Tag: schools

Glennon sponsors Edinburgh Gaelic football school league

Timber processing firm Glennon Brothers has announced it is to sponsor the Edinburgh-based Gaelic football school league for three years.

The youth element of Dunedin Connollys football club was established in 2012 and Glennon Brothers will provide financial backing to fund new kits and equipment to support the newly named ‘Glennon Brothers School League’, giving something back to the Scottish community in which over half of its employees are based.

Glennon Brothers joint managing directors Mike and Pat Glennon, accompanied by David Roger, CEO of Glennon Brothers in Scotland, attended the launch event of the league on Thursday 14 March at the Irish Consulate in Edinburgh where the sponsorship was announced.

The evening kicked off with a photo opportunity for the team and its new sponsors, followed by a networking event for key VIP guests including the Irish Minister of State for Small Business, John Perry and Consul General of Ireland to Scotland, Susan Conlon, as well as industry bodies Enterprise Ireland and Scottish Enterprise.

Mike Glennon, joint Managing Director at Glennon Brothers, said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to sponsor the Edinburgh school league for Gaelic Football. We all know that involvement in sport is enormously positive for young people. Without the time, commitment, and patience of countless volunteers, and the team at Dunedin Og, many young people would miss out on the wonderful opportunities that sport can provide, and we are delighted that we can support this venture and give back to the Scottish community which is so important to the success of our business.”

Pat Glennon, joint Managing Director at Glennon Brothers, added: “This sponsorship is a key part of our celebration of 100 years in business in 2013 and clearly marks the significance of Scotland to Glennon Brothers today. We wish the Edinburgh school league every success.”

Peter Dillon, Dunedin Connollys Chairman said: “We are very grateful to Glennon Brothers for their kind and generous financial support of the Gaelic school league. It makes a huge difference for the families and children involved in the league, creating a solid foundation for us to build upon following the clubs inception last year. We are excited about spreading the word about Gaelic football to the Edinburgh youth community and are hopeful that the club will now go from strength to strength!”

GLENNON2

Council ‘inciting racism’, warns local mum

Royston Primary School closed despite community campaign

A local mum has reacted angrily to news that the city council may have to extend Granton Primary School – just a year after closing nearby Royston. Mandy Eng has written to education chiefs to express her disgust and also to warn that blaming migration for increasing school rolls could ‘make a volatile situation much worse’. 

Earlier this month, Councillor Paul Godzik, Convener of Education, Children and Families, explained the rationale behind another review of school buildings. He said: said: “One of our earliest coalition decisions was to set up a cross-party Forum on Children and Families Estate Evaluation. Parents, union and church representatives have also been invited to participate. By doing this we aim to discuss the issues in an open way from the very start of the decision making process.”

The council believes that while some of the issues are longer term and can be addressed over a number of years, immediate action may be required for five schools – Balgreen, Granton, Trinity, Victoria and Wardie – to ensure they can provide places for their catchment population in August 2013, and plans to build ‘high quality extensions if required to support parents who wish to send their child to a catchment school.’

Councillor Godzik continued: “Thriving schools like Sciennes and Stockbridge Primary schools are delivering first class education, even though space is at a premium. I think it is only right with the predicted rise in school rolls that we consider reviewing GP space across the city.”

Education leaders cite a combination of rising birth rates, migration and economic factors for causing a 5% rise in the city’s primary school population this year and an estimated rise of a further 19% by 2019. However Mandy Eng, parent of a child at Granton Primary, believes there is also another reason – school closures. In a letter to Director of Education Gillian Tee, she said:

‘I am a parent of a pupil at Granton Primary School and have just received a letter from you entitled “Rising Rolls in Primary Schools” and am absolutely furious in regard to its content.

You state that the reasons the school is under pressure to accommodate pupil numbers is “due to a combination of rising birth rates, migration and other economic factors” and this will require you to look at increasing the number of classrooms in the coming year.  However, no where do you mention that one of the other catchment schools in the area, Royston Primary, was demolished last year which would easily have accommodated this rise in number of pupils.  Having failed to acknowledge this I feel you are not taking any ownership of an issue that has obviously arisen through lack of foresight from Children and Families Dept.

