Young Games Makers by the Paralympic Agitos on The Mound

16 Edinburgh pupils are off to London to volunteer as Young Games Makers at the Paralympics, performing the prestigious role of Courtside Assistants for the Sitting Volleyball event.

The S5 and S6 pupils are the only group to represent Scotland, and were selected from a team of 50 Young Ambassadors for sport, who take on the voluntary role in their secondary schools.

One of the volunteers, Sean McPhee from Firrhill High School, told us:

This is a once in a life time opportunity as the Games are on home soil. It is also a fantastic leadership experience which we hope we can share with our own schools to inspire other young people to get involved as voluntary young leaders too. I can’t wait to get down there.

Well done to all the volunteers – have a great time!

Read the more about the trip on the Council website, or find out more about the Young Games Makers programme.

An update from Jenny Suttie, 16+ Learning Choices Coordinator, on some of the initiatives happening across the city to link schools with the world of work.

Career Academies

The Edinburgh Guarantee is helping schools to better prepare and support their pupils into positive post school destinations.  Edinburgh schools are increasingly building strong partnerships with the world of business and employment to enable them to offer a broader range of opportunities for pupils to develop confidence, skills and expertise that will equip them for their future careers.

Career Academies is supported by a wide range of our best known companies and is offered in nine schools.  Tynecastle, Gracemount and Forrester High Schools trailblazed in year one and have been joined this year by Leith Academy, Drummond, Firrhill, St Augustine’s Portobello and The Royal High Schools.  Fulfilling the business role there are sixty new volunteer Business Mentors from the following organisations ;  KPMG, BNY Mellon, Clydesdale Bank, Santander, Cairn Energy, Scottish Gas, The Scottish Government, Ernst & Young, JP Morgan, Hotel Missoni, Marriot Hotels, Scottish Widows, Franklin Templeton, The Big Partnership, Harvey Nichols, Logica, Diageo, Visit Scotland and Edutrain International.

The programme harnesses business support to prepare students to progress to higher education or the world of work. Pupils are able to make career choices from a much more informed, inspired and confident base.  Career Academy students follow a rigorous two-year enrichment programme alongside their school curriculum.

October saw schools hold ‘business breakfasts’ to allow students and mentors to meet and embark on their two year journey and in early November all ninety Career Academy students came together for a day long training  event – ‘First Class to World Class’.

Now begins a programme of work place visits, with inspirational speakers and second year students sharing their experiences. Students will continue to meet with their mentor every 4-6 weeks in their place of work; begin to explore their career aspirations and learn about the world of work.  In their summer holidays students can look forward to a four week paid internship which from student feedback was the absolute highlight of last year’s programme.

For more information on Career Academies contact Elizabeth.turnbull@edinburgh.gov.uk.

S5/6 Retail pupils visit Harvey Nichols

A group of four pupils from the Intermediate 2 Retail class were recently invited for interviews for extended work placements at Harvey Nichols at St Andrews Square, Edinburgh. Here is what they wrote:

At 11.30am we jumped into a taxi and headed off uptown accompanied by Mr Donegan. The window displays were the first thing we noticed as we arrived and we spent 10 minutes admiring the high fashion offered by Harvey Nichols. It must have cost thousands of pounds to put up these window displays. On entering the shop we were met by security, who by chance, was an ex-Portobello pupil from 5 years ago, so we got a warm welcome.

Mr Donegan suggested we have a quick look around the store and merchandise to familiarise ourselves with it, just in case we were asked about the store. All of us took a particular interest in MAC and Benefit Cosmetics (except Mr D). Harvey Nichols sells nothing but top brands. They are at the luxury end of the market.

Soon we were invited to report downstairs to the basement area reception and presented with security tags. Shortly after, we were met by Melissa (Human Resources Manager) and Emma from the store. We were given 5 minutes to prepare ourselves for an interview. Some of us started panicking. During the interview we were asked various questions but it was all done in a friendly but professional way. We all learned from the experience.

Amy Henderson and Chloe Anderson (who wrote the section above) were successful and were offered the two available training places. Both of them were delighted to be given this opportunity. Melissa offered all pupils feedback on their interviews and comments on strengths and development points. The whole Retail class have also been invited for a tour in November and are really looking forward to that.

