Category Archives: CLD

Wise Up Wednesday: Celebrating Success at Woodside!


Woodside Nursery School
in Glasgow has become the latest nursery to have the quality of their provision recognised by achieving ‘excellent’ in all five of the quality indicators used by Education Scotland in inspection.

Education Scotland’s letter to the parents at Woodside highlights that:

  • children are motivated and enthusiastic, experiencing a high level of achievement and success;
  • the partnership with parents is highly effective;
  • partner agencies are involved in developing children’s learning;
  • there is exceptional teamwork among staff in working with children and their families; and
  • the leadership of the headteacher in developing the work of the nursery is outstanding.

The nursery has received many congratulations since the publication of the letter to parents earlier today:

“It is an outstanding achievement for a nursery to gain excellent ratings in all five areas of the rigorous inspection by Education Scotland. I offer my congratulations to the staff at Woodside Nursery; it is clear from the letter that they have excellent relationships with parents and inspire enthusiasm for learning among the children.

The hugely positive results from the Woodside inspection will be an example that others can follow as we work together to make Scotland the best place in the world to grow up.”

Aileen Campbell, Minister for Children and Young People


“I would like to congratulate all the children, staff, parents and stakeholders at Woodside Nursery on the progress they are making in implementing Curriculum for Excellence for the benefit of their young learners. Our inspection shows that this is a notably high-performing nursery which has fully embraced the opportunities which the new curriculum presents.”

Dr Bill Maxwell, Chief Executive of Education Scotland


“This is a truly wonderful letter and the best yet for Glasgow. I’m delighted for Alison Forbes, her staff and the parents and carers of Woodside Nursery.

There are so many positives in this letter and it is fantastic that inspectors have highlighted the fact that the headteacher provides outstanding leadership and along with staff and parents, have a clear vision for developing the work of the nursery.

My heartfelt congratulations to all on this outstanding and excellent letter.”

Councillor Stephen Curran, Executive Member for Education and Young People


Education Scotland highlights the good practice our inspection teams find so that other education professionals can reflect on what they are doing and consider adapting some of the practice to their own circumstances.

How do you reflect on your own and other’s experiences to improve your practice?

How can Education Scotland help you with this?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

To find out more about the practice that makes Woodside Nursery School so effective in supporting young children’s learning you can read Education Scotland’s letter to parents here.

Wise Up Wednesday: Go2Play Capacity Building Fund

Inspiring Scotland’s Go2Play Capacity Building fund is a small fund, looking to support innovative and exciting people within the play sector who, with tailored capacity building support, could turn great ideas from a concept into a reality, positively impacting upon the lives of children and supporting the development of play in Scotland.

The Capacity Building fund aims to support individuals within Scottish charities who are bursting with enthusiasm and potential, and who recognise the tremendous contribution play makes to children’s lives. The fund provides support to develop great ideas which utilise play, free play in particular, to enhance the wellbeing of Scotland’s children. Go2Play are particularly interested in looking at proposals which have ideas around the following areas:
  • supporting parents and young carers through the delivery of play;
  • using play as a health improvement tool and working within the health sector;
  • exploring how play can support children with additional support needs;
  • supporting children’s transitions through play; and
  • using play to enhance children’s physical activity.

The next deadline date is Friday 1st March 2013. You can find out more about Go2Play and the capacity building fund here.

Enquire National Conference – The strongest link… working together to provide additional support

The Enquire national conference, in partnership with Scottish Borders Council, will take place on March 7th 2013 at The Tweed Horizons Centre, Newtown St Boswells

It will explore partnership working in providing additional support for learning to children and young
people.

The programme will:
• engage and inform professionals across health, education, social work and the voluntary
sector
• highlight how communications, relationships and resources are managed to ensure the best
support is provided to those who need it
• consider how parents, children and young people are actively engaged and how their
involvement is effectively and appropriately managed.
Price – £140
For more information visit the Children in Scotland website

Wise Up Wednesday: National Storytelling Week

Picture of logo for National Storytelling WeekThe  Education Scotland calendar gives details about celebrations, awareness days and action weeks all covering topical issues relevant to childcare and education settings.

National Storytelling Week starts on 26 January and you can learn more about it and find relevant links on the calendar here.

We’d love to know how you use the art of story telling to make a difference to children’s learning. Why not share your practice in the comments?

Wise Up Wednesday: A Wee Bit Mair Than Burns

Last Spring Jenni Curson, the development officer for Studying Scotland, wrote an article called “A Wee Bit Mair Than Burns”  for the “Early Years Matters” magazine highlighting the  Studying Scotland website. The guidance on the website shows that while there is lots of excellent, innovative and challenging practice in Scotland already, there has also been a tendency to focus mainly on famous people and important events such as Robert Burns or St Andrew’s Day. Many practitioners are keen to see good practice which allows children to experience learning and teaching about Scotland in a more coherent and interdisciplinary way.

Children from Brucehill exploring their local area

The Education Scotland website shows examples of how early years staff have widened children’s understanding of Scotland. Karen Bulloch explains here how Cherry Tree Nursery used Robert Burns’ birthday as a meaningful starting point to develop children’s wider understanding of Scotland. This page shows how Brucehill Early Education and Childcare Centre involved parents in their children’s literacy development, using the Scots language as a context for learning.

We’d love to know how you are extending children’s learning about Scotland to be “a wee bit mair than Burns”. Go on, gie it a go!