I attended all of the public meetings to save Royston Primary School from closure and I myself pointed out to your representatives at the first meeting that their figures on birth rates did not equate, then again at the second meeting when the “altered” figures STILL did not equate and was then surprised to see that the slide in relation to these figures had been omitted from further presentations from yourselves.  Were the Council so desperate to close Royston and use its running costs and the sale of the land to plough elsewhere into the Council that they brushed the birth rate figures under the carpet or are your analysts incapable of working out simple projected figures?  To now be looking at spending public money on extending Granton only one year since Royston’s closure is both appalling and unacceptable.

Also by apportioning blame to “migration” I feel you are causing a feeling of resentment to the migrants in our community and I go as far as to say that the Council is inciting racism and making an already volatile situation in some areas much worse.  Already I have heard parents say that it is due to the amount of foreign children coming into the area that their child may not get a place in their catchment school and I have been forced to remind them that if we still had Royston School then this situation would never have arisen.

I am keen to know why the Council did not take information on the projected number of school age children in the area, that was easily obtainable at the time of the decision to close Royston, into consideration and who is going to take responsibility for this MASSIVE error?’

Mandy Eng told NEN: “I feel that it is something that needs to be brought to the attention of the community, and everyone needs to be made aware that there is a possibility that their child may not get a place at the school – not through “migration”, but through the council’s decision to close Royston School.”

The council is expected to Ms Eng’s letter in due course.

 

 

 

Council 'inciting racism', warns local mum

Royston Primary School closed despite community campaign

A local mum has reacted angrily to news that the city council may have to extend Granton Primary School – just a year after closing nearby Royston. Mandy Eng has written to education chiefs to express her disgust and also to warn that blaming migration for increasing school rolls could ‘make a volatile situation much worse’. 

Earlier this month, Councillor Paul Godzik, Convener of Education, Children and Families, explained the rationale behind another review of school buildings. He said: said: “One of our earliest coalition decisions was to set up a cross-party Forum on Children and Families Estate Evaluation. Parents, union and church representatives have also been invited to participate. By doing this we aim to discuss the issues in an open way from the very start of the decision making process.”

The council believes that while some of the issues are longer term and can be addressed over a number of years, immediate action may be required for five schools – Balgreen, Granton, Trinity, Victoria and Wardie – to ensure they can provide places for their catchment population in August 2013, and plans to build ‘high quality extensions if required to support parents who wish to send their child to a catchment school.’

Councillor Godzik continued: “Thriving schools like Sciennes and Stockbridge Primary schools are delivering first class education, even though space is at a premium. I think it is only right with the predicted rise in school rolls that we consider reviewing GP space across the city.”

Education leaders cite a combination of rising birth rates, migration and economic factors for causing a 5% rise in the city’s primary school population this year and an estimated rise of a further 19% by 2019. However Mandy Eng, parent of a child at Granton Primary, believes there is also another reason – school closures. In a letter to Director of Education Gillian Tee, she said:

‘I am a parent of a pupil at Granton Primary School and have just received a letter from you entitled “Rising Rolls in Primary Schools” and am absolutely furious in regard to its content.

You state that the reasons the school is under pressure to accommodate pupil numbers is “due to a combination of rising birth rates, migration and other economic factors” and this will require you to look at increasing the number of classrooms in the coming year.  However, no where do you mention that one of the other catchment schools in the area, Royston Primary, was demolished last year which would easily have accommodated this rise in number of pupils.  Having failed to acknowledge this I feel you are not taking any ownership of an issue that has obviously arisen through lack of foresight from Children and Families Dept.

I attended all of the public meetings to save Royston Primary School from closure and I myself pointed out to your representatives at the first meeting that their figures on birth rates did not equate, then again at the second meeting when the “altered” figures STILL did not equate and was then surprised to see that the slide in relation to these figures had been omitted from further presentations from yourselves.  Were the Council so desperate to close Royston and use its running costs and the sale of the land to plough elsewhere into the Council that they brushed the birth rate figures under the carpet or are your analysts incapable of working out simple projected figures?  To now be looking at spending public money on extending Granton only one year since Royston’s closure is both appalling and unacceptable.

Also by apportioning blame to “migration” I feel you are causing a feeling of resentment to the migrants in our community and I go as far as to say that the Council is inciting racism and making an already volatile situation in some areas much worse.  Already I have heard parents say that it is due to the amount of foreign children coming into the area that their child may not get a place in their catchment school and I have been forced to remind them that if we still had Royston School then this situation would never have arisen.

