and volunteers can’t currently go into schools, it is essential that every child knows who they can turn to if they need help and support.
“I encourage all primary schools to sign up, so that we can work alongside teachers to help as many children as possible to recognise and discuss any worries they have.”
When children returned to school in the Autumn term last year, 171 primary schools in Scotland signed up to the virtual programme, with more than 32,000 children across the country watching the assembly.
Carronshore Primary School, in Falkirk, was one of those that signed up. A teacher at the school said: “I found the materials excellent and extremely worthwhile. The pupils engaged really well and evidenced their learning through our Pupil Talking Circles, which reflected on the programme and how safe the pupils felt in the school building and in the playground.”
The assembly and resources are also available in British Sign Language (BSL).
Adults concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC helpline seven days a week on 0808 800 5000, or email help@nspcc.org.uk. Children can call Childline on 0800 1111 or they can get in touch via www.childline.org.uk
Skills Development Scotland (SDS) is offering parents and carers an online opportunity to find out more about how they can help their child make their S2/3 subject choices for the Senior Phase.
Scotland’s Career Service has organised the virtual session on Thursday 25 February which will also give parents and carers information about accessing a wide range of SDS support.
Careers advisers Joan Duncan and Gemma Smith will be providing expert advice for parents and carers of young people in S2 and S3.
Joan said: “Thinking about what options to choose at school can be daunting for young people and their parents and carers. As well as this session, SDS also has a Subject Choices tool on SDS’s My World of Work website which helps pupils explore where options choices can take them.
“It gives young people and their parents and carers the opportunity to explore job profiles, industries, Foundation and Modern Apprenticeships, refine their search by what someone is most interested in and use the tool as many times as they like to find out more about different options. There are other tools to try and the more tools you try, the better career suggestions we can give.”
This virtual event, which is from 6.30pm until 7.15pm, will also have a question and answer session.
Responding to a national survey by charity Children 1st, parents and carers say there should be a focus on children’s emotional wellbeing when they return to the classroom
Parents and carers also call for more support for children on returning to routines, catching up on lost learning and on rebuilding friendships
Chief Executive Mary Glasgow says the voices of parents, carers and children should be at the centre of plans on how best to support children when they return to school
Scottish parents and carers believe their child’s emotional wellbeing should be at the top of the curriculum when the schools re-open, according to a national survey run by charity Children 1st. Parents and carers said they wanted their children to have time to reconnect with their friends, to play and have fun.
The national survey, conducted over social media, found that most parents and carers think a carefully managed transition and emotional support will be key to helping their children cope with a return to the classroom. This is in line with what the charity is hearing from Children 1st Parentline and the parents and carers it works with through its community services.
Over half of parents and carers (57.3%) said they would like schools to reopen with a focus on considering children’s emotional needs as well as their academic ones. Parents and carers believe that supporting the emotional wellbeing of their children is as important as learning, according to the 1515 parents and carers from across Scotland who responded.
Those responding to the charity’s survey also said that the biggest challenges they have faced during lockdown are around balancing their work and children’s needs, and helping their children maintain relationships with friends and family. Returning to routines was the biggest concern about schools reopening, with over 60% of parents and carers citing it as a worry (see tables below for more details).
It comes after calls were made this week for Scottish school days to be extended and school holidays to reduce.
But Mary Glasgow, the charity’s Chief Executive, is calling on the Scottish Government and the Scottish education sector to listen to families by putting children and young people’s emotional and social wellbeing at the heart of Covid recovery, warning that children can’t learn effectively if they don’t feel emotionally safe and secure.
Children 1st Chief Executive, Mary Glasgow.
She said: “With all the discussion of longer school days, less holidays and general focus on formal learning as opposed to the wider social and emotional needs of children, it felt like the voices of families and children were being lost in the debate.
“That’s why we directly asked families what they would need to recover from the pandemic so they can cope with a return to school – and they have told us that many children will need support with their emotional wellbeing when they return to school.
“As we move closer to schools fully reopening, I urge the Scottish Government and the Scottish Education sector to listen to the voices of these families who are telling us that children’s wellbeing and self-confidence must be at the heart of the school’s response to Covid recovery.”
“We know that this year has been hard for all of us, but with the right support in place parents and carers are telling us that children can overcome any negative effects of lockdown.”
