Tag: schools

New Smart City pilot for Edinburgh schools

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.”  

To find out more about CityFibre’s Gigabit City vision for Edinburgh, visit: https://www.cityfibre.com/gigabit-cities/   

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

Teacher numbers rise …

 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 …

Tomorrow is Primary Schools Open Day

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: 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 offers children the chance to make breakfast time a better time at school


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.

The supermarket is running the nationwide competition with its charity partner, the NSPCC, to give a boost to one school’s Breakfast Club. Continue reading Lidl offers children the chance to make breakfast time a better time at school

Double celebration for Beatlie School

A Livingston school which provides specialist education for young people with severe and complex medical needs has received a second financial boost in a matter of weeks.

The school, which provides innovative support and education for children from three to eighteen years old, discovered last month that it’s set to move to a new multi-million-pound campus, after it was selected to be part of the Scottish Government’s new School Investment Programme.

Now, local charity Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids has agreed to match-fund £1831, which local parents and teachers had raised as part of Cash for Kids Superhero Day. Continue reading Double celebration for Beatlie School

Black History Month: a lesson for everyone

This Black History Month, Education Vice Convener Councillor Alison Dickie writes about the need for change:

You could have heard a pin drop.  The young black man, there to tell his story, looked up from his speech notes and commented on the sea of white faces of the 63 councillors who sat before him.  ‘That doesn’t sit well with me’, he said.

I say it shouldn’t sit well with any of us! Continue reading Black History Month: a lesson for everyone

Could North Edinburgh be home to a children’s national writing competition winner?

The world’s learning company Pearson is looking for budding young authors in North Edinburgh to give a modern twist to traditional tales with their new national writing competition.  Continue reading Could North Edinburgh be home to a children’s national writing competition winner?

Maths to the masses!

Creative projects and activities planned for biggest ever ‘Maths Week Scotland’.

More than 100 different activities – from weather forecasting to codebreaking – are part of the biggest Maths Week Scotland ever which kicks off today.

Supported by a £70,000 small grants fund, the events are designed to spark the interests of young and old across schools, science centres, adult education centres and nurseries.

The week-long festival of all-things-numbers will be launched by Education Secretary John Swinney at a ‘Mathletics’ event held at the home of Scottish Rugby BT Murrayfield Stadium. Teams from more than 30 secondary schools across the Lothians will scrum down in a series of maths-themed challenges at the final of ‘Enterprising Maths’.

Mr Swinney will be tweeting maths challenges – produced with the help of the Scottish Mathematical Council – during the week, with the best solutions then being illustrated in videos featuring maths teacher Chris Smith and his pupils from Grange Academy in Kilmarnock.

National Museums Scotland is running events at its sites throughout the week.

Former BBC weather forecaster, meteorologist and maths advocate Heather Reid is also adding her celebrity experience to proceedings, helping pupils at Sprouston Primary School in Kelso to interpret and bring to life data collected by their own weather station throughout the week.

John Swinney said: “We started Maths Week Scotland in 2017 to give everyone the chance to engage with maths in a creative and engaging way.

“The enthusiasm, commitment and passion of teachers, learners and maths champions has helped Maths Week Scotland grow every year since. It is fantastic to see events for people of all ages and all backgrounds to come together and appreciate the maths all around us.”

Heather Reid, affectionately dubbed ‘Heather the Weather’ for her breezy forecasts on BBC Scotland, said: “This year’s action-packed Maths Week Scotland explores the importance, usefulness and beauty of maths at events in schools and learning environments across the country. Good maths skills open up a wide range of excellent job opportunities, and help us to lead more successful lives.

“Maths lies at the heart of modern-day weather forecasts and climate change science. I can’t wait to visit Kelso and discuss the maths of weather with some young forecasters.”

Katie Oldfield, Maths Week Scotland Coordinator at National Museums Scotland, said: “We all use maths in our everyday lives whether we realise it or not. Activities taking place throughout Maths Week give children and adults the chance to experience the fun and creative side of maths and improve their maths skills.

“From codebreaking and enigma machines, discovering the maths behind the creation of Edinburgh Castle or exploring the universe through maths – there really is something for everyone.”

Information on activities taking place throughout Maths Week Scotland can be found at www.mathsweek.scot. 

 

NSPCC Scotland urges primary schools to help children stay safe from abuse

  • Last year the NSPCC visited almost 900 schools in Scotland, speaking to over 150,000 children about abuse and what they should do if they ever feel unsafe.
  • Charity wants to reach every school in the Scotland as well as the rest of the UK.
  • The ‘Speak out. Stay safe.’ programme can help schools deliver on the new compulsory Relationships Education curriculum.

Primary schools across Scotland which are yet to receive a visit from the NSPCC’s free ‘Speak out. Stay safe’ programme are being urged to sign-up as soon as possible.

In 2018/19 the charity visited 872 schools, from the Scottish Borders to the Northern Isles, and delivered workshops to almost 150,000 children, helping them understand how to recognise and report abuse in an accessible and age appropriate way.  Continue reading NSPCC Scotland urges primary schools to help children stay safe from abuse