There are just ten days left to enter the Tes Schools Awards 2020.
From your wellbeing initiatives to your environmental endeavours, or the innovative ways you’ve improved results in core subjects, the awards are your school’s opportunity to shout about your triumphs and celebrate the teachers, staff and teams that are making a real difference to the lives of your students.
We know that it can be hard to find the time to complete your entries all at once, so you can start your submissions, save what you’ve done, and return to complete them by Friday 27 March.
Entry is free and open to state schools throughout the UK.
Classroom support assistant of the year
English teacher or team of the year
Maths teacher or team of the year
Science, technology and engineering teacher or team of the year
New teacher of the year
Headteacher of the year
Best use of technology
Wellbeing and mental health award
Community and collaboration award
Environment champion of the year
School business leader of the year
Creative school of the year
Early years setting of the year
Primary school of the year
Secondary school of the year
Alternative provision school of the year
Lifetime achievement
Overall school of the year
For full details of this year’s awards and to enter, visit tesawards.co.uk
Schools and nurseries will close to pupils from the end of this week, the First Minister announced yesterday.
The Scottish Government is working closely with local authorities to mitigate the impact on three groups as a priority:
Vulnerable pupils and those receiving free school meals
Pupils undertaking coursework and preparing for exams
Key workers including doctors, nurses and emergency service workers who have children
Later today Education Secretary John Swinney will address Parliament to explain the measures being put in place and to address key questions that parents and pupils have.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “This has been one of the hardest decisions we have faced so far as we tackle the coronavirus. SAGE – our expert scientific advisers – are examining new advice that is very likely to tell us to close schools.
“We also know more and more schools are approaching a point where they have lost too many staff to continue as normal. At this stage I cannot promise schools and nurseries will reopen after the Easter break.
“There will require to be a lot of local flexibility and we are working closely with local authorities to put those arrangements in place.
“Teachers, school staff and those in the nursery sector will have a vital role in the weeks ahead and we will work with you to minimise the impact on all our young peoples’ education, and in particular the most vulnerable groups.”
This poses a number of challenges and questions for the government:
Up to 250,000 children in Scotland live in poverty and currently receive free school meals. How will these children receive their meals?
What can parents and carers do to educated their children at home?
More parents will have to take time off work to look after their children, further affecting the economy
Students’ exam results are important in determining their future. If exams are cancelled, how will student grades be asessed and university places allocated?
Councillor Stephen McCabe, COSLA Children and Young People Spokesperson, said: “We have been working closely with the Scottish Government and our local authority partners to consider the implications of the closure of schools and nurseries.
“It is vital that we support staff, parents and children and young people in these exceptional circumstances.
“We will continue this partnership work to ensure that local authorities get the right support and have the flexibility to make the decisions based on local circumstances. This will include support to the most vulnerable, our young people involved in exams and those who provide critical public services.”
The Tes Schools Awards, celebrates the extraordinary commitment, quality and innovation shown by teachers and school staff across the UK.
Tes would like to hear about the teachers and teams within your school who are raising the standards of education and making a positive impact on the personal and academic success of students and the wider community.
The awards have 18 categories, including primary school, secondary school, headteacher and healthy school.
Entry is free and open to state schools in the UK. Submit 500 words on why you deserve to win by midnightFriday 27 March 2020.
The list of this year’s categories is as follows:
Classroom support assistant of the year
English teacher or team of the year
Maths teacher or team of the year
Science, technology and engineering teacher or team of the year
Edinburgh’s major festivals have revealed the extent of their year-round school engagement programmes, which have reached almost every school in the city over the period January 2018 – May 2019.
The new report finds that Edinburgh’s festivals have reached more than 90% of schools across the city through wide ranging activity which takes place both during and out with live festival time.
Through mapping of activity across the 18 months period, the study shows that festivals have engaged with every secondary school in Edinburgh, and almost all the city’s primary and special schools.
The engagement has had a big impact locally.
In West Pilton, Forthview Primary School has a particularly strong relationship with the festivals, being involved in 8 programmes and with over 1,400 pupil engagements since 2018.
The school regularly attend performances at the Children’s Festival, and the Book Festival’s Bailie Gifford programme. It is also part of the Fringe’s Children and Young People scheme, which offers free Fringe vouchers and bus tickets, to help overcome some of the barriers for pupils and their families to see shows.
