Category Archives: Universal Support

Online learning spaces – the Class space

This is the first post in a series which describes some of our work on ‘content-free’ templates for educators and learners to use in our learning.

This space is on Glow O365, so it is best to log into Glow (eg on the Learning Spaces Community) before you explore the links below

classspace_logo3What’s the thinking behind it?

This space helps support the learning of a class throughout an extended period of time.

It covers the first 2 or 3 stages of the Salmon model reasonably well, helping learners with easy access to resources, encouraging socialisation and information sharing.

At the same time, it offers the potential for ‘flipping’ some of the teaching and learning .

What does it do?

It has a number of functions that will support class learners; teacher announcements, newsfeed, calendar and learning resource areas. The slides below will you give some idea of the functionality…

Ok, how do I get it?

The Class Space template is on Glow O365 and is available to any member of staff from their school site. See How to create a Class Space for more details.

Summary of support available

Thanks for reading!

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.

Restorative Approaches National Conference

Glasgow City Council would like to invite you to our first Restorative Approaches National Conference. This conference is for everyone working with children, young people and/or families. It will be of interest to those who are involved in relationship-based interventions, working with young people and adults to help resolve conflict, repair emotional harm and utilise reflective practice within schools and communities.

Click for Margs' Profile

We are delighted to bring Marg Thorsborne, a leading expert from Australia in the area of Restorative Approaches, to Glasgow. Marg will deliver keynote speeches over the course of three days. These will incorporate an overview and implementation of Restorative Approaches. She will also facilitate, through a series of workshops, how this practice can help promote and maintain positive relationships in our daily interactions with adults, children and young people.

We are delighted that Marg is spending most of her time in Scotland at this conference, in addition to her further training events with Education Scotland and other local authorities.

The conference in Glasgow will take place over three days, with each day having a particular focus.

Click here for the Conference flyer and booking form.

NHS Health Scotland Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Event

Thursday 12th December, 10am- 3.30pm, IET Teacher Building, Glasgow This event is aimed at those with an interest in supporting improvement in children and young people’s mental health and reducing inequalities which impact on their mental health. The event will combine presentations with workshops, leading to opportunities for discussion and debate. Key note presentations will raise awareness of a variety of national developments in the field of children and young people’s mental health and showcase illustrations of innovative projects being taken forward by local area partnerships. Workshops and the market place will provide an opportunity for discussion and debate about emerging developments and issues. Speakers will include – The current picture of Children and Young people’s Mental Health in Scotland – Dr Jane Parkinson and Elaine Tod (NHS Health Scotland) The impact of Mental Health and Wellbeing within the Curriculum for Excellence – Lesley Kirkwood and Suzanne Hargreaves (Education Scotland) Building capacity and confidence to address Young people’s needs – Erica Stewart-Jones (NHS Health Scotland) Support for Young People – Pathway development – NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Project 99 – Youth Mental Health and Social Media – Young Scot/Snook/NHS GG&C To register for this event, please visit the eventbrite website.

Royal Horticultural Society – The Edible School Garden

Royal Horticultural Society

The Edible School Garden
Dumfries House, KA18 2NJ – Tuesday 19th November 2013, 10 am – 3 pm

Kilbarchan Primary School, PA10 2LA Thursday 28th November 2013, 10 am – 3 pm
To give teachers of all age groups the skills to confidently grow and manage a simple productive garden throughout the year. To ensure that produce is used in tasting, cooking and enterprise activities. Every school should be a food growing school.
Objectives
At the end of this course you will:
a) Have the knowledge and skills to sow and grow the RHS top 14 fruits, vegetables and herbs for the school garden, to provide a range of fresh, healthy produce throughout the school year
b) Get hints and tips on tasting and cooking with the produce, outside in the garden and in the school canteen
c) Know how to add value to your produce through correct harvesting and storage, preserving and other simple enterprise ideas.
Experience: Suitable for beginners and those with some experience.
CPD Provider

Angela Smith
angelasmith@rhs.org.uk

RHS Development Officer for Scotland

Outdoor Learning with the National Parks Inspiring Landscapes – Inspiring Learning

Senior Leaders Professional Learning Event – Dounans Centre, Aberfoyle: Friday 20th September 2013

A one day event for head teachers and deputy head teachers, focusing on whole school approaches, inspection and self-evaluation for school managers. Delegates will hear from senior managers, education officers and others with experience of outdoor learning in the context of school improvement.

Staff Professional Learning Weekend – Dounans Centre, Aberfoyle: Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd September 2013

This opportunity is aimed at staff from all schools and settings within the partner authorities, and will provide inputs from project and centre staff, from the National Park ranger service, and from Education Scotland staff to support you in embedding Curriculum for Excellence through Outdoor Learning in your school or nursery. As well as a variety of ‘sharing good practice’ sessions run by teachers across all sectors.