For more information on this course contact Head Teacher Peigi.macarthur@portobello.edin.sch.uk.

Edinburgh Working in Partnership with Princes Trust

Naomi Johnstone, Job Ambassador – photo by North Edinburgh News

Finally, the Princes Trust has appointed three new Job Ambassadors in Edinburgh, as recently reported by North Edinburgh News:

The Prince’s Trust Scotland has appointed three young unemployed people from Edinburgh as Job Ambassadors in an effort to help other young people move into jobs and training. Naomi Johnstone, 26, from Leith, Heather Johnstone, 24, from Sighthill and Michelle Smith, 20, of Burdiehouse, join four other young people in the role.

The Trust’s Job Ambassador initiative will offer young people who have previously participated in Prince’s Trust programmes and who have been a Prince’s Trust Young Ambassador full-time employment for one year, allowing them to hone their skills and to reach out and support other young people.

They will give inspirational talks based on their own experiences and provide one-to-one support and guidance, helping others to re-engage and prepare for work and training.

Read the rest of the article on the North Edinburgh News website.

Congratulations also to Jenna from Currie High School who was one of the winners in their recent poster competition.

PC Jim Gillanders at Firrhill High. Photo courtesy of the Edinburgh Evening News.

A number of school link officers from Lothian and Borders Police have been placed in Edinburgh’s secondary schools. PC Jim Gillanders has been working at Firrhill High to assist and give advice on issues such as cyber bullying, knife crime and truancy.  There are twelve school link officers working at schools across the city, and Jim splits his time between Firrhill and Wester Hailes Education Centre.

Read more about the valuable work Jim undertakes in the Edinburgh Evening News.

You can also read more about the ‘campus cops’ scheme in our previous blog posts from September and November.

Here are some of the things that have been happening this week…

Drummond charity head shave raises £2400

Congrats to the brave staff at Drummond High who got a close shave on Tuesday to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support. The event went really well, says Susan Lambert from the school, and they were delighted to raise over £2400 which is fantastic. People can still donate at www.justgiving.com/teams/drummondict.

Claire Cooper, Derek Sharkey and Susan Lambert show off their new dos

South Morningside Primary School make a difference

Earlier this year, pupils at South Morningside Primary paid £1 to watch a talent show, and the money raised was then used to ‘make a difference’ to their local community. As part of Curriculum for Excellence using money, maths, finance education and community enterprise outcomes, each class was tasked with finding the best use for their allocation of the money.

Read the full story on the Edinburgh Reporter website, which also featured this video report:

Blackhall Primary in Euroquiz final

Blackhall Primary will be representing Edinburgh in the national finals of the Euroquiz competition at the Scottish Parliament next Monday 13 May. Monika Wantoch, Global Citizenship Development Officer, wrote in to tell us more.

Every year, our International Unit teams up with the Scottish European Educational Trust (SEET) to run Euroquiz – a competition that helps Scotland’s pupils develop their knowledge of Europe and European Union, as well as core skills such as teamwork and communication.

P6 pupils, in teams of 4, answer questions on a whole range of European-related subjects including history, geography, sport, culture, language and the European Union.

The Edinburgh heat took place on Monday and 17 primary schools took part. The winning team was Blackhall Primary School, with Sciennes Primary School and St Mary’s Primary School (Leith) as runners-up. The winners picked up a trophy and will be representing Edinburgh Council at Scottish Parliament on Monday 13th May. They have been busy preparing for the last three months and are now all set to test their European knowledge in front of a bigger audience. Good luck!

Find out more about the finals on the Scottish Parliament website.

Concert plans are creating a buzz around town

Image courtesy of Bumblebee Conservation Trust

2013 is the Year of Natural Scotland and to help celebrate this, the third in a series of environmental charity concerts, A Concert for Bees, is being planned for autumn 2013. The Arthur Conan Doyle Quartet, Bumblebee Conservation Trust and City of Edinburgh Council are working with a number of schools to participate in a number of activities culminating in a Concert for Bees in Edinburgh, with the idea of helping to encourage young people to explore the world of bees and their importance for the natural world.

