Author: Professional Learning
Leadership Opportunity – DYW
I am pleased to share an SBC leadership opportunity for promoted staff to operationally lead the Developing Young Workforce (DYW) Schools and Pathways monthly network.
This role offers a valuable chance to contribute to our collective efforts in improving career education and positive destinations, with a focus on coordination and collaboration across schools and partners while offering whole authority leadership experience and the opportunity to being fresh ideas to the group.
Key Responsibilities Include:
- Operational Leadership of the monthly DYW Schools and Pathways network meetings.
- Organisation and Coordination of meeting logistics, agendas, and follow-up actions.
- Liaison with partners including Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and DYW Borders to ensure alignment and collaboration.
- Sharing Good Practice across schools to promote effective approaches and innovation.
- Feedback of National Messages to ensure schools are informed of current developments and opportunities.
- Linking with strategic leaders to ensure the network’s work complements wider planning and priorities.
- Organising of potential professional learning opportunities for staff involved in DYW and pathways work.
If you have a member of your promoted staff team who would be well-suited to this role, please encourage them to express interest.
Data Literacy in the Primary Classroom
Join an Online Professional Learning Course on Data Literacy in the Primary Classroom
We’re inviting student primary teachers, probationary teachers, and those in the first five years of their careers to take part in a new professional learning course as part of a research project led by the University of Edinburgh.
The course is designed to help early career teachers build confidence in teaching data literacy through playful, inclusive, and meaningful activities aligned with Curriculum for Excellence.
What’s involved?
- A flexible, self-paced online course
- Live sessions and peer support
- Use of ideas or activities in your current/future classroom
- Short survey or interview to reflect on your experience
- Certificate of completion
Timeline: September–October 2025
Who can join?
- Primary teachers in their induction year
- Early career primary teachers (within 5 years)
- Student primary teachers (PGDE/ITE programmes, all parts of Scotland)
💬 What past participants say:
“I wish I had this in my ITE programme.” – Primary Teacher
“Now I feel confident to use data in my classroom.” – Student Teacher
Register here: https://edin.ac/4dLhFGh
📩 For more information: Mustafa Ciftcioglu – s2452324@ed.ac.uk
New PL Offers – Supporting Neurodivergent C&YP
Supporting neurodivergent children and young people who mask in classroom situations (Thursday 25th September 3.30-4.15pm).
Join us for insightful discussions, practical tips & valuable resources to help better understand & support neurodivergent individuals.
Book a place here
Supporting neurodivergent young people in the classroom who show signs of depression (Thursday 2nd October September 3.30-4.15pm).
Join us for insightful discussions, practical tips & valuable resources to help you better understand & support neurodivergent individuals.
Book a place here
NSA National Webinars
- An Introduction to the National Standardised Assessments for Scotland is useful for anyone involved in the delivery of national standardised assessments in primary or secondary schools who wish to understand the purpose of the assessments and gain familiarity with the functionality of the assessment system. It also highlights examples of good practice in administering the assessments and provides advice and practical information. It will be particularly useful for anyone who is new to the National Standardised Assessments for Scotland (newly qualified teachers or teachers new to their current stage) or as a refresher for anyone who hasn’t used the system recently.
- A Closer Look at the National Standardised Assessments for Scotland in an ASN and EAL context includes content that is relevant when working with learners who require additional support with their learning or for whom English is an additional language, including details of system functionality that can be used to support accessibility and some practical advice on using NSA.
The webinars will take place via Microsoft Teams, with links to join being sent directly to all signed-up delegates. The dates for this term are:
| Course | Date | Time |
| An Introduction to the National Standardised Assessments for Scotland | Monday 29th September | 4-5.30pm |
| A Closer Look at the National Standardised Assessments for Scotland in an ASN and EAL context | Tuesday 30th September | 4-5.30pm |
Both of these courses would be valuable for teachers engaging with the NSA system for the first time, whether new to stage or to the profession.
This invite will be sent out to all active users who have signed in to the system within the last 12 months. However, it would be extremely valuable if you are able to highlight these webinars to new users, as well as further promoting these webinars in your local authority as appropriate.
Places are limited so delegates should sign up here to register their place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment:
https://forms.office.com/e/EHncS1FMn3
Please note that a valid school email address is needed to register. Please also note that we will be unable to accept any attendees who have not registered in advance.
Further dates for these webinars will be made available again later in the academic year. Gaelic versions of these webinars will also be hosted later in the academic year.
If you would like any further information, please contact the service desk on 0330 403 0041 or support@nsa.scot
Healing Classrooms
Senior Leadership Modules
Senior Leadership Modules
These modules are aimed at those in senior leadership positions and are offered as stand alone sessions, rather than a programme.
Please book through Business World – links to all sessions below the poster.