The weekend will provide staff with practical tools, ideas and inspiration for developing progressive and frequent outdoor learning opportunities for pupils which will support and enrich all aspects of their learning.

Spaces are still available on these programmes for further information contact

Joan.Reilly@educationscotland.gov.uk

Workshops Staff Professional Learning Weekend

Staff CLPL residential weekend 2013 – info for schools

Final Programme Staff PL Weekend

Final Programme School Leaders

Children’s Services Scotland Conference

 

Children’s Services Scotland (Capita Conference)
Wednesday 11th September 2013 – Edinburgh
 

As the Children and Young People Bill progresses through the Scottish Parliament, this event features the breadth of elements under review and addresses the associated key issues linked to the implementation of the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) components. 

This conference will focus on implementing the multiple forthcoming policy changes within children’s services. Attend to hear from key stakeholders about the future of children’s services and how to deliver effective interventions in your area. This event is your opportunity to share best practice and take away guidance to help shape and strengthen services to improve outcomes for Scotland’s children.   

Website:
http://www.capitaconferences.co.uk/public-sector-conferences/childrens-services/full-conference/article/childrens-services-scotland-conference.html?code=MKRGS 

Brochure:
http://www.capitaconferences.co.uk/pdfgen.html?filename=ChildrensServicesScotlandSept13.pdf&code=MKRGS

We Can and Must do Better – revised training materials from CELCIS

We Can and Must Do Better – new website launched

CELCIS has launched a new website for the revised We Can and Must Do Better training materials.
The We Can and Must Do Better training materials were originally produced on a DVD-ROM in 2008. CELCIS has now reviewed and updated these materials to reflect current research and Scottish policy and practice around:
• Getting It Right for Every Child
• Curriculum for Excellence
• Additional Support for Learning
• The Looked After Children Regulations 2009
• Early Years
• Parenting
The materials are relevant to anyone working with looked after children, care leavers and their families; in particular residential workers, foster carers, kinship carers, teachers, social workers and health professionals. They may also be relevant to professionals from across the wider child care workforce who are working with any vulnerable children and families.
These materials can be used for self study or/and as a resource for trainers to develop tutored training courses.

Rights, Support and Wellbeing Team

The Team will support local authorities and learning establishments to ensure the rights, support and wellbeing of all Scotland’s children and young people are recognised and realised.

RIGHTS
– What every child and young person is entitled to
– What we do to ensure children and young people’s rights are recognised and realised

SUPPORT
– What we do, as professionals, to facilitate full participation, addressing disadvantage and inequality
– What we do to support professionals in realising their role within ‘responsibility of all’

WELLBEING
– What we do to secure and maintain the wellbeing of children and young people particularly the most vulnerable

Continue reading Rights, Support and Wellbeing Team

Enquire Transitions film launched

New Enquire film launched!

Getting ready to leave school: Making a good transition

In Enquire’s new film, pupils from Woodlands school in Edinburgh share their views on getting ready to leave school and offer useful tips for adults who might be supporting them during this time. We learn about their hopes for the future and how a learning resource, created by Playback ICE, called the Moving On programme has helped them to feel prepared for their next steps.
Launched at the 2013 Enquire National Conference, the film looks at a variety of key themes, including:
• What transition means to young people getting ready to leave school
• What makes them nervous about this time, and what makes them excited
• How additional support needs can impact on a young person’s ability to make a good transition
• How the Moving On Programme has helped them to feel prepared for leaving school
• The skills they have acquired since starting the Moving On programme
You can watch ‘Getting ready to leave school: Making a good transition’ on Enquire’s Youtube channel

(The film was made by Enquire, the Scottish advice service for additional support for learning, and Media Education. Scottish folk singer Karine Polwart kindly contributed the music.)

respectme Anti-Bullying Awards

respectme has announced the launch of its first Anti-Bullying Awards.

The awards are designed to recognise the contribution made by children, young people and adults through anti-bullying projects, activities and initiatives across Scotland. There are two categories in this year’s Awards; one for a young person or group of young people, and the other for an adult or adults, who have made a difference for others through their anti-bullying work.

Nominations are now open, and are welcome from groups and individuals from across Scotland. The deadline for nominations is Friday 28 June 2013 and Award winners will be presented at an event during National Anti-Bullying Week in November.

Further information on the respectme Anti-Bullying Awards, together with an application form can be found here

Promoting Diversity and Equality

Promoting Diversity and Equality: Developing Responsible Citizens for 21st Century Scotland

This publication aims to support schools and centres in promoting diversity and equality through all aspects of planned learning.

