Category Archives: Curriculum for Excellence

Creative practitioners, Events, Music, Primary schools, Secondary schools

Music Education Matters – Book your ticket now!

February 2, 2014 Olivia Wexelstein Leave a comment

Enterprise Music Scotland’s exciting new conference Music Education Matters will take place on Friday 30th May 2014 at The Arches in Glasgow. Book your place before 31st March to receive our Earlybird Rate of £30!

We will be launching our full programme in February but in the meantime here is a sneak peek at some of the speakers we have confirmed…

Paul Harris, ABRSM

Pete Sparkes, Artistic Director, Drake Music Scotland

Dr Oliver Searle, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Andrew Dickie, Head of Expressive Arts Faculty, Paisley Grammar School

Carol Main and Daniella Keenan, Live Music Now Scotland

Tobias Hug, freelance beatboxer

Tickets are available from

http://www.thearches.co.uk/events/other/music-education-matters

Full price £40 (£25 concessions for unemployed, full-time students, EMS promoters and members of Live Music Now!)

Early Bird price £30 (£25 concessions) for all places booked before 31st March 2014

Health and Wellbeing, Technologies

Safer Internet Day: Let’s create a better internet together

January 31, 2014 Olivia Wexelstein Leave a comment

On the 11^th February 2014, the eleventh annual Safer Internet Day will take place with the theme ‘Let’s create a better internet together’.

Celebrated globally in over a hundred countries, Safer Internet Day aims to inspire the safe, responsible and creative use of technology.

This year’s theme covers the responsibility that everyone has in making the internet a safer and better place. For young people, Safer Internet Day is a chance to celebrate being kind and creative online, while educators, parents and carers can help to empower young people to embrace the positive by equipping them with the digital literacy skills they require for today’s world. Industry should work in partnership with others to create and promote a positive online environment for young people.

Coordinated in the UK by the UK Safer Internet Centre, Safer Internet Day brings together hundreds of organisations from across the UK in promoting the safe use of technology.

To mark the day the UK Safer Internet Centre will be presenting a live TV Show from Belfast as well as hosting a youth event at Microsoft’s head offices in London.

SID TV will be broadcast live at www.saferinternetdaytv.com with advice and practical information from experts and providers such as Facebook, Twitter and BT for teachers, young people and parents on internet safety and issues such as cyberbullying, sexting, parental controls, reporting and privacy.

The Safer Internet Day 2014 Youth Event will bringing together a panel of young people with experts across government, industry and education to hear more about what a better internet means to each of these important audiences.

As Will Gardner, Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre, says:

“This Safer Internet Day looks set to be the biggest one yet – the fantastic range of supporters really reflects how widespread and important this issue is, and we are delighted to see such collaborations where schools, civil society, public and private sectors are all championing the same cause. Safer Internet Day is a time to celebrate the great work that everyone across the UK is doing to create a better internet together.”

For more information on the activities taking place to celebrate Safer Internet Day, visit the UK Safer Internet Centre website.

Education Scotland, Funding, Health and Wellbeing, Primary schools, Secondary schools

Apply for funding from the Food for Thought: Education Fund

January 29, 2014 Olivia Wexelstein Leave a comment

Education Scotland is committed to building the confidence and capacity of practitioners to improve learning and teaching within food education in Curriculum for Excellence using national initiatives such as the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Homecoming in schools/clusters and professional learning communities in local authorities across Scotland.

The opportunity to apply for funding from the Food for Thought: Education Fund will give practitioners scope to explore food education across Curriculum for Excellence. Applications are welcome from early years and primary establishments, and secondary practitioners from all curricular areas are encouraged to apply. The fund is now open and will close on Friday 28 March at 5 pm.

It is required that schools identify and work in partnership with a local business to enhance the project and consider how to link the activities to the events of 2014. Each project will be individual as will the nature of support from the business link. To download the application please click here. For more information, contact us on foodfund@educationscotland.gov.uk.

Creative practitioners, Curriculum for Excellence, Education Scotland, Events, Primary schools, Scotland Colleges, Secondary schools, SLF14

SLF 2014 – call for seminar proposals now open

January 29, 2014 Olivia Wexelstein Leave a comment

The Call for Participation in the Scottish Learning Festival 2014 is now open. The festival will once again host around 100 seminars over the 2 days and you are invited to submit a proposal to be part of the programme. SLF 2014 will take place on Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 September in the SECC, Glasgow.

The Scottish Learning Festival 2014: raising achievement and attainment for all will focus on maximising educational outcomes through:

· early intervention and prevention – for children, young people and adult learners in order to maximise educational outcomes

· health and wellbeing – ranging from physical education and sport to the full range of health and wellbeing subjects which are the responsibility of all practitioners

· employability skills – to secure a highly educated, well prepared and well-motivated young workforce able to compete in a global market.