Additional and Complex Needs newsletter

The first issue of the College Development Network’s Additional and Complex Needs Newsletter is now available on the website. This newsletter continues the work of the Profound and Complex Needs Newsletter.

The newsletter can be accessed here

Help needed to evaluate SSKS website

NHS Education for Scotland’s Knowledge Services Group is evaluating the impact the Social Services Knowledge Scotland (SSKS) website has on day-to-day practice and learning and development for social care workers.

It is also important to find out how satisfied you are with the material available on SSKS and the impact it has on your practice.

Complete the survey

For more information contact:

Lara Burton | Knowledge Support Officer | NHS Education for Scotland | 0141 352 2904

Wise Up Wednesday: New Year – New Direction?

Happy New Year –  here’s hoping that 2013 is a good one for us all!

Regular readers of Wise Up Wednesday will know that we (the Children and Families team at Education Scotland) have used the blog to share with you news about a whole range of subjects, which we hope will have been of interest to you.

These have included:

the early years professional learning community on Glow,

professional learning opportunities more generally,

information about relevant developments in organisations such as the NHS, and

resources which are freely available to practitioners to use with children and families.

It is important that this blog is helpful to those working with young children and their families, and covers issues which are of interesting and relevant to you. As we plan for the year ahead we would like to know what you think we should cover in 2013.

Do you have an exciting area of work that you would like us to share?

Is there a burning issue which is not getting the attention it needs?

Are you looking for information about an area of work related to early years, children and families?

This is your chance to tell us what you would like us to share on the blog. Please add your thoughts in the comments below.

Thank you!

Learning for Sustainability – report published

Learning for Sustainability – the report of the One Planet Schools Working Group, was published 17 December 2012. 

The report includes strategic recommendations to support the development of coherent whole school approaches to ensure that learning for sustainability, global citizenship and outdoor learning are experienced in a transformative way by every learner in every school across Scotland. The report includes a number of recommendations relating to career-long professional learning and initial teacher education and advocates genuine partnerships with local communities and action to improve the sustainability of the school estate. A key ambition of the report is to provide an agenda for strategic change that will create an enabling framework, remove barriers, and build on existing excellent practice.

Dr Alasdair Allan, Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland’s Languages said:
“I welcome the publication of Learning for Sustainability and would like to thank the Working Group for their work and commitment to producing the report and recommendations. As we approach the Year of Natural Scotland in 2013, the report reminds us of the importance of learning which connects young people to local and global issues, an integral part of Curriculum for Excellence.

“A wide range of actions have been taken as part of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and we welcome steps to encourage and support schools in their approach to sustainability and global citizenship, including through outdoor learning.

“We will take time to consider the report, to engage with partners on its recommendations and respond in full in March 2013.”

The report can be downloaded from:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Schools/curriculum/ACE/OnePlanetSchools 

See the associated Engage in Education blog from Professor Pete Higgins, Chair of the One Planet Schools Working Group: http://engageforeducation.org/news/learning-for-sustainability/

Wise Up Wednesday: Children and Young People Bill

The Children and Young People Bill will be introduced to Parliament in 2013 and will set out fundamental reforms to the way services for children and young people are designed, delivered and reviewed.

Last week the Scottish Government published the Analysis of Responses to the Children and Young People Bill Consultation.

The report provides an analysis of responses to the consultation on the proposed Children and Young People Bill.  The consultation document invited views on key areas of proposed reform: children’s rightsearly learning and childcare; getting it right for every child; and the care system. The consultation ran for 12 weeks from July until September 2012, and a total of 300 responses were received.

You can read more about the consultation and download the report here.

Opportunities for All

The Scottish Government has published the following documents relating to Opportunities for All. They help to set out the expectations for delivery and processes to support better tracking of young people through the learning system.

Opportunities for All – Implementation Paper
This publication describes the aim, principles and delivery mechanisms of the Scottish Government’s commitment to an offer of a place in learning or training for all 16-19 year olds who are not already engaged. It has been drafted in collaboration with key delivery partners, Skills Development Scotland, DWP Jobcentre Plus, the Scottish Funding Council and local authorities.

Post-16 Transitions Policy and Practice Framework
This refresh of the 16+ Learning Choices Policy and Practice Framework positions 16+ Learning Choices within the context of the delivery of both Curriculum for Excellence and Opportunities for All. The Scottish Government would expect local partnerships to use this Framework to guide their detailed strategic and operational planning and to establish more formal agreements across and between services to ensure sustainable local delivery.

Post-16 Transitions Data Practice Framework
The Framework sets out the roles and responsibilities of partners to effectively share data to support young people as they move through learning and training into jobs. It sets out the framework for data sharing that will allow the Scottish Government and its partners to create a system of working that appropriately supports each and every learning and training transition a young person makes from age 16 up until their 20th birthday. This system of working is central to delivery of ‘Opportunities for All’ and will significantly reduce the risk of a young person disengaging with learning and/or training.

Wise Up Wednesday: Free Bookbug for the Home Training

Bookbug Session for the Home training is suitable for professionals already working with vulnerable families in their homes.

The training will provide professionals with the knowledge, tools and resources to incorporate the core principals of Bookbug sessions (talking, cuddling and sharing books, songs and rhymes) into their home visits. The training focuses on how to sensitively and practically encourage parents and carers to engage with children in the home.