Legal, Education & The Law
Click here to join – 22/10/25 – 2.30pm
Click here to join – 21/04/26 – 11.00am
Preparing for Interview
Click here to join – DHT/HT – 28/10/25 – 2pm
Click here to join – 06/05/26 – 3pm
Click here to join – PT – 28/10/25 – 2pm
Click here to join – 06/05/26 – 3pm
Procurement & Purchasing
Date/Time: TBC
Safeguarding & Child Protection
Click here to join – 08/10/25 – 9.30am
Click here to join – 04/03/25 – 3pm
Effective Partnerships
Click here to join – 30/10/25 – 10am
Click here to join – 29/04/26 – 3pm
Outdoor Education
Click here to join – 11/11/25 – 2pm
Click here to join – 26/03/26 – 9.30am
Evolve: watch recorded webinar
GDPR
Date/Time: TBC
SEEMIS
Click here to join – 16/09/25 – 10am
Click here to join – 30/04/26 – 2.30pm
Early Years Management
Click here to join – 23/09/26 – 2pm
Click here to join – 09/02/26 – 3.30pm
Health & Safety
Assure/Lexi
Date/Time: TBC
Courageous Conversations
Click here to join – 3 November, 3:30pm
Click here to join – 17 March, 2pm
Leading and Embedding High-Quality Interactions with your Team
Course content
Session 1 Aim: To deepen participants knowledge and understanding of high-quality interaction techniques. There will be a focus on responsive interactions that nurture children’s wellbeing, support self-regulation and communication, extend thinking through observation and meaningful conversation, and balance engagement with space for independent exploration. Session 2 Aim: To deepen participants’ knowledge, understanding and use of pedagogical approaches to promote respectful, child-centred interactions which deepen learning through skilled observation and responsive questioning within daily routines and planned experiences. Session 3 Aim: To explore an approach for participants to use with their teams which makes effective use of data, self-evaluation tools, next steps and action planning to support development of high-quality interactions in the staff team. Course tutors will offer individual support sessions TBA between session 3 and 4. Session 4 Aim: To reflect on current improved practice and share evidence of impact on children’s learning
Course Aims
To enable all children to experience consistent, high quality interactions to enhance individual, holistic learning. To enable practitioners to lead improvements of high quality interactions throughout their setting, leading to better outcomes for children
Target Audience
Nursery Managers, Senior Early Years Officers, Early Years Officers, Early Years Practitioners, Primary 1 Teachers
Course Dates
3 October 2025 – 2pm – 3:30pm
7 November 2025 – 2pm – 3:30pm
16 January 2026 – 2pm – 3:30pm
15 May 2026 – 2pm – 3:30pm
Places can be booked through Business World.
MSc TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and MSc Language Education programme students
Dear colleague,
I am getting in touch to ask if your school would be interested in participating in the University of Edinburgh’s one-day visits for MSc TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and MSc Language Education programme students. In recent years, schools in Edinburgh and the surrounding areas have been paid to receive Moray House students from these programmes to visit and observe classes in their schools. We are very appreciative of this as it has been a great success over the years.
This year Moray House are looking to place approximately 250 TESOL students and 75 Language Education students in primary and secondary schools for a one-day visit at the end of October/early November. Given the large number of students, we are looking for as many schools to participate as possible.
Would your school be willing to participate in offering visits of this kind to these students?
During the visits, groups of student teachers observe lessons within a primary class, or in one or a few subject areas within secondary schools, particularly Modern Languages (any language) and English. This is so that they can see for themselves an experience of teaching in primary or secondary schools in Scotland. It is a classroom observation so our students do not participate in classes (unless asked to), or disrupt schedules within schools, but sit at the back of classrooms and observe good practice.
The students would come fully prepared and are fully informed about the protocol within Scottish schools. Each student will attend school for one full day.
The dates scheduled for the school visits are as follows:
- Monday 27th October to Thursday 30th October – MSc Language Education
- Monday 3rd November to Thursday 4th November – MSc TESOL
Each student will only attend a school for one day within the date ranges given above.
If your school is able to host students for one or more full school days within either of the date ranges given above, then please let us know by emailing mhses.schoolvisits@ed.ac.uk.
The University arranges for the students to visit schools in groups and require a minimum of two students in each school. Offers that schools have made in previous years have ranged from two students upwards in a very small primary school, to several per class in a larger primary school, up to 20 or more students in large secondary schools.
We have established robust procedures to ensure that the student visits comply with national guidance to schools, and will share further details ahead of the visits. Students will follow a code of conduct that covers areas including in-school behaviour and health and safety.
If you would like to participate in this opportunity, please reply to mhses.schoolvisits@ed.ac.uk by Thursday 11th September, with information on the dates that you can participate and the maximum number of students that could visit your school on those dates. If you are unable to participate, we would be grateful if you could also reply to let us know.
If you require any additional information about these visits, please get in touch.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Helping Students Write a Personal Statement Using the New Format
Tuesday 9th September from 4-5pm.
Delivered by Claire Forsman from The University of Edinburgh organised by Advancing Access
Free online training session
Aims to help education staff to support pupils in writing their personal statement with the new three questions layout.
The session will be live with lots of opportunities to ask questions.
Link to join the meeting – Join the meeting now
