Schools in Scotland are being warned to take precautions amid fears of a rise in crime over the summer holidays as cost of living soars.
As many schools across the country close their doors for the summer holidays, specialist insurer Ecclesiastical says schools will be an attractive target for criminals over the coming months.
Ecclesiastical is encouraging residents in Scotland who live near local schools to be vigilant this summer and report any unusual or suspicious activity they notice on school grounds.
Ecclesiastical has reported an uptick in schools being targeted over the summer months including vandalism, arson, break-ins, smashed windows, theft of lead from roofs and stolen laptops. In July last year, Kirkmichael Primary School1 in Perthshire was targeted by vandals who damaged the school’s playground including greenhouse and nursery playhouse.
Now with Covid-19 restrictions lifted and against a challenging economic backdrop and soaring prices, there are worries there will be a large spike in criminal activity.
Faith Kitchen, customer segment director at Ecclesiastical Insurance, said: “Schools are far more vulnerable during the summer holidays when school buildings are closed and largely unoccupied, tempting opportunists. It is vital that schools take steps to protect their premises from unscrupulous offenders.
“There are a number of measures schools can take to better secure school property and assets, which would ideally be a combination of both physical and electronic protection.
“Fencing around the perimeter can often offer a good first line of defence against unwanted visitors, while CCTV can act as a visual deterrent for those not wanting to be caught on camera. Vigilance from the local community can be a huge help.
“We urge those who live near schools to be vigilant this summer and report any unusual or suspicious activity they notice on school grounds.”
How to protect schools in Scotland this summer
Ensure CCTV systems have remote 24/7 monitoring services. Monitoring and alerting the police is far more effective than tracing criminals after a crime has taken place.
Install remotely monitored intruder alarms and change alarm security codes and passwords on a regular basis.
Install security lighting systems that have motion sensors to detect body movements.
Restrict access to school premises. Well-designed perimeter security such as walls, fences and electric security gates, and anti-climb paint help to prevent people from getting onto school sites.
Restrict vehicular access to the school site. Locate any designated parking as far from the school building as possible. The further thieves have to travel on foot the greater the risk of detection.
Use security marking systems such as SmartWater which can help with successful prosecution of thieves.
Ask the local community near your school to be vigilant and report any unusual or suspicious activity they notice on school grounds.
Inform neighbourhood watch schemes / police liaison officers of planned work over the holidays as thieves might pose as contractors.
Seek advice. Specialist insurers can offer advice and expertise to help schools manage security risks. Insurers can offer a combination of onsite and remote risk management services including security assessments and advice, alongside broader property protection and building valuation services.
Ecclesiastical Insurance offers a range of risk management support and guidance to help schools manage the risks they face.
Package of measures will increase childcare support for parents, boost the number of childminders and drive take up of childcare offers, to address rising costs
The UK government has today announced ambitious new plans to improve the cost, choice and availability of childcare that will benefit hundreds of thousands of parents across the country.
The UK has some of the highest-quality childcare provision in the world with 96% of early years settings rated by Ofsted as good or outstanding, but it is also one of the biggest costs facing working families today. This means some families, in particular women, feel they are not able to return to the workplace after giving birth due to the high cost of putting their child into paid care.
With the cost of living continuing to rise, the UK government says it is committed to doing everything it can to support families with their finances while keeping people in high-wage, secure jobs that help grow the economy. New plans are being set out today to ensure high-quality and affordable childcare is accessible to all.
To drive down costs for providers and parents, a new consultation will look at increasing the number of children that can be looked after by each staff member in early years settings.
It will propose changing staff-to-child ratios from 1:4 to 1:5 for two-year-olds, giving providers more flexibility in how they run their businesses while maintaining safety and quality of care. Childcare for children aged 0-2 is the most expensive for providers to deliver, largely given the need for higher supervision levels.
This could potentially eventually reduce the cost of this form of childcare by up to 15%, or up to £40 per week for a family paying £265 per week for care for their 2-year-old, if providers adopt the changes and pass all the savings on to parents.
Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi said: “Every child deserves a great start in life and that means giving families the support they need.
Childcare is an integral part of our economy, and these reforms prove again that this government is on the side of working families. I’m hugely grateful to the thousands of dedicated early years professionals who provide daily care and education to our youngest children, which is why I am determined to support them by giving them greater flexibility in how they run their services.
