Thanks to ongoing support from Cycling Scotland, we will be offering two free Play on Pedals training courses before Christmas, with an opportunity to then either be loaned a fleet of PoP bikes, or to set up a loan share agreement with another nearby early years setting for a fleet of PoP bikes. https://www.cycling.scot/what-we-do/training/play-on-pedals

Courses will be ran on the following dates;

• Tuesday 12th December, Melrose PS, 0900-1700, 8x spaces
• Thursday 14th December, Duns PS, 0900-1700, 8x spaces

Please can you let me know the name and email of any interested practitioners you have, and what date/s they are able to attend (only 1x day required, but flexibility on what date is helpful). Places will initially be issued to those settings who do not currently have trained PoP practitioners, then opened up to settings who already have PoP capability.

PLEASE NOTE – due to issues previously with candidates not turning up for training courses, there will be a £50 charge for any setting which books a training place and subsequently does not send a practitioner on the day. Demand is always high for these courses, with waiting lists in place, so it’s simply not acceptable to book a space and then not turn up to the training course without reasonable cause.

Any questions, please get in touch.

Gordon Smith (Outdoor Education Officer)

Gordon.Smith@scotborders.gov.uk

 

Dear colleague

Help shape the future of STEM professional learning by completing our online survey. The survey should take 7 mins to complete and will close on Monday 18 Dec 2023.

Education Scotland is inviting practitioners across Scotland to complete our latest Annual STEM (sciences, technologies, engineering and mathematics) Professional Learning Survey. The information you provide will help to improve access to high-quality STEM professional learning across Scotland. This year’s survey is especially important as it will help us measure the overall impact of the STEM Strategy since it was launched in 2017. It will also inform the development of the next phase of national support for STEM, beyond the lifetime of the current strategy.

Who should complete this survey?

Separate surveys have been developed for specific sectors. You should only complete one of the surveys below.

Practitioners in early learning and childcare, primary, additional support needs, secondary (all subject areas, including those not normally associated with STEM) are invited to complete this survey:

https://forms.office.com/e/Vr7pw5fAx3

School-based technical support staff are invited to complete this survey:

https://forms.office.com/e/dJGEZaQ8GL

Community learning and development practitioners are invited to complete this survey:

https://forms.office.com/e/V6Bctm5NBH

Did you know?

• The findings from all previous STEM surveys are available on Education Scotland’s National Improvement Hub:https://education.gov.scot/improvement/learning-resources/a-summary-of-stem-resources/
• Survey responses have shaped decisions about the £4.5 million of STEM grant funding that has been allocated by Education Scotland since 2018 – benefitting over 80,000 practitioners in ELC, schools and CLD sectors.
• Education Scotland has shared the anonymised survey findings widely with many STEM providers (colleges, universities, science centres, STEM organisations) to help them plan and shape their professional learning offer to meet the needs of practitioners.

Please take a few minutes to complete the STEM survey. Your response will enable a wide range of STEM organisations get their professional learning offer right for you and your setting. The survey data will also support our efforts to make Scotland a leading #STEMnation.

Laura McCafferty

National Education Officer for Raising Aspirations in Science/STEM Education (RAiSE)

@RAiSEScotland