March 2025 News
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Please scroll down to view upcoming professional learning, updates and resources.
Upcoming Professional Learning
Keynote and Q&A with Dr Neil Speirs
11th March, 4pm-5.30pm
In this session we’ll take a look at the poverty, homelessness and hunger that is experienced by so many pupils and their families across the country and reflect upon the impact this has in the classroom as well as at home – the times when homework is not the priority. Then we’ll consider the role of the hidden curriculum and its associated assumptions and how we can counter this with an alternative pedagogy of hope and love that employs a critical literacy – and which celebrates the beautiful potential of each and every pupil.
This session is run by Education Scotland and it is part of a series of Building Racial Literacy+ and Leadership+ webinars. The talk will be followed by a live Q&A session, offering educators a unique opportunity to engage directly with Neil’s work and insights.
Link to sign up: Neil Spiers – Sometimes Doing Your Homework Isn’t The Priority
Webinar with Jeffrey Boakye: Race, Gender, and Power in Education
26th March, 4pm-5.30pm
Join us for an engaging online webinar with educator, author, and broadcaster Jeffrey Boakye, as he explores the intersection of race, gender, and power in education. This session is run by Education Scotland for educators and education professionals seeking to understand the nuanced dynamics of race and gender. It is part of a series of Building Racial Literacy+ and Leadership+ webinars. The talk will be followed by a live Q&A session, offering educators a unique opportunity to engage directly with Jeffrey’s work and insights.
Link to sign up: Jeffrey Boakye – Race, Gender and Power in Education
Getting it right for every child e-learning introduction
26th March, 4pm-5.30pm
29th April, 4pm-5.30pm
This session will provide an overview of the new Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) e-learning at Informed and Skilled levels for practitioners working with children and young people. This session is aimed at strategic leads at local authority and establishment level with responsibility for professional learning relating to supporting the wellbeing of children and young people.
Links to sign up
APRIL: Getting it right for every child e-learning introduction – 29 Apr 2025 | Events | Education Scotland
Keeping Trauma in Mind : Summer sessions
The ‘Keeping Trauma in Mind’ programme of 5 twilight sessions will provide educators from all sectors with an opportunity to understand the impact of trauma and develop trauma responsive strategies to support children and young people affected by psychological trauma. Delegates will gain most benefit from attending all 5 sessions and will have access to presentations and opportunities to network with educators from across Scotland. The sessions will be led by Education Scotland. Delegates are advised to protect the dates and times in their diaries and if they are unable to attend to let us know as soon as possible so as to allocate their space to another delegate.
Link to sign up: Keeping Trauma in Mind – 13 May 2025 | Events | Education Scotland
Online Abuse Sessions for Schools Across Scotland
As part of the Innovative Solutions to Eliminate Domestic Abuse (ISEDA) project, researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University have created four sessions on online abuse aimed at learners in S2-S4. Designed to be delivered using Microsoft Sway and covering what online abuse is, the impact on young people, consent and online safety tools, the sessions come with accompanying lesson plans ready for teachers to deliver to learners. If you are interested in using these materials, please see the video. All materials needed for the session can be found on the Padlet.
Link to access: Online abuse modules
Young Carers in School Challenge – Learning Exchange
20th March, 10am – 12pm
This event will give you an opportunity to hear from education professionals and young carer organisations who have taken part in the Young Carer in Schools Challenge. They will talk about the highlights and overcoming challenges along the way.
Link to sign up: Young Carers in School Challenge – Learning Exchange Tickets, Thu, Mar 20, 2025 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite
March Updates and Resources
Equalities Policy Guide Network
Education Scotland launched the Equality Policy Guide in November to support with the development and review of equalities policies for schools and settings. If this is something you are doing in your setting and are looking for opportunities to collaborate, learn and access support, you can Join the Education Scotland Equalities Policy Guide Network (office.com). We will hold monthly drop-ins and offer professional learning opportunities relevant to policy development.
Please complete the following form to join the network: Join the Education Scotland
Keeping Children safe in Scotland
The Scottish Government has launched a new child protection resource called Keeping children safe in Scotland. This is an online resource that provides guides to child protection processes for children, young people and families who may become involved in the child protection process either directly as a child or parent/carer or as a member of the wider family, and for those who may be supporting a child. Although the guides can be accessed directly by children, young people and families, we would expect practitioners to support them when accessing the guides. Downloadable versions of the guides are also available to enable people to print off to read.
Knife Carrying and Violence Prevention in Scotland: A Renewed Pledge
Since the No Knives, Better Lives campaign launched in 2009, knife crime in Scotland has fallen significantly. Over the last few years and especially since Covid, we have seen small but significant increases in violence. NKBL are renewing their pledge to the right for all children and young people to live in a Scotland free from violence.
