Category: LTA

Free online training webinars for the National Standardised Assessments

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 19th January 2026

4.00 pm – 5.30 pm

A Closer Look at the National Standardised Assessments for Scotland in an ASN and EAL context

Tuesday 20th January 2026

4.00 pm – 5.30 pm

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 would be 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

Emerging Literacy Links

The Emerging Literacy training package is available online – via the portal pages which have lots of information on them and the recorded training is in 4 parts that covers the emerging literacy training on each page.

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/sb/earlylevelportal/emerging-literacy-and-english/

Emerging Literacy & English, Oral Language & Phonological Awareness – Early Level Portal

Emerging Literacy & English, (pre) writing – Early Level Portal

Emerging Literacy & English – Concepts of Print – Early Level Portal

Education Scotland Early Level Reading resource – Learning to read in the Early Years: A professional support overview | Resources | Education Scotland

Update on SBCway Curriculum Team

I’m writing to share an updated overview of the curriculum support currently available to schools from our SBCway curriculum team. While the team’s remit is broad, the current offer is focused on key identified priorities and is designed to be responsive to your school’s specific needs. This support is not about imposing solutions, but rather about engaging in consultation and discussion to understand your context, followed by tailored time to provide support.

📚 Literacy – Elaine McHendry

  • Availability: Tuesday to Thursday
  • Support Areas:
    • Planning for writing
    • Assessment across all literacy strands
  • Contact Elaine directly > gw09mchendryelaine@glow.sch.uk

💙 Health & Wellbeing – Rachel Scott

🔢 Numeracy & Maths – Jenny Archbold

  • Availability: Monday to Wednesday
  • Support Areas:
    • Magma Maths (with a particular focus on Cheviot schools)
    • Planning, using, and resourcing a CPA (Concrete–Pictorial–Abstract) approach
  • Contact Jenny directly > gw15archboldjennifer@glow.sch.uk

If your school would benefit from support in any of these areas, please reach out to arrange an initial conversation. The team is keen to work collaboratively to ensure the support provided is meaningful and impactful.

James Bewsey

Quality Improvement Officer

Scottish Borders Council

Emerging Literacy Training Package

The training package is available online – via the portal pages which have lots of information on them and the recorded training is in 4 parts that covers the emerging literacy training on each page.

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/sb/earlylevelportal/emerging-literacy-and-english/

Emerging Literacy & English, Oral Language & Phonological Awareness – Early Level Portal

Emerging Literacy & English, (pre) writing – Early Level Portal

Emerging Literacy & English – Concepts of Print – Early Level Portal

Education Scotland Early Level Reading resource – Learning to read in the Early Years: A professional support overview | Resources | Education Scotland

SCOTDEC March PL Events

Our final two sessions for this year respond to current and relevant global citizenship themes. These sessions include: the launch of a new section of the A’ Adam’s Bairns? website, ‘exploring Scottish identity + diversity through music’ on the 27th March, and a follow-up session from last year exploring ‘approaching the Israel-Palestine conflict in the classroom’ on the 20th March.

Power Up Your Pedagogy Conference

20% Discount for SBC Staff if booked through SBC (School budget code required to book) – Please pass names to clpl@scotborders.gov.uk by 4pm on Thursday 28th November

Power Up Your Pedagogy Conference

The inaugral Power Up Your Pedagogy Conference is taking place at the Hilton Doubletree, Edinburgh Airport, Saturday 30th November, for teachers and school leaders (primary and secondary).

The day will be led by Bruce Robertson, the author of ‘The Teaching Delusion’ trilogy and ‘Power Up Your Pedagogy: The Illustrated Handbook of Teaching’, published by John Catt Educational. Of Power Up Your Pedagogy, Professor Rob Coe of Evidence Based Education says: ‘To all teachers I would say: study this book, learn from it and act on it’.

Themes covered across the day will include:

  • The science of learning
  • Questioning
  • Feedback
  • Differentiation
  • Formative assessment
  • Student-led learning
  • Inclusive pedagogy
  • …and more!

Bruce has been working in education for over 20 years, having trained as a chemistry teacher at The University of Edinburgh in 2002. As headteacher, Bruce’s leadership of Berwickshire High School has been instrumental in turning around a school rated ‘weak’ and ‘unsatisfactory’ in an HMIE inspection, to one that is now widely recognised as sector-leading in its approaches to teaching & learning improvement, ethos, and staff professional development. As a consultant and trainer, Bruce is widely praised for his passion, clarity and the practicality of his messages.

  • The content of the conference is aimed at teachers and school leaders in both primary and secondary sectors.
  • Delegates should arrive from 9am onwards for a 9:30am start.
  • Each ticket includes tea/coffee on arrival and lunch.
  • Delegates will receive a PDF copy of the slides used following the event.
  • Delegate parking is £5 per day and £16 overnight.
  • For further details, contact Bruce directly: bruce@nextleveleducational.com

Superpower of Looking CLPL: William Gillies at Hawick Museum

19 September 16:00 – 17:00

Online

FREE

Register here:

https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/e6be4179-b5c9-43f3-a08e-8bd0b650c46b@12fdaf10-48f7-4366-933f-8c3ceff4bbad

 

Join this unique CLPL for Primary School teachers in the Scottish Borders, as we celebrate the William Gillies: Modernism and Nation exhibition at Hawick Museum. This Royal Scottish Academy Touring Exhibition is open until 20th October, and offers local children an opportunity to see paintings, drawings, photographs and objects from the artist’s career.

This CLPL will begin with an introduction from Sandy Wood, Head of Collections at RSA. We will then hear from the Hawick Museum team, about how your school can make the most of your visit.

 

Finally, you will have the opportunity to take part in a focussed lesson on William Gillies’ artwork, using Art UK‘s flagship visual literacy programme The Superpower of Looking. The Superpower of Looking is an innovative and inclusive programme that seeks to transform the visual literacy skills of primary school children across the UK, taking the world of art and images as its starting point. Using a set of free teaching resources, children will gain an essential superpower: the ability to really ‘see’ – to critically observe, analyse, question, interpret, and empathise. Children will become visually literate in the image-dominated world around them.

If you are unable to make this bespoke CLPL session, you can view Art UK’s William Gillies online resource which includes teachers’ notes to download, and a high-resolution zoom function.

 

More information on the exhibition: https://www.liveborders.org.uk/exhibitions/gillies-modernism-and-nation/

More information on the Superpower of Looking: https://artuk.org/learn/the-superpower-of-looking