Bookbug for the Home training is available on the following dates and locations.

Dundee

28/11/2012 Education Suite, Dundee Heritage Trust 4-6.30pm

Glasgow

28/11/2012 Blythswood Room, Mitchell Library, Glasgow 10am-12.30pm

05/12/2012 Bridgeton Library, Glasgow 10am-12.30pm

16/01/2013 Bridgeton Library, Glasgow 10am-12.30pm

23/01/2013 Bridgeton Library, Glasgow 10am-12.30pm

West Lothian

19/11/2012 Conference Room 3, Civic Centre, Livingston 2 – 4.30pm

West Dunbartonshire

24/01/2013 Alexandria Library tbc

Bookbug for the Home is being delivered as part of the Bookbug Assertive Outreach programme to reach vulnerable families. This is taking place in the following authorities over 2012/13: Argyll and Bute, East Renfrewshire, Dundee, Glasgow, Inverclyde, South Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire and West Lothian. Subsequent training dates in all of these authorities will be offered in due course, and the Scottish Booktrust are very happy to put on bespoke dates on request.

To make a booking or for more information contact Kirsty Sinclair, Early Years Outreach Co-ordinator at Scottish Book Trust on 0131 524 0179 or e-mail kirsty.sinclair@scottishbooktrust.com

The Doran Review Report

The Doran Review Report – The Right Help at the Right Time in the Right Place. Strategic Review of Learning Provision for Children and Young People with Complex Additional Support Needs has been published by the Scottish Government.

The report and the Scottish Government response can be downloaded here:

The Doran Review Report
Scottish Government response

Impact Arts – Kamikaze

Impact Arts are currently touring Kamikaze to High Schools followed by post show discussions with the young people.

The Tour dates are:

Thu 1st Nov – 09:30 Marr College Troon
Fri 2nd Nov – 09:30 Ayr Academy Ayr
Mon 5th Nov – 09:30 Loudon Academy Galston
Mon 5th Nov – 14:00 Doon Academy Dalmellington
Tue 6th Nov – 09:30 Kilmarnock Academy Kilmarnock
Tue 6th Nov – 14:00 Girvan Academy Girvan
Tue 6th Nov – 18:30 Westmuir High Glasgow (Carntyne)
Wed 7th Nov – 09:05 Cumnock Academy Cumnock
Wed 7th Nov – 13:25 Auchinleck Academy Auchinleck
Thu 8th Nov – 09:00 Stewarton Academy Stewarton
Thu 8th Nov – 13:45 Grange Academy Kilmarnock
Fri 9th Nov – 09:10 St Joseph’s Academy Kilmarnock
Fri 9th Nov – 13:30 James Hamilton Academy Kilmarnock

For more information see the website.
http://www.baldybanetheatre.co.uk/Productions/the-kamikaze

Wise Up Wednesday: Every Day’s A Learning Day Parent Questionnaire

  

 

This year Education Scotland, produced two booklets for parents, “Every day’s a learning day – birth to 3 years” and “Every day’s a learning day – 3-6 years.”The booklets are being distributed to parents of new born babies and children beginning their pre-school education aged 3, in the Scottish Book Trust’s Book Bug Bags. Filled with lots of ideas to help parents support their child’s learning in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing during everyday experiences; the booklets show parents how easy it is for them to make a difference. Practitioners may also find the booklets useful when working with groups of parents. 

You can read and download the booklets here

If you have contact with parents of children under the age of 6 we would be grateful if you would let them know about our short survey and encourage them to share their views. Their feedback will, along with other information, help us decide how best we can support the parents of young children in the future. 

Thank you.

Early Years Matters Magazine

Following its launch at the Scottish Learning Festival, copies of Early Years Matters were sent out to centres across Scotland.

If you haven’t seen a paper copy, or would just like to have one of your own, you can always read the articles on line, or download the whole magazine to your computer, e-reader or phone.

Missed an edition? You can always catch up with our online archive here.

Remember our survey about Early Years Matters closes on 30 November 2012. Make sure you have your say and help us plan for the future!

Testimony (RME)

Testimony is Education Scotland’s new high quality resource to support learning and teaching in religious and moral education. It has been designed for use by both staff and senior phase pupils.

 

Testimony illustrates how faith, belief and values can influence how a person acts. It includes examples of religious and non-religious standpoints to show how people from around the world and in Scotland have been influenced by faith. The material includes the personal testimonies of some well-known individuals alongside the stories of ordinary members of faith communities.

 

It can be used to support learning within the new SQA award in Religion, Belief and Values and also supports the development of skills for learning, life and work.

 

Scott Duncan, Education Scotland’s RME Development Officer, was interviewed at this year’s Scottish Learning Festival about the Testimony resource – listen to a recording of the interview.

 

Find out more by visiting the Testimony web resource.

I Speak for Myself

At Amina MWRC we are passionate about empowering and inspiring women, spreading knowledge of women’s rights and promoting positive images of Muslim women.  Last year 19 secondary schools across Scotland were visited to allow young people the opportunity to discuss Islam and Muslims.  Staggeringly over 70% of secondary school young people associated words such as “Terrorist”, “Foreign”, “Oppressed” and “Uneducated” to Muslim women. 

Responding to this, ‘I Speak for Myself’ was born.
 