We post more details on the activities and concert soon but in the meantime, you can email ecoschoolsinedinburgh@edinburgh.gov.uk to find out more.

Pupils’ anti-litter messages hit the big screen

On Wednesday, environmentally aware pupils from four secondary schools watched their films star on the big screen as they sought the top prize in an anti-litter competition.

Teams from Currie, Firrhill, Tynecastle and James Gillespie’s spent weeks crafting their entries for Litter-Less Lunchtimes, which was organised by the City of Edinburgh Council using Zero Waste Scotland funding.

The Tynecastle pupils were awarded first place after all four films were screened before judges and an audience at the Filmhouse Cinema in Lothian Road this morning. They have won £500 and a camcorder for the school, while their winning entry will be used by the Council in future anti-litter campaigns.

Read the full story on the Council website.

Back in April we held our annual Edinburgh Learning Festival at Hibs Stadium. As part of the festival we had an Education Village which comprised 28 stands organised and led by Edinburgh school staff and partner organisations.

The Village covered a wide range of different initiatives, projects and teaching strategies from schools and other centres across the authority, including post school opportunities.

It was vibrant and busy and was a very good showcase for and, celebration of, some of the excellent work staff are involved in across Edinburgh. The Village gave delegates an excellent opportunity to share ideas and to engage in good professional dialogue.

For those who missed the event, Joyce Rochford, Senior Development Officer Curriculum for Excellence, introduces a report from the various stands.

Rights Respecting Schools: Juniper Green Primary School

Juniper Green was delighted to receive the Unicef Rights Respecting Schools Award in October 2012. The stand at the Edinburgh Learning Festival reflected that rights is integrated into all aspects of our work in school. Understanding rights is part of the Health and Wellbeing outcomes, it is GIRFEC, it is Global Citizenship, it is about Pupil Voice and it is about how we treat each other. Our RRS group is called the Knights of Rights, they meet regularly to discuss how to promote awareness of rights, they have led assemblies in other schools and regularly contribute the ‘Right of the Week’ at our weekly assembly. They have worked with the Health committee and the NHS to produce a smoke-free homes leaflet and regularly organise playground games to ensure nobody is left out.

The stand showed a few of these aspects of school life and where they link to the articles from the UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the rights of the Child). The display also showed other aspects of school life such as the Pupil Parliament which is about Article 12, having your opinion heard and taken seriously by adults, selling ethically and fairly traded rice which is linked to article 27 about having a decent standard of living, having peer mediators and play leaders in the playground which is about article 19, being safe from harm.

Contact:  Susan.Cochrane@junipergreen.edin.sch.uk

Creativity across Learning and Learning Ladders: Special Schools

Creativity across learning is a real strength across our Special schools.

Pilrig Park pupils with their Learning Ladders

Pilrig Park School displayed Learning Ladders which were developed in the school and are an innovative way of mapping curriculum. They have also facilitated the development of staff approaches to assessment and moderation and continue to generate an increased consistency and confidence in understanding the standards and expectations of learning within their own curriculum areas and across all learning. The ladders allow the whole school community to see learners’ progressive pathways chartered across all subjects in all learning areas. The whole school community use the ladders on a daily basis and this enables all learners to take an active role in their learning. The ladders show learners how to achieve their next steps and the standard they need in order to do this.

Prospect Bank School displayed the new literacy programme ‘Read, Write, Inc’. This is a highly structured, animated and engaging method for teaching phonics. The programme has a range of levels to suit children from 3-18 supported by a complete range of resources including charts, magnetic letters, workbooks and reading texts both fiction and information. The assessments carried out throughout the year show very encouraging progress, and all learners are retaining some letter knowledge and several have made significant improvements in reading, comprehension and writing.

Oaklands School displayed MOVE boards and how NUMICON is used in some Primary classes. The MOVE programme (Move Opportunities via Education) board showcased the hard work and determination of pupils supported by staff to achieve their MOVE targets. These targets allow pupils to increase their abilities in sitting, standing and walking, thus enabling increased opportunities to access the curriculum and to be included in family life and their community. The NUMICON Maths programme being followed by some primary classes allows learners to experience number concepts through sensory experiences-e.g. smell, taste, sight, touch and through the making of soups, shakes and pasta dishes.

