Tag: schools

Schools Film Competiton: information session tomorrow

Hello, Edinburgh Teachers,

The Edinburgh and Lothians Film Competition is an opportunity for your students to showcase their talent at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2019!

Open to all City of Edinburgh council & Lothians schools, come along to the teachers’ information sessions tomorrow (Thursday 31st January) at the Filmhouse to find out more about the Edinburgh and Lothians Film Competition.

Primary 1 assessments: what do you think?

Independent review team call for views.

Views are being sought on the use of standardised assessments for Primary 1 (P1) children as part of the independent review led by David Reedy.

The review is seeking views from interested parties including teachers, councils, professional associations and parent groups.

Mr Reedy is being supported by a small review team including Dr Eve Bearne and two members of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education.

Work is already underway and a programme of school visits and engagement with practitioners and other stakeholders is being developed.

David Reedy said: “I encourage anyone with an interest to get in touch with the review, particularly those with experience of the assessments during the 2018/19 academic session.” 

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “It is crucial that we have the appropriate approach to assessment in our schools and that is why I commissioned this independent review into the use of P1 assessments.

“The review will consider the evidence gathered and be led by what is best for pupils. I look forward to receiving the review’s conclusions later this year.”

School children in P1, P4, P7 and S3 complete online standardised assessments in literacy and numeracy as part of everyday learning and teaching.

The assessments are designed to help identify children’s progress, providing diagnostic information to support teachers’ professional judgement.

The review will consider and provide recommendations on the following issues:

  • the compatibility of the assessments with the play based approach in the early level of Curriculum for Excellence
  • the alignment of the assessments to the benchmarks for the early level
  • the effect of taking an on-line assessment on P1 children
  • the usefulness of the diagnostic information provided to teachers and how it supports their professional judgement
  • the implications of the review for the ongoing development of the national Gaelic Medium Education standardised assessments
  • the future of the assessments. In particular whether they should continue in line with the current continuous improvement model, be substantially modified, or be stopped.

The review will be asked to provide conclusions and recommendations on each of these issues by the end of May 2019. The recommendations of the review will then be brought back to Parliament for consideration.

If you would like to contribute to the review please email p1review@gov.scot

Independent review of P1 assessments remit.

Continue reading Primary 1 assessments: what do you think?

P1 testing: Heed the evidence, say Greens

Risk of Results Data Being ‘Invalidated’

Scottish Greens education spokesperson Ross Greer MSP has called on the Scottish Government to listen to the experts, after the Scottish Parliament’s Education Committee heard a number of concerns regarding the Scottish National Standardised Assessments at its session yesterday.

In response to a question from Mr Greer, Professor Lindsay Paterson confirmed that the differential in the age of Primary one pupils being tested – between four and six – ‘invalidates’ the use of this data beyond the level of the individual pupil, particularly given the shortage of staff who have sufficient statistical experience within local councils.

On the issue of these staff having been cut from councils over recent years, Dr Keir Bloomer of the Royal Society of Edinburgh said: “Local authorities have a declining capacity to offer support to schools.”

The committee also heard from Professor Louise Hayward that the test are extremely narrow, and do not yield a wide range of information.

Ross Greer said: “The already thin evidence base for the government’s Primary One tests is falling apart under the most basic of scrutiny.

“There is a huge difference between a four and a half year old child taking this test at the start of the school year and another pupil who takes it late in the year, by which point they could be six years old.

“Professor Paterson was clear that this significant difference and an inability to control for it when using the data, for example at school level, would simply invalidate it.

“An evidence-led approach in the first place would have avoided so many of these problems but the SNP ploughed on without one. It’s time that they listen to experts, to teachers and to parents, like any responsible government should.”

Edinburgh Schools Urged to Spread Charity’s Festive Cheer

SCHOOLS in Edinburgh are being offered the chance to help create a ‘living’ advent calendar for children in hospital so they don’t miss out on the magic of Christmas.

The Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity’s (ECHC) ‘Big Christmas Door Appeal’ will see a different door in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (RHSC) open each day from the 1st-24th December, with special surprise behind each one.

With visits from the Scottish Ballet in their Cinderella costumes and from Hearts and Hibs football teams, the charity is ensuring children undergoing treatment have a smile on their face this Christmas.

This charity is urging schools in Edinburgh to get involved by decorating classroom doors to create a magical Christmas wonderland and fundraise.

Schools can then take photos of the artistically styled doors and share across social channels using the #bigschristmasdoor.

Sue Diamond, Community Fundraising Manager at ECHC, said: “It’s a wonderful opportunity to unite the whole school in something creative and fun over the festive period.

“Not only will the children in school being having fun, they’ll be learning that they can make a real difference to other people’s lives in the process.

“In decorating the doors, the schools will be sending out an important and powerful message that children still need creative and fun stimulation while they’re in hospital.

“It’s a lovely, warm gesture from child to child in support of those in who will be receiving treatment in hospital over the Christmas period.

“Christmas is a time for family and joy, and thanks to the support of schools in the local area, we’ll be able to raise vital funds to support and complement the work of the RHSC as well as other children’s healthcare settings across Scotland.”

ECHC believe that nothing should get in the way of being a child and exist to transform the experiences of children and young people in hospital, so they can be a child first and a patient second.

The charity works to make sure that children and young people’s lives are less interrupted by illness. It distributes around £1.5 million per year in support of the work of the RHSC and other children’s healthcare settings across Scotland.

PIC: Rob McDougall