Tag: schools

Behaviour and relationships in schools

New research published

Thousands of head teachers, teachers and support staff have shared their views on pupil behaviour and relationships in Scotland’s local authority schools.

The fifth edition of the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR) report found staff perceived the majority of pupils to be behaving well.

The report noted a deterioration in some pupil’s behaviour since the last research was conducted in 2016, thought partly to have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and instances of poverty and destitution. The research also identifies a number of emerging trends in behaviour, including in-school truancy, vaping, disruptive use of mobile phones and misogyny. 

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth discussed the findings of the report as she chaired the third Behaviour and Relationships summit yesterday, bringing together teachers, union representatives, local authorities and other stakeholders.

The research comes as a further report by Education Scotland shows the impact the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis has had on attendance levels for some pupils.

Ms Gilruth said: “We commissioned this research to provide us with the clearest possible picture on behaviour and relationships in schools. It builds upon my own extensive engagement with teachers, school leaders, support staff and local authority colleagues to fully understand how our pupils are interacting with each other and their teachers.

“It is clear from the responses that most teachers report good behaviour amongst pupils – this provides some important nuance to this issue and must be at the forefront of our plans to tackle the instances of disruptive behaviours. Young people must not be demonised, and poor behaviour cannot be generalised.

“Our young people have faced a huge amount of disruption in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has been compounded by the current cost of living crisis – this is not unique to Scotland.

“Tomorrow (Wednesday) I will set out to Parliament our plans to engage with local authorities and schools to ensure a plan of action is taken forward to tackle instances of poor behaviour at the root as soon as possible.

“I plan to engage directly with young people on this matter to ensure their voices are front and centre – as well as with teachers and school staff, to ensure they are fully supported in responding to these challenges.”

The Scottish Childrens Services Coalition (SCSC) is an alliance of organisations that support children and young people who have additional support needs.

SCSC responded: “This report noting a perceived decline in pupil behaviour, especially since 2016, should come as no surprise.

“Many disruptive incidents are linked to pupils with additional support needs (ASN), with numbers more than doubling since 2012, and now amounting to more than a third of children, who are also experiencing an increasing complexity of need. These numbers have been exacerbated by the traumatic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost- of-living crisis, with us also facing a mental health emergency.

“However, this is set against a background of acute under-resourcing to support their needs, with the number of specialist ASN teachers falling by 546 between 2012 and 2022 as just one example.

“Additional funding is desperately needed to increase the support available to those with ASN, including specialist teachers, teaching assistants, mental health professionals and educational psychologists.

“While we support the principle of mainstreaming, that all children be taught in mainstream classes unless exceptional circumstances apply, this has never been properly resourced. Those with ASN are therefore frequently being inadequately supported, which is also impacting on other pupils.2

“Violence against any member of school staff or another pupil is never acceptable, and it is critical that with the Scottish Budget being published next month, our schools are given the necessary resources to ensure that they are safe places in which to work and to learn.”

Celebration as pupils and teachers receive The Saroj Lal Award

Celebrating diversity through creativity in our schools was the theme of the Saroj Lal Award for Edinburgh Schools event held at the City Chambers on Thursday night (16 November).

Saroj Lal was one of the first Asian women to teach in a Scottish primary school when she began her role at South Morningside Primary School in 1970.

Her many successes included being at the forefront of race relations during a period of immense political and social change, delivering anti-racism training and starting the first local authority interpreting and translating service in Edinburgh.

Following her death in 2020, Saroj’s many achievements in equality, women’s rights, education, and community work are being formally recognised.

Every year our schools are invited to nominate pupil work relating to any aspect of equalities, in any artform. Headteachers were also invited to nominate staff, whose collaborative work around equalities has taken a creative approach and had an impact.

All nominated work will be used to start building a resource bank for schools. This year saw more schools and pupils enter with 11 schools nominated, 33 pupil/pupil group nominations and two teacher nominations submitted.