One respondent to the survey said: “I want my children to feel safe and wellbeing has to be priority. One whole academic year has been lost from education, but I feel a slow approach to learning should be made, not a rush to catch up.”
Another told us “Let them have time to play, forge friendships and space to emotionally recover from the pandemic.”
Another parent / carer told Children 1st “We need to focus on wellbeing. The impact all of this uncertainty has had on children is immense, even if they aren’t necessarily outwardly upset.
“Catching up on missed education is so important but we need to recognise the level of disruption they have all been through and support them positively to transition back into yet another change of routine.”
Children’s 1st Parentline offers families free emotional, practical and financial support on 08000 28 22 33 or online at www.children1st.org.uk/help-for-families/parentline-scotland/
“Education is absolutely vital – the BBC is here to play its part and I’m delighted that we have been able to bring this to audiences so swiftly.”
The BBC is set to deliver the biggest education offer in its history across more of its platforms. It will bring together BBC Two, CBBC, BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer and online to deliver a new education offer to children, teachers and parents as a third national lockdown begins.
Reacting quickly to the news of UK schools moving to remote learning, the new offer from the BBC will ensure all children can access curriculum-based learning, even if they don’t have access to the internet.
Starting on Monday 11 January, each weekday on CBBC will see a three-hour block of primary school programming from 9am, including BBC Live Lessons and BBC Bitesize Daily, as well as other educational programming such as Our School and Celebrity Supply Teacher and much loved titles such as Horrible Histories, Art Ninja and Operation Ouch.
BBC Two will cater for secondary students with programming to support the GCSE curriculum, with a least two hours of content each weekday.
Content will be built around Bitesize Daily secondary shows, complemented by Shakespeare and classic drama adaptations alongside science, history and factual titles from the BBC’s award-winning factual programming units.
Bitesize Daily primary and secondary will also air every day on BBC Red Button as well as episodes being available on demand on BBC iPlayer.
Tim Davie, BBC Director General, says: “Ensuring children across the UK have the opportunity to continue to follow the appropriate core parts of their nation’s school curriculum has been a key priority for the BBC throughout this past year.
“Education is absolutely vital – the BBC is here to play its part and I’m delighted that we have been able to bring this to audiences so swiftly.”
This TV offer sits alongside a wealth of online content which parents, children and teachers can access when and where they need it:
For primary, BBC Bitesize online has an expanded offer of structured lessons in Maths and English for all year groups – these can be used at home or in the classroom. ‘This Term’s Topics’ also covers other curriculum subjects and curates learning content that works for the Spring curriculum. This content can be easily incorporated into a learning plan or used to explore different topics at home. Visit bbc.co.uk/bitesize, click on the year group and subject and all the content is there.
For secondary pupils, Bitesize is also home to two-week learning packs for English and Maths in KS3 (years 7, 8 and 9) as well as This Term’s Topics for other subjects to be used at home or to support teachers in the remote classrooms.
For students in Years 10 and 11, the Bitesize GCSE offer allows students to pick their exam board and subject to find everything they need to help with their studies. Visit bbc.co.uk/bitesize/secondary for details.
Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, says: “The BBC has helped the nation through some of the toughest moments of the last century, and for the next few weeks it will help our children learn whilst we stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.
“This will be a lifeline to parents and I welcome the BBC playing its part.”
Educational content for all nations will also be available.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has today made a direct appeal to parents to return their children to the classroom when schools reopen in England next week.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “I have previously spoken about the moral duty to reopen schools to all pupils safely, and I would like to thank the school staff who have spent the summer months making classrooms Covid-secure in preparation for a full return in September.
“We have always been guided by our scientific and medical experts, and we now know far more about coronavirus than we did earlier this year.
“As the Chief Medical Officer has said, the risk of contracting Covid-19 in school is very small and it is far more damaging for a child’s development and their health and well-being to be away from school any longer.
“This is why it’s vitally important that we get our children back into the classroom to learn and to be with their friends. Nothing will have a greater effect on the life chances of our children than returning to school.”
Chief Medical Officers and Deputy Chief Medical Officers of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales made a weekend statement on the evidence of risks and benefits to health from schools and childcare settings reopening, which says:
We are confident in the extensive evidence that there is an exceptionally small risk of children of primary or secondary school age dying from COVID-19. The infection fatality rate (proportion of those who are infected who die) for those aged 5 to 14 is estimated at 14 per million, lower than for most seasonal flu infections.