Diversity is about recognising and valuing difference, where everyone is respected for who they are. Equality is about creating a fairer society, where everyone can take part and where everyone has the opportunity to be all they can be.

Curriculum for Excellence challenges schools and communities to develop children and young people as responsible citizens who:
• show respect for others
• understand different beliefs and cultures
• are developing informed, ethical views of complex issues.

All involved in successful learning need to understand themselves what it means to live in this diverse society, and to help children and young people understand what it means for them.

Scottish Guidance Association Workshop Day

The Scottish Guidance Association is holding a Workshop Day at the Carnegie Conference Centre in Dunfermline on March 2nd 2013.

For further details, please visit the Scottish Guidance Association website

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.

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

respectme – training opportunity

respectme, Scotland’s Anti-Bullying Service, provides free training to adults who have a role to play in the lives of chidren and young people. Their next event is ‘Cyberbullying…..are you switched on?’ training on Tuesday 8 May, 2012 in Edinburgh. This training day will increase understanding of cyberbullying, its impacts and provide participants with practical strategies to address it. Full details and online registration can be accessed here

Resources for RME – “Amina” Muslim Womens Resource Centre

Amina – the Muslim Women’s Resource Centre is an organisation based in both Glasgow and Dundee that is willing to support schools in the teaching of Islam. They can offer a wide variety of services and workshops. They have worked with a number of schools in Dundee and have been well received and are looking to work with more schools across the country.

Please visit their website to find out more or look at the attached document.

www.mwrc.org.uk

 Amina Publication

Adolescent Health and Risk Behaviours Symposium

Adolescent Health and Risk Behaviours Symposium
Policy, Research and Practice

 Wednesday 29th February 2012

Royal Society of Edinburgh, George Street, Edinburgh

9:30am – 3:30pm

If you would like to register for a place, please complete and return this form to Renee Ingram (renee.ingram@scphrp.ac.uk).

Enquire national conference

The Enquire national conference takes place on 8 March at The Quay in Musselburgh.

As an annual gathering of key people connected to additional support for learning across Scotland, the Enquire conference intends to spark ideas and actions that will further the understanding and appreciation of practice in the field. A report of findings of the conference will be sent to attendees and submitted to the Scottish Government.

Starting in 2012, the Scottish Parliament requires an annual report from Scottish Ministers in order to monitor the implementation of the Additional Support for Learning Act. The mandatory information includes four components the number of children and young people with additional support needs, the main factors giving rise to those additional support needs, the types of support provided and the cost of providing that support.

A vital consideration following this reporting will be what we know about the positive difference being made by additional support for learning and how we can better demonstrate that difference.

Conference participants will be encouraged to share their experiences, ideas and evidence around three broad themes:
● Ensuring positive outcomes from additional support
● Engaging effectively with children and families
● Effective co-ordination across the diverse services and professions in the ASL arena.

Confirmed speakers include:
● Chair, Keir Bloomer, The Commission on School Reform and Vice-convener, Children in Scotland
● Laura Meikle, Senior Policy Adviser, Support and Wellbeing Unit, Scottish Government
● Elizabeth King, Principal Educational Psychologist South Lanarkshire Council
● and film launch – young people from Edinburgh and East Lothian share their views about support that helps.

The following link will take you straight to the relevant section of the Children in Scotland website.

Global Citizenship – JOIN our Glow drop in session

Developing Global Citizens through sustainable development education

Time:  3.45pm – 4.45pm, Thursday 26th January

Where: The shiny new Glow community for global citizenship

 2012 is a big year for Sustainable Development Education (SDE):

  • World leaders will gather in Rio to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 and decide on further action
  • 2012 is the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
  • We only have three years until the end of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development Education and there is a buzz of activity happening in schools and local authorities across Scotland.

If you’d like to tune into all that’s happening and are looking for inspiration and ideas to kick start 2012 then this is the Glow meet for you. The Developing Global Citizenship Team will be hosting this informal session open to any practitioner or school leader – just drop into the Glow meet to pick our brains, find out what’s coming up or tell us what you’re up to. If you missed the previous sessions then click here to see how they work.

Note: if you join us with a headset or webcam then it means we can have a good blether. However, if you prefer to type fast with wonky spellng then that’s good too!

One click (then another small one) to take part >>  http://bit.ly/DGCdropin3

Advancing Scotland as a Learning Society – CLD Contribution

Advancing Scotland as a Learning Society: Report Published

A Community Learning and Development Contribution

http://www.cldstandardscouncil.org.uk/News_Events/News/Advancing_Scotland_as_a_Learning_Society_Report_Published

The Standards Council is pleased to announce the publication of ‘Advancing Scotland as a Learning Society: A Community Learning and Development Contribution’.

