Category Archives: Primary

John Byrne National Drawing Competition launches for schools

By Ron Cowie, Senior Education Officer in Express Arts at Education Scotland.

Ever dreamed of yourself as Britain’s next great artist? Well, now is your chance to put your artistic skills to the test.

Well-known artist and playwright, John Byrne, is inviting children and young people in schools across Scotland, from P4 – S3, to take part in the first annual John Byrne Drawing Competition, which was officially launched on Friday 5 December 2014.

The aim of the competition is to encourage children and young people from P4 – S3 to increase the amount of time they spend drawing in school and at home. The competition also aims to encourage you to be imaginative and creative and really enjoy drawing!

You don’t have to follow a particular theme but John has suggested ‘A day in my life’ as a possible theme for those who want some inspiration. The drawing can be of any size but you might want to consider the size and weight if your school is going to send it in the post. You can use any kind of drawing materials but an important requirement is that your work can clearly be identified as a drawing, as this is the basis on which your work will be judged.

John Byrne was born and raised in Paisley, attending St Mirin’s Academy before becoming a student at the Glasgow School of Art. He began his career designing covers for Penguin books before moving on to designing sets for his plays and then record covers for the likes of The Beatles. An exhibition of John’s work was recently held at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.

If you are lucky enough to be one of the three winners, you will receive one of the following prizes, as well as having your drawing included in an exhibition at Paisley Museum, alongside artwork by John, from the museum’s collection.

  • 1st prize – Limited edition full colour print “Moonstruck” by John Byrne and £100 voucher for art materials.
  • 2nd prize- Limited edition black and white print ‘Lost and Hungry’ by John Byrne and a £50 book token.
  • 3rd prize – £50 voucher for art materials.
  • 30 runners-up will receive a certificate specially designed by John.

Entries must be received by Friday 6th March 2015 before 4pm. All entries should be posted or handed in to Education Scotland at either their Glasgow or Dundee office. Entries must be submitted through your school, with only one piece of work per pupil. On the back of the drawing you should include your name, class, teacher, school address and phone number to be eligible to win. If you’d like your entry returned, please include a stamped addressed envelope with your entry.

The winners will be decided by a judging panel including John Byrne himself. The winning entries will be announced on Education Scotland’s learning blog by 5pm on Friday 27th March 2015.

Further information and details of the terms & conditions for the competition are available here.

Scottish Education STEM Award 2015

The Scottish Education Awards celebrate the hard work and success which takes place in Scottish education. They recognise the achievements of people who dedicate their lives to children and young people and showcase the valuable work and innovation in Scottish classrooms.

This year a new award category for STEM, Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics, has been introduced. 

This category recognises establishments who are helping children and young people develop STEM skills and apply these across the four contexts for learning – curriculum, inter-disciplinary learning, ethos and life of the school and opportunities for personal achievement.

Nominations should be able to evidence the following questions and describe the impact on learners, the school and wider community:

  •  In what ways do learners in your establishment demonstrate successful application of STEM skills?
  • In what ways are learners using STEM to develop skills for learning, life and work? 
  • In what ways do you work with partners/parents/wider community to support STEM?

 Nominations for this year’s awards are now open.

Nominations close 12pm on Monday 16 February 2015.

#primaryscience

BBC Schools Report Practice Day

There is still plenty of time to sign up for the BBC’s School Report. The next practice day is on the 11th December.

www.bbc.co.uk/schoolreport/

BBC News School Report gives 11-16 year-old students in the UK the chance to make their own news reports for a real audience.

It is a collaborative project run by BBC News and BBC Learning.

Using lesson plans and materials from this website, and with support from BBC staff and partners, teachers help students develop their journalistic skills to become School Reporters.

In March, schools take part in an annual News Day, simultaneously creating video, audio and text-based news reports, and publishing them on a school website, to which the BBC aims to link.

School Reporters produced a stunning array of content on 27 March 2014, with more than 1,000 schools across the UK making the news on the biggest ever School Report News Day.

The ninth News Day will be held on 19 March 2015.

Sign up to the Social Studies e-bulletin: bit.do/e-bulletin


Amnesty Youth Awards

The Amnesty Youth Awards bit.ly/132PPRy celebrates young people’s talents for human rights reporting, photography, songwriting (and performing), campaigning and fundraising.

Applications for our Youth Awards 2015 open on 8 September 2014 and closes on the 30 January 2015.

The competition is open to young people between the ages of 7 – 19 (up to and including Further Education). Students can take part in one or more categories to develop new skills and confidence to engage creatively with human rights.

Amnesty has awards and teaching resources to support five different catagories:

The Awards run in conjunction with the Times Educational Supplement and this year’s judges include:

  • Sir Richard Branson – ambassador of Amnesty’s Youth Awards
  • Sir Trevor McDonald OBE – judge, Young Reporter strand
  • Krishnan Guru-Murthy – judge, Young Reporter strand
  • Rankin – judge, Photographer strand
  • Kate Nash – judge, Singer-Songwriter strand
  • Owen Jones – judge, Campaigner strand

Scots…an important national treasure

By Dr Simon Hall, a Scots Language Coordinator at Education Scotland.

I sometime use the phrase ‘national treasure’ when I’m out and about talking to people about Scots language. There are a few reasons why I like this phrase. Firstly, Scots is indeed a ‘national’ language. It is spoken in all its rich varieties from Stranraer to Shetland, and pretty much everywhere in between. Folk in the Borders use it, and it’s used in our Scottish cities and across the Central Belt. It thrives in Angus, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Caithness and Orkney.

Scots is the ancient language of Lowland Scotland and the Northern Isles, once used in parliament, formerly spoken by kings, poets, courtiers and commoners.  Along with English and Gaelic, it is one of the three indigenous languages of modern Scotland, and you’ll hear it today on our streets, and in our offices, factories, construction sites, shops, schools and hospitals.

Of course, Scots has a vast and rich vocabulary. Some of the academic Scots dictionaries have as many as 60,000 entries. Many of the most colourful, stand-out words are what linguists call ‘lexical items’, nouns or verbs like clanjamfry, glaur, bogle, bubblyjock, threip, gilravage, dordie-lochran, mirk or moose. But there is also a range of more common verbs and everyday prepositions – mak, tak, ken, doon, owre, ahint, afore – which are also unique to our part of the world.

Scots is so much more than just our favourite Scots word; it is the sum of the parts of the lexical items, the prepositions, and the accent. In common with Norwegian and other related Scandinavian languages, Scots uses the older ‘oo’ vowel sound in words like hoose, moose or ku where English adopted ‘ou’ or ‘ow’.