Full details of the theme are available on the SLF website.

Challenge, Drama, Learning, Music, Opportunities, Primary schools, Secondary schools

YMTS (Youth Music Theatre Scotland) Fife Projects

January 29, 2014 Olivia Wexelstein Leave a comment

YMTS (Youth Music Theatre Scotland) are now based here in Fife and work with Fife Cultural Trust delivering music theatre for young people through the ON creative programme throughout Fife. We have weekly classes leading to Trinity Guildhall exams and holiday production projects in every school break – the most expensive in 2013 was £180 for a 3 week production project of Phantom of the Opera(Scottish Youth Premier) last summer. We are completely open access with no audition to join – we cast from within the course participants. Our practitioner base is drawn from local, national and international teaching artists.

We will have a full ON Fest summer programme for 2014 available from mid February, and our opportunities for young people in Fife to take part in the Fringe soon after. Applications open now for our Easter ‘HONK!’ and ‘Into the Woods’ projects at Adam Smith Theatre.

For more information click here.

Art and Design, Competition, Creative Partners, resources, Technologies

EXTRA WEEK FOR SUBMITTING – My Place Photography Competition

January 29, 2014 Olivia Wexelstein Leave a comment

*NEW* Deadline Friday 7 February 2014 *NEW*

Due to our new website launch we have extended the deadline for submitting images by one week. Sign up now to take part in a national competition that encourages your pupils to get out doors, get involved in the subjects of architecture, placemaking, civic pride and photography.

· Every image submitted will be displayed on our online gallery and exhibited in our exhibition at The Lighthouse, Glasgow, from March to May 2014.

· Winning entries are published in the International Photographic Experience catalogue, shared across Europe.

· Winners will receive a camera for themselves and one for their school.

The Scottish Civic Trust’s My Place Photography Competition is a Scotland-wide heritage photographic project for schools.

It encourages children to look at their built heritage in the places they live, and through the medium of photography, develop an understanding of the things around them.

To take part:

Submit your students images – click HERE for guidance

For more information on the competition background click HERE

CPD, Early Years, Music

Early Years Teacher Training: Thu 6 Feb, 10am – 12noon, Perth Concert Hall

January 28, 2014 Olivia Wexelstein Leave a comment

A training session led by RSNO Violinist Lorna Rough giving practical ideas for music making activities with children working at the early level of curriculum for excellence (age 3 – 6yrs).

Space is limited as the training is tailored to suit the needs of the individual participants.

Suitable for all, whether you have some music experience or none.

Cost £20.

This includes an information pack with practical ideas for early years music activites and a ticket to the RSNO concert in Perth Concert Hall that evening (Music Director Peter Oundjian conducts Wagner’s Tannhauser, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 and Walton’s Symphony No. 1).

Feedback from previous participants:

“Perfect for someone who is ‘scared’ of music” Nursery teacher, Dundee

“Great hands-on experience and really useful. I’ve already used some of the activities with my children!” Nursery teacher, Angus

To book, please email engage@rsno.org.uk or call Andra on 0141 225 3574

Could you also spare 10 minutes to complete our survey? Your responses will contribute towards our future plans for schools in the academic year 2014-15 and will help us create more training and participating opportunities for students and teachers in your area.

Please access link below.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RSNOEngage

Education Scotland, glow, Primary schools, resources, Science

Free Science resource for Primary Schools – TigTag

January 27, 2014 Olivia Wexelstein Leave a comment

Education Scotland is delighted to announce that schools can now access Tigtag – an award-winning, online science resource for primary schools, free of charge through Glow.

They have agreed 12 month national education licence with Twig World which allows Scottish schools to have unlimited access to this great resource.

Schools across the country are currently using Twig on Glow to access almost 1500 top quality short films. Tigtag provides a superb addition to this resource, and provides valuable support to primary practitioners to assist in the effective teaching of the Sciences Experiences and Outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence.

It provides access to:

• background information, relating to the key concepts identified in the science organisers, and quality films to support and enhance teaching and learning in the sciences.

• planning resources, investigation sheets, practical challenges and succinct clear lesson plans, providing a range of contexts for learning which draw on important aspects of everyday life and work.

• interactive lesson packages to help stimulate the interest and motivation of all learners and support staff in planning challenging, engaging and enjoyable learning and teaching activities.

• a “What Happens Next?” and “Scientific Enquiry” section to encourage learners to engage in dialogue, developing their investigative and inquiry skills.

Log on via Glow (Glow password required) and explore the world of Tigtag on Glow with your learners.