Forthview is one of six Edinburgh primary schools participating in the Children’s Festival’s Immerse project, an ambitious 3-year initiative which embeds creative learning in the classroom.
The project started in autumn 2019 with each school hosting the ground-breaking immersive theatre production ‘The Lost Lending Library’, which uses drama to support attainment in literacy.
In Leith, Leith Academy have a long standing relationship with many festivals, regularly participating in programmes such as the Book Festival’s Bailie Gifford programme, the Science Festival’s Career Hive and the Film Festival’s Media Days workshops.
The Edinburgh International Festival has partnered with Leith Academy for a three-year residency, opening up a series of unique cultural opportunities for pupils. Three artists in residence are working in the school, with creative workshops linked to festival performances, and a culture club which offering social trips to experience theatre, music, visual art and dance in the city throughout the year.
The residency also looks to develop personal and vocational skills, with pupils being supported to work towards Personal Development Awards qualifications, and mentoring for senior students by festival staff to help build confidence and prepare for their next steps.
There have been over 58,000 pupil engagements – the number of times pupils have been involved in festival activities – with many benefiting from multiple opportunities.
From Gilmerton to Granton, Corstorphine to Craigmillar, the festivals are working with children and teachers across the whole city to bring young people enriching experiences and opportunities for creative learning.
These cover regular longstanding education programmes as well as new projects, through which festivals have supported learning in areas including music, drama, visual arts, science, technology, film and many more.
In addition to their spread throughout Edinburgh, there is a clear focus to the festivals’ engagement. It is within areas of the city with the lowest attendance at festivals that there is the highest participation in school programmes: a great step toward an Edinburgh where everyone regardless of background has the opportunity to make the most of the festivals.
Two thirds of residents attend shows and events at the festivals each year, but it is also hugely important to enable young people to engage with culture and develop the next generation of festival-goers.
There are several examples of programmes working over a long-term period, involving deeper engagement to create truly collaborative projects that will be of lasting benefit.
As well as directly working with pupils, the festivals also work with teachers on continuing professional development opportunities. These encourage and enable teachers to see the wider creative learning possibilities of engaging with festivals and help teachers bring creativity into the classroom.
A few examples of projects that the festivals have been working on, alongside some comments from teachers who are involved, include:
Teachers’ Theatre Club
A new collaboration between Edinburgh International Children’s Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society that aims to encourage Edinburgh’s teachers to see more live performance, become more confident in discussing this with their students and enhance students’ learning experiences.
Serena Jagpal, Pentlands Primary School, said: “When applying to be a part of the Teachers’ Theatre Club, I saw it as interesting CPD. I never thought for a second that it would give me so much more.
“Over the course of the project I have engaged in discussions with a wide range of professionals in the arts, experienced theatre that I would never have thought to go see myself and discussed how I would use these shows with my pupils ….what has taken me by surprise is the camaraderie I have experienced. I hope this project runs for many years to come and I urge as many teachers as possible to experience this.”
Leith Academy residency
A three-year Edinburgh International Festival residency with Leith Academy, involving new cultural opportunities as well as developing pupils’ personal and vocational skills.
The residency includes a series of projects, from pupils working with artists in residence to learning about marketing and branding with the festival’s own teams. In addition, students are supported to gain a Personal Development Award at SQA level 6, with workplace experience with staff at the festival.
Mike Irving, Head Teacher, Leith Academy said: “In 2019/20 there is an ever greater need to look creatively and collaboratively at our curriculum. Our work with the Edinburgh International Festival helps us harness the skills of creativity, teamwork, problem solving and communication daily.
“This particular branding event allowed our young people to not only see how branding ‘comes alive’, but to actually be part of creating it from start to finish with skilled professionals …
“In a world where the jobs young people will do is a dynamic and fluid one, we are very grateful to the wonderful opportunities the young people of Leith are being offered through the residency in order to open their horizons of what their ‘next steps’ may be.”
Edinburgh Science Festival
Every year, Generation Science offers a programme of interactive shows and hands-on workshops for primary schools, delivered in the classroom.
The Careers Hive, which gets underway this year from 25 February, is an interactive showcase for careers in science and technology, targeted at secondary school pupils and designed to highlight opportunities from studying STEM subjects. Through Generation Science and Careers Hive, Edinburgh Science reach 81 schools across Edinburgh and more than 12,500 pupils.