Is this stuff really treasure, though? I would have to say I think it is. Scots is a unique cultural phenomenon. Along with things like traditional dance or Scottish song, it belongs in the category of ‘intangible cultural heritage’, and, as such, it is fragile, and in some danger of being forgotten in our multi-media global village. If Scots were a wild plant or a wild creature, we would be doing everything we could to preserve it. Towns and communities using guid Scots would be designated as Sites of Special Linguistic Interest.

Scots is becoming increasingly present in social media. Shetlanders use it on Facebook every day. It is popular in text. Scots Language Dictionaries has just launched a superb new Scots dictionary app. BBC Radio Orkney broadcasts in excellent Scots every morning. Translation of classic bairns’ books into Scots is at an all-time high level.

So it’s with these and other positives in mind that the team of Scots Language coordinators at Education Scotland are working to celebrate and promote excellent Scots Language education in our schools.

Many primary schools across a range of Local Authorities are looking at developing their ability to teach Scots within the areas of Literacy and English, while a number of forward-thinking secondary schools are pioneering the new Scottish Qualifications Authority Award in Scots Language. Another exciting development is Education Scotland’s ‘Scots Language Ambassadors’ initiative, where a team of Scots speakers from all walks of life are pairing up with schools to celebrate and promote Scots. Chefs, shopkeepers, authors, musicians, broadcasters, teachers and senior educationalists have all signed up to form friendly partnerships with schools: their ultimate aim is to promote this national treasure among the next generation of learners.

This article first appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News on Monday 8 December 2014.

Scottish Education Awards 2015 – now open for nominations

Nominations for the Scottish Education Awards 2015 awards are now open. Celebrating the hard work and success in Scottish education, the awards recognise the achievements of people who dedicate their lives to children and young people.

There are 17 awards available across a range of categories covering all areas of education. New awards for this year include learning for sustainability, making languages come alive and transforming lives through partnerships.

If you know of a school or teacher that deserves to be recognised for their hard work visit the Scottish Education Awards website for more information and to submit a nomination.

Nominations must be submitted by Monday 16 February 2015, good luck.

Air Quality walk and survey

Find out more about the work OPAL (Open Air Laboratories) do and improve your own knowledge and understanding of air quality and environmental surveys this weekend.

Lichen walk: Air Pollution indicators
7 December 2014, 1-2pm
Maryhill Park (meet at the Maryhill Road Gate), G20 0AB

Join OPAL as we walk around Maryhill Park looking for lichens and spotting species which indicate how much pollution is in the air. We will learn how to complete an OPAL Air Survey and each participants will each receive a survey pack to take away.

Please dress appropriately for our glorious Scottish winter weather!

For more information or to sign up for the walk email joanne.dempster@glasgowsciencecentre.org or call 0141 420 5010 (ext 270).

3-18 RME Impact Review Report National Engagement Events for Practitioners

Following a series of highly successful national engagement events for school leaders, Education Scotland has arranged two events exploring the implications of the 3-18 RME Curriculum Area Impact Review Report for practitioners.

Event 1 is aimed at RME Practitioners in non-denominational secondary/special schools and will take place on Monday 2nd February 2015 in Victoria Quay, Edinburgh from 10:00-15:30

Event 2 is aimed at Practitioners in non-denominational primary/special schools and will take place on Friday 6th February 2015 in Victoria Quay, Edinburgh from 10:00-15:30

There will be additional events for Practitioners in denominational establishments, and details of these will follow soon on Education Scotland’s website.

Applications to attend these events should be made by close of business on Friday 9th January. After this date, delegates will be selected so as to ensure a varied geographical and sectoral spread.

To book a place at this event contact elizabeth.westwood@educationscotland.gsi.gov.uk

Engaging with Scottish schools to promote STEM

Engaging with Scottish schools to promote STEM
10am to 3:30pm, 2nd February 2015
Venue: Deans Community High School, Livingston

The Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce states in its report that ‘a focus on sciences, technologies, engineering and mathematics (STEM) should sit at the heart of the development of Scotland’s young workforce’ and calls for long-term partnerships to be established between schools, colleges and employers to bring about significant change.
Similarly, higher education institutions and research groups are looking for ways to engage effectively with school communities to encourage learners to develop STEM skills and pursue further study in these areas.
There are many activities taking place nationally and schools are already engaging with a variety of partner organisations and institutions to enhance the learning and teaching of STEM within Curriculum for Excellence and to develop the employability skills of learners. However, more needs to be done to coordinate efforts and scale up successful approaches to bring about the transformative change that is required.
The purpose of this event is to:
• Share interesting and thought-provoking models of school partnerships with industry, higher education and colleges
• Create a forum for discussion regarding effective partnership working with schools to support learning and teaching in STEM areas
• Outline the national actions that are being developed by national bodies to address the recommendations from the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce.
Audience: This event is aimed at key decision makers or a nominated substitute (persons with interest in STEM School engagement) in local authorities, professional bodies, colleges, higher education, research and industry.
Programme: The event will include a stimulating mix of keynote presentations, workshops and discussion. Further details regarding speakers and workshops will be provided in due course.
To register: This is a free event. Please email STS@SSERC.org.uk to book a place. It is advisable to book early as places are limited. When booking, please remember to send details of any special dietary or access requirements.
For further information please contact Scott Bryce at scott.bryce@sserc.org.uk.

Evaluating and Improving our Curriculum – Primary (your feedback is welcomed!)

Following the successful launch of our new Primary ‘toolkit’, we would welcome your suggestions ​for future primary support.

You can e-mail the Primary team at Primary@edscot.net

This e-mail address also appears in ​the ‘How to use it?’ section on the first page of the toolkit located here. ​

If you are unfamiliar with this resource, please take some time to look through it and discuss it with your colleagues.

Millport: Primary Fieldwork Weekend

38 primary teachers from 8 different local authorities landed on the Isle of Cumbrae between the 14-16th November for a fun packed weekend of Outdoor Learning. The Social Studies fieldwork skills CLPL was held at the Field Studies Council centre in Millport. The course was fully funded by Education Scotland and organised in conjunction with Scottish FSC manager, Daniel Moncrieff, and his team.

FSC Scotland delivers Primary, Environmental, Biology, Adventurous Activity and Geography courses for over 5000 students a year. The course built on this expertise and introduced participants to a range of different fieldwork activities which can be used with primary school students. The course was aimed at primary teachers and educators who wanted to further develop their skills to support and lead outdoor learning.