This in turn will support thousands of families across the country, helping to develop children’s skills while also supporting parents into work.
The Westminster government will also increase choice and affordability for parents by taking action to open up the childminder market.
While early years settings such as nurseries are the most popular option for families, childminders are generally the most affordable and flexible form of childcare. While the average cost of a two-year-old attending a nursery for 50 hours a week in England is £265 per week, this compares to £236 with a childminder. The government will support more people to become childminders by:
Reducing the upfront costs of becoming a childminder via financial support;
Allowing childminders to spend more of their time working from a greater range of locations – for example a local community centre or village hall rather than their own home;
Giving childminders greater flexibilities within the ratios when looking after their own children or siblings of other children;
Working with Ofsted to reduce inspection of childminders; and
Slimming down the childminder specific Early Years Foundation Stage, reducing the framework by one-third to ensure content is targeted and simpler to navigate.
Government will streamline the Ofsted registration process for providers. More providers registering would mean that parents have a wider choice of providers on which to use these schemes, to pay for childcare that supports their working lives.
The government will also encourage the growth of Childminder Agencies (CMAs). CMAs could ultimately become major players in the childcare market – stimulating competition and driving down costs while providing parents with more options for care. CMAs are central bodies that remove the individual administrative and regulatory burden on childminders, as well as often providing parents with tools such as mobile apps through which to book their childcare.
Minister for Children and Families Will Quince said: “I’m proud of the excellent quality of childcare and early education in England, which is a huge asset to working parents. But too many are struggling to balance work with childcare costs.
“We know there are thousands of parents who are eligible for government support but not taking it up. That’s why we want to increase awareness of the existing childcare offers, allow providers to provide services more flexibly and make sure funding gets where it is needed most.”
Also announced today is an additional £10 million investment for Maintained Nursery Schools, into the supplementary funding they receive from 2023-24.
These settings often care for some of the most disadvantaged children in the country and have additional costs that other early years settings do not – such as the requirement to have a headteacher – because they are constituted as schools.
Since the introduction of the Early Years National Funding Formula in 2017, the UK government has provided supplementary funding for these nurseries to protect their funding levels.
This additional funding forms part of a separate consultation on plans to reform how early years funding is distributed around England, to ensure the system is fair, effective and responsive to changing levels of need.
The UK government has spent more than £4 billion each year for the last five years helping families with the cost of childcare, but almost one million eligible families have not taken up their right to Tax-Free Childcare, which is worth £2,000 per year or £4,000 for children with disabilities. Universal Credit Childcare allows families to reclaim 85% of their childcare costs, worth up to £1,108 per month.
The government is also driving a renewed campaign via the Childcare Choices website so parents can access the support they are entitled to, through a ramped-up marketing campaign backed by £1.2 million, which launched last week. This will also encourage providers to take the necessary steps to offer the full range of childcare support to parents using their services.
Exchequer Secretary Helen Whately said: “Tax-Free Childcare provides a helping hand with childcare costs for working families but thousands of parents could be missing out.
“With almost one million families eligible, I want to encourage parents to take advantage of this support of up to £2,000 per year for each child.”
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Thérèse Coffey said: “We want more people to take up Universal Credit childcare financial support that is available now to help working families.
“We also want more childcare providers to register with Ofsted and unlock more places that can be subsidised to help with the cost of living.”
The government also offers 15 hours per week of free childcare or early education for all 3- and 4-year-olds, rising to 30 hours for working families, and 15 hours for disadvantaged 2-year-olds.
The Government recently announced that eight million of the most vulnerable households (around a third of all UK households) will receive £1,200 this year and all families will receive £400 – this is on top of changes to Universal Credit, National Living Wage and National Insurance thresholds, so that people keep more of what they earn.
This takes total government cost of living support to over £37 billion – higher than other major economies around the world.
Gemma, from Portsmouth, a mum of one uses Tax-Free Childcare. She said: As a working mum, it can be tough balancing childcare. But Tax-Free Childcare allows me to free up cash that can cover the costs of other things – when you’re talking about saving 20% of your childcare costs it can make a big difference.