Contact:          Ellen.muir@pilrigpark.edin.sch.uk

Ann Frank Ambassadors: Firrhill High School

This session a number of S2 pupils at Firrhill High School have been involved in a project with the Anne Frank Trust. Pupils learnt about Anne’s life and focused on how her story might inform present-day issues such as stereotyping or prejudice. The pupils underwent training to deliver exhibition tours to their peers, and younger pupils. The exhibition was in the school library for a period of two weeks during which time the Anne Frank Tour Guides delivered tours in pairs. Six of the S2 pupils involved in the tour guide training and exhibition have volunteered to become some of Scotland’s first Anne Frank Ambassadors. This role highlights a commitment to telling Anne’s story to future generations so that they can learn the core values such as acceptance and social responsibility.

Our stall at the Learning Festival highlighted what the Ambassadors have achieved thus far: materials created for teaching Anne Frank’s story to pupils in cluster primary schools, as well as evidence from their two full days training with other Ambassadors from Edinburgh, led by the Anne Frank Trust. The pupils were keen to share their experiences and encourage other schools to take up this opportunity where possible as it has allowed them to take ownership of their learning as well as teaching them vital leadership skills.

Contact: Joanne.deary@firrhill.edin.sch.uk

Activity Agreements

An activity agreement is an agreement between a young person and an advisor that the young person will take part in a programme of learning and activity which helps them to become ready for formal learning or employment. The scheme is for 16-19 year olds who are unemployed and require additional support to help them develop their skills to access formal education or employment

What is on offer?

• An advisor will be provided to help discuss and consider options and reduce barriers to access
• Training is sourced to help develop knowledge, skills and experience
• Ongoing support will be provided until the young person has achieved their goal of a positive destination
• Local Hubs will provide access points for regular support
• Young people may be eligible for an Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) if they take part in an Activity Agreement 

Contact: activityagreements@edinburgh.gov.uk

Leading Learning in Early Years

Health and Wellbeing – Planning for Learning in the Early Years – CD

The stand showcased a CD which is available for all centres to use. The CD addressed:

• guidance for planning experiences and outcomes in health and wellbeing at early level
• assessment examples  including use of progression pathways
• a range of templates for planning and recording
• self evaluation tools
• information on consulting children in planning

Contact: lesley.mcdowell@edinburgh.gov.uk

Early Number

The Early Number stall introduced the work on SEAL (Stages of Early Arithmetic Learning) which is being developed across the city.  This work gives teachers a clear progression of a child’s learning in number, and highlights the stages they go through as they progress.  Teachers are also supported with a progression of teaching activities designed to move the child (and their understanding) forward.  SEAL training is beginning for some primary schools from August 2013, and will also be offered to early years staff through nursery and P1.  The Early Number stall also exemplified different resources and activities ideal for delivering SEAL in the classroom.

Contact:  louise.stevenson@edinburgh.gov.uk

The Magic Carpet: CLD Goodtrees Centre

This is a ‘literacy’ resource with accompanying booklet developed through collaboration between Nation Museum of Scotland, CLD family learning workers and parents, children and staff from Broomhouse, Royal Mile and Gracemount nursery classes.  Literacy is to break down barriers between families and the Museum, to encourage more families to visit and enjoy this national treasure.

Each pictorial square on the magic carpet represents an item closed by children as their favourite object in the museum. The item was then made in fabric by their parent/ carer and attached to the magic carpet.   The families were also involved in choosing songs, rhymes stories and themes for each square.

Contact: Jane.prowse@ea.edin.sch.uk

Digital Learning

The Digital Learning Team supports the embedding of technologies in learning and teaching to improve the outcomes for all learners in the City of Edinburgh.

We offer advice to schools and senior leaders in Children and Families on digital technology and its role in enhancing the learning experience. We also offer a wide range of professional development opportunities for Children and Families staff in Edinburgh, working directly with teachers and students in the classroom and communicating with teachers, students, parents/carers and the wider world via our website digitallearningteam.org and Twitter @DigitalCEC.