I am keen to know why the Council did not take information on the projected number of school age children in the area, that was easily obtainable at the time of the decision to close Royston, into consideration and who is going to take responsibility for this MASSIVE error?’

Mandy Eng told NEN: “I feel that it is something that needs to be brought to the attention of the community, and everyone needs to be made aware that there is a possibility that their child may not get a place at the school – not through “migration”, but through the council’s decision to close Royston School.”

The council is expected to Ms Eng’s letter in due course.

 

 

 

Local schoolkids – get writing!

The annual Green Pencil Award, a creative writing competition for Edinburgh children, was launched yesterday. The theme of this year’s  Award, which is run by The City of Edinburgh Council for children in the P4 –  P7 age range, is ‘Birds & Beasties’, encouraging entrants to write  about wildlife they encounter in their garden, local park etc.

Over 1,100 entries were received in 2011  with last year’s overall winner, James Macnab from Cargilfield School, winning  the prestigious Green Pencil Award Trophy for his entry ‘The Last Christmas  Tree’.

In addition to the trophy there are various  activity prizes for the winner and their class mates donated by the Scottish  Seabird Centre, RSPB, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Forestry Commission  Scotland, Forest Rangers, Scottish Natural Heritage and The Royal Zoological  Society of Scotland.

The awards will be presented on Friday 23  November at the Central Reference Library on George IV Bridge.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture and  Leisure Convener for The City of Edinburgh Council said: ‘The competition  presents a wonderful opportunity for our young people to demonstrate their  creative writing skills and to show how much they know and care about protecting  their environment. I look forward to seeing another excellent range of entries  from children throughout the city.’

Helping launch the  2012 competition, Ron Butlin, Edinburgh Makar (Poet Laureate) said: ‘The  Green Pencil Award is surely one of the most important children’s writing  competions there is. Year after year it fires up children’s imaginations about  topics that really affect us all. I’m very much looking forward to hear what the  boys and girls will say about ‘Birds & Beasties’. I know it will be  imaginative, thought-provoking – and, most of all, exciting!’

The creative writing can be either poetry or  prose but must only take up one side of A4.

The competition, run by Edinburgh City  Libraries and Eco-Schools in Edinburgh seeks to: promote literacy and creative  writing; demonstrate care and understanding of environmental issues; encourage  learning; link to Curriculum for Excellence aspirations and strengthen  partnership working between libraries, schools and other partners.

Participation is invited  through local libraries, schools and the Council website with a  closing date of Friday 12 October.

Further support for schools and teachers is  on offer this year through three Live Literature creative workshop sessions with  local schools, part funded by the Scottish Booktrust and being led by acclaimed  local authors Vivian French, Anita Govan and Lari Don.  The support to  participating schools is also being extended with a further two creative writing  sessions run by the council’s own Reader in Residence Ryan van Winkle to local  schools in Muirhouse and Portobello.

Two creative writing training sessions for  participating teachers are also being run to help inspire teachers to encourage  their classes to enter.

The main supporters for Green Pencil Award  2012 are:  The Scottish Book Trust, The Scottish Poetry Library, UNESCO City of  Literature, The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, The Royal Zoological Society of  Scotland, Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish  Seabird Centre, RSPB and the Forest Education Initiative.

Top class! Pass marks for city pupils

Thousands of Edinburgh pupils will receive the exam results they have been waiting for this morning, and early indications show performance across the City as a whole has surpassed previous years.

Across Scotland, a record number of students have passed Higher exams – the pass rate for Highers increased from 75.2% in 2011 to 76.9% this year, a rise of 7% over the past decade. An increased number of students also passed Advanced Highers and Standard Grades.

Dr Janet Brown, chief executive of the SQA, said: “The increased number of qualifications achieved by candidates not only reflects their hard work and commitment, but also the value they place on qualifications, particularly in this difficult economic climate. I want to congratulate everyone and whether they will be returning to school or college, moving on to higher education or entering the workplace, I wish them continued success.”

Education Secretary Mike Russell also congratulated students on their results.

He said: “This has been another successful year which is testament to the hard work that pupils have put into their courses. Of course, as well as being a time of celebration for many, this is also a time of uncertainty for others. Rest assured, help is available through the exam results helpline on 0808 100 8000 for those who may not have got what they needed.”