The Government has recently launched a new website which brings government support on offer together in one place so the public can see what support they could be eligible for: www.gov.uk/costoflivingsupport
Featuring on radio, social media and bus stop advertising, the campaign aims to increase parents’ awareness and understanding of the childcare support available to them from the government, and maximise the number of people who take up our offer. This will coincide with the school summer holidays, maximising take up over the long break and beyond.
The campaign will signpost to parents, bringing together in one place the support available through Universal Credit, Tax-Free Childcare and 15-30 hours free childcare, clearly setting out eligibility requirements and providing a handy calculator so parents can estimate their entitlement. We will also look at simplifying the website further to make it as easy as possible for parents to understand the support available.
Universal Credit’s childcare offer can save families hundreds of pounds each month – for example, a single parent with a young child who works in social care three days a week could benefit by around £500 a month if they claimed support for their childcare costs.
Tax-Free Childcare helps working families, including the self-employed, to reduce their household costs and keep more of what they earn. Working parents with annual salaries of up to £100,000 can get up to £2,000 of childcare support each year, or £4,000 for children with disabilities.
Recent Tax-Free Childcare statistics from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have revealed that 512,415 families received up to £2,000 towards the cost of their childcare during the 2021 to 2022 tax year, up from 374,135 in the previous year. More than 384,000 families used Tax-Free Childcare in March 2022 – the highest monthly number of families recorded using the scheme since it was launched in April 2017.
The announcements follow visits by Children’s Minister Will Quince to the Netherlands, Sweden, France and Scotland – whose staff:child ratios for two-year-olds the consultation launched today seeks to mirror.
The Government will also explore how to improve recruitment and retention of staff in the sector, giving parents as much confidence in the care their child receives as possible.
Over 2,000 pupils to be involved via classrooms and online events
The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour will bring two fantastic authors into schools this summer.
Ross Mackenzie, the recent winner of the Scottish Teenage Book Prize, will visit primary schools in Perth and Kinross as well as online from Monday 20 to Tuesday 21 June. As part of the tour he will discuss his latest novel, The Colour of Hope, a powerful adventure of a world purged of colour by an evil Emperor and the remarkable girl who might just be able to restore light and brightness to a drab, grey empire. Ross will explain how he creates his immensely likeable characters and vivid fantasy worlds, with time for pupils to ask questions.
Kate Gilby-Smith, author of Olive Jones and the Memory Thief, will visit primary schools in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and West Lothian from Thursday 23 to Friday 24 June. She will talk about Olive Jones and the Memory Thief, an ideal read for any budding scientists, tech industry pioneers and daydreamers. Kate will also use brilliant interactive activities to get children thinking about how they can come up with their own futuristic gadgets.
Ross Mackenzie is a multi award-winning author of books for children, including The Nowhere Emporium, which won the Blue Peter Book Award. He grew up in Renfrew, just outside Glasgow, and knew from a young age that he wanted to be a writer.
Kate Gilby-Smith is a children’s author and publicist based in London. While daydreaming during a philosophy of time travel seminar at the University of Edinburgh, she first had the idea for her debut book, The Astonishing Future of Alex Nobody.
The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour is supported by Scottish Friendly and organised by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing. During the pandemic, the tour has been delivered virtually throughout classrooms in Scotland, with educational watch on demand video content viewed over 100,000 times.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said:“It’s wonderful that the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour is able to visit pupils both in person and via online events.
“Thanks to this, we are able to visit more classrooms than ever before, and this tour alone will reach over 2,000 pupils. Both Ross and Kate are great storytellers, and we are sure they will inspire pupils across a range of ages.”
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is educating young people about the detrimental impacts of air pollution and what can be done to tackle it as part of Clean Air Day.
Schools, businesses, local authorities and other organisations across Scotland, and beyond, are taking part in Clean Air Day – a national air quality campaign. Now in its sixth year, Clean Air Day’s theme is ‘Air pollution impacts our health from our first breath to our last’.
Air quality sensors are being installed at a number of schools across Scotland this week (June 13 – 17) as part of SEPA’s work. These have been installed at the request of the schools and will allow pupils to access real time air quality data, identifying issues such as vehicle idling around pick-up and drop-off times or even regional pollution events depending on the weather.
The pupils will then use this information to help put into practice positive actions they are learning through SEPA and Glasgow Science Centre’s ‘Our Amazing Air’ education programme to reduce air pollution.