On Saturday, the course focused on Biodiversity and school grounds activities. Engaging activities to illustrate geographical processes included Kung Fu, Geosquishing and Sensory Mapping.

A trip to the Rocky Shore included a competitive scavenge for seal life, making Rocky Shore Real Estate adverts, using string quadrats to compare different areas of plants, and using found objects to create environmental beach art.

The afternoon consisted of fun interactive games helping to explain food chains and food webs, digging for  and collecting worm data (using one of the free Citizen Science Opal packs), a trip to the aquarium to study plankton under the microscope and an energetic game of Star Orienteering.

On Sunday the focus was on Energy and the Viking history of the island. The Viking activities included landscape poetry, sound maps, family dramas and a superb  Viking Changing Rooms activity where groups had to piece together the interior of a Viking home.

The Energy activity introduced annotated sketches and photos. The groups explored the advantages and drawbacks of different energy production methods present on the Clyde (including wind, coal and nuclear) and considered possible and probable futures over the next 100 years based on these activities. IPads were used to GPS log and annotate photos and to film imaginative stories explaining the litter objects found on the beach from the perspective of someone from 2600!

The feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive:

“I was not confident in my ability to come up with and deliver creative lessons which targeted the relevant CfE outcomes for Social Studies. With all the great ideas for games and activites I can transfer these skills to pretty much any outcome (with some tweaking of course).”

“The best bit was the practical nature of the whole weekend. It gave the opportunity to feel like the pupil and how they would benefit from all the different types of learning we experienced.”

“Daniel was absolutely fantastic at delivering every experience. His humour and intelligence go hand in hand.”

“The resources needed were easily accessible, cheap and did not require specialist knowledge.”

“I loved the rocky shore activity because it is something I could easily adapt at the allotment – searching through leaf piles and logs, etc.”

“I loved how they brought the history of the Vikings to life, incorporating Social Studies, literacy and Drama. I plan to adapt this activity next term during the Victorians IDL topic.”

“I enjoyed the course enormously. The course instructors were enthusiastic, passionate and very helpful. I look forward to taking outdoor learning to a higher level and delivering meaningful and engaging learning experiences to children.”

“Excellent opportunity for teachers to not only gain experience and knowledge of outdoor learning but it also provided an opportunity for teachers to get together and share experiences informally without paper work and expectations.”

The Education Scotland Social Studies team plan to run more opportunities in the future for primary and secondary teachers to improve their fieldwork skills.

Sign up now to the Social Studies E-Bulletin so you don’t miss out: http://bit.do/e-bulletin

Log on to the Social Studies Network on Glow to share your thoughts on Outdoor Learning: http://bit.do/socialstudiespl

Contact Daniel and his staff at Millport FSC for more information about class visits and OPAL Survey packs: enquiries.sco@field-studies-council.org

Keep Scotland Beautiful – Community Grant

Keep Scotland Beautiful


‘Our Community Grant’ is now OPEN!  Using proceeds from the single use carrier bag charge collected by Tesco Scotland, grants fixed at £250 are available NOW to local groups, to make small improvements to their local environment, bringing people together and raising a smile.   Eligible projects will include local action to improve the local environment, delivered in an environmentally sustainable manner, involving and benefitting the community, and will be volunteer led.  The deadline for applying is Monday 15 December.  Visit www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/communitygrants for details.

Early Years and Primary Science

The sciences Glow 365 site continues to develop and is being populated with many resources to support the sciences curriculum.

A tile entitled Primary/Early Years Science is now available on the site through which you can access our newsfeed, resources and blog page. All are easily accessible and provide up to date relevant information for practitioners in each sector.

Our latest blogs include details about grants from the British Science Association, how to access the new FREE primary ReachOut CPD programme and you can download the recent Supporting Primary and Early Years science Glow Meet.

To access the site http://bit.ly/glowsciences  

The site is work in progress and further developments will be introduced as the Glow 365 platform takes shape

You can also access information and discuss the latest developments with colleagues through the   Learning Together site www.bit.ly/learningtogetheredscot

#primary science

Outdoor Learning in Argyll

15 primary schools from the Oban area have taken part this year in an Outdoor Learning Programme  delivered by Stramash, the Oban based social enterprise and charity.

“The programme uses the unique environment of the west coast of Scotland to help inspire the next generation to enjoy and engage with all the great outdoors has to offer. The programme offers a range of outdoor experiences for children & young people that challenge and inspire, enrich the learning that takes place inside the classroom and supports the personal, social and emotional development of each individual.  This supports Curriculum for Excellence, providing experiences which stimulate learning, connect to the natural environment and encourage active, healthy lifestyles. The programme is varied and tailored to suit each school. We have delivered the programme in forest, woodland and coastal environments and the children have participated in a variety of activities including hillwalking, orienteering and sea kayaking as part of the programme.” Outdoor Learning Manager, Stramash

Stramash have created a film to tell the story of the programme. To view the film click on this link http://vimeo.com/110570839

YESC Update

The Young Engineers & Science Clubs Scotland is a Scotland wide primary and secondary programme run by the Scottish Council for Development and Industry and supported by many of its members including BP, Skills Development Scotland and the Lloyd’s Register Foundation.

Through a network of over 700 science, engineering and technology clubs throughout Scotland, from Orkney to Dumfries, pupils from P5-S2 test their problem-solving skills on a number of themed investigations. So far 12,000 members have worked alongside their teachers, real engineers and scientists on a variety of STEM projects.

Projects for the coming year include: 

2015 Junior Saltire Awards Challenge- Design and Build a Wave Energy Convertor

Free Watt’s Watt Kit – Marks the 250th anniversary of James Watt’s invention to greatly improve the steam engine

The Ultimate STEM Challenge – Primary and Secondary Challenges

Further information, advice and contact details can be accessed through the YESC website:

http://bit.ly/1qm40G7

Computing Clubs for Girls – Primary and Secondary!

CC4G

Free to the first 50 schools to sign up!

CC4G – Computer Clubs for Girls – is a fully resourced scheme of work from e-skills UK, developed with teachers, supported by role models from leading employers and specifically designed to encourage girls to take on the digital world with confidence.

The resources cover a variety of topics, from coding to e-safety, web design to music video production, are fully supported by teacher guides, and can be used to deliver extra-curricular clubs or to support lesson time activities.

Running CC4G doesn’t need any specialist IT expertise or software, it’s fully curriculum-compliant, and girls love it.