He continued: “Behind today’s statistics are thousands of individual young people, each with their own set of results and ambitions for the future. Today is a day to celebrate their achievements.”

In Edinburgh, nine thousand six hundred and fifty-four (9,654) pupils sat 45,775 exams this year, ranging in subject matter from Accounting to Woodwork.

Welcoming today’s results, Education Convener Councillor Paul Godzik said: “We are always looking to improve on performance and the information we have put together so far shows Edinburgh as a whole is up on last year – with a 1 percentage point increase in Highers across the board at S5. It’s great to see improvements in our Standard Grade pass rates too.

“This will have been a red-circle day on many calendars across the city and I want to congratulate all those who sat exams this year.  We have been working hard to make sure all school leavers enter a positive destination of employment, training or further education.

“Initiatives such as the Edinburgh Guarantee are going a long way to making this a reality for many of our ex-pupils.  This is something we are keen to build on in the coming years and look forward to seeing many more placements and positive results.”

All candidates will receive their results by means of the traditional postal delivery today, and candidates who have activated their MySQA accounts – through which they can choose to receive their exam results by text and/or email in addition to their results certificate – will also receive these by 09:00 this morning.

Got your results but need some help or advice abut what to do next? You could start with a free call to the Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Exam Results Helpline on 0808 100 8000. Open from 8am, it offers advice and support to students and parents about what options are available.

SDS Chief Executive Damien Yeates said: “The Exam Results Helpline will be live from 8am as people begin to receive their SQA qualifications. It’s there to give advice and support to students and their parents whether they are thinking about going to college or university, getting a job or a Modern Apprenticeship.”

This year students will enjoy more support than ever before thanks to the newly launched SDS Facebook page. Offering answers to common problems, handy hints for making the best career move and practical tools and advice from the My World of Work website, it also features useful links to other relevant bodies such as UCAS, SAAS and the SQA.

Mr Yeates added: “As always, our advice is not to panic – making the call is the vital first move in finding out what options are available. Often parents or carers call on behalf of their children and that can enable family discussions on the best way ahead. The helpline is about finding the right path for the individual and we have a wide range of services to help people identify and build successful careers.”

Advisers will be on hand to give unique access to information on UCAS course vacancies at colleges and universities across the UK, Confirmation and Clearing, advice about employment, training opportunities and exam re-sits.

The Exam Results Helpline will run from 8am to 8pm on August 7 and 8, then from 9am to 5pm until August 15.

You can also visit the Scottish Qualifications Authority website sqa.org.uk for further iinformation, and the UCAS website can be found at www.ucas.ac.uk to guide you through the higher education maze.

Good luck!

Hurry – be part of Speed of Light!

Want to get involved in something a bit out of the ordinary next month? Arts charity NVA’s Speed of Light project (part of  Edinburgh International Festival and London 2012 Festival) takes place from Thursday 9 August – Saturday 1 September, and there are still a number of free places available for schools or community groups to be part of this huge event on Arthurs Seat!e members.

You could be a runner or a walking member, or groups can also take up a range of volunteer posts to experience the dynamic, behind-the-scenes environment..

What is Speed of Light?

 Cast yourself in this year’s most extraordinary performance!

 This August Edinburgh’s Arthur’s Seat is the stage for a remarkable fusion of public art and sporting endeavour. The iconic volcano is brought to life in a mass choreographed act of walking and endurance running, as part of Edinburgh International Festival and London 2012 Festival.

 As a member of the walking audience you become part of the work, carrying portable light sources set against the dark features of the hill. A mesmerising visual display unfolds each night on your ascent to the summit as hundreds of runners wearing specially designed light suits take to the intricate path networks below.

 Each individual performance is created by collective action, landscape and weather, offering a rare perspective on the cityscape, night skies and the sea and hills beyond.  NVA’s Speed of Light is one of only four national projects, commissioned as part of Legacy Trust UK’s Community Celebrations programme, which aims to build a lasting legacy from the UK’s hosting of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The wider programme extends across eight of Edinburgh’s festivals throughout 2012 with a series of blogs, lectures, events and discussions investigating environmental art, human endurance and the interior experience of running.

 How can you get involved?

