Nova Innovation to sponsor school football teams
Nova Innovation, the global leading tidal energy firm based in Leith, have announced a deal to sponsor the local Leith Primary School football teams. The deal, which will last for a period of up to 5 years, will also see ‘Socks for the Streets’, the homeless charity set up by Leith Primary School pupil Joseph Cox, benefit from a donation. Continue reading A real green deal for Leith Primary
City schools review kicks off in West Edinburgh
Plans to tackle the expected increase in pupil numbers in the west and south west of Edinburgh have been drawn up by the City of Edinburgh Council. Proposals for West Edinburgh would see Wester Hailes Education Centre and Currie Community High Schools closed and replaced by two new High Schools.
Budding film directors will have the chance to hone their film-making skills while promoting road safety thanks to a new competition for Edinburgh primary schools.
Continue reading 20mph schools road safety video competition launched
Poppyscotland Learning Competition launched
Frank Ross, the Right Honourable Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, led a special group of wreath-layers at the annual Opening Ceremony of the Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance, at the Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens yesterday. Continue reading Lord Provost opens Garden of Remembrance
The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair, the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people in the UK returns to the NEC Birmingham next year. Continue reading Building up to the Big Bang
250 health volunteers reach over 30,000 young people across 90 schools
School pupils are benefitting from the advice of their peers as part of an innovative programme aimed at reducing violent crime. Medics Against Violence is led by health professionals and was created in 2008 in response to the level of young people sustaining injuries following violent incidents. Continue reading Medics Against Violence: tackling violence in young people
A science programme focused on igniting a passion for science in primary school pupils has been expanded to ten local authority areas across Scotland. Science Minister Shirley Ann Somerville called in to Blackhall Primary School last week to see RAiSE at work in the classroom. Continue reading Science Minister visits Blackhall Primary
A campaign encouraging parents and carers to include reading, writing and numeracy in everyday activities has been expanded to children in Primaries 4 to 7. Read, Write, Count kits containing books, writing materials and numeracy resources such as dice and playing cards will be distributed to older pupils in 96 primary schools across Scotland this autumn. Continue reading Read, Write, Count programme to be expanded
Holyrood’s Education and Skills Committee is making over thirty recommendations to help address Scotland’s teacher shortages. The recommendations come after the Committee heard from over 650 teachers and trainee teachers. Continue reading Warnings from the chalkface
Earlier this year the First Minister announced that the scheme was being rolled out to all primary school children, following a trial year among P4-P7. More than three quarters of all local authority primary schools in Scotland signed up to the First Minister’s Challenge in the first year of it being introduced when it was offered to older primary school children.
Research shows reading for pleasure drops off as young people reach secondary school and the expansion of the scheme is designed to ensure young adults continue to enjoy reading long after they have left primary school.
Speaking during a visit to one of the pilot schools, St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School yesterday, the First Minister said: “I am incredibly proud of the success the First Minister’s Reading Challenge has had in nurturing a love of reading for pleasure amongScotland’s young people which is why this expansion to secondary schools is so exciting.
“I am determined to ensure we continue to promote reading as one of life’s greatest pleasures – and that young people reap the benefits of the resulting educational attainment that can be achieved.”
Michael Wilkie, Literacy Coordinator from St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School, said: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to be part of the First Minister’s Reading Challenge. Reading has been such an important aspect of our plans for raising attainment in the last few years, and this exciting initiative will be the drive to expand reading for pleasure across the entire school community.
“Plans are already in progress to engage parents to help their children be the best readers they can be, to support staff across the curriculum to confidently teach and assess reading, and to give pupils as many opportunities as possible to pick up a book and get reading. With an active and enthusiastic literacy committee and pupils who thrive on reading, we are certainly up for the challenge.’
Marc Lambert, CEO at Scottish Book Trust, which runs the programme, added:”This expansion of the First Minister’s Reading Challenge builds on the huge success of its first year and opens up the joy of reading for pleasure to all primary children. The secondary school pilot will focus on a key age group, among whom reading for pleasure can tail off due to the pressures on time that come with high school.
“The Reading Challenge will focus attention on this, giving pupils more opportunities to share and celebrate what they love reading, delve deeper into writing and discover different ways to enjoy books.”