We are confident that there is clear evidence of a very low rate of severe disease in children of primary and secondary school ages compared to adults, even if they catch COVID-19. The percentage of symptomatic cases requiring hospitalisation is estimated to be 0.1% for children aged 0 to 9 and 0.3% among those aged 10 to 19, compared to a hospitalisation rate of over 4% in the UK for the general population. Most of these children make a rapid recovery.
We are confident that there is clear evidence from many studies that the great majority of children and teenagers who catch COVID-19 have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.
Control measures such as hand and surface hygiene, cohorting to reduce number of daily contacts, and directional controls to reduce face-to-face contact remain key elements of maintaining COVID-19 secure school environments and minimising risk.
Children return to school in Northern Ireland this morning, while Welsh children go back next month.
Pupils in Scotland start their second full week of school this morning, and parents are reminded to observe guidelines on social distancing.
Steps include:
Limiting the number of family members at drop off and pick ups where possible
Following the specific guidance issued to them from their schools
Following national advice on keeping two metres apart.
Edinburgh’s Education Convener Cllr Ian Perry said: “We realise it will take time for parents and pupils to get used to the new arrangements around our schools and I want to thank everyone who has been following the advice such as dropping children off away from schools gates so there is no overcrowding.
“We would urge everyone to remember the physical distancing guidelines they have been following so well for the past few months as these also apply outside our schools. Please take on board these simple steps so we can keep everyone safe.”
Education Vice Convener Cllr Alson Dickie said: “Each school is different so specific advice has been issued to parents about the best ways to help with physical distancing at drop off and pick up times.
“Discussions between parents and schools will continue as we find solutions that best support each school. In addition a number of temporary measures have also been put in place as part of our Spaces for People programme to give pupils and their families safer access so they can physically distance using buggies, wheelchairs and other mobility aids.
“We are continuing to encourage parents/carers to travel to school by walking, cycling and scooting where possible so please follow the national guidance so we can keep the virus suppressed.”
New schools will be built from Aberdeenshire to Ayrshire in the first phase of a nationwide £1 billion investment programme.
The Scottish Government will contribute funding of between £220 million and £275 million in partnership with local authorities across the country to replace 26 schools, with a further phase of investment to be announced within 12 months.
A brand new benefit for low income families is now open for applications. The £250 School Age Payment is for families with a child old enough to start primary school this August.
The payment is part of the Best Start Best Grant, a package of three payments for families in receipt of eligible benefits – including Universal Credit, Income Support, Housing Benefit and tax credits – to help at key stages in a child’s life.
The Best Start Grant package also includes the Pregnancy and Baby Payment, which has been open for applications since December 2018 and the Early Learning Payment, which launched in April.
Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Covering the costs of a child starting school puts pressure on family finances, and we have created this new payment to help ease that burden, putting more money into the pockets of families at a time when they need it most.
“We are committed to doing all we can to make sure Scotland is the best place for a child to grow up. We want to increase financial support to families, bringing equality to children by giving them help towards a fairer start.
“We also want to encourage everyone who is entitled to a payment to apply, so will be working with services to promote the benefit to ensure as many people as possible are aware they can access this new additional support.”
applications for the School Age Payment open today (Monday 3 June) and will remain open to 29 February 2020
eligible families can apply for a payment if their child was born between 1 March 2014 and 28 February 2015
there is no requirement to take up a place at school to be eligible for the payment
parents who have deferred school entry so their children will start school in August 2020 should still apply in the 3 June to 29 February window
Social Security Scotland is using a single application process for these payments so families can apply for any Best Start Grant Payment in one form. Applications can be made online, over the phone or by post
parents/carers will be eligible if they live in Scotland, are responsible for a child and receive certain qualifying benefits
the qualifying benefits include: Universal Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit
the introduction of this benefit means that the Scottish Government is now delivering four new benefits. These are: Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment, Early Learning Payment, School Age Payment and Carer’s Allowance Supplement.
Social Security Scotland came into being as an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government on 1 September 2018
further information can be found at mygov.scot/benefits or call 0800 182 2222
