St Andrew's High School

The information and link below and attached may be useful and provides some online classes suitable for pupils and adults-

Stress Control in times of Lockdown 

We all have mental health. Stress is a normal reaction to the rapidly changing and uncertain times we are all living in at the moment. If you are feeling a bit more stressed than usual and would like to learn some great ways, free-of-charge, to deal with common problems like anxiety, depression, panicky feelings, poor sleep and poor wellbeing then come along to our classes. 

‘Stress Control’ is a six-session cognitive-behavioural therapy class used extensively in community-settings by the NHS (UK) and HSE (Ireland) and across the world. You can find out more here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjUJQqRfZgE

The sessions will be led by Dr White.  To take part: Go to  www.stresscontrol.org where you can learn more about the class and get the dates. Everything you need to successfully complete the class – the booklets, self-assessment, relaxation and mindfulness tracks – can be found in the ‘Free zone’ (scroll down on the home page to find). If you can, please read, and start working on, the ‘Preparing for the course’ booklets before Session 1. These can be found in the ‘Booklets’ section of the ‘Free zone’

Click on the ‘Stress Control 2020’ link on the homepage to access our YouTube channel where the classes will be available to view at the scheduled times. If you click the ‘Subscribe’ button on our YouTube page (free), you will receive notifications when a new session is available. To watch our trailer, please follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_BKErJ_jlSQHKFtHPCRmEctDtcNCCowB  

You do not need to register or login – please just follow the above link.

The session will begin exactly on time, so make sure you are there from the start. Sessions run for about 90 minutes and there will be a 10-minute break in the middle. Due to copyright restrictions, sessions will only live stream so they will not remain on YouTube.

Life is very hard for us just now and there are no easy solutions. However, with hard work and determination, we can boost our resilience to cope with these difficult times and come out the other end stronger. 

Please see the link below for some of the latest updates from UCAS, these updates include information for application confirmations & the clearing process for 2020 entry as well as the opening process for 2021 entry.

UCAS updates

Here are some additional useful resources for students to help with their emotional wellbeing.

Emotional Wellbeing

CL&D Youthwork are hosting a series of youth debates every week.  Young people are encouraged to comment on the topic, and earn 50 Young Scot reward points for doing so.

This week’s debate is: Should the SQA have consulted young people in the process of changing the way grades are awarded and should young people be offered the chance to resit any exams they feel they could have done better in?

There is also: Coronavirus lockdown has resulted in the closure of all schools and educational establishments. As a result, children and young people have had the opportunity to gain more life skills than they would have gained by continuing to learn in a formal education setting.

And From now on, all school work should be delivered virtually using online methods of teaching and submission of work.

The topics are sent in by young people. These have a strong education focus but other topics will be included from now on.

All debates are accessed via this link: CL&D Debates

Skills Development Scotland have provided a link to the Job Hub on My World of Work for urgent jobs that may be useful for some pupils and parents.

My World of Work Job Hub

There is also a link for a range of Free Online Learning Courses through My World of Work.

Free Online Courses

‪Parents & Carers – Is your child confused about their future studies? ‬

‪UCAS will be bringing together a panel of experts to answer any questions you have live on their Facebook page , this Thursday, 30 April, at 16:00.‬

Amongst the experts on-hand to answer questions include:

• Mike Nicholson – Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach, University of Bath
• Melissa Scallan – parent, journalist, and author of Starting University: What to Expect, How to Prepare, Go and Enjoy
•  Ben Jordon – Senior Strategy and Insight Manager, UCAS

Should you have questions about your child’s qualifications, application, or future studies, we would encourage you to get involved and get answers directly from those in the know.

Any student in S4 who missed the Reach inset day before the end of term are able to use the following link to access the online module.

www.gla.ac.uk/reach/s4online

The online version replicates the in-school session and is a good introduction to each of the 4 Reach professions and the 3 Access ones.

Only those pupils identified as meeting the criteria by Miss Trainer should apply as the guidelines still stand.

If anyone has any questions they can email Miss Trainer directly.

In these unprecedented times our health and wellbeing is more important than ever.  It is important that we look after our mental health as well as our physical health.  Here are some suggestions on how you can do this and some mental health web links.

• PHYSICAL
  • Walk or exercise for at least 30 mins each day
  • Take part in HIIT or Circuit training from the Internet
  • Have a good sleep pattern, try and get at least 8 hours a night
  • Stick to a healthy diet, balanced with fruit and vegetables.
• MENTAL
  • Family Lives
  • Headspace
  • Children of Parents with a Mental Illness
  • Bite Back
  • MoodGYM
  • Reachout
  • Young Carers
  • What Works 4U

Remember during this time you can still get in touch with the school counselling service.

You can call to get a confidential appointment 0330 202 0283 or you can chat on line at http://exchange-counselling.com

We are here to help if you need it.

If your child is a School leaver who has applied to study at college or University then this information is very important. The SAAS Funding Awareness team will be hosting 1 hour online sessions on Facebook & Twitter from 3pm each day this week.  These can be accessed at

• https://www.saas.gov.uk

The aim of these sessions is to assist your child in their application for funding and to address any issues they may be having. Please see links to Application Help videos

• Application Help 2020
• Apply now for 2020-2021 (top tips)

Pupils who have applied to courses through UCAS can also get updates on

•  Information for students in Scotland

As always please keep an eye out for updates on Twitter.

Due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and the closure of the school, Skills Development Scotland cannot deliver career services face to face, but they are still there to help your child which can be done by visiting

• Skills Development Scotland