Over the last six weeks as part of ‘Our Amazing Air’, youngers have been taking part in bespoke lessons and experiments about air pollution, how it affects our health and the environment and what positive steps can be taken to tackle the issue. This project has been delivered in conjunction with Glasgow Science Centre, as part of its long running partnership with SEPA.
SEPA has contributed to teaching materials for ‘Our Amazing Air’, with air quality experts visiting some of the participating schools and speaking directly to pupils about these issues.
The pupils have been keen to ask the experts about the serious issues and impacts around air quality and to discuss the practical measures that can be put in place to reduce overall pollution levels. The children have also been busy producing artwork and colourful banners to be displayed outside their schools.
Dr Colin Gillespie, SEPA’s Air Modelling Unit Manager, said: “Good air quality is essential for a good quality of life, helping maintain human health and wellbeing and our climate and habitats. It is also vital in our work towards becoming a net zero nation.
“There are many ways to improve air quality but, like climate change, it is vital to involve younger generations and inform them about the issues facing our environment today.
“Everyone has a part to play in helping to improve air quality and tackle pollution – and education is a vital part of this. SEPA works with local authorities and schools across the country to promote, educate and inform about air pollution. This year’s ‘Our Amazing Air’ programme was a great way to teach children about air pollution, how it impacts our health and the environment and what positive steps we can take.
“Clean Air Day gives everyone an important opportunity to consider how we can change or adapt our behaviour to improve the quality of our air and spread the positive message about the benefits of clean air.”
John Bynorth, Policy and Communications Officer at Environmental Protection Scotland, which coordinates Clean Air Day on behalf of the Scottish Government, said: “We are delighted with SEPA’s work to promote efforts for children to learn about air quality across schools in Scotland on Clean Air Day.
“These citizen science projects help young people better understand air pollution impacts and pollution sources. This contributes to their households making informed choices about the simple steps they can take to reduce their contribution and exposure to pollution and encourage cycling and walking.
“There is an ever-increasing body of evidence that suggests air pollution affects every part of the human body, from the lungs and heart to the brain, and even during pregnancy. On Clean Air Day, we can all do something to cut air pollution to benefit our health and the planet. On June 16, let us all work together to make Scotland’s air quality the best in Europe.”
Air pollution monitoring
SEPA initially started educational work around air pollution monitoring with a national teaching package (www.learnaboutair.com), that was developed with North Lanarkshire Council. Through the years, SEPA has extended its work into the classrooms up and down the country, working with more than half of Scotland’s local authorities on air pollution monitoring and educational projects.
Where possible, SEPA has been undertaking air quality monitoring around schools (on request or in partnership with local authorities) and this information is provided to allow pupils to learn about air pollution and how they can take steps to reduce air pollution around their schools.
School pupils in Edinburgh have helped mark Clean Air Day 2022 by pledging their own clean air goals.
This year, Clean Air Day highlights the negative impact poor air quality can have on our health, encouraging people to leave the car at home and take alternative, more sustainable modes of transport like walking, cycling or public transport where possible.
Sciennes was the first primary school in Edinburgh to set up a ‘bike bus’ – where children, parents and marshals group together to cycle, walk or wheel along an agreed route to school.
It was also amongst the first nine schools to introduce ‘School Streets’, which restricts cars outside the gates at the start and end of the day to create safe and welcoming environments for travel by foot, bike or wheel.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, joined pupils yesterday to find out about their efforts to travel sustainably, as well as sharing some of the work to improve air quality and support environmentally friendly travel across Edinburgh.
This includes a Low Emission Zone, which was formally introduced on 31 May and will limit the most polluting motor vehicles in the city centre.
He said:“We all have a right to breathe clean air and today we’re reminded just how important that is to our health and wellbeing. I’m proud to see our youngest residents engaged in the conversation about better air quality – they will be the catalysts for change.
“We owe it to future generations to do everything we can to create a cleaner, greener city for everyone. Thankfully there’s already lots going on – just last month the Council introduced a Low Emission Zone in Edinburgh, which will tackle air pollution in the densely populated city centre, with knock-on improvements to air quality expected across the wider city area. This will save lives.
