posted by Rhonda McFarlane, Funding Officer, Chief Executive’s Department

Attached is the latest issue of the Funding Alert Newsletter. The Newsletter features funding opportunities to have featured on the Grants 4 Schools website over the last two weeks.  This issue contains 14 pages of the latest funding opportunities for your school.

Highlights include:

• Grants of up to £2,000 available for school environmental projects.
• Grants of up to £10,000 available to improve football facilities in schools.
• Grants of £600 available for schools to promote the teaching of Physics.
• Grants of up to £1,000 available for a wide range of projects in schools such as outdoor classrooms, learning zones, library equipment, nurture rooms and playground improvements, etc.  .

For further information on these and other funding opportunities available to your school, please see the attached Newsletter.  Funding Alert 23rd March 2017

posted by Alita Spink, Schools and Learning Support Officer, Schools and Learning

Guidance and Resources for Schools

“Someone should just have asked me what was wrong.”

We are delighted to launch our new e-resource for schools, packed with links to books, film clips and lesson ideas. The resource raises awareness about the issues children face when a family member is imprisoned, providing tools and helpful guidance for supporting children in the school setting.

To download the e-resource, please click on the image.

The resource can also be found on our schools publication page http://www.familiesoutside.org.uk/publications/schools

posted by Alita Spink, Schools and Learning Support Officer, Schools and Learning

News and inspiration from Child Bereavement UK In this issue: Our bereaved young people give Rio Ferdinand tips on ‘Being Mum and Dad’

Bereaved young people supported by Child Bereavement UK gave Rio Ferdinand some tips on how to talk to his children about the death of their mum. Rio’s wife, Rebecca, and mum to Lorenz, 10, Tate, 8, and Tia, 5, died in 2015.
 
As part of filming for his BBC1 documentary, Being Mum and Dad, Rio visited our offices in Buckinghamshire to attend a Young People’s Advisory Group session. Our young people, aged between 11-25, talked to him about their experiences around the death of their parent and what had helped them.

Tips from the young people included explaining to Rio how ‘it’s okay to cry’, that ‘it’s important to talk about the person who has died’ and that it’s ‘okay to laugh and have fun’. They also told him that ‘cars are good conversation venues’. Click to watch the trailer.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HydwFxzaU9o

Supporters get creative for first ever #MakeforMum

Supporters across the country have been busy raising funds and awareness around Mother’s Day this month, as part of our first Make for Mum campaign. As well as sharing photographs and memories across social media, supporters have held parties and run cake stalls and craft events in aid of Child Bereavement UK.

Our Patron Gary Barlow and his Mum Marj have lent their support to the campaign too. One tweet from Gary about the campaign reached 4.33 million Twitter followers!

Thousands of visitors plant snowdrops across the country

In February and March, Snowdrop walks took place in County Durham, Cumbria, Cheshire, Lincolnshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire, attracting nearly 2,000 visitors and raising more than £8,000 for the charity.

These special Child Bereavement UK events help to raise awareness of our work and provide an opportunity for families to plant snowdrops in memory of someone special who has died.

We would love your support at the following events. Click to find our more:
Let’s Rock Festivals, at locations across the country, May – July 2017
Ride 100, Surrey – 30 July 2017
Royal Parks Half Marathon, London – 8 October 2017

For schools

Only 1 in 10 British adults bereaved as a child said their school was very supportive at the time of their bereavement*

Schools have an important role to play in improving outcomes for bereaved children and young people. Our recent conference for schools in Scotland was attended by a broad range of education professionals, from teachers and pastoral care supporters to classroom assistants and educational psychologists. Delegates from Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles also dialled in via web conference, joining discussions on topics including ‘The power of stories’ and ‘Grief in the digital age’.

Child Bereavement UK is recognised as the UK’s leading provider of training for professionals working with bereaved families across the UK. Click here to find out more. 

posted by Margaret Thompson, Library Assistant, Arbroath High School

Match Reports – Week Beginning 6^th March 2017

Congratulations to Sophie Smith who competed in the Scottish Schools Swimming Championships at the end of January. Sophie competed in both the 15 – 16 years 100m and 200m freestyle which she won both races retaining her Scottish Champion title.  Sophie’s success has also seen her travelling to Geneva with the Under 17’s Scottish Youth Squad where she competed in the International Challenge achieving a Bronze medal in the 100m Freestyle.  Sophie is now working towards competing at the Scottish and British Nationals in April, good luck.

On Tuesday 7^th March pupils at Arbroath High School competed in the School Cross Country Championships.  Pupils from S1-S6 competed to try and secure themselves the School Champion title and also a place into the Angus Cross Country Squad.  All pupils competed worked well to get round the muddy course with the following pupils winning the retrospective titles.

The pupils in the photo are: The Arbroath High School Cross Country winners.

S1 Girls – 1^st Isla Whitton, 2^nd Chelsea Williams, 3^rd Amy Bertram
S1 Boys – 1^st Kaden Houghton, 2^nd Joey Denholm, 3^rd Daniel Paton

S2 Girls – 1^st Alex Begg Ritchie, 2^nd Rachel Baker, 3^rd Edana Fraser
S2 Boys – 1^st Josh Paterson, 2^nd Nairn Pryde, 3^rd Aiden Smith

S3 Girls – 1^st Demi Kelbie, 2^nd Kezia Adam, 3^rd Sophie Smith
S3 Boys – 1^st Lewis Mann, 2^nd Nick Bremner, 3^rd Blair Stephen

Senior Girls – 1^st Megan Watt
Senior Boys – 1^st Adam McIntosh, 2^nd Elliot Burns, 3^rd Tyler Falconer

posted by Louise Kirby, YMI Coordinator, Schools and Learning

Bagpipe and chanter pupils from Arbroath Academy, Arbroath High, Carnoustie High and Websters High School went along to watch the Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championship on Sunday 12^th March at the James Gillespie’s High School in Edinburgh. The students were accompanied by Clare Wilton, our new full-time bagpipe instructor and Karen Harper, school’s strings instructor.

Pupils listened to pipers and drummers from all over Scotland and England competing in a number of different categories – including Juvenile category winners George Watson’s. They also enjoyed watching a variety of Freestyle performances including two of Ed Sheeran’s hit songs arranged for bagpipes.

Some highlights identified by pupils attending the day were;

• “Finding out that young people like me play in a pipe band”
• “Getting to listen to many different bands”

This opportunity was funded by Youth Music Initiative with the aim to increase young people’s awareness of music and culture across Scotland, the UK and the world. Pupils identified these examples of how this was achieved:

• “that bagpipes can be used in everyday songs”
• “inspiring watching other bands”
• “Taking part made me realise how many Scottish cultural music pieces we have and how we can interpret them into popular pop songs”

For more information about this fantastic event please check their website: http://thechampionships.org.uk/

posted by Alita Spink, Schools & Learning Support Officer, Schools and Learning

Please follow the link to the VAA Bulletin for the week 17 March 2017.  VAA Buletin 17th March 2017