This report is a concise record of the Conversations project which took place across Scotland earlier this year. We spoke with over 200 activists and practitioners who practice in a wide range of contexts; the report is their collective voice. We hope you will recognise yourself here and encourage colleagues and partners to read and do likewise.

Getting it Right for every child in Lanarkshire

Getting it Right for Every Child is a national policy and programme. The following link to the GIRFEC in Lanarkshire website developed jointly by North and South Lanarkshire provides information on their programme and includes training materials and their Parenting Support Strategy.

Supporting Learners information leaflet

A new downloadable leaflet relating to the entitlement to (personal) support is now available to download from the Supporting Learners area of the Education Scotland website.
This downloadable leaflet provides an overview of the entitlement
It has three main sections looking at:
• who is entitled to support?
• what does this mean for my practice?
• where can I find the key facts?

Investment in young people

A dedicated Minister for Youth Employment will be established and an extra £30 million will be invested in helping Scotland’s young people into training, work or education to secure a stronger workforce for the future.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2011/12/01105458

16+ Learning Choices Coordinators’ Meeting

67 delegates (16+ LC Coordinators, Education Scotland colleagues from Communities Team, colleagues from LA CLD, HMI, Scottish Government, local authority colleagues) attended the network event in Perth on 23rd November. The purpose of the event was to embrace the positive input that CLD can make to 16+ Learning Choices.

There was an input from Rosie Whelan, Scottish Government and a presentation from Kenny Lindsay, CLD Manager, Children and Young People, Dundee City Council, round table discussions and speed networking workshops from representatives from 8 LA CLD representatives.Kenny Lindsay CLD Presentation 16 plus LC event Perth 23 11 11

Attached is Kenny Lindsay’s presentation from the network event.

The Place2Be in Action

Once again Glowing Thursdays is delighted to welcome back The Place2Be. This time there will be an opportunity for pupils and school staff to listen to Edinburgh pupils’ views on how The Place2Be and other strategies (such as circle times, mentoring, and talking to friends) helps them cope with the worries in their lives so they can get the most out of their education.

Hosted by The Place2Be, (a school based counselling service providing support to over 58,000 children), in partnership with Enquire, the Scottish Advice Service for Additional Support for Learning.

Find out more about Place2Be and Enquire on their websites.

We hope that you can sign up and join us in Glow TV to find out more about these important organisations and how they might be of benefit to staff and pupils in your school! Sign up in Glow TV.

Glow Meet – Global citizenship DROP IN

Every month the DGC team will be available on our new Glow TV channel to answer your questions about global citizenship and to signpost you to resources and ideas to help you embed global citizenship in the curriculum.  This is an informal session open to any school leader or practitioner in Scotland – just drop into the Glow meet to pick our brains, find out what’s coming up or tell us what you’re up to.

The inaugural session will take place from 3.30-5.00pm on Wednesday 26th October.  The theme for the first 45 minutes of this session will be A Games Legacy for Scotland and will showcase how the London Olympics 2012 and Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014 can be used to create exciting learning opportunities for global citizenship activities and interdisciplinary learning.  Find out how to get free tickets to the Olympics, hear about the Forest Pitch football strip design competition and how the organisers plan to Get Scotland Dancing. 

A general Q & A/open floor session will follow from 4.15pm to 5pm. Put the day in your diary and join us for all, or part of, this event to discuss and share or get help with a particular issue. Visit Glow TV to register and take part on the day: http://bit.ly/DGCdropin

If you can’t make this one then the following drop in session will be on Tuesday 6th December 2011 from 3:30pm – 5pm. The theme will be: Developing a whole school approach to global citizenship.

Additional Support for Learning: What do you need to know?

This Glowing Thursday will provide an opportunity to find out more about the additional support for learning framework and legislation, the advice and information Enquire can offer schools and the types of issues parents raise with the Enquire helpline. Enquire is the Scottish advice service for additional support for learning.

Enquire want to cover the issues you have questions about so please let them know in advance the topics you’re interested in advance the topics you’re interested in or just join us at 3.45pm on Thursday 15th September to find out more – Glowing Thursdays – Additional Support for Learning: What do you need to know?

Register for Glow TV today and then sign up for all the events that you want to view!! Register for Glow TV and then Sign Up for this event

16+ Learning Choices Coordinators’ meeting

Presentations from the 16+ LC event. 71 delegates from Shetland to the Borders attended the event and participated in workshops re provision and support for young people with additional support needs.

Fiona McKean – SDS Presentation

Alison Mitchell – Presentation

Ron Crichton – Assessment – SDS

Rosie Whelan – Scottish Government – Presentation

Sandra Cheyne – SDS – Provision – Presentation

Sandra McIntyre – Presentation – Youthlink