“This is just one of a number of tools at our disposal to reduce air pollution. From investment in public transport, including bringing the tram to Newhaven, to transforming the city centre and areas around Edinburgh through our 20-minute neighbourhood programme, which encourages people to travel locally in ways that are cleaner, greener and improve our wellbeing, and progressing major walking, wheeling and cycling projects like George Street and City Centre West to East Link, I want to support people to make healthy, sustainable transport choices.”
John Bynorth, Policy and Communications Officer at Environmental Protection Scotland said: “The main thing we’re focusing on with this year’s national air quality campaign is that air pollution affects every part of your body.
“A lot of people know about the impacts relating to conditions like asthma, bronchitis and heart and lung disease but there’s emerging evidence that it affects your brain and cognitive ability and there’s research into how it affects unborn babies in pregnancy.
“It’s really fantastic what Edinburgh’s doing with Clean Air Day, particularly so soon after the launch of the Low Emission Zone, which is going to make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of people in the Capital.”
Lucy Gallagher, Acting Head Teacher of Sciennes Primary School, said: “We are very pleased to continue our support for Clean Air Day to raise awareness of children’s right to good health and to promote active travel. Our young people know that air pollution can harm the human body.
“They also know that young people are even more at risk and so they want to speak out to make a difference! We would like all our children to have clean air every day on their safe and active route to school.
Activities have been taking place in schools around the Capital in the lead-up to Clean Air Day. Pupils from Stenhouse, Craiglockhart and St Mary’s RC Leith primary schools have each designed clean air banners for their school gates as part of a dedicated poster competition launched jointly by SEPA and the Council.
Blackhall and St Mary’s East London Street primary schools have created banners through Our Amazing Air, a learning programme run by Glasgow Science Centre and SEPA.
On Thursday, children from Preston Street Primary School shared their ‘Clean Air Heroes’ with each other before cheering on classmates leaving school by foot, wheel or bike and at Canal View Primary School an air quality sensor was installed this week so pupils can learn about air pollution.
A new, dedicated webpage, Future Edinburgh, was also established this week to highlight projects underway or in planning that aim to address climate change, population growth and poverty, as well as tackling issues like air pollution and congestion.
Amongst initiatives are the development of 20-minute neighbourhoods to create a network of healthier, greener and thriving local areas where everyone can meet most of their daily needs within a short walk, wheel or cycle from their home, City Centre Transformation and Trams to Newhaven.
Next month, for Childhood Day, schools across Scotland and the rest of the UK will come together to raise funds for the NSPCC. This will help us deliver our services and support children across the country.
Childhood Day is the charity’s flagship fundraising event, when the public are encouraged to embrace their inner child, celebrating play to put the fun into fundraising.
As part of the celebration on 10 June, we are encouraging schools and nurseries to take part in The Big Breaktime – an extra hour of play with pupils, staff and parents being encouraged to give a small donation towards funding vital NSPCC projects, like Childline.
https://youtu.be/mMcOHBaKkN0
Schools can sign up for The Big Breaktime via the NSPCC’s Childhood Day hub The Big Breaktime | NSPCC From there, they will be able to download lots of exciting resources to help them plan a Big Breaktime in their school.
To sign up to the Big Breaktime, all you have to do is visit the NSPCC website, search for The Big Breaktime and fill in your school’s details with the registration form.
The South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) has developed a range of new and exciting educational materials about the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands for inclusion in this year’s Hanson Box – an initiative by the Don Hanson Charitable Foundation which donates a box full of fun learning material, activities and lesson plans completely free of charge to 8000 schools in the UK and UK Overseas Territories.
Each year’s box contains a different set of specially crafted resources designed to help teachers inspire their students. For the first time, materials about South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands will be included, thanks to SGHT and the Friends of the British Overseas Territories (FOTBOT).
SGHT paid for the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands contents of 5000 of the 8000 boxes, with FOTBOT contributing the remaining 3000.
Six beautifully shot and incredibly engaging short films have been created by writer and film maker Stewart McPherson to sit alongside a booklet and a map of the island as well as two competitions whose winning entries will be displayed on South Georgia.
There are also links to download lessons about South Georgia for primary school students developed by teacher Dawn Clements, one of which features the journey of a character called Winona the Whale, to help young children understand the challenges of our marine mammals.
