Welcome to SPTC’s August newsletter! For parents of senior pupils who now have results, we’ve compiled some of the best resources for students and parents of students about post exam life below. For all parents, we’re also busy planning our stand at this years’ Scottish Learning Festival – details on how to sign up can be found below.

We’re now into our 2015 – 2016 membership year and we’ve received loads of renewal forms from you. However if your Parent Council or PTA normally has SPTC membership and you haven’t renewed, then your membership has expired! Please get in touch if you cannot find your form – we can send you out a replacement. Your Parent Council may also be part of a local authority that pays for group membership – this means all Parent Councils in the local authority have SPTC membership. To check if your local authority is a group member then please visit the website.

Parents Connect 2015

This year SPTC will again be part of our Parents Connect stand at the Scottish Learning Festival along with NPFS, the Scottish Government and Education Scotland, plus some guest organisations. The festival takes place at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow on 23 and 24 September. It’s totally free to register and, if you are representing your PC and PTA, you could even use your parent group funds to pay for travel! If you can’t make the SLF, why not encourage teachers from your school to pop along to Parents Connect? We’ll have information on our new Partnership Schools project as well as other information and resources. You can see the programme at Parents Connect here

My World of Work needs you!

My World of Work is a web based tool kit offering support and resources for those finishing their education and moving on into the world of work. There is a section on the website specifically for parent and carers and My World of Work would like to find out how well this is working. Send them a direct message on Twitter or Facebook them to give your feedback.

Health and Safety blog

Judith Hackitt, chair of the Health and Safety Executive, has written a great blog post all about the importance of outdoor play and (some!) freedom for kids. You can read this here. Meanwhile if you’ve ever had any queries about health and safety the HSE website has a great section, busting commonly held myths around health and safety – take a look here.

Partnership Schools Update

We’re excited to announce that we have begun to roll out our Partnership Schools programme in three local authority areas; Edinburgh, Glasgow and Angus. We’re also in the process of developing a new section on our website just for the Partnership Schools Project where you’ll be able to find updates on what we’re doing as well as resources from the sessions, good practice stories and a special e-newsletter for those interested in the project.  To find out more about Partnership Schools please get in contact with Eleanor Coner at eleanor@sptc.info

Exam Resources

Last week students all over Scotland received results for their exam results. While many celebrated, not everyone got the results they were hoping for – luckily many organisations offer advice and information for those wondering what to do next.

• Advice from My World of Work for parents and carers with children receiving exam results
• SQA has provides guidance on what the exam certificate actually means
• Moving On is a useful tool for young people finishing school, with information on careers and qualifications in a variety of subjects.
• SCQF has published a guide for parents and carers on the SCQF levels

notgoingtouni.co.uk has plenty of resources all about work experience, alternative qualifications, apprenticeships and much more.

Dates for your diary….

Thursday 1st of October, Stirling We’re pleased to announce our first Parent Hub event. It’s a chance for parents to meet up, share stories and ideas about what you’re doing in your school. Keep your eyes peeled on the events section of the website for more details!

The Dunblane Centre –  The Gift that Keeps Growing

The Dunblane Centre, which was founded in 2004 from donations following the tragedy in the town, runs a youth club and leisure classes for the community. They have produced a book all about the creation of the centre and how the donations received have created a positive legacy for the town. You can buy the book on Amazon or directly from the Dunblane Centre and funds raised will directly support the centre’s work.