The entries were considered by a panel of judges, comprising Saroj Lal’s son and equalities campaigner Vineet Lal, Katie D’Souza (2022 Joint winner of the GTC Scotland Saroj Lal Award) and Nikhat Yusaf, Senior Development Officer Equalities for the City of Edinburgh Council.

The award categories for pupils were as follows:

  • Proud to be Me: Communicates the young person’s personal expression of pride in their heritage, in their own culture and/or identity.
  • How Prejudice Makes Me Feel: Expresses young people’s feelings about any form of prejudice inflicted on themselves or others.
  • Artivism: Art expresses their views on social justice and challenges others to change and/or act differently.

There were joint winners for the Proud to be Me category: Lily Schiller-Chatwood, Leith Academy and Natali Rawat, St Thomas of Aquin’s RC High School.

In the How Prejudice Makes Me Feel category the winner was Amna Parveen, Castlebrae Community Campus.          

For the Artivism category the winner were the Equalities Lead Pupils at St Augustine’s High School.

The staff winner was Elaine Oram, James Gillespie’s High School.

The Commendation winner, was a whole school effort, and went to Currie Primary School.

Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener, hosted the event and said: “These awards build on the rich legacy that Saroj Lal left in her decades of pioneering work in Edinburgh and beyond. They recognise the work schools and pupils are doing to challenge the many forms of prejudice and discrimination.

I am so glad to see that in the Awards second year, many more schools have engaged with the award and submitted such a range of creative works, to include films, animation, poetry, and art works, demonstrating that diversity is thriving in our schools.

“The creativity, insights and depth of thinking on display have been hugely impressive, and everyone involved – pupils and staff – deserves to be congratulated.”

Vineet Lal, son of Saroj Lal, and one of the Award judges, said: “It has been thrilling to see the passion and enthusiasm demonstrated by all those taking part in the Saroj Lal Award for Edinburgh Schools.

“The sheer scope and breadth of nominations, from almost a dozen participating schools this year, illustrates how engaged our local pupils are with issues linked to equality, diversity and inclusion, and it has been a pleasure and a privilege to be part of the judging panel.

“The creativity, insights and depth of thinking on display have been hugely impressive, and everyone involved – pupils and staff – deserves to be congratulated.

Last night’s event followed on from Portobello High School biology teacher Hardeep Kaur being awarded the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC Scotland) Saroj Lal Award for a Pioneering Spirit in Equality and Diversity. 

Aims of The Saroj Lal Award for City of Edinburgh Schools: 

  • Mark the important legacy of Saroj Lal’s life and work.
  • Inspire action and promote equalities work in the widest sense.
  • Ensure pupils’ views, ideas and experiences are central and communicated widely through creative approaches.
  • Create a bank of resources for schools to use and share.
  • Challenge perceptions, remove stigma and celebrate diversity.

Parents of children who drowned back school water safety initiative

The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) has developed the Water Smart Schools Accreditation, which launched in time for the new academic year, to facilitate classroom-based Water Safety Education.

And the mothers of Joe Abbess and Sunnah Khan who tragically lost their lives at Bournemouth beach in May this year, have recently advocated for the programme.

The RLSS UK initiative has been designed especially for schools to help their students develop water safety skills for life in the classroom environment, in recognition of the fact that not all schools can access pool-based safety education.

A cross-section of schools have piloted and successfully completed this new initiative, and now over 100 schools have signed up to the programme to ensure their students are educated on water safety.

Joe, 17, and Sunnah, 12, tragically drowned on 31 May this year when a suspected rip current caused sea conditions to change.

Joe’s mum, Vanessa Abbess, said, “I am keen to support the RLSS UK Water Smart School initiative to educate and raise awareness to improve water safety, in memory of our son Joe. 

“Joe and Sunnah lost their lives despite being only waist high in the water, on a lifeguarded beach. 