With over 90% of the city’s schools already getting involved, the ambition of Edinburgh’s Festivals is to use the collective picture of schools’ engagement to inform the targeting of future projects and initiatives and enhance the lives of many more young people for years to come.
School pupils across Edinburgh will be challenged to come up with creative ways of using new technologies to tackle local issues and help transform their hometown into a Smart City as part of a unique partnership with local businesses and organisations.
CityFibre, the City of Edinburgh Council, and the University of Edinburgh’s Data Education in Schools programme – part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal – will deliver the Smart City-focused Internet of Things (IoT) pilot to primary and secondary school year groups across Edinburgh.
Aiming to enhance the number of children using data science education in schools, pupils will develop their understanding of data-driven solutions for a range of issues both inside and outside of the school environment.
This could see pupils develop ways of monitoring air-quality in playgrounds, improve the use of digital technology in classrooms or examine digital methods for managing traffic flow across the city.
The project will kick off in schools in spring and a number of pupils will be invited to attend a Smart Cities event in Edinburgh in May to showcase their solutions.
As part of the initiative, CityFibre will also provide schools in Edinburgh with IoT technology kits over the next 12 months. This will enable pupils to practice solving challenges using sensors and data analysis, with some of the data they’ll be collecting travelling over the CityFibre network.
The announcement was made at an event in Edinburgh’s Royal Scots Club which brought civic and business communities together to discuss how improved digital connectivity will soon transform everyday life for people across the city.
Work is currently underway on a city-wide full fibre network which will deliver significant benefits to communities across Edinburgh. CityFibre is investing more than £100m to deliver the project, which will give almost every home and business access to next-generation full fibre connectivity.
Elaine Doherty, CityFibre’s City Manager for Edinburgh, said:“We can’t wait to hear about the creative ideas school pupils have to use IoT technology and make the most of Edinburgh’s new full fibre infrastructure.
“While most schools and City of Edinburgh Council buildings have been connected to full fibre, construction is well underway to extend the benefits of a full fibre network to almost every home and business across the city with the first homes to be connected next month.”
Professor Judy Robertson, Chair in Digital Learning, at the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Education, Community and Society, said: “We are delighted to be working with CityFibre to deliver this exciting IoT project to schools across the region.
“The project will encourage young people to think about how they can use sensors and data to understand their environment and to develop tools that can improve their local communities, learning how data can be used for good. The project is a fantastic addition to our Data Education for Schools project.
“By bringing business, schools and the university together we can ensure that we are providing young people with skills and confidence to take full advantage of the opportunities provided within our data driven society.”
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for young people across Edinburgh to explore how digital technology can change the way we live our lives – and to help us come up with data-driven solutions for some of the challenges facing the Capital.
“Thanks to this partnership with CityFibre and the University of Edinburgh, the next generation of problem-solvers will gain the skills needed to deliver a truly smart city for the future.”
Pictured: L – R Phil Cragg, Deloitte Smart City Specialist; Andy Starnes, Head of City Development at CityFibre; Frank Airth, City Manager at Vodafone; Elaine Doherty, CityFibre’s City Manager for Edinburgh; Jenni Doonan, Business Developer at the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Education, Community and Society;Liz McAreavey, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce; Andrew Kerr, Chief Executive, The City of Edinburgh Council
BUT ALMOST ONE IN THREE PUPILS NOW HAS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT NEEDS
Primary school teacher numbers are at their highest level since 1980 and total teacher numbers have risen by 288, new statistics have shown. The overall number of teachers rose to 52,247, an increase of 1,530 since 2015 and the highest level since 2009.
However a campaign group has expressed concern over support for record numbers of pupils with Additional Support Needs.Continue reading Teacher numbers rise …
Find out about all the great learning taking place in your local primary school – drop in for a visit on Primary Schools Open Day TOMORROW: https://bit.ly/2h0tQan
If your child’s date of birth is between 1 March 2015 and 29 February 2016 they are due to start primary school in August 2020.
If you are in the City of Edinburgh Council area you must register your child for P1 at one of your catchment schools.
Registration week is 4 to 8 November 2019. Please check opening times with the school you are registering at.
Lidl is giving primary school children across Scotland the chance to win £5,000 of vouchers to be spent on providing a better breakfast for their fellow pupils.