The tiny island of South Georgia is an inspirational place hailed as a beacon of hope in international conservation terms, due to the recovery of its ecosystem.
Through the Hanson Box initiative SGHT can tell the island’s remarkable story to engage young people in the wonderful wildlife and conservation work that is taking place there and to encourage them that they can make a difference to environmental outcomes.
The films really bring to life this amazing story and include an overview of these sub-Antarctic islands, their bird life, marine mammals and marine life, their history and heritage, and the conservation of wildlife that is turning back the clock on two centuries of human impact. Working with the Hanson Box initiative, SGHT hopes to inspire a new generation of environmental custodians.
SGHT, the Scottish-based charity that has developed the educational materials for the Hanson Boxes, has been working on the island since 2005, in close partnership with the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands.
Its hugely successful Habitat Restoration Project has reversed two centuries of human-induced damage to the island’s wildlife, eradicating the mice and rats that arrived as stowaways on sealing and whaling vessels from the late 18th century onwards that preyed on ground-nesting and burrowing birds.
As a result, millions of birds reclaimed their ancestral home when South Georgia was declared rodent-free in May 2018 – the largest invasive species eradication in the world.
Stewart McPherson,whose generosity and talent created the wonderful booklet, films, printed lesson plans and competitions for the box said: ‘South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are as captivating as they are important in terms of international conservation.
“That is why it has been a pleasure to work on such an exciting project which brings together such a wealth of information, which I hope will inspire young people to a greater understanding and wonder of our natural world and in particular the importance of these tiny islands.’
Alison Neil, Chief Executive of SGHT, said:‘The work of SGHT focuses on the conservation of South Georgia’s heritage and helping to change the habitat there for the better.
“The opportunity to have materials included in the Hanson Box is incredible as we are delighted to share the wonder of this special place and hopefully encourage young people to get inspired about our natural world using the fantastic turnaround in South Georgia’s fortunes in recent years.’
photographed whilst working on the South Georgia Heritage Trust’s Rat Eradication Project in South Gerogia , Antarctica on February 08 2018. Photo: Oliver Prince
Andrew Fox and Simon Leary, Trustees of the Don Hanson Charitable Foundation, said: ‘We are delighted to work together with SGHT to donate high quality, educational resources to 8,000 schools across the UK.
“As hyper-concentrated breeding sites for tens of millions of seabirds and marine mammals which migrate across the Southern Ocean, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are of global importance.
“The South Georgia resource pack included in the latest Hanson Box is intended to inspire the interests of British students in this history, wildlife and landscapes of this fascinating UK Overseas Territory, as well as showcasing the inspiring work undertaken by the SGHT and the GSGSSI to safeguard these islands for the future.’
To find out more about the work of SGHT in relation to the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands visit www.sght.org and to find out more about Hanson Boxes visit www.hansonbox.org
Former Jewish-German child refugee Henry Wuga MBE, who came to Glasgow with the Kindertransport, returned to Central Station on Friday to launch a new learning programme with high school pupils.
Mr Wuga, 98, joined Poppyscotland and Gathering the Voices to help launch new lessons for Scottish schools, based on his story and that of other young refugees during the Second World War.
Pupils will also be encouraged to reflect these incredible stories and on the issues facing more recent child refugees, including millions of Ukrainians fleeing their war-torn country today.
Aged just 15, Mr Wuga escaped the horrors of Nazi Germany in 1939, leaving his parents behind in Nuremberg. He went on to make Scotland his home, marrying Ingrid, who also escaped via the Kindertransport, and managing his own catering business.
Mr Wuga met 10 S2 pupils from Shawlands Academy under the clock at Central Station, where he first arrived in Scotland. That was followed by a discussion between Henry and the students about his experiences, the Holocaust, and modern child refugees to Scotland.
The school has piloted Poppyscotland’s 10 lesson activity pack, written by Alison McFarlane, a History and Modern Studies teacher from Oban High School. The engaging and factual content focuses on the video testimonies of three Kindertransport escapees and Holocaust survivors, Mr Wuga, Rosa Sacharin and Karola Regent.
The new suite of resources will further enhance Poppyscotland’s vast Learning programme and are designed to help pupils understand the plight of Jewish people under the Nazi regime and the experiences of young refugees then and now.
