Tag: Pupil Voice

Spring 2025 LfS Update

National and Falkirk Learning for Sustainability News

The National Learning for Sustainability action plan aims for every 3-18 learning setting in Scotland to become sustainable by 2030 so that all learners receive their Learning for Sustainability entitlement. There are many resources available to support schools in embedding LfS across their curriculum including a self-evaluation and improvement framework which can be found here. Education Scotland has established a peer mentor programme to support all educational settings in developing their whole school approach to LfS. Our Falkirk LfS peer mentor is Samantha Wilson-McCaw, and she can support school or centre LfS leads one on one and/or work with larger groups of staff to support LfS in your curriculum. 

National Curriculum Review Developments – impact on LfS Audit Plans

Click here for updates on our Scottish Government’s review of Curriculum for Excellence. Education Scotland colleagues are leading the co-creation of our updated curriculum framework and Learning for Sustainability remains a core element of CfE. In the light of these developments, the audit of Learning for Sustainability within Falkirk  schools and centres has been postponed. Please use the following links to learn more about the scope and focus of this national review:

Falkirk Pupil Climate Summit

This year’s Falkirk Pupil Climate Summit will be held in early June at Falkirk High School. Each secondary school is asked to send up to ten delegates to represent their school at the summit. Further information about the event should reach you in the upcoming weeks. Read all about the 2024 Falkirk Climate Summit here, and click here to view the Falkirk Agreement reached by the young delegates who attended. At the instigation of our elected members, officers across Falkirk Council Services are working with staff and pupils in schools to realise the articles within the agreement. Progress made with this work will be shared at the 2025 Summit.

Rights Respecting Schools Accreditation and the UNCRC

We are delighted to report that Fiona Malcolm, Faculty Head of Humanities at Braes HS is currently seconded one day per week (Tuesday) to support schools and centres with their Rights Respecting Schools Accreditation process. She will also continue her valuable support and guidance for the UNCRC and Children’s Rights.

Social Enterprise Academy – 2025 Falkirk Dragon’s Den

We are liaising with colleagues in the Social Enterprise Academy(SEA) to prepare for our 2025 Falkirk Social Enterprise Dragon’s Den event. We hope to confirm a late September date for the event and SEA colleagues will lead a professional learning event on 20th March for Falkirk staff wanting to learn more about how to support pupils with their social enterprises. Falkirk schools and centres have completed many social enterprises within their communities and some have received national Social Enterprise Academy Awards. Please click here for more information via the flyer and register for the online introductory training session by emailing sarahrogerson@socialenterprise.academy.

Professional Learning Opportunities:

The International Sustainability Diploma will be available to all schools across Scotland for the upcoming 2025-2026 session. The Diploma, designed and run by The Futures Institute at Dollar Academy, is credit-rated at SCQF Level 6 and is worth 24 tariff points. More information is available here. To register, contact Smith-JA@dollaracademy.org.uk.

Development in Education Centre (DEC)S’ Learning for A Better Future fully-funded, year-long GTCS accredited Professional Learning programme applications for the next cohort beginning in April 2025 close 29.2.25. More information here: Learning for a Better Future 

Keep Scotland Beautiful: Learning for Sustainability / Eco-Schools (register here): 

  • 06/03    16.00-17.00       Exploring Litter and Waste from a Global Citizenship perspective 
  • 12/03    16.00-17.00       Learning for Sustainability & Systems Thinking 
  • 08/05    16.00-17.00       Eco-Schools & Your School Improvement Plan 

SCQF courses (Climate Emergency Training and Biodiversity Action, register here) 

19/03    16.00-16.45       Information session 

Facing History and Ourselves/Scotland’s Development Education Centres & other organisations: 

  1. Taking a Global Citizenship approach to primary science, Thurs, 27th Feb 
  2. Addressing Sexism and Gender-based Radicalisation Online, March 4th 
  3. Using Scotland’s new anti-racism resource (second and third level), Mon 10th March 
  4. Discussing Race & Racism in the Classroom, March 18th  
  5. Approaching the Israel-Palestine conflict in the classroom one year on 20th March
  6. A’Adam’s Bairns: exploring Scottish identity & diversity through music education 27th March

Live Lessons for Learners delivered by Keep Scotland Beautiful: 

  1. 17/03 -21/03/25    Spring Clean Week Live Lessons (including one lesson in Gaelic on 20/03) register 
  2. 12/05-16/05/25    Natural Scotland Week Live Lessons (including one lesson in Gaelic) register 
  3. 20/05/25    (13.30-14.15)   Live Lesson: Sustainable Celebrations register 

Teaching Resources – primary and secondary sectors unless otherwise noted: 