From November 2011 until February 2012 we have engaged with over 300 Muslim women from Dumfries and Galloway to Elgin and all the major cities and towns in between.  For more information about our Roadshow click here.
 
September 2012  will see the launch of our national campaign ‘I Speak for Myself’ at the Scottish Parliament.  The campaign will exhibit over a hundred of the messages captured during our roadshow and aims to tackle misconceptions and common stereotypes about Muslim women, thus reducing inequality and sexual discrimination not only within the Muslim community but also in the wider society.

http://www.ispeakformyself.co.uk/

Glow TV – Watch Again!

Have you read about an event in Glow TV and wanted to join in live but were unable to because of other classroom commitments or timetabling? Do you want the ability to view exciting or interesting pupil focused Glow Meets at a time that is convenient to you? Do you want to enhance your Professional Learning at a time that suits you? Well you can in Glow TV’s Watch Again facility!

All Glow TV events are recorded so if the time of the live event isn’t suitable for you and/or your class to join in you can still have the opportunity to watch the recorded version at a time that suits your timetable or other classroom/personal commitments.

Watch Again is available in Glow TV and you can filter all the recordings that have taken place over the past 17 months either by name or by the programme category eg Literacy and English, CPD etc or by the programme tags.Once you have found what you want to watch simply click the Watch Again link which will take you to your chosen programme (and all the others in that channel category too!) and you can then view the recording at your leisure. You can also have the opportunity in our Watch Again Feedback Forum to let us know how useful you found the recording and if/how it enhanced your or your classes learning.

So why not take part in Glow TV when it suits you? You may not be able to ask questions in a live environment but you will still be able to see and listen to experts in their field and have fun in our numerous interactive Glow TV events.

Be at the heart of your child’s learning

 

Today sees the launch of a national campaign which aims to help parents and carers develop a better understanding of Curriculum for Excellence and how they can become more involved in their child’s learning.

Children do better when families support their learning. From reading together; spending time talking and listening through to finding out about their day and helping them prepare for exams – involvement makes a world of difference.

Curriculum for Excellence is raising standards of learning and teaching across Scotland. It is preparing children and young people with the skills and qualifications they need for a fast changing world. 

Parentzone is a website dedicated to providing parents and carers with the most up to date information about their child’s education. It provides practical advice and ideas of how parents and carers can be involved in their child’s learning as well as essential information on features of Curriculum for Excellence.

Get involved today by visiting www.educationscotland.gov.uk/parentzone.

 

Teachers Urged to Report Missing Pupils

Teachers across Scotland are being asked to be look out for any pupils who don’t return to school after the summer break for fear of being at risk of a forced marriage.

A new booklet with advice and practitioner guidelines are available to all teachers to provide them with practical help on how to deal with a pupil that may be under threat of forced marriage or at risk of physical or mental abuse associated with this.

With experts at the UK Forced Marriage Unit predicting over 350 young people across Britain will be forced into marriage when they go abroad over the summer, the Scottish Government has teamed up with support agencies in Scotland to develop the booklet which includes information on forced marriage and how to get help locally.

Of the estimated figures collated through support agencies in Scotland, it is believed that almost 20 per cent of the 59 people who contacted support agencies were under 18 and concern both boys and girls.

Teachers are key to the campaign to raise awareness of forced marriage and the protection offered by the legislation, so they can help those under threat of a forced marriage. School or college may often be the only place where the potential victim can speak freely.

To help teachers recognise potential forced marriage victims, the Scottish Government has identified a number of important warning signs to look out for. These include:

• a student being anxious about talking about school holidays
• surveillance of a student by cousins or siblings at school or being met by family at the end of the day
• a student is prevented from going on to further or higher education.

Other equally important signs to consider include: persistent absence; requests for extended leave; decline in behaviour, performance or punctuality; not being allowed to attend extra-curricular activities or sudden announcement of engagement to a stranger.

If you are concerned about forced marriage yourself or worried about someone in your care, help is available. For advice, support and protection, call 0800 027 1234 in complete confidence or visit yourrightscotland.org.

Practitioner guidelines are available to view or download on the Scottish Government’s Forced Marriage web pages which can be viewed on the Scottish Government website.

Get to Know the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Scotland Seminar

Wednesday 14 November 2012

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is holding a seminar on Wednesday 14 November from 5pm to 7pm at their offices at Rosebery House in Edinburgh. The aim of this seminar is to:

  • Provide an overview of the charities structure and work;
  • List current partner organisations that are delivering DofE;
  • Provide an overview of the DofE programme and it’s uses in different settings;
  • Look at how the DofE is delivering on local and national outcomes;
  • Look at opportunities to deliver the DofE as a licensed organisation.

This FREE event is aimed at anyone with an interest in delivering the DofE whether that be a practitioner, manager or volunteer.

Contact: Sarah Hayden at The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, phone: 0131 343 0920  e-mail

Skills in Practice

Education Scotland has recently published a practical guide to support the development of the key messages surrounding Building the Curriculum 4: Skills for Learning, Life and Work. It will provide teachers and other practitioners with support to help them ensure that skills development is an integral part of learning throughout the Broad General Education stage of Curriculum for Excellence.