“Joe was sensible, healthy, and strong but taken from us, due to the ferocity of the sea that day. I am certain that if Joe had survived, he would definitely want to warn others of the dangers, as he was a very caring young man.

“I feel education is the key to get water safety to be broadly discussed and thus potentially save lives.”

Drowning is one of the leading causes of child trauma-related deaths in the UK (National Child Mortality Database, Deaths of children and young people due to traumatic incidents thematic report, July 2023) and is largely avoidable through education and positive experiences around water. 

Sadly, access to swimming tuition and water safety education differs across the UK and there is often disparity for those from low-income and ethnically diverse family groups. The most recent data shared through the 2022 Active Lives Survey shows that only 34.7% of children from low-affluence families are able swim 25 metres unaided, compared with 76.4% children from high-income families.

RLSS UK’s Water Smart Schools accreditation aims to improve this by providing schools with a framework and all necessary resources to facilitate this vital learning. 

Sunah’s mother, Stephanie Williams, said “”I think educating our children on water safety is incredibly important. The very least we can do is give all children an equal opportunity to access information that could potentially save their life one day. You never think it will happen to you until it happens to you. 

“Knowledge is power, let’s give our children the knowledge and start the conversation that may one day save their life. Sunnah had her whole life ahead of her and it was so brutally torn away from her that day, I want to do everything I can to prevent this from happening to other children.”

RLSS UK launched the free Water Smart Schools programme in line with the start of Autumn term and all educational settings are being encouraged to sign up and take part during the 2023-24 school year.

Flexibility is at the heart of the programme and the charity is proud that Water Smart Schools  can be applied to any learning environment including further education and SEND settings. The charity has already seen lots of enthusiasm from a number of schools and they want to ensure all school children have the vital water safety knowledge needed to stay safe in and around water.

RLSS UK’s Education Manager Andy Lane said, “We are excited to already have over 100 schools on board but want to grow this and get even more schools on board to ensure more children have the much-needed knowledge around water safety.” 

If you are interested in taking part to become a Water Smart School, please email education@rlss.org.uk.

Scottish students debate on climate crisis at COP28 mock event

OVER 100 pupils aged between 16-18 from Scottish schools played the part of politicians, journalists, and lobbyists to debate on the climate crisis.

They were taking part in the British Council’s COP28 Climate Simulation Negotiation at Moray House, School of Education, University of Edinburgh, and had the opportunity to find out what it’s really like to negotiate a climate deal.

Delivered with Learning for Sustainability Scotland this debate was the first time the event has come to Scotland and the first in a series coordinated by the British Council in five cities across the UK.

The event kicked off with a keynote address from Learning for Sustainability lead at Scottish Government, Lucia Ramon Mateo, with the debate taking place in the run-up to the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates which starts on November 30.

During the negotiations, the pupils had to agree on a global strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and successfully reduce global temperature rises to no greater than 2 degrees C, making sure that all countries were on target to reduce temperatures by 2030. To do this, they used computer software developed by Climate Interactive and MIT to create a real-life climate simulation.

They were led by Professor Peter Higgins, Director of the United Nations University Regional Centre for ESD (Scotland) and Professor Dave Reay, Executive Director at Edinburgh Climate Change Institute and Professor of Carbon Management at the University of Edinburgh.

Attending the event students Rosie Zisman, and Raphael Uddin from Boroughmuir High School in Edinburgh shared the role of United Nations Secretariat General.

Speaking about the negotiations, Raphael said: “Today our aim was to reduce greenhouse emissions drastically and we just reached the target agreement for warming, bang on 2.0 degrees.

“We were able to work together, compromise, and reach this goal and no countries were left behind or lost out. It was also great to have schools from Egypt join us today, to hear about their experience during COP27 and to get an insight into the different issues, especially with COP28 coming up in Dubai”.

Rosie added: “We managed to reach consensus to fund $1billion in climate financing per year globally, which was a big win.

