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

This conference is coming up early next month, and is for professionals working directly in schools and within the education sector as a whole.
The programme is to include:
Stewart Wilson, CEO of Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland will be our chair for the day with Mark McDonald MSP, Minister for Childcare and Early Years as our keynote speaker.
We will also be joined by colleagues from Team Jak Foundation, North West Carers Team at Glasgow City Council, Muslim Bereavement Support Service, Ayrshire Hospice, The Village Storytelling Centre and NHS Dumfries and Galloway as well as a parent speaker and young carer.

“I really felt I was able to engage, and came away from the course invigorated, bursting with ideas, and desperate to share the experience with colleagues.”

Spaces are filling fast, book your place now to avoid disappointment

We acknowledge the support of the Scottish Government through CYPFEIF and ALEC Fund Grant,  which has helped to subsidise the cost of this conference.

Support for professionals If you are caring for, or concerned about a bereaved child or young person, our support team is here to take your call 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday on 0800 02 888 40. We do also have a range of free online resources you are very welcome to access.
If you know of anyone else that could benefit from any form of bereavement training, please forward this email to them, we would be happy to help.

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

Update

New website released – Education Scotland’s updated websites have been significantly streamlined and are now available. The refreshed sites, which currently have fewer than half the number of pages of their predecessors, offer a streamlined range of CfE guidance and materials following a review by education specialists.

Some of the information has also moved. Read our guide to the updated websites to help you learn to navigate them, and remember to update any old bookmarks and links to the new site address/URL.

News

• Scottish Learning Festival 2017 – call for seminars open until 20 Feb.
• Register for Education Scotland’s LfS Practitioner Network event in March.
• Apply for Global Learning Partnership experience in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• LfS funding – see updated grant list from Creative Star.
• Forestry Commission resources for Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017.
• Apply for a Tesco Bags for Help grant.
• Get ready for Fairtrade Fortnight – 27 Feb to 12 March.
• Register for Making Connections with Nature Conference in Edinburgh on 12 May.
• Children’s rights Ministerial event held to discuss UN’s concluding observations.
•  Free resources and seeds from RHS Greening Grey Britain initiative.
• Education Scotland has signed up to Earth Hour on 25th March – have you?

Video inspiration – Scottish students report on impact of climate change in the Ladakh Region of the Himalayas and share their explorer stories.

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

News from the Commonwealth

Can we produce enough food for everyone?
According to the United Nations World Food Programme, the world produces enough food for our global population of 7 billion people. However, despite this, one person in eight on the planet goes to bed hungry each night.

Join our next Commonwealth Class debate on Thursday 23 February to explore the role of countries, communities, and individuals in ensuring everyone has access to a healthy, consistent supply of food.

Students will investigate how environmental, political and economic factors all affect food production and think of ways in which they as individuals can help, such as by reducing their carbon footprint and the amount of food they throw away.

We will have the pleasure of welcoming to this debate Andrew Clenaghan, Programme Coordinator from the poverty-reduction charity Practical Action as our specialist. Andrew will be participating in the debate on Thursday 23 February from 9:30am to 11:00am GMT, so get ready to share your class’s questions and best answers on Schools Online.

Prepare for February’s debate

Explore our free videos and resource packs 
Together with The Royal Society, we have developed a series of videos and resources to enhance science learning in schools. Find everything you need get your students ready for the next debate in our resource on global food security – from starter activities to lesson plans to strengthen students’ understanding of food shortages, as well as materials to help identify possible solutions.

In focus: the role of civil society
Civil society is comprised of not-for-profit groups or organisations working directly in the interest of individuals and communities. Get ready for this month’s debate by reading up on how civil society works to ensure that our planet is a safer, fairer place for all, such as by organising food banks for people who do not have enough to eat or campaigning against climate change at policy level.

Other news

Exchanges with Australia for UK teachers  
The Royal Commonwealth Society is accepting applications from UK-based teachers wishing to participate in an exchange with colleagues in Australia. In order to be eligible you must have a minimum of five years’ teaching experience and hold a recognised teaching qualification (QTS / a degree plus PGCE certificate / B.Ed). Applications close Friday 31 March.

Tell us what you think and enter our prize draw
How would you like to win £200 worth of Amazon vouchers for your school? Simply tell us what you think of our Commonwealth Class resources by completing our short online survey and enter your details for our prize draw. We are interested in your open and honest responses – your answers to the survey will be treated anonymously and not attributed to you as an individual.