 

Highlights include:

  • Examples of innovative practice from a variety of educational establishments
  • Short film clips providing practitioner, employer, parent and learner perspectives on skills
  • Downloadable CPD activities to support practitioners to reflect and develop their practice
  • A focus on developing thinking skills with activities and film insights with Keir Bloomer (Chair of the Higher Order Skills Excellence Group)
  • Activities exploring planning and progression in skills through the Experiences and Outcomes
  • Links to a range of GLOW resources including Watch Again GLOW Meets

 

Find the Skills in Practice resource here on the Education Scotland website:

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/s/skillsinpractice/introduction.asp?strReferringChannel=educationscotland&strReferringPageID=tcm:4-615801-64

Youth Music Initiative

Creative Scotland recently announced the launch of the Scottish Government’s £10million Youth Music Investment (YMI) programme for 2012/13.

The YMI programme intends to:

  • Create access to high quality music making opportunities for young people aged 0 – 25, particularly for those that would not normally have the chance to participate;
  • Enable young people to achieve their potential in or through music making;
  • Support the development of the youth music sector for the benefit of young people.

There are 3 investment programmes available for organisations and individuals to apply for investment:

1. School based music making (invited applications from Local Authorities);

2. Access to music making;

3. Strengthening youth music .

For all the information on the investment routes and for details on how to apply please visit here.

CfE – An Introduction for Youth Work

A new set of dates for CfE – An introduction for Youth Work training course events have been confirmed. These events are free to attend thanks to support from Education Scotland and Scottish Governement. Thanks also to the four Local Authorities that are hosting them.

Three dates for staff to develeop their skills in linking youth work practice to CfE can be viewed here.

One Training the Trainers date to support you to deliver these courses yourself can be viewed here

Contact steven.greig@youthscotland.org.uk  if you would like to host an additional event. 0131 554 2561

Youth Survey from the United Nations

Youth Survey from UN

The United Nations is developing a System-Wide Action Plan (SWAP) on Youth. This Action Plan will affect the way the whole UN system will work with and for youth in the coming years. The Action Plan will focus on the five priority areas identified by the Secretary General:
Employment
Entrepreneurship
Education, including education on sexual and reproductive health
Citizenship and protection of rights
Political inclusion

Before developing this Action Plan, the United Nations is reaching out to youth, youth-led organizations and others to seek their inputs.

Please take a moment to fill out the questionnaire.

The questionnaire is online here

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BFKH85W

West Lothian External School Hub – Partnership Working

West Lothian has set up a forum known as the External School Hub to enable all partnership agencies to come together in a solution-focussed approach to supporting vulnerable young people who require more choices and more chances into a positive pathway. The External Hub adopts a holistic approach to providing maximum support which involves close partnership working (including young people and parents) to enable the young people to benefit from a personalised education and support package either within or outwith the school setting.

more information

Early Years case study published – Family literacy project: Brucehill tots speak Scots

Using the Scots language as a context for learning, this project aimed to help parents/carers to support their child’s literacy development with particular emphasis on talking and listening skills.

Find out more here.

Inquiry into decision-making on taking children into care

Education and Culture Committee of the Scottish Parliament is holding an inquiry into the decision-making processes involved in determining whether a child should be removed from the family home and taken into care; and whether these processes are delivering the best outcomes for children and their families.

The Committee is interested in undertaking informal fact-finding visits as part of the evidence-gathering process. Please contact ec.committee@scottish.parliament.uk if you are interested in hosting one of these visits.

Deadline for written evidence: 28 August 2012

Website

Children and Young People Bill

The Scottish Government is consulting on its vision for children and young people’s rights and services. The Bill’s measures include:

  • embedding the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child across the public sector;
  • extending the powers of the Scottish Commissioner for Children and Young People to enable the Commissioner to undertake investigations on behalf of individual children and young people;
  • increasing the funded annual provision of pre-school education for 3 and 4 year olds and looked-after 2 year olds;
  • fully implementing the Getting it right for every child approach across Scotland so that all children and young people have a Named Person;
  • introducing a single planning process to support children and young people needing the involvement of a range of services;
  • raising the age at which young people leaving care can ask for help from a local authority from 21 to 25; placing a clearer definition of corporate parenting is put on statute. YouthLink Scotland will consult with our membership on a response to the Bill. Further details will be available in due course.

Further information can be found on the scottish government Website

North Ayrshire-Extended Outreach Case Study- Supporting Young People into Positive and Sustained Destinations

This filmed case study with reflective questions to support planning for choices and changes, MCMC and 16+ Learning Choices is now available on the Education Scotland website.

The case study highlights the support available from a range of partners in planning for choices and change (including 16+ learning choices) to post 16 transition stage. The case study is located in the planning for choices and change/16+ Learning Choices areas of the website. Key themes covered are inclusion, GIRFEC and support for young people with additional support needs. This case study will benefit all partners working with young people in the senior phase and post school.

Schools IT Excellence Group set up

The Scottish Government has announced that Education Secretary Michael Russell has appointed the Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Muffy Calder to convene an ICT Excellence Group to consider the future development of the schools’ intranet ‘Glow’.

 The new ICT Excellence Group will draw on the experience and expertise of end-users, and educational technology experts to scope the long-term user-centred future of Glow.

 Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Michael Russell said:

 “It is crucial that the next generation of Glow allows schools to harness the power of technology for learning, to keep pace with rapidly evolving developments and speak the language that young people speak online.

 “Professor Calder’s group will have the challenge of imagining a future for the service that can be customised to the individual requirements of our young people, is dynamic and can remain relevant for years to come. I look forward to receiving their advice later this year.”

