Oracy & Vocabulary Development

Participants will learn what Oracy is and why it is important, explore resources which can be used to support Oracy development, learn about different strategies which are effective in teaching vocabulary development, focus on which vocabulary should be prioritised, which skills are important when learning new vocabulary and learn about resources which support vocabulary development.

The Language and Communication service will share resources, strategies and theory around the development of Oracy skills and vocabulary.

4 June, 4-5pm

Bookings can be made through Business World

Child Protection Annual Update

Susan Jordan, Child Protection Education Officer will be hosting a Child Protection Annual Update session for all staff who have been unable to attend a session this year. The session will take place on 4 June at 4:15pm.

It is mandatory for all education staff to complete the Child Protection Update on an annual basis so we would ask that any staff who have not already attended one of these sessions try to ensure they can attend this opportunity.

The link to join the session is below:

Join the meeting now

Community as a Superpower: Celebrating schools working with refugee families

Wednesday, 18 June

Community as a Superpower:Celebrating schools working with refugee families

This webinar showcases how schools actively promote a sense of belonging for newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers.

The theme of Refugee Week 2025 is “Community as a Superpower” and in this webinar a panel of speakers will share their experiences and reflections around how schools and other settings are helping to nurture communities in which refuge-seeking learners feel a real sense of belonging.

Speakers from Schools of Sanctuary, Warwickshire Local Authority and a secondary school will consider practical examples of how they have achieved meaningful social inclusion, and will share their recommendations for other schools welcoming refugee and asylum-seeking learners.

After a short presentation from each of the panelists, Radha Chakraborty, Director of Trustees at The Bell Foundation, will pose questions from the audience to each of the speakers. If you would like to ask a question around social inclusion, please email webinar@bell-foundation.org.uk.

Host: Radha Chakraborty, Director of Trustees at The Bell Foundation.

Panel: 

  • Megan Greenwood, School Coordinator, City of Sanctuary UK;
  • Nikki Ajibade, EAL Senior Lead, Warwickshire’s EMTAS Team;
  • Claudia Lopez, EAL Raising Achievement Coordinator, Saint Gabriel’s College, Lambeth.

Who should register for the webinar?

  • School leaders, including those responsible for EAL and inclusion;
  • EAL Coordinators, or those responsible for EAL in their school;
  • Pastoral leads and Year leaders.

Why you should register for this webinar:

  • One-hour intensive session with Q&A
  • Access to session recording;
  • First to hear about future webinars and how to sign up.

If you have any questions that specifically relate to the webinar topic, which you would like answered during the live session, please send them to: webinar@bell-foundation.org.uk.

Community as a Superpower:Celebrating schools working with refugee families Tickets, Wed 18 Jun 2025 at 16:00 | Eventbrite

Leadership Programmes 2025-6

Leadership Programmes 2025-26

Applications for the 25/26 Leadership Programmes are now open.

Further information on each of the programmes can be found on Business World – contact clpl@scotborders.gov.uk for an application form.

The Aspiring to Middle Leadership and Middle Leaders Leading Change are Education Scotland online programmes. We will work through these as an SBC cohort with a face to face induction and touchpoint sessions.

Playfest

This Scotland wide Playfest is an exciting opportunity to hear about effective Play Pedagogy practice from authorities across Scotland, including Scottish Borders.  The Playfest is running from the 9th – 12th June and includes presentations from teachers across Early, First and Second level.  Further information on the content of each session and sign-up instructions can be found on the poster.

To book your place click here

                 

Early Years

Froebel in Childhood Practice

Further information regarding the Froebel in Childhood Practice course is available on our website: Froebel Courses

Places available on the Summer or Academic Year courses but please note that these courses would have to be self funded.

The Summer course is delivered in Edinburgh over 5 consecutive days in July. This course will run between Friday 18th and Wednesday 23 July, with no teaching session on Sunday 20 July.

The Academic Year course is delivered online on Saturday mornings from 0930-1230. The course commences on Saturday 25 October 2025 and the final session is on Saturday 7 March 2026.

 

 

Digital Skills Week

✨💻Digital Skills Week 💻✨

Digital Skills week is just around the corner!

We’re thrilled to announce Digital Skills week is just around the corner! From 26 May, we invite all staff to dive into a week full of learning, sharing new skills and discovering handy tips and tricks.

Join us on Viva Engage All Company throughout the week for a treasure trove of information designed to boost your digital skills. Whether you’re looking to master a new tool or simply want to stay updated with the latest digital trends, we’ve got something for everyone.

Got some great tips to share? We’d love to hear them. Head over to our Viva Engage – Unlock your Potential: Productivity Pointers Community and share your insights. Your tips could be the key to unlocking someone else’s potential.

And don’t forget there’s a fantastic £50 Amazon voucher up for grabs, generously donated by CGi – make sure to participate for your chance to win!

We’re delighted that the Inspire Team has agreed to deliver two live 30-minute sessions, which you can attend in person or online on Friday 30 May. The sessions will cover SharePoint Tips & Tricks at 10am and Microsoft Tips & Tricks at 11am. You can secure your space at the in-person session by completing our booking form. A link will be sent to the live event nearer the time, so be sure to block the time in your calendar.

Check out our schedule for the week below – we can’t wait to see you there and make this Digital Skills Week the best one yet.

#digitalskillsweek2025 #getinvolved #bestoneyet

If you have any queries, please submit them using the Digital Skills Week MS Form

#digitalskillsweek2025 #getinvolved #bestoneyet

Youth Climate Action Fund 2025

SBCAN are excited to launch our Youth Climate Action Fund 2025

Young people across the Scottish Borders are full of inspiring ideas to help tackle the climate crisis and promote community climate action– and we’re here to help bring those ideas to life. We’re inviting youth groups, schools, clubs and voluntary groups to apply for up to £750 to run a project that makes a difference in your community. Please note, we can only accept one application per group/ school/ organisation.

Key info:

  • Projects must take place in 2025.
  • The deadline for applications is 6th June 2025.
  • Applications will be reviewed and money will then be distributed to those successful w/c 16th June 2025 in time for the summer holidays!
  • The application form is available now on our website: https://www.sbcan.co.uk/funding
  • Please return the application form to sbcan@sup.org.uk
  • Projects must be based in the Scottish Borders

Helen Orde, Learning for Sustainability (LfS) Teacher