This new comprehensive toolkit, Better Lives emphasises the need to see young people as partners in prevention. If young people feel motivated and equipped to act (safely) if they know that someone is carrying a knife and to challenge, among their peers, the misconception that knife carrying is commonplace or acceptable, then real and sustainable cultural change can happen.
This revised edition will further support this important work and their vision of a Scotland where young people are informed, involved and safe from harm.
Your voice. Your future. Scottish Youth Parliament‘s 2026 Manifesto Consultation
The Scottish Youth Parliament has opened its consultation on its next manifesto. The manifesto will shape the campaigning direction of the organisation until 2031 and it’s an excellent opportunity for young people to have their voices heard on the issues affecting them.
There are 31 proposed policy ideas under five themes:
- Education
- Public services
- Sustainability
- Social justice
- Rights
There are two parts to this consultation, a digital nationwide survey, and a series of focus groups, both of which will find out which of our shortlisted policies should be included in our manifesto for 2026-2031. The consultation is open to all young people aged between 12 and 25. The closing date for the consultation is Sunday 27 April 2025.
You can access the survey here: SYP’s Manifesto 2026 – 2031
A new e-zine developed by children and young people as part of the UNCRC innovation fund. The e-Sgoil team at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, in partnership with Education Scotland, was successful in an application to the Corra Foundation’s UNCRC Innovation Fund for a year-long project demonstrating good children’s rights-based practice. This e-zine shares the learning from the project and is intended to raise awareness of the challenges faced by many children and young people, and what they need in order to be really listened to, understood and supported. You can access the survey here: Blog 1 — Culture 360
Think Piece from the National Action Enquiry Programme for Education Psychologists
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 has been enacted to embed children’s rights into Scots law, particularly emphasizing their involvement in decision-making, as outlined in Article 12 (UNICEF, 1989). This think piece looks at how to effectively involve children and young people in individual child planning meetings. It poses challenging questions for the reader to consider current practice and offers practical solutions and tools.
More information here: National Action Enquiry Programme for Educational Psychologists (2023-25) | Resources | Education Scotland
Are you ready to make a difference to the lives of LGBTIQ+ pupils?
The Manifesto for Inclusive Physical Education is a set of commitments for schools to ensure
the best possible outcomes for LGBTIQ+ young people in physical education, physical activity and school sport.
LEAP Sports co-created the Manifesto with school pupils in Scotland, building upon those pupils’ lived experiences. Schools have been using the Manifesto for more than 5 years already, and we are now pleased to be sharing this more widely than ever. See the full Manifesto materials here.
To support schools on their journey to implement the Manifesto, we’d love to hear what you might need. Please complete the Manifesto for Inclusive Physical Education sign up by using this link bit.ly/InclusivePEsignup.
The Promise Scotland Events – 9 Upcoming Activities and Tickets
The Promise Scotland regularly run events. For upcoming events for Engaging Families, and Service design please see their Eventbrite page.
More information here: The Promise Scotland Events – 9 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite
Pathways to Money and Welfare Rights Advice from Education Settings
‘Pathways to money and welfare rights advice from education settings’ is a Public Health Scotland briefing for anyone working in a school or early years setting, in a local authority and for elected officials.
The briefing offers insights into how welfare rights advice can make a significant difference for families, examples of different pathways to advice in schools across Scotland, and makes recommendations about how we can make sure more parents or carers get access to advice.
More information here: Referral pathways to money advice in education settings – briefing | CPAG
Talking about Costs and Money at School – advice from parents and carers
This practical advice, aimed at leaders and staff in education settings, includes insights from parents and carers on:
- Creating poverty aware school communities with an understanding of money problems and stigma
- Ways to show leadership and demonstrate commitment to equity
- How to effectively share information on financial support and help with school costs
- How to approach conversations about costs and financial support.
The resource also includes reflective questions for practitioners, great examples from schools across Scotland in our Ideas Bank and links to other helpful Cost of the School Day resources like our eLearning course.
Link to resource here: Talking about Costs and Money at School
Addresses personal and community safety – lots of good resources and links: Feb 25 Newsletter
You can now get Scottish and Gaelic Voices on iPads!
Scottish and Gaelic digital voices were now available for iOS, Android and Chromebook devices through the CerePlay apps from CereProc, the voice developers. There is a process that technical teams in local authorities to install the voices free of charge on iPads and Chromebooks, ensuring that all learners in Scotland can use the voices regardless of the device they have in class.
Link to resource here: You can now get Scottish and Gaelic Voices on iPads!
The Month of the Military Child
The Month of the Military Child is a time of celebration for the Armed Forces community. Held annually in April, it’s a chance to shine a spotlight on Forces families, sharing awareness about the positives and challenges of life in and around the Armed Forces.
Ahead of this year’s Month of the Military Child, The ADES Forces Children’s Education website has developed a free short informative guide to help educators and families discover ways to engage children and young people in the classroom, at home and in the wider community.
A guide for Month of the Military Child : Forces Children’s Education