 The group members are now announced as follows: Prof Muffy Calder, Prof Ian Sommerville, Prof Mike Sharples, Mr Ewan McIntosh, Mr Charlie Love, Prof Bill Buchanan, Mr Hamish Budge, Prof Jeff Haywood, Mr Neil Winton, Mr Tony Rafferty, Mr Fraser Speirs, Ms Jaye Richards Hill and Mr Martin Dewar who will facilitate the involvement of two school pupils in the group.

See announcement on Engage for Education.

Wise up Wednesday – Play Opportunities

 

News from Play Scotland, the organisation which works to promote the importance of play for all children and young people, and campaigns to create increased play opportunities in the community.

Play Scotland have created an online Petition calling for a Statutory Duty for Play, which would ensure that local authorities are committed to providing sufficient and satisfying play opportunities for children of all ages and abilities, to be included in the new Children and Young Peoples Bill.

You can access the petition here:

www.ipetitions.com/petition/plans-for-new-children-and-young-people-bill/signatures

Thank you

The Early Years Team

Community Learning and Development: Strategic Guidance for Community Planning Partnerships

The CLD strategic guidance was launched on Monday 11 June on the Engage for Education website. Watch the video blog by Michael Russell, MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning.

Throughout the week of the 11th June there was a series of themed blog discussions covering areas such as: the impact of CLD and how the Guidance will support this work, Curriculum for Excellence, community engagement and empowerment, young people’s transitions from school and the implementation phase of the Guidance.

Following the initial launch, further discussion about the Guidance will take place on our Strategic Guidance Blog on Connect.

Wise up Wednesday: Our latest Glow Meet

 

Thank you to Alastair Seaman and Julie Buchanan from Grounds for Learning for taking time out of their busy schedule to join us for our Glow Meet, Play on the Longest Day on Monday. Also a big thank you to those of you who tuned in on the day. If you missed the live event the good news is that you can ‘watch again’!

Our new video featuring Julie and her excellent work at Shotts Nursery Centre as well as the  PowerPoint from the day and some useful links are now on the ‘share’ section of the Early Years CPDCentral site.

If you are not a member of our Early Years CPDCentral site, visit the site and ‘add’ your details it is really easy and quick.

Thank you

The Early Years Team

Click here to see details about the Glow Meet.

Launch of Community Learning and Development: Strategic Guidance for Community Planning Partnerships

On Monday 11th June the above guidance was launched on the Engage for Education website.

Michael Russell, MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, will kick-off a weeklong event via video blog – make sure you visit the Engage for Education website to join in the discussion.

Throughout the week of the 11th June there will be a series of themed blog discussions covering areas such as: the impact of CLD and how the Guidance will support this work, Curriculum for Excellence, community engagement & empowerment, young people’s transitions from school and the implementation phase of the Guidance

Cabinet Secretary announces positive future for Glow

Mr Michael Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, made an announcement today on the immediate and long-term future of Glow. 

You can read full details of Mr Russell’s announcement on Engage for Education.

Dynamic Youth Awards now credit rated on the SCQF by SQA

 Dynamic Youth Awards provide a peer-assessed approach to recognising non-formal learning for young people aged 10 – 14.

The Awards recognise young people’s involvement in any activity that they choose to participate in, and have included helping out at youth groups, peer education initiatives, buddying schemes and community arts projects.

Dynamic Youth Awards are now credit rated on the SCQF at Level 3, which is comparable to Foundation Standard Grade or the new Access 3 Qualification. Dynamic Youth Awards range from a One Star Award to a Five Star Award. Each of these star ratings have different amounts of credit points attached to them, to allow recognition of the amount of learning required of the young person to achieve each award.For more information about Dynamic Youth Awards credit points, click here

The additional currency that SCQF credit rating brings will also support the use of Dynamic Youth Awards to recognise, profile and report on achievement, delivering a key priority of Curriculum for Excellence.

Steven Greig, Youth Scotland Youth Work Manager said:

“Young people have gained Dynamic Youth Awards for their involvement in a range of fantastic projects that support their learning. The fact that the Awards are now SCQF credit rated by SQA adds currency to the high standard of delivery from Award Group Workers, as well as paying testament to the achievements of young people themselves. We are delighted that young people will now be able to see directly how their Dynamic Youth Awards compare with more formal qualifications, such as those gained at school.”

Shanagh, a young person from Perth and Kinross Youth Council said:

“At last! After doing so many of these awards myself, it’s great to see they are getting the formal recognition that young people deserve.”

The process of credit rating the Awards has involved an ongoing partnership between Youth Scotland, SQA and the Award Groups currently delivering the Awards. Youth Scotland is also grateful to Craig Green, Information and Learning Services Manager at John Wheatley College, for his partnership support in developing the Award’s learning outcomes.

Community Empowerment

Local Government Minister Derek Mackay will launch a consultation on a proposed bill which will consider ideas to give more control to Scotland’s communities. Responses to the consultation will help shape the proposed Community Empowerment and Renewal Bill.

Ideas being considered include greater community involvement in making decisions on local budgets, helping public sector organisations identify the needs and priorities in an area and target budgets more effectively, an idea first piloted in Brazil and in a number of European cities.

The consultation also includes ideas on making it easier for community organisations to get involved in designing and delivering public services and challenging public authorities if they feel an area of public service delivery is not being run effectively and does not genuinely meet their needs.