We are currently working on various key projects across the city. These include:

• Service Redesign
• Microsoft 365
• Mobile Devices
• 1:1 Deployment of iPads
• Digital Safety

Contact us at: digital@ea.edin.sch.uk

The Edinburgh Guarantee

The Edinburgh Guarantee is a vision that all sectors of the city will work together to ensure that every school leaver in Edinburgh will leave school with the choice of a job, training or further education opportunity available to them.  Bringing together local government, business, colleges, voluntary sector organisations and national programmes, we’ve worked to create more opportunities for our young people.  So far over 1000 opportunities have been identified – jobs, apprenticeships, placements, college and training places and we work with our partners to match the right young person to these.

Contact: michelle.fenwick@edinburgh.gov.uk or Vicki.lorimer@edinburgh.gov.uk

Project Dream: Balerno High School and the Royal Lyceum Theatre

Project Dream was a Creative Interdisciplinary Learning Project based around the Royal Lyceum’s production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”.  All S3 pupils were taken to the theatre to see a modern interpretation of the play as a stimulus to a creative project held in school the following week over three days.  During the three days pupils worked in groups with staff and professionals from the theatre to produce a creative response to the play.  Each of the projects the pupils worked on was planned as interdisciplinary learning experiences and out of this we have developed a planning model for other interdisciplinary projects across the school.  The Project also illustrated the positive benefits of working with a professional arts organisation.

Contact: Lindsay.Fullarton@balernochs.edin.sch.uk

On Track with Learning and Big Floor Planning. Murrayburn Primary School

Our stand was showing all of the work that has gone into linking ‘On Track with Learning’ to ‘Big Floor Planning’.  At Murrayburn we have ensured that the new planning system OTWL links with ‘Big Floor Planning’ in a way which involves all of our involves learners in planning their learning experiences.

Big Floor planning has encouraged our learners to become more familiar with the Curriculum for Excellence Experiences and Outcomes and to be involved with planning their learning. Assessment is integral to the process with children identifying what evidence they need to ensure planned learning has been achieved.

Contact: michael.urquhart@murrayburn.edin.sch.uk

Working with Edinburgh Art College: Leith Walk Primary School

Primary 6 from Leith Walk Primary were given the excellent opportunity to work with a lecturer and a group of students from Edinburgh College of Art.  We applied for funding for the project which involved the children working cooperatively to create large black and white tableaux and also individual portraits using an analogue camera. The children spent the day at the Art College where they developed the images in the dark room, created a camera obscura, learned how an analogue camera works and sketched dogs.  The College then hosted a large exhibition of our work that was attended by families, students and lecturers.  We then displayed the exhibition in school where our school community and families could appreciate and celebrate our work.  We also completed various writing activities including recount, information leaflets and quiz sheets to compliment the exhibition.  This was a hugely creative and innovative project which provided a stimulating and exciting context in which the children could learn.

Contact: Jackie.reid@leithwalk.edin.sch.uk

Careers Academy

What is Career Academies and What does it offer our students?

Career Academies UK is a business led charity, which complements – and potentially joins up – some of the partnership work already established between businesses and schools in Edinburgh.

Students benefit from a partner in business ‘mentor’ to assist them with all aspects of personal and professional development over the two years of the programme, classroom lectures from business ‘gurus’, a four week paid internship between their 5^th and 6^th year of school  and networking visits to a wide range of employers.  None of which would be possible without employer support.

The focus in Edinburgh is inspiring ‘middle-performing’ students (sitting 2-3 Highers in 5^th year) who may have little family background of higher education or experience of social mobility, lacks the confidence and opportunity to engage with employers. Each school is allocated 10 places.

Contact: elizabeth.turnbull@edinburgh.gov.uk

Cluster Science: South Morningside Primary School

Boroughmuir Cluster Science

All primary schools in the Boroughmuir cluster have taken part in engaging continuing professional opportunities in science to ensure good progression in science through Curriculum for Excellence levels. Shared science lessons have been developed and external partners have been part of this development. For example SSERS and the University of Edinburgh Geosciences Department.