“At 2 degrees, we will still see dramatic increases in climate change. Today gave us just a flavour of what is possible and it is progress, but not our final destination”.

Speaking at the event, Professor Reay said: “We’ve seen skilled negotiations from the students today and many congratulations to all those taking part who have worked diligently debating the issues.

“It is extremely important that we have opportunities like this to maintain the conversation about the vital importance of keeping warming under 1.5 degrees.

“This event shows that while the global conversation on the climate crisis still falters, young people have the energy, drive and ambition to focus and ask the hard questions. Today at Moray House, we have had the privilege of working with future policy makers and global citizens, a generation who already know that activism for the planet is crucial”.

Peter Brown, Director, British Council Scotland provided a welcome to the students, he said about the event: “Well done to all those involved in today’s event – I’m delighted that young people from across Scotland, the wider UK, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates are coming together to actively engage in the challenges of climate change.

“Our research at the British Council shows clearly that the climate crisis is of deep concern – particularly to young people, and this event has put students at the head of the negotiating table.

“It has given them a unique chance to experience the realities of diplomacy and international negotiation such as that taking place at COP28, providing them with the skills and confidence to take on some of the world’s biggest challenges.”

The initiative is part of the British Council’s Schools Connect programme for schools in the UK and around the world. The British Council works with education policymakers to explore effective practices from other countries and help teachers to bring an international perspective to the curriculum. This supports all young people to build the skills, knowledge and attitudes they need to respond to global challenges and develop international understanding. 

Through the Climate Connection programme, the British Council is also supporting people globally to find creative solutions to climate change in support of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in UAE this month.

The British Council is supporting the summit by engaging with networks of education professionals, students, academics, researchers, artists, civil society leaders and policymakers to participate in meaningful dialogue and bring about real change for our planet.

This event continues the British Council’s work, building connection, understanding and trust between people in the UK and overseas through arts, education and English language teaching.

To find out more about their work in Scotland visit:

https://scotland.britishcouncil.org/ or follow on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Drummond Community High School takes leading role in new film and screen education programme

Pupils in Edinburgh and at secondary schools across Scotland are learning all about filmmaking as part of a curriculum development programme being run by Screen Scotland.  

Experienced film and screen educators are working with teachers in schools in Edinburgh, Argyll and Bute, Inverness, Dundee and Shetland to teach young people about practical film making and the wide range of work that goes into making film and screen content.     

The work is another step toward Screen Scotland’s ambition to introduce film and screen as an expressive arts subject* within the Scottish school curriculum. This second phase of development activity builds on work testing the innovative new curriculum that took place in nursery and primary schools earlier in the year.  

Fi Milligan-Rennie, Screen Scotland’s Head of Education said: “Screen Scotland is working towards film and screen education being available for every child in Scotland, in every school in Scotland and this expansion of the pilot programme into secondary schools is an important step on the way.  

“The new Film and Screen curriculum is bringing filmmaking, as an expressive arts subject, into every classroom in our pilot schools. By engaging with the process of practical filmmaking pupils will learn about content creation, the craft and technical elements of making film and screen content, build skills as visual storytellers and develop capacities as collaborative and creative individuals and through the practice of film and screen production.” 

Screen Scotland, which drives development of all aspects of Scotland’s film and TV industry, through funding and strategic support, is working with a wide range of partners on the programme, including the SQA, Education Scotland, the BFI, Industry Partners, and the Scottish Government.  

Neil Millar, Senior Education Officer for Expressive Arts, Culture and Creativity at Education Scotland said: “Education Scotland has been delighted to actively support the development of the pilot Film and Screen curriculum within the Expressive Arts offering of Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence.  

“The educational and social impact of the pilot curriculum on schools, teachers and most importantly pupils, has been immense and I have been privileged to see the curriculum ‘in action’ across the country.