The consultation also explores how existing legislation can be better used to let local authority and housing authority tenants take on management of their own housing, and whether existing allotments legislation should be amended to better support communities taking forward grow-your-own projects.

2500 young people to be helped into work

 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2012/06/esf-employment05062012

Leading youth charity The Prince’s Trust will receive £750,000 of European Structural Funds (ESF) to help even more young people into the jobs market.

The investment builds on last month’s announcement by the Scottish Government that £25 million of ESF would be focused on projects designed to get young people into work.

The Prince’s Trust will use the funding to extend their core programmes to help disadvantaged 16-25-year-olds build their confidence and increase their motivation to get their lives working again.

Understanding Social Enterprise Programme (Perth)

The CLD Standards Council, in partnership with the Scottish Social Enterprise Academy, is offering a free two day Understanding Social Enterprise programme to CLD practitioners who work directly with young people in Scotland. The event will take place in Perth on 20th and 21st June 2012. The programme will introduce the concept of social enterprise, the challenges faced by enterprises and assess the future for this dynamic and emerging business model.This learning programme also offers an opportunity for participants to gain an Institute of Leadership and Management Award in Understanding Social Enterprise qualification (6 credits at SCQF level 8). Participants who wish to opt in for the qualification will be required to complete an assessed written report and to meet an ILM Registration and Qualification Fee of £82.00.

The booking form and programme can be downloaded here

Curriculum for Excellence: Have you made the link?

Glasgow, 27-Jun-2012

The reach of Curriculum for Excellence aims to be wider than schools. There is increasing emphasis on it being a lifelong learning curriculum, requiring us to evidence how we can play our part in its implementation.

Learning Link Scotland is working in partnership with Education Scotland Communities Team to run a new one day workshop to help you make links between your work in adult learning/CLD and Curriculum for Excellence. The Workshop will explore:

  • Key features of Curriculum for Excellence
  • What links CfE to your practice in adult learning/CLD
  • Why do you need to engage with CfE?
  • Linking CfE to How Good is Our CLD?

The event is open to voluntary organisations and local authorities. There will only be 20 places available at this event. It costs £20 for members of Learning Link Scotland and £25 for non-members.

Sign up now

Contact: Learning Link Scotland, [ e-mail | website ]

LEAP Online

SCDC is pleased to announce the launch of a brand new software package to support participatory, outcome focused planning and evaluation.

LEAP – Learning Evaluation and Planning is a values based approach to planning and evaluating work with communities and is now available as an online software application. The user friendly online version encourages users to ask critical questions about their project or programme, and it is designed to support joint working by allowing access to shared project aims and reports among various partners and stakeholders.

Download the LEAP online flyer for more information.

Contact: SCDC, phone: 0141 248 1924 [ e-mail | website ]

Credit Ratings of Programmes Within the Community Learning and Development Sector

Invitation to Submit Proposals

Over the last two years The SCQFP made funding available to a range of organisations that supported the wider achievement of young people. This resulted in seven programmes being credit rated onto the Framework. Now that these have been allocated an SCQF level and credit points it allows them to be compared with other Scottish qualifications.

This year the SCQFP, with funding from the Scottish Government, would like to start a project to run over three years to enable a number of CLD learning programmes to be credit rated onto the Framework. SCQFP is looking for organisations to submit bids to have their learning programmes credit rated, during this financial year.

In addition, a number of other CLD organisations could be supported to develop their learning programmes into the structure required for credit rating with a view to submitting them in the next stage of this project if funding is continued from Scottish Government during 2013-14.

The Closing date for receipt of submissions is Thursday 21 June 2012.

More information is available here.

Download the CLD Credit Rating Project application form here.

Creativity and You! Embedding Creativity Across Learning – National Event

25 May, Glasgow Science Centre, 10 am – 3.30 pm

#creativityandyou

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/newsandevents/events/2012/eventgeneral_tcm4720739.asp

This national event, organised by The Scottish Government, Education Scotland and Creative Scotland, will showcase innovation across teaching and learning in a range of subjects beyond the expressive arts.

It will highlight just how imaginatively schools and teachers are already embedding creativity into their daily work, often in partnership with external organisations.

Teachers and senior managers in schools and the education sector will be able to draw on a range of good practice in promoting creative learning and improving learners’ creative skills within all subjects.

The day is designed to:

  • Explore what is meant by ‘Creativity skills for learning, life and work’.
  • Experience new and exciting approaches to motivating children to learn.
  • Discover different approaches taken to working with professionals and partners in delivering creative learning experiences.
  • Find out about the many resources and networks available to support creative teaching and learning.

To book a place, please contact Elisabeth.zelger@creativescotland.com with your name, title, contact details and local authority and any special requirements.

Millions for Disadvantaged Communities

Alex Neil, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment, has announced the new People and Communities Fund to promote and support community-led regeneration initiatives across Scotland, is open for applications.

The People and Communities Fund will invest in community anchor organisations that deliver local regeneration activity and promote change in our most disadvantaged communities. The fund will have particular focus on supporting initiatives to increase people’s chances of entering employment, from progressing further in current work to help break down any barriers people face when considering employment.

In addition to supporting employability, focus will also be on promoting future preventative spending, such as investing in initiatives that will help improve health now to prevent future illness and hardship.