Staff levels of confidence and expertise in teaching science outcomes, gathering assessment information and reporting have been greatly enhanced through the ongoing work of cluster science coordinators. Learners are have been engaged and enthused through a range of science activities and valuable partnership links have been fostered with scientists in our local community.

Our showcase highlighted the work going on in our classrooms, schools and staffrooms as a result of the enthusiasm of the science coordinators. We have organised many CPD opportunities for staff, networking and moderation activities which have resulted in greater teacher confidence to plan, teach and assess science outcomes.

Contact: Dorothy.crawford@southmorningside.edin.sch.uk

SCRAN

Scran is the leading source of copyright-cleared content for classrooms, with over 370,000 images, videos and sounds from museums, galleries, libraries and the media, including the National Museums of Scotland, NASA and the V&A.  As well as great content covering all aspects of the Curriculum for Excellence, Scran also hosts a range of tools to help teachers and learners make the most of its resources- tools such as Create, that allows you to quickly turn any image on the site into a worksheet, poster, flashcard, calendar etc. Scran is available for free in your school at www.scran.ac.uk, and from home through Glow or by requesting a free teacher-at-home password.  We also offer free CPD in your school, on request.

Contact: andrew.james@scran.ac.uk

Early Years Literacy: Roseburn Primary School

Roseburn Primary School’s stand showcased the excellent examples of Early Literacy across the Nursery and our two Primary 1 classes.

We are creating a classroom environment where children are being encouraged to produce a wide range of writing in a variety of genres. The children are applying their knowledge of phonics and tricky words in stimulating and creative tasks. On the stand there were examples of black pen drawings, scribed writing, initial sound work, initial blends, topic work, imaginative writing, non-fiction writing, a range of books covering a variety of genre and some amazing floor books. We also showcased how effective modern ICT can be with Early Years Literacy and our work with Story Creator on the I-pads.

Contact:   julie.1.simpson@roseburn.edin.sch.uk

Profiling Stand: St Augustine’s RC High School and Craigmount High School

St Augustine’s S3 exemplar profiles were part of the NAR content development as published on the Education Scotland website following a case study and pilot study completed in June 2012 and January 2013. St Augustine’s shared the process involved in pupils writing their personal statements, how work done through PSE lessons enabled pupils to develop their awareness of skills development across the 8 curricular areas and be able to put in writing skills they have developed throughout their Broad, General Education.

Wider Achievement and Reflection booklets, which S1 and S2 pupils in St Augustine’s complete fortnightly were also displayed and colleagues were interested to hear how these are used.

Craigmount had a most informative “Prezi” presentation on their approach to Profiling and in particular the S3 Profile which shows how profiling is becoming embedded throughout the school. Craigmount also had a differentiated profile for pupils in their inclusion unit. Dialogue focussed on the process involved in supporting pupils to create a meaningful S3 profile which will ultimately help support pupils to a positive and sustained destination.

Contact: sarah.murray@st-augustines.edin.sc.uk  or michael.irving@craigmount.edin.sch.uk

Literacy Stand

Reflecting the vision and principles of the National Literacy Action Plan, the Edinburgh Integrated Literacy Strategy (EILS) addresses a range of barriers to success in reading and writing. The strategy promotes effective inclusive practice and delivers targeted interventions to meet the needs of learners who require additional opportunities and support.  It incorporates interventions in early years, primary and secondary school education and is led by a number of interdisciplinary teams from the Education, Children and Families department and other partners such as Edinburgh City Libraries, NHS Lothian, universities and Scottish Book Trust.

Material shown on the literacy stand included:

• ‘Up, Up and Away’, which supports the development of early literacy and for which training is provided
• draft copies of the new Literacy Rich Edinburgh P2 Phonics Programme, which will be published in August 2013
• the Story Chat Board resource, which can be used with the LRE P1 Phonics Programme and which will be given to all primary schools in June
• Bloom’s questions which accompany the books used in the Story Chat Board resource
• Information about the Green Pencil Award
• a list of the wide –ranging literacy and English CPD  available for both primary and secondary staff

Contact: Evelyn.love-gajardo@edinburgh.gov.uk

Financial Education Week, Nursery to P7: St Peter’s RC Primary School

During Financial Education Week, the whole school participated in various activities and talks to promote the life skill of Financial Capability.