Java Fundamentals training

In addition to sponsoring CC4G licenses, Oracle is offering teachers from each school within this scheme free Java Fundamentals training using the Alice and Greenfoot development environments.

The course lays the foundation for students with little or no programming experience to learn the Java programming language, introducing fundamental programming concepts and terminology in an easy, engaging manner.

Sign up now for a free one year account

The first 50 schools in Scotland to respond will each receive a free licence, sponsored by SDS and Oracle, to run CC4G for a one year period, plus free Java Fundamentals training from Oracle. To see for yourself how good CC4G is, register for a free trial at www.cc4g.net.

This offer will not last long and licenses will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. Please contact CC4G with any questions and to confirm your acceptance: cc4ghelpdesk@e-skills.com

CC4G is run by e-skills UK, the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology. We work on behalf of employers to ensure the UK has the technology skills it needs to succeed in a global digital economy. Our work covers software, internet & web, Computer Games, IT services, telecommunications and business change. At e-skills UK we help people achieve their goals every year through our programmes, research and initiatives – at work, school and in further and higher education.

 

GLOW 365: RM Unify Launchpad and Science

Log on to GLOW 365 and explore the various RM Unify tiles which support learning and teaching in the sciences.

Tiles include:

Twig, which provides films and learning materials which have been mapped to the CfE Experiences and Outcomes for Sciences, Maths and Geography

Tigtag the complete online resource for primary science 

 

Scale of the Universe and NASA  which includes video clips of the first moon landing

The tile giving access to the ever popular TED talks will ensure your lessons stimulate debate and discussion, while the TED lesson creator allows you to create an animated lesson to enthuse and inspire your learners.

The NAR tile gives access to exemplars on science assessment and you can access our sciences Glow meets through the Glow TV tile.

Use your Glow password, log on to the RM Unify Launch pad and explore all the materials available to support the science curriculum.

Twig and Tigtag Updates

Twig refresh now live!

Education Scotland and Twig World are delighted to announce the launch of the newly updated and refreshed Twig On Glow website, which coincides with the switch over to the new Glow platform.  Twig continues to bring you stunning film footage and learning materials for sciences, maths and geography all linked to Curriculum for Excellence. Twig has already started the process of mapping the content to the national qualifications and there are quick links now available in the top menu bar. More links will be added as further content is mapped, for instance to the newly included Science Experiments films.

Faster loading

As well as the refreshed design interface, users will find that the new Twig On Glow site loads faster, the mind map responds more quickly and the films cache more effectively which will improve streaming. 

New content on Tigtag

People and Places is the new Tigtag module for geography. Matched to Curriculum for Excellence, the module includes 223 films covering six topics:

  • Environmental awareness and care
  • Future of energy
  • Human impact on the environment
  • Human geography
  • Physical geography
  • Mapping

Imperial College London and Tigtag launch free online resource to help Scotland’s primary school teachers with science

 Primary school teachers can sign up now at www.reachoutcpd.com

Thinking like a scientist is a valuable skill. Analysing information, asking good questions and recognising how evidence wins arguments; all these things help people make better decisions. The time to nurture this skill is when children are naturally most curious about the world around them – when they are of primary school age.

According to a 2013 National Science Learning Centre report, only 5% of primary school teachers have a science degree, and teachers themselves say that their confidence to give inspiring science lessons rises when they have access to appropriate training, guidance and resources, to help them plug the gaps. 

That’s why Imperial College London (www.imperial.ac.uk) and education technology provider Tigtag (www.tigtagworld.co.uk) have come together to support every teacher to deliver the science curriculum.

Through Reach Out CPD (Continuing Professional Development) teachers can learn directly from Imperial experts about the science they need to cover in the classroom. Offering concise topic knowledge, short films, experiment ideas and more, this new resource aims to equip all primary teachers with the skills to excite children about science.  All training is delivered online in handy 20-minute units, so busy teachers can top up their knowledge anytime, anywhere on a computer, tablet or smartphone.

At the end of a course, teachers can download an official Reach Out CPD certificate endorsed by Imperial College London – one of the world’s leading science universities. 

Reach Out CPD is free to Scottish teachers and will remain so!

Sign up now at www.reachoutcpd.com

 www.twitter.com/ReachOutCPD

www.facebook.com/ReachOutCPD

More awards for TWIG

Twig World has been nominated as one of the Top 25 Most Innovative Companies within Digital Education in a new report by Total Education, the global educational technology event company. The report was compiled by interviewing experts in the major education markets around the world including teachers, industry professionals and keynote speakers. Twig World is one of only four content providers in the report.  This latest acknowledgement adds to a growing list of accolades for the company. Twig World has won many international education awards including the prestigious Bett Award for the past three years running.  Anthony Bouchier, CEO of Twig World says: “To be selected with the likes of Google and Microsoft just three years after launching our first product is a huge achievement and testament to the talent of our teams in Glasgow and London.  We are still at the start of our mission to empower teachers and learners as digital resources reach the classroom – there’s a much more to come from us in the years ahead!”

The report is available at http://blogs.terrapinn.com/total-education/2014/09/03/top-25-innovative-companies-digital-education

Primary Science on Glow 365

The new Primary Science Glow 365 site is currently under development but at the moment we have a Primary /Early Years blog page which is easily accessible and provides up to date relevant information for practitioners in each sector.

Our latest blogs include how to access the new FREE primary Reach Out CPD programme and you can  download the recent Supporting Primary and Early Years science Glow Meet.

To access the site http://bit.ly/glowsciences  and remember your  glow password 

The site is work in progress and further developments will be introduced as the Glow 365 platform takes shape

‘Our Environment Competition’ resources

The team working on ‘Our Environment‘ competition on Scotland’s Environment website are beginning to add learning resources to their competition page.

This includes learning journeys, helpful hints about ‘What SE Web can do for you’, a page of useful links when planning your competition entry and briefing notes with helpful information for teachers. More resources and links are being added every week to this.

Remember the compeition is your chance to

  • find an environmental problem that you want to fix (or a potential problem you want to prevent)
  • describe the problem
  • work out what you want to change, how that could make us healthier and happier
  • work out how you are going to make it happen.

…and you could win £1000 for your school or group!

http://www.environment.scotland.gov.uk/get-involved/the-big-discussion/

Building the West Barns Primary School curriculum part 2

Developing the Life and Ethos of West Barns Primary School

Over the past 12 months at we have been working with pupils, families and the wider community to help us develop a clear rational for our curriculum based on shared values of respect, happiness, confidence, responsibility, safety and friendliness.  The school continues to develop open and supportive relationships with children and their families.  We are now beginning to see the impact of many months of hard work on the life and work of the school.