  • Facing History & Ourselves – Resource collection – Wide range of social justice-related lessons Teaching Resources | Facing History & Ourselves 
  • Development in Education Centre collection – resources relating to eco-anxiety – useful during Children’s Mental Health Week Climate Signposts Guide, Tackling Climate Anxiety, Exploring Climate Justice (secondary) 
  • 20th February World Day of Social Justice – selection of resources for use in the classroom: Respect for Diversity: antiracisted.scot, Empowering Young People as Active Citizens for primary and secondary , Equality and Human Rights from Amnesty 
  • International Mother Language Day celebrates linguistic and cultural diversity, These Clothing and Sustainable Food planners explore the intersection of language, culture, and global justice, helping students understand the importance of cultural respect. (scroll towards the bottom of the page to access the planners)  
  • The Sustainables Academy: Free Sustainability and Circular Economy Curriculum 
  • RHET (Royal Highland Education Society) range of professional learning here 
  • Outdoor Learning Directory here 

Secondary Schools Energy Reduction Competition

Sharing the energy reduction challenge

Between October 2024 and March 2025 Falkirk Secondary Schools will compete to see which school can reduce their gas and electricity use the most. This competition will be led by a group of young people in each school who will be supported by a teacher and other staff members.

Prizes:

  • The school which reduces their unit usage most will receive £2000
  • For second place it’s £1000
  • And for third place £500
  • There will be other prizes
  • Prizes will be awarded at a ceremony in May/June 2025

The challenge to reduce carbon emissions and energy units/costs was issued by the Falkirk Council Place Services Extended Management Team. Our Falkirk Council Climate Change team are working with Children’s Services Learning for Sustainability colleagues to support schools with their efforts to reduce energy use.

Scroll down to explore the support which is available to staff and pupils taking part.

The Climate Change team support for young people and their adult:

  • We have created this guidance for the competition lead teacher or person in each school.
  • We will lead an information session for lead staff members on 17th September 4 – 5 pm via Microsoft Teams. (Lead staff members should sign up via CPD Manager code LfS 6-25).
  • Each school can have one remote or in-person lesson for their class or group of young people (just email climatechange@falkirk.gov.uk with 3 potential dates and times). 
  • We will provide access to a platform where you can access past, present and real time information about each schools’ energy use.
  • This webpage will include the leader board information and monthly energy use reports for each school. 
  • We are happy to offer advice and support at any point via email climatechange@falkirk.gov.uk .

SSI Learning for Sustainability & Digital Learning Team Support – what’s available?

This project fits beautifully with our Falkirk Learning for Sustainability Framework bundle 1 – exploring sustainable practices. Yvonne McBlain can support pupil voice or eco groups and staff members who lead this challenge. She can help them to plan & document this learning if needed and has created this interdisciplinary starter plan which captures the learning and skill development young people could gain from their participation.

Our digital learning team have created this document. to help with digital campaigning also.

Social Enterprise Success for young people at Carrongrange High School

 

 

Young people in S 4 and 5 at Carrongrange HS received their Social Enterprise Academy(SEA) award at a glitzy ceremony in Edinburgh in June 2024. This builds on their 2023 Scotland’s Most Enterprising School Award and shows that enterprise is at the heart of the curriculum in Carrongrange. Young people and staff working across the school are involved in multiple enterprising experiences which include:

  1. Lifelong learning groups timetabled each Friday
  2. Three young enterprise teams programme groups working towards their SCQF level 3 qualification
  3. Running a “Cosy Cafe”
  4. Developing links with community organisations such as Cunningham Care Home and D2 Art Studio
  5. Forming a Makaton choir which has performed at Murrayfield Stadium

These experiences contribute to the ethos and life of the school and young people’s personal achievements – preparing them for life and work beyond school.

The social enterprise award preparations began when these various groups pulled together their various enterprises under the banner of “Caring Grange”.  A representative group of 11 young people delivered their pitch at the Falkirk Dragon’s Den event in November 2023. They received seed funding for the next phase of their fund raising in order to stage their Caring Grange event in February 2024. They were supported by their social enterprise adviser who was full of admiration for the variety and scope of their work.

Jamie is one of the young people who attended the SEA awards ceremony and has just moved into S6. He shared how busy it was in the Assembly Rooms venue on the day, and how the group set up their stall in the market place. He said that the group went on stage in front of around 500 people to receive their certificate and have their photo taken.

Although a representative group of young people were able to attend the Dragon’s Den and award ceremony, many senior phase young people were involved in the February Caring Grange event. It raised hundreds of pounds towards the cost of an electric, accessible school mini bus, whilst achieving its main purpose of bringing the wider community together,  and was so successful that it will become an annual event.

When asked how he felt about being part of the Caring Grange enterprise and what he’d learned, Jamie reported feeling good about the whole experience. He noted that he’d had to develop his selling, communication and money-handling skills. He also felt that he’d used his imagination and become part of his community. Mala is also in S6 and she also enjoyed the whole experience. She relished and was extremely good at her meeting and greeting role on the day of the Caring Grange event.