[ website ]

Live UnLtd – Summer of Social Action Campaign

Live UnLtd support young people to run inter-generational projects, start sports, arts, environmental and community projects; projects to address bullying, isolation and much more. Some of their award winners start their own sustainable social enterprises. All projects and enterprises are run by young people themselves (those under 18 need an adviser who can be a teacher, youth worker, parent or similar). For examples of projects please see here.

Individuals or small informal groups leading their own idea can apply. Applicants must be aged 11-21 and live in the UK. Applications cannot be made on behalf of organisations such as youth clubs or schools.

Applications must:

  • Show how the project will have a positive social impact on the applicant’s community;
  • Have identified a problem and show ho the project will tackle the problem;
  • Tell Live UnLtd what specific activities the project/enterprise includes and what it hopes to achieve;
  • Show how the project provides a learning experience for the applicant.

Receiving an award allows individuals to use their creativity and learning a hands-on way which may enhance their CVs. They can also help erase the negative stereotypes associated with ‘youth culture’ in the media today while making their world a better place.

What can they apply for? The costs of running projects. For example: venue hire, equipment costs, marketing materials, travel and volunteering expenses.

Eleven to 15 year olds can apply for up to £500 and 16-21 year olds can apply for up to £5,000. Award winners also receive the support of a Development Manager.

The deadline for applications is 31 May 2012.

Contact: Gina Headden at Live UnLtd in Scotland, Tel: 0131 220 0511 [ e-mail | website ]

New resource site launched for CLD practitioners

The CLD Standards Council has developed a web-based framework to support creative and innovative learning and development for CLD practitioners.  i-develop is part of the Standards Council CPD Strategy, “A Learning Culture for the Community Learning and Development Sector in Scotland”, and is based on the values, principles, skills and competences they need as communities, individuals and employers.

The Framework integrates the theories and practices that help shape effective CPD for the CLD sector, such as peer sharing, communities of practice, learning journeys and reflection-in-action in order to shape a learning community of practitioners across CLD.  i-develop is free to access and open to all CLD practitioners – full time staff, part time and sessional workers, volunteers, activists, students, managers, leaders, new hands and those more experienced.

The CLD Standards Council is now looking for local champions to promote i-develop to colleagues, partners and networks in their area. If you are interested in becoming a champion, please contact Alan Milson.

Youth Scotland launches new national leadership opportunity for young women

On Friday 6th April, Youth Scotland’s Girls on the Move programme launched the first national Sports Leaders UK Level 2 Award in Dance Leadership course.  This new course has been established by Youth Scotland, the network of youth clubs and groups, in partnership with Sports Leaders UK. Part of Youth Scotland’s Girls on the Move programme, the Level 2 course provides a progression route for young female leaders to develop their skills as community practitioners.

17 young women, aged between 16 and 22 took part in the first course at Kilgraston School in Perth. They came from areas across Scotland including: Alness, Edinburgh, Fort William, Inverness, Kirkcaldy, Perth, Nairn, North Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire and South Ayrshire. Throughout the course participants received training in working with groups, leading sessions and choreography. Following the course, the young women will be supported by local dance and youth organisations to undertake voluntary placements in their own communities.

Addressing the barriers that prevent young women from participating in physical activity, Girls on the Move provides support to young women in communities across Scotland, particularly those from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.   For more opportunities for young leaders, including details of forthcoming Level 2 opportunities, visit the Youth Scotland website or contact Rebecca Simpson, Youth Active Manager, at rebecca.simpson@youthscotland.org.uk

Community-led health case studies

 3 new case studies of community-led health have been developed by CHEX.  These outline the process by which community-led approaches to health lead to better health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals.  They can be downloaded by clicking on the following links:

Read more about the Community-led health for all resource here.

National Training and Development Network for Community Learning and Development

 

The next network meeting event is on Thursday 3 May at the Stirling Management Centre .

The purpose of the network is to provide a platform whereby those who are responsible for developing CPD within the context of CLD in Scotland, can be actively involved in developing a sustainable learning culture. This will contribute to the CPD framework that is currently under development to support the CPD Strategy for the sector.

 We would like to invite you to register your interest in this open network to:

  • Ensure we have a consistent representation from across partnerships and the 3rd sector.
  • To gain an overview of the resource we develop through the network to encourage a culture of learning and sharing experience and resources.
  • To establish a picture of what members are looking for to support their role in developing CPD within their role in CLD

 To register please click on the link also attached is a draft programme.

16+ Learning Choices newsletter

The February/March 16+ Learning Choices newsletter is available here (Glow log in required)

In addition to articles from Skills Development Scotland, this edition contains news from a number of local authorities, including, Argyll and Bute, Falkirk, Renfrewshire, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Shetland and Fife.

Substance Misuse Report – Peer Education

Engaging young people in a dialogue around substance misuse and effective substance misuse education, and providing credible information to young people is key to the prevention arm of the Scottish Government’s national drugs strategy – The Road to Recovery: A New Approach to Tackling Scotland’s Drug Problem.

As part of this Young Scot was asked by the Scottish Government to consider the views of young people throughout Scotland on peer led approaches to substance misuse education. Throughout this piece of work it was important that young people were regarded as part of the solution and not part of the problem.

The report below details the background and purpose of the consultation, the methodology used to complete the consultation, and the outcomes of young people’s views.

The report is available at the link below:

Click to access sme_report_-final.pdf