This year we have introduced Learning Journeys which will support pupils in reflecting on their learning and identify their next steps as well as recording their wider achievement.  We are sharing these with parents and families on a regular basis and encourage them to add their own comments, photos, certificates etc. and help their child set health and wellbeing targets.  This will provide parents with a great opportunity to become more involved in their child’s learning and achievements. By the end of this first term we are already seeing pupils engaging more in discussing their learning, identifying their strengths and next steps, thinking of strategies to help them move forward and evidencing their achievements.

Learning journeys

Parents and families also recently helped our Primary 4-7 pupils understand the importance that literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing skills will play in their adult lives.  Pupils interviewed adults as part of the Family Homework task (download parents survey). Pupils then worked together to process and present the information.  This gave our children a greater understanding of why it is important to master these basic skills during their school years.  Younger pupils have been thinking about what jobs they would like to do when they are older and which skills they will need.  Staff continue to make the links between the children’s learning and skills for learning, work and life.

Family homework task

This year we felt it was essential that we looked at how we could better promote emotional resilience in our pupils.  We are using a whole school approach to health and wellbeing through using Edinburgh City’s ‘Creating Confident Kids’ resources (http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/20075/information_for_professionals/383/learning_publications ).  The Headteacher is working with all classes to develop a whole school approach through active learning and school assemblies.  The Playground Committee has also been looking at ways that we could better support pupils during break times through developing games and activities and have introduced their own Playground rules.

Playground rules

The whole school community are now working together to develop an ethos of positive behaviour to promote effective learning and wellbeing across the school.  This year, before choosing new House Captains, pupils were asked what attributes they valued most in a leader.  The results were unanimous – pupils wanted role models who showed respect, kindness and responsibility.  Candidates then used these findings to inform their election campaigns and now have a clear remit of what the school community expects from them in their new roles.

Most valued attributes in a leader

Our recent pupil survey showed us that our children wanted to contribute more to the life and work of the school.  We are now giving all our pupils the opportunity to exercise their responsibilities through playing an active part in one of our 4 school committees.  We have timetabled quality time and invested in resources to ensure that pupils have real opportunities to participate responsibly in decision-making, contribute as leaders and role models and offer support and service to others through meaningful projects that will benefit the school and our wider community.

Although we have an open door policy here at West Barns and welcome communication from parents, we were keen on trying to involve our parents more in the day to day running of the school.  Our Parent Council have recruited many volunteers through the West Barns Helping Hands scheme which involves parents, families or neighbours offering their help in a variety of different ways from creating resources, digging the garden, mending toys, making curtains and helping organise events.  We are seeing many more parents and families becoming involved in the school and we are making headway with many new projects thanks to their help.

Next month see how our curriculum rationale is being developed.

Our Environment Competition

Our Environment Competition has been launched by Scotland’s Environment Web

How Would You Make Our Environment Better?

“Take part in Our Environment Competition. Show us how you would make our environment better and win £1000! ”
The competition is open to young people of school age. It opens on 24th September 2014 and closes on 31st March 2015.

Young people need to:

  • find an environmental problem that you want to fix (or a potential problem you want to prevent)
  • describe the problem and collect data
  • work out what you want to change
  • work out how you are going to make it happen.

Entries should:

  • be ambitious & inspiring;
  • be of a high quality and well presented;
  • engage with other members of  your school or community; and
  • have a legacy potential.

The competition provides an engaging way of involving young people in their local environment and environmental issues.

It enables a focus on investigation and analysing skills.

It allows children to participate in scientific discussions and topical science.

There are four age categories:

  • First level
  • Second Level
  • Third and Fourth Level
  • Senior Phase

Individual or group

You can develop an entry as an individual or as a group.

School or outside of school

  • You can enter as part of a school project (a class, school group or individual)
  • You can enter as part of a group out-with school (e.g. youth club, Scouts, Guides, a group of friends), or as an individual

You can submit your entries from 1st January 2015.  Remember the closing date is 31st March 2015.   If you submit your work by the end of February 2015 you will be eligible for a £100 prize draw.

You should submit your entry by going to the competition website. The website will ask you to fill in a simple form and then upload your application.

There is a £1000 prize for the best group entry from all the age categories, and a £100 prize for the best individual entry, money which you can use to further develop your ideas and make them happen.

In addition, there will be two prizes for each age category, one for the best individual entry and one for the best group entry.

All winners will also be invited to attend a celebration ceremony. Further information can be found on Scotland’s Environment Web.

Big Biology Day Scotland – the Science of Life. Sunday 12th October

Life, the world around us and the search for extra-terrestrials will be explored though a range of hands-on activities at Big Biology Scotland on Sunday 12th October 2014.

This free event for all ages, at Mugdock Country Park from 10:00-15:00, will include outdoor activities such as a Bug Hunt, Sun spotting, Rocket making and Bird ringing.



Inside the visitor centre, budding biologists can get busy making Crafty Critters and DNA bracelets. Older visitors can learn more about health with ‘Bacteria Combat’ and ‘Meet a GP’.

The theatre will host films and talks from ‘Meet the Scientist’ and the Cosmic Way Roadshow where you can explore the origins of life in the stars.

To celebrate National Fungus Day (also on Sunday 12 October) Mugdock park rangers will run a Fungi Foray from 13:00-14-30 and Jaw Brew and Battlefield Bakery will be on hand all day to show how the yeast fungus is vital to brewing beer and baking bread.

Big Biology Day Scotland is one of six science festivals taking place all over the country as part of Biology Week 11-18th October 2014, organised by the Society of Biology.

Dr Mark Downs, Chief Executive of the Society of Biology, says: “Biology affects us all: biological research has helped provide food, medicines, vaccinations, and much more. We have organised Biology Week to share our fascination with the world around us.”