Mr Wuga chatted to the pupils about their thoughts on the lessons and answered some thought-provoking questions.
The only son of successful caterers, Mr Wuga enjoyed a happy childhood before the Nazis took power. Then, he witnessed growing anti-Semitism, from bullying at school to the horrors of Kristallnacht in 1938, when Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues were attacked.
As tensions increased, his mother secured him a place on the Kindertransport, an international humanitarian programme that brought around 10,000 children to Britain in the months leading up to the outbreak of war. After arriving in Glasgow, he went on to attend school and work on a farm in Perthshire before being wrongly accused of espionage after writing letters to his parents in Germany
His name was cleared, and after the war ended, he returned to Glasgow, where he took a job as a chef. Sadly, his father died of a heart attack during an air raid in 1941, but he was able to bring his mother, who had survived the war thanks to the help of a Catholic neighbour, to Scotland. His wife, Ingrid, also lost many close relatives and friends during the Holocaust.
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Mr Wuga said: “It was very interesting meeting the pupils and answering their questions. I think it’s so important to share my story with a new generation while I can.
“When I first arrived here 83 years ago it was a shock – I didn’t speak the language well, the food and customs were new. But Glasgow was very welcoming and I made it my home.”
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Gordon Michie, Poppyscotland’s Head of Fundraising and Learning, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Mr Wuga for supporting us and sharing his harrowing story with a new generation of Scottish children.
“His first-hand testimony is an important addition to our learning programme and will encourage young young people to reflect on issues that are all too relevant today.
“Sadly, millions of children throughout the world continue to be uprooted from their homes, escaping war, persecution, and poverty. We hope this will promote a wider understanding of refugees’ experiences, then and now, the challenges they face when arriving in Scotland.”
The Gathering the Voices Association is a project to record audio and video testimonies from Holocaust refugees who have a connection to Scotland, and educate current and future generations about their resilience.
It is made up of three ‘second generation’ refugees and their partners, who have collected more than 50 interviews which are freely at www.gatheringthevoices.com.
Dr Angela Shapiro, from the Gathering the Voices Association said: “We hope that by focusing on the stories of Mr Wuga and other young refugees, this will help bring the lessons to life.
“Young people can learn about the Holocaust and the resilience of the refugees who escaped from Nazi-occupied Europe, and the lessons we can all learn from those who lived through it.”
Water Safety Scotland (WSS), in partnership with Education Scotland, has officially launched its first instalment of free water safety educational resources for schools and practitioners in Scotland.
Water Safety Scotland, which is committed to reducing accidental drowning deaths in Scotland by 50 per cent by 2026, introduced the initiative to provide a consistent level of learning across Scotland’s educational institutions in a bid to equip Scottish youth with the knowledge and skills required to reduce water-based accidents.
Laura Erskine, Water Safety Scotland’s Education Subgroup Chair, said: “On average, there are 96 water-related fatalities in Scotland each year. We aim to reduce the number of deaths from accidental drowning by 50 per cent by 2026 by driving a generational change in water safety in Scotland.
“We want to encourage safe and responsible access to Scotland’s waterways, which can be a positive and enjoyable experience for young people when coupled with appropriate risk awareness and education.”
The materials aim to provide consistent and curriculum-aligned information which feeds into a full progression pathway created specifically for water safety in Scotland. Starting from children aged 3, the resource set will instruct and inform young people right up to the age of 18 and has been endorsed by a wealth of supporting partner agencies.
Gayle Gorman, Chief Executive of Education Scotland said: “Every year we hear of tragic accidents taking place in Scotland’s waters as many young people are not aware of the dangers of swimming in open waters.
“That is why we welcomed the opportunity to work with Water Safety Scotland to develop educational materials that aim to increase awareness of water safety. We hope that this information will reach as many children and young people as possible to ensure they are aware of the dangers that come with going into open water.”
Scheduled for a staggered release over the next nine months, the first set of lessons is being released on Tuesday, April 26. Specifically focusing on the Third/Fourth level within the five tiers of the Scottish curriculum, it can be accessed via Education Scotland’s National Hub or through the Water Safety Scotland website.
Intrinsically linked to WSS’ Water Safety Code, which was created to help people enjoy Scotland’s waterways as safely as possible, it follows three key pieces of advice:
• Stop and Think, Spot the Dangers
• Stay Together, Stay Close
• In an Emergency, Call 999.