Through this context, various people from the local community were invited in to discuss the specific financial aspect the class were studying that week. For example, Waitrose visited the Nursery and Primary 2 to discuss the differences between needs and wants and a parent came into Primary 6 to discuss the risks of setting up a business. This promoted the various partnerships of the school, which was then later reinforced through the “Showcase Morning” at the end of the week. This morning gave the pupils the opportunity to show the local community what they had been doing and learning during the week. This also allowed the pupils an audience, which motivated the children to explore and share their new knowledge as well as involving the parents/community with the children’s learning.

At the Edinburgh Learning Festival the stall was used to promote the progression of financial learning through the stages of the school and the various, stimulating activities that took place during the week.

Contact:  Kate O’Regan Kate.Oregan@st-peters.edin.sch.uk

Date for your diary

The next Edinburgh Learning Festival will take place on Friday 25^th April 2014.

Young musicians across Edinburgh are this week working on their musical masterpieces ahead of a showcase concert at Drummond Community High School tomorrow.

Over 70 primary and secondary pupils have been working with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s education and outreach department, SCO Connect, and their new initiative, SCO VIBE – an exciting fusion orchestra influenced by group members and the musical styles that they love.

SCO VIBE opens up what a conventional orchestra looks like, providing a forum where young people can engage in collaborative music-making, and inspiring them to have a life-long relationship with music. Participation is free and targets young people who may not traditionally engage with the work of the SCO or who may not have had opportunities to take part in other musical ensembles offered in the city.

Meeting during school holidays throughout the year, young people will write and perform their own music with the help of SCO players, Instrumental Music Instructors from the City of Edinburgh Council and students from Napier University and Edinburgh College.

The current summer course is taking place 23 – 25 July and will involve pupils from schools across the city including Tynecastle, Drummond, Broughton, Trinity, Forrester, Leith, Wester Hailes Education Centre and Holy Rood clusters as well as Craigmount, Firrhill and Currie clusters.

Lucy Forde, SCO Connect Director, said:

SCO Connect is thrilled to be providing young people of all backgrounds and abilities in Edinburgh with the opportunity to experience the excitement of making and performing music together.  We welcome all instruments at SCO VIBE from clarinets to keyboards, cellos to sitars, clarsachs to bass guitars and vocals.

SCO VIBE is delivered in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council and is supported by CashBack for Creativity with an award of £30,000. Creative Scotland’s CashBack for Creativity programme re-invests the monies seized from criminals back into cultural activities for young people across Scotland. The project has also received £15,500 from the Young Start Programme run by the Big Lottery Fund Scotland.

The concert showcasing this week’s work takes place at 2.30pm on Thursday 25 July at Drummond Community High School. The concert is open to anyone and is non-ticketed but with limited seats, so best to arrive early!

Find out more about SCO VIBE on the Scottish Chamber Orchestra website, and also check out the video below:

Results were released today by email, text or post

The waiting is finally over as thousands of pupils across Edinburgh receive their exam results today.

Early indications are that candidates have improved on their performances from 2013 and that Edinburgh’s overall good performance has been maintained. In total 8,642 pupils sat 41,949 exams this year in over 70 subject areas; ranging from Mandarin to Woodwork Skills.

Highlights include:

• By the end of S6 59% of all pupils have got Highers – a 4% improvement on last year and a 15% improvement since 2008.
• By the end of S5 51% of all pupils have got Highers – a 10% improvement since 2008 and maintaining last year’s good results.
• Craigroyston High School and Wester Hailes Education Centre have shown particular improvement in the number of pupils gaining five or more level 3 qualifications; this year achieving 100% and 99% respectively. This is an increase of 28% for Craigroyston and 26% for Wester Hailes Education Centre since 2010.

Peter Reid, an S5 pupil from Firrhill High School, who sat Higher exams in German, History, English, Chemistry and Physics, said:

I’ve studied really hard for these exams and after my Advanced Highers I’m hoping to study law and Mandarin at university. I’ve just got back from a course in China and loved the country and the language.