For more information visit: https://www.societyofbiology.org/events?event_id=581

Primary and Early Years Science Glow Meets and Professional Learning Twilight Sessions

Following the publication of its 3-18 Curriculum Impact Report for Sciences in September 2012, Education Scotland organised a series of conversation days where priorities for action to secure improvements in science education nationally were identified.
Key aspects for development emerged, which included primary and early years practitioners requiring:
• support with the initial planning for learning and teaching in the sciences
• guidance and exemplifications for assessment in the sciences
• support in delivery of topical science
• planning and delivering Citizen Science
To address each aspect the sciences team will be hosting four Glow Meets, complimented by a series of professional learning twilight sessions.
The first Glow meet Supporting the Sciences: planning the primary & early years science curriculum took place on Wednesday 17th September 3.45 – 4.30pm.
Revisit the Glow Meet through http://bit.ly/1DltfRy or download the presentation through our new Glow 365 primary science site http://bit.ly/glowsciences
Dates, times and venues for the complimentary twilight sessions are:
Glasgow, Education Scotland Offices, Optima Building, 30th October 4-6pm
Dundee, Dundee Science Centre, 4th November 4.30-6.30pm
Aberdeen, Mile End Primary School,10th November 4-6pm
Dumfries, Lochend Education Centre, 13th November 4-6pm
Edinburgh St Augustine’s High School, 20th November 4-6pm

Education Scotland Vacancies

Development Officer Posts – Community Resilience and Learning for Sustainability

Working in a team led by a Senior Education Officer, Development Officers work in partnership with colleagues from across the education sector, Scottish Government and other national organisations to develop, promote and support effective and innovative approaches within their specialist areas. We invite applications from highly motivated and enthusiastic individuals to support ongoing curriculum development in relation to the following two areas:

LEARNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY

This role will support the implementation of the recommendations in the Learning for Sustainability Report. Candidates should have an excellent knowledge of a number of aspects of the learning for sustainability agenda including: global citizenship, outdoor learning, sustainable development education, international education, children’s rights and play. The post-holder will also play a key role in supporting the activities of the National Implementation Group for Learning for Sustainability and will work closely with colleagues in the Learning Directorate of the Scottish Government as well as in Education Scotland.

COMMUNITY RESILIENCE

Flooding and other extreme weather events have affected many areas in Scotland and it is important for schools and their wider communities to be prepared for emergency situations like these. The post-holder will be responsible for liaising with key contacts in local authorities and other national and regional bodies to help learners and their school communities to become more resilient. This post requires an individual who will bring enthusiasm to the role and who is skilled in working in partnership with others. A detailed knowledge or previous experience of community resilience activities is welcome but not an essential requirement as a suitable induction and training programme will be provided.

 The successful candidate for each post will remain on their employer’s salary rate, terms and conditions. They will continue to be paid by their employer and will remain an employee of their organisation during the period of secondment.

Candidates should have an excellent knowledge of Curriculum for Excellence and be able to contribute to its continued development and implementation. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills will be required for both posts and candidates are expected to hold a relevant degree and have experience of teaching in a school.

Secondment duration for each post: 23 months.

Location: Successful candidates can choose to work from any of the Education Scotland offices subject to local availability.

Closing date for applications: Midnight on Sunday 5 October 2014

Further information about the posts and how to apply is available from the education Scotland website: http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/about/vacancies/dosustainabilityresilience.asp

Applications should be returned electronically to recruitment@educationscotland.gov.uk

Free Community Resilience Conversation and Networking Event – Inverness October 7th

Community Resilience Education – Free Conversation Day and Networking Event

09:30 (for 10:00 start) – 15:00, Tuesday 7th October 2014

Venue: Thistle Hotel, Millburn Road, Inverness, IV2 3TR

Education Scotland is excited to be hosting a second community resilience conversation and networking event with a view to developing a shared, partnership approach to provide 3-18 resilience education opportunities.

The day aims to bring together members of the Scottish Government, emergency planning and civil contingencies teams from local councils, representatives from local education authorities, and members of other key organisations to consider the potential of community resilience as a rich and exciting context for teaching and learning. Key contexts for focus include flooding, severe weather and pandemic flu and the impact they can have on communities and how we can take steps to mitigate against their impact through educating learners.

We would also like to extend this event invite to school representatives (members of management teams, or teachers who have been, or are interested in engaging in community resilience education) to explore how we can take forward resilience education. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Conversation activities will provide delegates with opportunities to network and engage in professional dialogue in relation to developing more resilient individuals, families and communities. Selected examples of good practice will be shared through engaging presentations delivered by Education Scotland, Scottish Government, local councils and schools.

All interested delegates should register online at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/N2F3TWC to confirm attendance and inform us of any special dietary or access requirements you may have.

If you have any further questions or your school is/has been involved in community resilience projects or initiatives and you would be interested in presenting at the event to share your practice with others, please contact Jennifer Moore at: Jennifer.Moore@educationscotland.gov.uk

Glasgow Science Centre Events

 

 

 

Teachers Tea and Scones

Free

8th October 2014

4pm –6.30pm

You’re invited to meet Glasgow Science Centre’s education team, experience our shows, components of our education programme and chat to some of our executive team over tea and cakes. We’d also like to introduce you to colleagues from Cineworld, Skills Development Scotland and Whitelee Windfarm Visitor Centre, who contribute to making the Science Centre a significant education resource.

Please register your interest at http://science-glasgow.polldaddy.com/s/teacherdays

World Space Week,

4th-12th October 2014

Education activities suitable for P4-S6

Celebrate World Space Week by joining us for our space themed programme of activity. Get hands on in the Lab and explore how we can use Invisible Science to view deep space or join us in the Fantastic Forces science show where we investigate the forces needed to get a rocket into space. Stargaze in our Planetarium or experience a multimedia musical feast amongst the stars with guest presenters Let’s Talk About Space. Pupils can also engage with cutting edge research happening right here in Scotland through our Meet the Expert programme.

Please call our bookings team on 0141 420 5003 for more details.

Science and Sustainability at the Scottish Learning Festival

THE SCOTTISH LEARNING FESTIVAL 2014: RAISING ACHIEVEMENT AND ATTAINMENT FOR ALL

SLF 2014 is completely FREE for everyone to attend and will support practitioners as they explore a wide range of practical approaches, resources and research aimed at improving achievement and attainment for all learners in Scotland.

There will be inspirational keynotes speeches, conversation and debate in the professional discussion sessions and professional learning seminars where you can engage in activities and learn from practitioners and young people;

This includes a number of seminars specifically aimed at addressing the sciences curriculum.

Wednesday 24th  September 9.30-10.15am

Learning for sustainability – a strategic agenda for change – SLF Guide Page 7

In February 2014, the National Implementation Group for Learning for Sustainability was established to ensure all learners in schools experience global citizenship, outdoor learning, sustainability, children’s rights and play in a transformative way. This seminar will outline the ambitions of the group and this exciting agenda for change which will impact on all schools and support the introduction of the new GTCS Professional Standards.