 There are a variety of ways in which your group can get involved with Speed of Light. A number of free places are available for schools and community groups to take part as runners or as walking audience members. Your group could also take up volunteer posts to experience the dynamic behind-the-scenes environment of this large-scale event.
This is an excellent chance for everyone to participate in an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Arthur’s Seat illuminated at night, and to be part of Scotland’s official artistic contribution to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games celebrations.
Details of all the opportunities as well as registration forms – to be completed and returned to us – are available to download below on the Speed of Life website at www.speedoflight2012.org.uk If you would like to discuss your requirements, please just get in touch with the Speed of Light team.

Dates available for groups to run and walk:

 • Wed 22 August 2012
• Thu 23 August 2012
• Wed 29 August 2012
• Thu 30 August 2012

 Dates for volunteers:

Volunteers will be required to commit to several dates in August depending on the role undertaken. For full details subscribe to the Speed of Light mailing list and visit the Volunteer page.

 Audience tickets are now on sale at www.eif.co.uk.

Olympic Reflections

 

The North Neighbourhood Olympic Torch Project came to a dramatic finale on the 30 May when participants took part in a Mini Olympians final event at Bangholm (writes Ricky Karoyan). Pupils were split into countries before taking part in various Olympic sports – from athletics to martial arts – and competing to win gold!  Pupils were awarded prizes based on effort and being a good player in keeping with the Olympic values.

The torch started it’s journey at Craigroyston Primary on Tuesday 21 February.  The torch was then delivered to St Davids and ended up at Lorne Primary on the 21 May.   As the torch travelled from school to school the pupils got to experience one of the Olympic sports, whilst also sharing the experience with a neighbouring school.  They even got to meet some Team GB Olympians, such as hockey player Graham Moodey) and athlete Lynsey Sharp, who visited schools in their Olympic Games kit!  This project involved P3’s from 11 schools from across North Edinburgh.

The activities experienced were hockey, basketball, judo, athletics, Paralympics events, handball, taekwondo, seated volleyball, fencing and boccia.

The pupils had a great time and learned lots of exciting new sports and skills with neighbouring schools.  Active Schools were really impressed with the effort that the classes put into their class presentations and their flag and mini torch making.

A special thanks to all the schools who supported this project and for their enthusiasm and energy.  Also a big thanks to Telford College who delivered our final festival, bringing lots of energy and excitement to the event. Lets hope our mini Olympians are future Olympic athletes in the making!

Ricky Karoyan

Active Schools Coordinator, Craigroyston Cluster

Oaklands MOVEs to space!

Oaklands was transformed into a strange new galaxy last month when the school celebrated National MOVE Day. Pupils, staff and visitors boldly went to search out new worlds – and raised over £140 in the process!

Oaklands introduced the Move curriculum in July 2009. It’s a movement-based programme which combines therapy and education to develop the individual’s mobility skills. Each individual programme is set by the physiotherapist, the pupil and their family and the school staff. Using a goal-based approach, the pupil works towards agreed targets; these range from being able to raise and hold their head independently enabling them to view and interact with the world around them, to being able to walk using walking frames.

Oaklands has supported National MOVE Day – a nationwide day celebrating the achievements of children with complex disabilities and health needs – since then, and the theme this year was ‘MOVE in Space’. The school was transformed into a strange and wonderful new universe where children and visitors could take part in a magical space voyage, stopping off at various points to enjoy exciting new experiences. Cosmic!

Flora Stevenson’s update

Comely Bank’s Flora Stevenson Primary School was evacuated yesterday when asbestos was discovered during building maintenance work.

Speaking last night, Head of  Schools Mike Rosendale said: “Pupils at Flora Stevenson’s  Primary School were relocated to a local high school on Thursday morning as a  precaution, after a small amount of asbestos was disturbed. An independent  inspection was carried out on Thurdsay afternoon and has indicated  that the building  is safe. A full clean will now take place with  the aim of reopening the school on  Monday. We  would like to thank all parents and staff for their cooperation and  assistance.”

Flora Stevenson's update

Comely Bank’s Flora Stevenson Primary School was evacuated yesterday when asbestos was discovered during building maintenance work.

Speaking last night, Head of  Schools Mike Rosendale said: “Pupils at Flora Stevenson’s  Primary School were relocated to a local high school on Thursday morning as a  precaution, after a small amount of asbestos was disturbed. An independent  inspection was carried out on Thurdsay afternoon and has indicated  that the building  is safe. A full clean will now take place with  the aim of reopening the school on  Monday. We  would like to thank all parents and staff for their cooperation and  assistance.”