“This added dimension to Scotland’s curriculum builds on the vision and principles of Curriculum for Excellence as well as enabling the future-focussed knowledge and skills development that will sustain economic growth and drive accessibility and inclusion in a sector that is often seen as exclusive.”  

Award-winning Director Mark Cousins said: “I can hardly believe these new plans for teaching film in Scotland. 

“Cinema remains one of the world’s most vivid cultural forms but has always been under-taught.  One of Scotland’s best movie directors, Alexander Mackendrick, knew that film education was crucial. One of our greatest contemporary filmmakers, Lynne Ramsay, greatly benefited from film education. 

“Now a new scheme will embed film education in schools? For kids as young as 3?  We’ve wanted this for decades because it’s the best way to democratise film, to create new directors, to enrich Scottish visual culture. 

“Scotland had a late start in film history.  This imaginative, immensely valuable new programme will help us get ahead.” 

Screen Scotland…Forthill Primary School ….Pic Paul Reid

David Smith, Director of Screen Scotland added: “If we want young people across Scotland to feel confident in making films and screen content, and exploring that as a potential career, it’s important that they get every opportunity to make films and learn about filmmaking.  

“Many feel that a career in film or TV is beyond their reach, somehow reserved for other people. That’s far from true and we want to give them the knowledge and experience they will need to realise their ambitions whatever background they have, wherever they live.  

“A film crew has so many different roles within it, good jobs that pay well but also really rewarding, creative jobs. We want everyone to feel it’s something they can feel confident doing. This, in turn, will continue Scotland’s growth as a thriving centre for film and screen, bringing proven economic benefits to the country.” 

Cabinet Secretary for Culture Angus Robertson said: “The Scottish Government believes culture is for all and this Film and Screen education programme will be an accessible pathway for Scotland’s next generation of filmmakers to pursue. 

“We believe the development of the programme will provide a fresh opportunity for young people to learn the skills that could lead to a fulfilling and successful career in a thriving film and TV industry – a platform to showcase authentic Scottish storytelling and creativity. 

 “The Scottish Government will continue to work with Screen Scotland, and partners in the education sector, including Education Scotland and SQA to boost screen education across formal and informal education settings – it really will be an exciting programme to be involved with.” 

Schools STEM event success

Over 2,500 pupils got an invaluable insight into STEM-based careers thanks to Edinburgh Science’s annual schools event

Soon to celebrate 10 years, just-finished Careers Hive 2023 is hailed as a huge success with over 2,500 pupils from secondary schools all across the central belt visiting National Museum of Scotland to get hands-on with science.

They heard from young STEM professionals about their careers – and sometimes more unusual paths to their dream jobs – and took part in various workshops and activities, including performing keyhole surgery, assembling a model of a space satellite, programming a robot or insulating a home.

Initially developed in 2016, Careers Hive inspires S1-S3 pupils to pursue a STEM-based (science, technology, engineering and maths) career through hands-on activities, discussions with STEM professionals and workshops to equip them with skills and confidence to progress in their chosen field. 

Careers Hive addresses the problem of young people not choosing STEM subjects by encouraging and showcasing where they will lead.

A teacher participating in Careers Hive said: “One pupil told me as we entered the Museum: ‘to be honest, I’m here for the day out of school’. Come the end of the visit, he was telling me which STEM careers he was interested in, and how the event changed his perceptions about STEM!

“It opened all the pupils’ eyes to the wider range of STEM jobs rather than just a scientist or an engineer.”

Careers Hive is supported by a range of funders, please see below for a full list for 2023. Edinburgh Science Learning projects reach around 35,000 people every year.

Mark your calendars:

Careers Hive is back in 2024 at the National Museum of Scotland for schools between Monday 28 October and Friday 1 November with the Public Open Day on Saturday, 2 November.

If your school is interested in attending in 2024, please contact:

careershive@scifest.co.uk.