Education is a key part of Scotland’s Drowning Prevention Strategy, which has now entered its fifth year. An interim review was published earlier this year and was launched by the Minister for Community Safety, Ash Regan, along with the Ministerial Action Plan for Water Safety.
Community Safety Minister Ash Regan said: “I would like to thank Education Scotland, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and Water Safety Scotland for their excellent collaborative work in creating this fantastic resource which will help to educate children about keeping themselves and their friends safe around water.
“This is a vital part of the work being taken forward across Scotland to improve public safety, including the recent launch of the Water Safety Action Plan drawn up by the Scottish Government and a range of key partners.”
Water Safety Scotland aims to roll out the next phase of this initiative in late May and will continue this strategy during the rest of 2022.
Medical Research Scotland, Scotland’s largest independent medical research charity, has helped more than 350 young people across Scotland connect with the country’s leading scientists and academics to learn about further education and careers in medical science.
Reaching 350 pupils from more than 30 schools across the country, the Medical Research Scotland Academy aims to inspire the next generation of scientists so they can play a role in addressing the STEM skills shortage in Scotland.
The participating local Edinburgh schools were St George’s School, Stewart’s Melville College, The Edinburgh Academy and The Mary Erskine School
S4, S5 and S6 pupils joined the Medical Research Scotland Academy for a month of live-streamed interactive lessons broadcast to science classrooms across Scotland – from Aberdeen to Dumfries.
The programme was provided to schools free of charge, featuring inspiring young scientists at the cutting edge of their field alongside senior university lecturers. The bitesize sessions are also available on-demand at medicalresearchscotland.org.uk.
One school to benefit was Bishopbriggs Academy where pupils learned about medical research into viruses, the brain, sleep and parasites alongside many other topics from research scientists at the University of Aberdeen, University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh, University of St Andrews and the University of Strathclyde.
Lesley Dawson, teacher at Bishopbriggs Academy, said:“While the pandemic has caused huge challenges for the education sector, it has also inspired our pupils to find out more about medical research and they were excited to access this live streamed education programme.
“The Medical Research Scotland Academy was an opportunity to connect our students with inspirational scientists. The webinar series has ignited our pupils’ passion for science and provided a taste of the higher education and career opportunities open to them.”
Medical Research Scotland works tirelessly to improve health in Scotland by funding world-class research into the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases.
Professor Heather Wallace, PhD (Aberdeen), Chair of Medical Research Scotland, said: “Scotland has a proud tradition of developing world class research scientists making pioneering discoveries and improving global health.
“Through the Medical Research Scotland Academy, we aimed to inspire and connect the next generation with Scotland’s leading medical professionals and academics. Bringing together schools from across the country, we’ve seen first-hand the huge interest in medical science amongst school leavers.”
Scotland’s headteachers will receive more than half a billion pounds of secured funding over the next four years to help close the attainment gap.
Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) totalling £520 million will be distributed to schools in every council area to help headteachers put in place more support for children and young people.
Edinburgh’s share of PEF is over £7.86 million.
The funding has been confirmed for multiple years to provide more certainty for headteachers and allow for longer-term planning.
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Tackling the poverty-related attainment gap and giving every young person the chance to fulfil their full potential remains our priority, and we are investing an increased £1 billion through schools and local authorities over the course of this Parliament to support this ambition.
“Our headteachers and teachers know their pupils best and have told us that our measures are working. We are determined to ensure they are empowered to take the approaches that are right for the children and young people in their schools to help improve attainment.
“Our allocation of more than £520 million of PEF for the next four years will give headteachers the confidence and security they need to plan long term. However, we know schools can’t do this alone, and headteachers should work in partnership with each other, Education Scotland and their local authority, to agree the use of the funding.”
St Francis Primary School headteacher Margot MacAlister said: “Pupil Equity Funding has been key in allowing me to deliver my vision for the community I serve. From the beginning it has provided me with stability in terms of funding posts previously reliant on my devolved budget.
“This has allowed me to build purposeful and trusting working relationships with partners over time that bring a great richness to a child’s learning experience.
“Our nurture programme and now our EXCEL programme has become embed in the culture and ethos of the school and addresses the whole child now and in the future.”