Thursday 25th September 12.00-12.45  

Supporting primary science to inspire STEM careers – SLF Guide Page 21

STEM subjects are central to Scotland’s economic future and our health and wellbeing. They also offer a range of excellent career opportunities for young people. This seminar will demonstrate how SSERC and Education Scotland provide valuable support for primary practitioners to enthuse and inspire learners about science and STEM careers.

Thursday 25th September 13.15-14.00

Engaging pupils with science – SLF Guide Page 23

Outlining the various projects Aberdeen City have developed, which have increased pupils’ engagement and enthusiasm in science. This includes the S6 Science Ambassador Award; Science Buddy Award; P6/7 Science Champions; Intertek Science Fair; Science for PSAs & Playground Science.

Wednesday 24th September 14:00 -14:30

Thursday 25th September 11-11.30am

Conversation Area : Supporting the Sciences

Meet the Education Scotland Sciences Team and explore the vast range of support available across all levels of the sciences curriculum. Discuss how to enthuse and motivate learners and practitioners through real life contexts and partnership working.

 To book your place browse the conference programme, note the seminars you want to

attend and visit the SLF website – www.scottishlearningfestival.org.uk.

Register on line today.

Dundee Science Centre: Professional Learning for Education Practitioners

Dundee Science Centre Science Learning Institute is a partnership for professional development in learning, teaching and public engagement with science.

  • School of Education, Social Work and Community Education, University of Dundee
  • Dundee College
  • SSERC
  • Revealing Research, University of Dundee
  • Scottish Council for Development and Industry
  • Abertay University

The Science Learning Institute is a collaborative approach to providing support and development for the many professions who engage with learners throughout the community.  Dundee Science Centre’s vision is a culture of curiosity, confidence and engagement with science for the whole community, and we are working with our partners to provide high quality and interprofessional training for practising professionals, those in further and higher education, STEM Ambassadors and others working with children and young people in formal and informal learning settings, to enhance learning for all across our region.

Working in partnership allows us to support you in making your teaching relevant, engaging and challenging, reflecting cutting-edge science in Dundee and the surrounding area, Scotland and beyond.

Through joint programming, a wide range of learning sessions and courses are created and delivered by the Dundee Science Centre Science Learning Institute team and partners. We are delighted to have funding to cover the costs of attendance. Please not that this is limited, so please get in touch soon to reserve a place for the session(s) you’d like to attend.

To help with your planning, we have arranged our information in date order and have indicated suggested level for each session.  For more information on our offerings, please see our website where information on Curriculum for Excellence organisers and significant aspects of learning can also be found for each offering.

Except where stated, all courses are open to all professions and backgrounds.  We look forward to welcoming and working with you.

Upcoming Professional Learning sessions

Dove self-esteem PL session

www.DSCScienceLearningInstitute.org.uk

Kindly supported by the Mathew Trust and Dundee City Council

Generation Science

Edinburgh International Festival is an educational charity. Each year it delivers one of Europe’s largest science festivals, a primary school education programme and a variety of international projects.

 A key part is Generation Science.

Generation Science tours all over Scotland bringing educational and entertaining performances to your classroom, including hands on activities.

This year, to compliment the Logo Mindstorms Challenge workshop, there will be a Mindstorms Advanced workshop where learners will be challenged to use their programming skills to rescue a robot stranded on another island.

Through the Fuel Hunters workshop learners will become exploratory engineers and discover the origins of oil.

The Generation Science team deliver science workshops from Early to Second Level. The team will come to your establishment and support your delivery of transition projects, science fayres and science themed days.

For further information call 0131 553 0321  or download the Generation Science Brochure  www.generationscience.co.uk

Glow Meet, Supporting the Sciences: planning the primary and early years science curriculum

Following the publication of its 3-18 Curriculum Impact Report for Sciences in September 2012, Education Scotland organised a series of conversation days where priorities for action to secure improvements in science education nationally were identified.

Key aspects for development emerged, which included primary and early years practitioners requiring:

  • support with the initial planning for learning and teaching in the sciences
  • guidance and exemplifications for assessment in the sciences
  • support to develop and improve confidence in teaching the experiences and outcomes, including how to deliver practical activities

To address each aspect the sciences team will be hosting three Glow meets, complimented by a series of professional learning twilight sessions.

The first Glow meet Supporting the Sciences: planning the primary & early years science curriculum will take place on Wednesday 17th September 3.45 – 4.30pm.

To register for the glow meet:  http://bit.ly/supportingthesciences1

Further information regarding dates and venues for the professional learning twilights relating to this Glow meet will be available shortly.

Building the West Barns Primary School curriculum part 1

Welcome to the first post from West Barns Primary School in East Lothian. The school community will be telling their story via monthly posts on the Primary section of the Learning Blog. They will be describing the process they are using to develop their curriculum together…

West Barns Primary School is a small village school situated on the outskirts of Dunbar.  We have 71 primary pupils split between 4 classes and 13 children in our Nursery.  The school is well supported by our families and the local community. Our pupils enjoy the wonderful school grounds and the opportunities offered by the outstanding local environment.

This year the school has been working with the whole school community to build a curriculum that provides our children with relevant, motivating and challenging experiences that meet the needs of all our learners.  Children and their families, staff and the wider community are helping us create a new vision for West Barns Primary School, identify what we need to do to get there and plan how we are going to bring this about.

Together staff, children and their families have begun to examine the different elements of the curriculum and have embarked on a journey to find out how we would like it to look in our school.

We used a button vote to find out the views of parents and carers.

Some of the questions and statements the children used with the parents included:

  • My child enjoys learning at school.
  • I feel encouraged to be actively involved in my child’s education.
  • I receive clear reports about my child’s learning and progress.

Download the full list of parent questions here.

The results gave us a clear picture of what we were doing well and the areas we needed to improve.

From the start we wanted to encourage our children to contribute more to the life and work of the school and exercise their responsibilities as members of our learning community.  We began by involving our children in a series of workshops designed to build a picture of how they saw our school. All pupils filled in an ’ How good is our school?’ survey.  Older pupils supported younger children by explaining the questions and helping them traffic light their answers.

Download the children’s survey here.

The children analysed the results and collated them so that everyone could see what was working well and what needed to be improved. We used this information to help us develop our School Improvement Plan.

Survey results

To help develop our next steps we also asked all our children some important questions, including:

  • What makes a good learner?
  • What makes a good teacher?
  • What makes a good school?