Art UK launches free visual literacy programme for every primary school

NATIONAL charity, Art UK, has launched a free programme, The Superpower of Looking®, to equip young people with the visual literacy skills that have become essential to successfully navigate the modern, image-saturated world.   

In the UK, it is estimated that young adults have a combined total of approximately 10 million photographs on their smartphones. Additionally, recent analysis found that by 2030 there will be 382 billion images on Google Images.

Against this expansive backdrop of our increasingly visual world and the rapid developments of AI, it is vital that young people are empowered to fully embrace the opportunities of digital advancements of the evolving world around them and the future advancement still to come.  

An evidence-based programme, The Superpower of Looking accelerates curriculum development by providing free resources that empower students to critically observe, analyse, question and interpret images and communicate with confidence.

This includes bespoke films, full lesson resources, teacher training videos, a lesson toolkit and access to Art UK’s digital database of artworks, which includes more than 300,000 pieces of work by more than 500,000 artists across more than 3,400 British institutions.  

This launch follows the completion of two successful pilots in partnership with 70 schools in England and Scotland which found that The Superpower of Looking:   

  • Increases pupils’ confidence  
  • Improves visual literacy skills across all assessed areas, including understanding new concepts, substantiating points with evidence during peer discussions, critical thinking and more  
  • Achieves high pupil engagement with lesson materials  
  • Increases pupils’ interest in cultural education spaces.  

Additionally, 95 per cent of teachers that participated in the pilots reported feeling confident incorporating the resources into their classes and 92 per cent said they would recommend the programme to their peers.  

Adele Darlington, EYFS Teacher and Art Lead at Leighfield Primary School, said: “The Superpower of Looking brings art to life in the classroom, for both students and their teachers. I’ve seen how the programme inspired my pupils to stop and look at the world around them through a more critical lens and with deeper focus, and have seen them carry this into other areas of their learning.  

“Watching my pupils’ enthusiasm in the classroom grow after The Superpower of Looking lessons has been inspiring. For children who may never have engaged with arts and culture or been to visit a gallery before, it’s been a genuinely transformative experience.”  

Katie Leonard, Head of Learning at Art UK, said: “At a time when digital mediums and imagery play an increasingly important and influential role, it is vital that we are empowering young people with the knowledge, confidence and skills to successfully navigate the world around them.  

“By launching The Superpower of Looking today, we are making more than 300,000 works of art from more than 3,400 British institutions available to young people across the country.

“It is our hope that by doing so, this programme will help embed visual literacy in the primary curriculum and make art an integral and accessible part of every primary school classroom in the UK.”  

The Superpower of Looking is supported by Freelands Foundation. For more information about The Superpower of Looking and to sign up to the programme, please visit: artuk.org/learn/the-superpower-of-looking.  

Cutting the cost of the school day

Education Secretary praises innovative approach

Pupils and staff at Braes High School in Falkirk have been highlighting their innovate approaches to help cut the cost of the school day for families, as part of Challenge Poverty Week.

Cost-saving initiatives include the creation of ‘Take What You Need’ trolleys with essential school items, toiletries and snacks.  S1 pupils also receive a Braes Backpack which contains a school starter kit.

The school has received more than £369,000 of Scottish Government Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) in recent years, supporting a range of work including these latest initiatives.

Scotland has the most generous universal free school meal offer of any nation in the UK – saving families an average of £400 per eligible child per year – while the School Clothing Grant has been increased so that those who are eligible receive at least £120 per child of primary school age and £150 per secondary pupil.

The 2023-24 Programme for Government set out commitments to further support reductions in the cost of the school day by funding the removal of core curriculum charges, further expanding free school meals and increasing the school clothing grant for the next academic year.

On a visit to the school, the Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “It was hugely encouraging to visit Braes High School during Challenge Poverty Week and to witness the innovative approaches pupils and staff have adopted to deal with the challenges that, sadly, too many of our young people and their families are facing.

