Technology and Marginal gains – small changes make a big difference – Wednesday, 8th December from 4-4.30pm July 5, 2021

In cycling, Team Sky famously used the theory of Marginal Gains to make tiny adjustments and improvements all of which added up to change the outcome of races.   This webinar will show how this theory can be applied to technology use for learners with additional support needs.   Fil… Read more

Voice and message banking – Wednesday, 24th November from 4-4.30pm July 5, 2021

Voice and message banking is an increasing consideration in Alternative Augmentative Communication practice. Being able to continue to use your own voice can be essential in individuals retaining a sense of self.   Amy and Lesley-Ann are speech and language therapists working with an adult acquired caseload in NHS Tayside.… Read more

iPad apps for learners with complex needs – Wednesday, 10th November from 4-4.30pm July 5, 2021

Sensory App House creators, Professor Paul Blenkhorn and Dave Stevens, have a strong understanding of disabilities and complex learning needs so the apps they develop are aimed to assist children and young people in even the smallest of ways. Their range of apps are designed for stimulation, early learning coordination,… Read more

Google Action Blocks to support communication and physical impairments – Wednesday, 3rd November from 4-4.30pm July 5, 2021

Google Action Blocks provides one-touch access to a growing range of environmental controls and cognitive support features through Google Assistant. Examples include turning on and off lights, setting reminders and sending preformatted messages. Action Blocks is also a functional communication aid, providing access to synthetic speech in a similar fashion… Read more

Finding and using accessible texts – Wednesday, 27th October from 4-4.30pm July 5, 2021

It is essential for students to have learning materials in a format they can read and access if they are to be ‘successful learners’, while schools and local authorities are required under equality and accessibility legislation to provide learning resources in accessible formats. Provision of learning materials in accessible formats… Read more

CALL Scotland Core Word Kit: creating communication opportunities – Wednesday, 6th October from 4-4.30pm July 5, 2021

Core Words make up around 80% of what we say and are the building blocks of language. The CALL Scotland Core Word Kit has been created to help school staff get started with and develop their use of symbols across the curriculum by creating communication opportunities based on the principles… Read more

Teaching deaf children in a pandemic – Wednesday, 29th September from 4-4.30pm July 5, 2021

In this webinar, Rachel will discuss the way that deaf children were often excluded from education during the first period of lockdown and gradually let back in through the second. By January 2021 facilities for deaf children had much improved: online learning was more accessible and children were being listened… Read more

Low cost digital visual supports – Wednesday, 15th September from 4-4.30pm July 5, 2021

LessonPix is an inexpensive, web-based resource with more than 50,000 images for creating print and digital visual supports, communication resources, and curriculum materials. In this webinar, participants will learn how to quickly and easily make visual schedules, communication boards, learning games, and much more.   Beth will explore the features… Read more

Online resources to support literacy – Wednesday, 1st September From 4-4.30pm July 5, 2021

ReadingWise is used widely across primary, secondary and special schools in Scotland and beyond to support schools working with young people struggling with their reading. ReadingWise provides structured online resources for learners from P2 upwards with age-appropriate programmes covering reading decoding, vocabulary and comprehension. Formative data is collected for teachers… Read more

Speech recognition for communication impairments – Wednesday, 25th August 4-4.30pm July 5, 2021

Project Euphonia is a Google Research initiative focused on helping people with atypical speech be better understood. The approach is centred on analysing speech recordings to better train speech recognition models. The aim is for people living with dysarthria or other speech difficulties to be better understood by speech recognition… Read more

What is SEIC?

 

Welcome to the new official website for the South East Improvement Collaborative!

The South East Improvement Collaborative is the term being used to describe the collaboration between City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Fife, Midlothian and Scottish Borders to improve schools, early learning settings and other services for children and young people.

Geographically, the South East of Scotland is a large, diverse area. Overall, the geography of the South East resembles that of Scotland as a whole, with similar proportions living in rural areas, small towns and urban areas.

Vision and Values

The South East Improvement Collaborative Plan is based on robust analysis of available data leading to prioritisation of our initial two areas of focus:​

          Improving attainment and achievement, including closing the attainment gap;​

          Quality Improvement in schools and early years’ settings.​

As a South East Improvement Collaborative our work is based on the National Improvement Framework and GIRFEC, taking account of how we will improve outcomes and close the attainment gap by having an impact at all levels of the system.

Our plan has a focus on the key areas that we have identified from our analysis of Children’s Services plans, local authority plans, school plans and robust data, the National Improvement Framework outcomes and what our staff, parents, children and young people are telling us.