Start thinking about Commonwealth Day
On Monday 13 March, 52 countries will come together to celebrate Commonwealth Day under the theme ‘A Peace-building Commonwealth’. Be sure to circle the date in your calendar and pencil in our next Commonwealth Class debate, where we will be exploring how the Commonwealth supports international efforts for peace. Find out more about Commonwealth Day.

posted by Pauline Stephen, Head of Schools & Learning, Schools & Learning

Please find attached details of current secondment opportunities that we have available for Teacher Fellows in The Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling.

A key feature in the success of the Stirling Initial Teacher Education programme is the support that we receive from our partnership schools and Teacher Fellows. Teacher Fellows are teachers from schools in Scotland, normally seconded to work with our students for one day a week (it is also possible to directly employ teachers, who are on part time school contracts).  They work alongside University Tutors and play a significant role in the leadership of our programme.

Our experience of the Teacher Fellow scheme is that it is mutually beneficial to both schools and the university. The university and the students benefit from the experience and support of the seconded teachers.  Schools and teachers likewise benefit from the experience of supporting students and working with tutors, CPD opportunities, and the chance to attend national events that are not always open to classroom teachers.  In the current post-Donaldson climate, where partnership is increasingly important to us all, the Teacher Fellow scheme offers significant opportunities to develop creative and innovative responses to Curriculum for Excellence.

The University will reimburse the seconding School/Local Authority at an indicative rate of £198.19 (2017 rates under review) per day for the release of a non-promoted teacher and £218.19 (2017 rates under review) per day for a promoted teacher.

This opportunity is also open to part time teaching staff who will be reimbursed at the current University of Stirling grade 8 Lecturer rate.

Please feel free to get in touch should you wish to discuss further any of the attached details.

The link has further information relating to this opportunity.  job-spec

Dr. Sandra Eady Director of ITE,

University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA Scotland, Telephone: 01786 466274, Facsimile: 01786 466131, Email: sandra.eady@stir.ac.uk

posted by Louise Kirby, YMI Coordinator, Schools & Learning

Two Youth Music Initiative projects came together to perform at Scots Night on 2nd February at Hayshead. This evening was organised by the school and showcased other Scots performances from P3 pupils.  There was a great mix of poetry, dancing, music and the evening was washed down with some Irn Bru and Shortbread. 

The D2 Percussion pipe drumming pupils and Arbroath Pipe Band After School Group played The Rowan Tree and Scotland the Brave on drum pads and tenor drums accompanied by Arbroath Pipe Band pipers Scott Donald, Anders Swanson, Steven Duncan and drummer Blair Stephen who all attend Arbroath High School. Thanks to everyone who helped put this night on and a huge thank you to all the pupils who performed and had parents up jigging making it a successful evening.

Both the D2 Percussion Pipe Drumming and Arbroath Pipe Band After School Group aim to –

• Young people increase their awareness of music and culture across Scotland, the UK and the world
• Organisations in the music sector and beyond work together to strengthen the youth music sector for the benefit of young people
• Young people develop their music and music making skills

D2 Percussion Pipe Drumming at Hayshead – This is a 12 week (now extended to 27 weeks) project running on a weekly basis with inputs from D2 Percussion Joe Fleming, working with small groups of pupils, and their teachers and support staff.   Equipment is left on site for pupils to access.  This is an inclusive project that will introduce young children to music making they may otherwise not access.

Arbroath Pipe Band After School Group – A weekly after school group aimed at P4-7 at Hayshead. The group is run by Morag McKenzie from the Arbroath Pipe band where they have the opportunity to learn the Chanter and Drums (snare and tenor drums).  This is an inclusive project dedicated to furthering the great tradition of Scottish Piping and Drumming through education and demonstration and is committed to providing quality tuition in a safe, fun and stimulating environment in which children can learn and develop the necessary skills and love of traditional Scottish Piping and Drumming music.

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

The 2017 Scottish council elections are the first Scotland wide council elections in which 16 and 17 year olds can vote. You can help young people get #ReadyToVote by running a registration event at a school, college or youth centre (or encouraging your partners to do so) from 1 March 2017. A toolkit and resources are available to provide you and your partners with everything required to hold a successful registration event in March.