Download the template with all the questions here.

Pupils from across the school worked together to gather their ideas.

You can see what came out as important in the Wordles pupils created with the results.

We thought it was great that the words ‘good’, ‘helpful’ and ‘responsible’ came out as important for both our teachers and our learners.

Pupils, parents and staff then worked together by using a button vote to choose new values for our school.

It was interesting to see that respect, happiness, confidence, responsibility, safety and friendliness were our outstanding choices.  This has given us a clear direction for the future and has informed our health and wellbeing programme for this year.

Come back in October to see what the West Barns school community do next as they develop their curriculum together.

Teachmeet @ SLF 2014

Sign-up now for TeachMeet @ Scottish Learning Festival 2014.

Learn something new, be amazed, amused and enthused. This is an informal gathering of those curious about teaching and learning. Anyone can share great ideas they’ve trialled in their classrooms, ask important questions or simply sign up to take part in learning conversations. Education professionals from all sectors are welcome to take part.

The Scottish Learning Festival TeachMeet is always something special. It is usually the biggest TeachMeet in Scotland and often attracts some of the biggest names in education. It is also great fun!

John Carnochan at SLF 2014

With SLF 2014 now only 4 weeks away we hear for one of this year’s keynote speakers, John Carnochan about his keynote and thoughts on Scottish education.

Responding Differently

“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.” Herman Melville

Teachers, parents and families have a collective responsibility to ensure our children receive a rounded education that helps prepare them for life. Sadly, in the process, we too often forget or ignore the fundamental importance of human connection and relationships in our lives.

We seem to think now that as professionals we just need to do more of the same and everything will be ok, more policy, more training, more process and everything will be fine. This slavish adherence to professional process is, at times, naively arrogant and often ineffective. Not only does it ignore the value of human attributes, it often deliberately de-values them as being somehow unprofessional.

Professionals do not have all the answers and neither can we continue to assume that professional skills are the only “skills” appropriate or adequate responses to persistent problems. The strategies, systems and structures that exist today often can only manage the problems we face, new thinking is required if we are to make these problems better. We must begin to Respond Differently.

Professional and technical skills are important but they are not more important than the human attributes that demand we care for our fellow humans that help us establish relationships and that keep us connected. By combining the professional technical skills with our human attributes we will produce far more effective services and also help us do the right things for the right reasons.

Teachers are on the front line of Responding Differently, helping prepare our children for life. It’s certainly true that our children will need many of the technical skills delivered so effectively everyday in classrooms across Scotland. But these technical skills alone will not be enough if our children are to lead successful and productive lives. There is every possibility that many will be working in roles and doing jobs that have not yet been invented; they may be working in industries that haven’t been created yet. The skills that will be of most use to them in everything they do will be human “skills’. Our children will need to be resilient, adaptable, courageous, thoughtful, collaborative; they will need to communicate, problem solve, negotiate, compromise. Most importantly they will need to connect with others, they will need to be human; create better relationships and in schools it will create better learning and better behaviour.

In Scotland we have started to Respond Differently, particularly in Education. We have defined What our ambition is for our children, we want to make Scotland the Best Place to Grow Up. We have also defined How we are going to do it with the introduction of national policies such as GIRFEC and CfE. The inclusion of “wellbeing”, in CfE, with its aims to help children become Successful Learners, Confident Individuals, Effective Contributors and Responsible Citizens is hugely important.

This is an exciting time for Scotland and I sense that we have started to Respond Differently to children how we educate them and how we include them.

We know What we want to do and we know How we’re going to do it that’s a great start. Change is always difficult but if we remember also Why we are doing it the angst borne of the change will lessen as our aspirations increase. We are after all humans first and change is what we humans do, its what we have always done. Leadership has a role to play but we are all leaders and we can all Respond Differently.

If you want to hear John’s keynote then register for SLF 2014.

Glow Meet, Supporting the Sciences: planning the primary and early years science curriculum

Following the publication of its 3-18 Curriculum Impact Report for Sciences in September 2012, Education Scotland organised a series of conversation days where priorities for action to secure improvements in science education nationally were identified.

Key aspects for development emerged, which included primary and early years practitioners requiring:

  • support with the initial planning for learning and teaching in the sciences
  • guidance and exemplifications for assessment in the sciences
  • support to develop and improve confidence in teaching the experiences and outcomes, including how to deliver practical activities

To address each aspect the sciences team will be hosting three Glow meets, complimented by a series of professional learning twilight sessions.

The first Glow meet Supporting the Sciences: planning the primary & early years science curriculum will take place on Wednesday 17th September 3.45 – 4.30pm

To register for the glow meet:  http://bit.ly/supportingthesciences1

Further information regarding dates and venues for the professional learning twilights relating to this Glow meet will be available shortly.

Series of 6 Glow TV Events with Engineers

Meet the Engineer with Primary Engineers.

This is an exciting series of 6 Glow TV events between the 4th of September and the 23rd of October from 10am until 11am to help support the Scottish Engineering Special Leaders Award with Primary Engineer and the Leaders Award for STEM.

Ask your pupils the question ‘What would you do if you could be an engineer in Scotland?’ to help them formulate their answer join our Glow TV interviews with engineers and a Glasgow based solicitor who can tell you how to protect your ideas!

For the third year in a row Education Scotland supports this award as an exciting and relevant way for students from primary and secondary schools in Scotland to discover more about the impact and diversity of engineering, alongside paths and routes into this amazing career.

The list of all the dates and speakers is shown below and their biographies can be found on the leaders award website http://leadersaward.com/index.php/corporate/glow-meets

4th September –            Philip Hannay – Cloch Solicitors (Patents Solicitor) – Watch Again

11th of September –              Craig Goldie – Director Sweitelsky

25th of September –              Gordon Masterton – Vice President Jacobs Engineering

2nd of October –            Tom Sreeves – Director of Manufacturing Aggreko

9th of October –             Douglas Anderson – Founder and CEO OPTOS – this presentation will not be interactive and will be recorded and uploaded to the Education Scotland website Technologies pages

23rd of October –              Emma Henderson – Senior Engineer Expro Group

You can find out more and sign up for any of these events by following the relevant links above.

The Leaders Award for STEM website holds resources such as lesson plans for primary and secondary schools, links to resources from The Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame and award winning engineering companies from across Scotland through Scottish Engineering.

Entry deadlines are the 12th February 2015 with awards being presented in Glasgow alongside a public exhibition in March 2015.