“This work has been supported by the Scottish Government’s Pupil Equity Funding scheme – with more than £520 million this parliamentary term empowering headteachers to take creative and innovative approaches to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap.

“We are determined to do everything in our power to support families out of poverty, including investing in the game-changing Scottish Child Payment – part of a package of measures taken by this government which will help lift 90,000 children out of poverty in Scotland this year.

“We know that many families are still struggling, particularly as a result of the cost of living crisis. Tackling the cost of the school day is a key priority for the Scottish Government.”

Sara Spencer, Cost of the School Day Project Manager at Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland: “We have been delighted to work with Braes High School and their Cost of the School Day Pupil Group and see all of the meaningful ways young people have involved their school community and designed supports that help to make sure everyone can take part and feel included.

“Cost of the School Day at Braes is an inspiring example of what can happen when young people take the lead on equity in their own schools and a reminder of the impact that a poverty aware school culture and a clear focus on reducing the cost of the school day can have.”

Braes HS Head teacher Iain Livingstone said: “Our young people, staff, parents, carers and the wider community work well together to challenge poverty and support all learners. Pupil Equity Funding has helped us take forward a number of projects and support to help our young people get the most out of their education.

“We enjoyed being able to speak with the Cabinet Secretary, and seeing our young people discuss the  many developments and ideas they lead.”

Braes High School worked with the Child Poverty Action Group to develop these initiatives. They are part of the new Cost of the School Day Voice network of children and young people.

Schools in Falkirk Council have received more than £26 million from the Scottish Government between 2015-16 and 2022-23 to close the poverty related attainment gap.

New Schools Fund to expand film and screen education across Scotland

Work to embed film and screen education within the Scottish schools’ curriculum took a step forward today with the launch of new funding from Screen Scotland. 

Available to early years, primary and secondary schools, the new Schools Screen Education Fund has been created to support programmes of work with the potential to develop increased understanding of the potential of screen education and support the provision of screen education and the new curriculum in a school setting.   

Schools can apply for grants up to £5000 to test an element of the draft Film and Screen curriculum with classes from Early Years to S3, or to design and deliver screen education projects for schools. 

Also going live today, is Screen Scotland’s refreshed Screen Education Fund which offers grants of between £500 – £20,000 to projects that support the provision of screen education in a variety of formal, informal and non-formal settings – schools, colleges, universities, cinemas, film festivals, libraries, media access centres and Local Authorities – aimed at developing increased understanding of the potential of screen education. 

Fi Milligan-Rennie, Head of Education – Screen at Screen Scotland said: “Developing Film and Screen as an expressive art focuses on enabling pupils to make a film, rather than solely study the history or theory of film.

“This is core to Screen Scotland’s work to widen participation in film and screen production, cultivate a skilled screen workforce and develop the screen professionals needed to carry forward Scotland’s film culture.

“At the same time, the values and benefits of film and screen education reach far beyond careers.  Engagement in film and screen activity strengthens fusion skills, supports attainment in other subjects and improves health and wellbeing.  Film and Screen is the dominant language of our culture and Screen Scotland is committed to ensuring the democracy of opportunity to learn that language.” 

The launch took place in tandem with Screen Scotland’s Screen Educators in Residence Programme. Over the past months, Screen Educators have been deep at work in primary and secondary schools in Argyll and Bute, Dundee, Edinburgh, Inverness and Shetland, testing the draft curriculum; trialling new learning and hands-on opportunities to develop students understanding, appreciation and practical knowledge of film and screen production.  

Welcomed by Scotland’s Educators, independent production companies and Scottish screen stars like Outlander’s Sam Heughan, the ultimate aim of the two-year pilot programme is to introduce film and screen within the Scottish curriculum from Early Years through to Senior Phase.

Full details about the Funds and how to apply are available on the Screen Scotland website: https://www.screen.scot/funding-and-support/funding/screen-education-fund