Education Convener, Councillor Paul Godzik, said:

Early indications from the SQA exam results show that 2013 has been another really positive year for all our pupils and I’m delighted at all their successes.

To have nearly 60% of our pupils get a Higher by the end of S6 is a real achievement and I want to congratulate all our teaching staff on their commitment to delivering learning experiences of the highest standards. Our pupils should be very proud of themselves too – all their hard work has certainly paid off.

Our drive to improve literacy has also proved successful with 99% of our pupils now gaining an award in English by S5.

The Council is committed to making sure all school leavers enter a positive destination of employment, training or further education – last year a record number of 90% of them did so.

Initiatives such as the Edinburgh Guarantee are also going a long way to making this a reality for many of our ex-pupils. This is something we are keen to build on in the coming years and look forward to seeing many more placements and positive results.

Additional information

This is draft information, pre-appeal with no national or comparator information at this stage.

Results by end of S4

• 97% of S4 pupils gained at least one award in English at level 3 or better  (maintaining previous year’s results and a three percentage point improvement since 2008).
• 97% of S4 pupils gained at least one award in Mathematics at level 3 or better  (maintaining previous year’s results and a three percentage point  improvement since 2008).
• English and Mathematics at level 3 or better – 95% (maintaining previous year’s results; three percentage point improvement since 2008).
• 5+ awards at level 3 or better – 94% (one percentage point up on the previous year: a thee-year improvement trend and a five percentage point improvement since 2008).
• 5+ awards at level 4 or better – 80%  (maintaining previous year’s results and a four percentage point improvement since 2008).
• 5+ awards at level 5 or better – 40% (one percentage point up on the previous year and a four percentage point improvement since 2008).

Results by end of S5

• 99% of S4 pupils gained at least one award in English at level 3 or better (three percentages point up on the previous year and a four percentage point improvement since 2008)
• 99% of S4 pupils gained at least one award in Mathematics at level 3 or better (two percentage points up on the previous year: a five percentage point improvement since 2008).
• English and Mathematics at level 3 or better – 97% (two percentage points up on the previous year and a six percentage point improvement since 2008).
• 5+ awards at level 3 or better – 95% (two percentage points more than the previous year: a five percentage point improvement since 2008).
• 5+ awards at level 4 or better – 84% (three percentage points more than the previous year: a seven percentage point improvement since 2008).
• 5+ awards at level 5 or better – 55% (one percentage point more than the previous year and continues a five-year improving trend and an eight percentage point improvement since 2008).
• 1+ award at level 6 or better – 51% (maintaining previous year’s good results and a ten percentage point improvement since 2008).
• 3+ awards at level 6 or better – 31% (maintaining previous year’s good results and a five percentage point improvement since 2008).
• 5+ awards at level 6 or better – 15% (one percentage point less than the previous year but an improvement of three percentage points since 2008.

Results by end of S6

• 1+ award at level 6 or better – 59 % (four percentage points more than the previous year and a fifteen percentage point improvement since 2008).
• 3+ awards at level 6 or better – 41% (maintaining previous year’s good result and a nine percentage point improvement since 2008).
• 5+ awards at level 6 or better – 29 % (maintaining the previous year’s good results and an eight percentage point improvement since 2008).
• Advanced Highers at 1 award at level 7 – 21 % (one percentage point more than the previous year and a seven percentage point improvement since 2008).

This week we reported that a local Waterplay project has won an award for Best Play Initiative. We also featured the official opening of the city’s new Gaelic school, Bun-sgoil Taobh na Páirce, and published a message to staff from Gillian Tee about the Council budget.

Here are some of the other things that have been happening…

Speak Out, You’re Not Alone…

Young people from across Edinburgh have created a video as part of an action research project on bullying.

The group were supported by the Young People’s Participation Team after bullying was raised as the top priority for young people at events in Spring. The action research project met several times over the summer and the participants carried out research with their peers, parents and Council staff to look at the impact of and solutions to bullying. Over the next few months the video will be presented to key people with a role in bullying such as Head Teachers, senior council officials and parents’ groups.

Here it is…

Firrhill pupils talk about the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Staff and pupils at Firrhill High have featured in a new video promoting the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and talking about their experiences of the Award in their school.

In the video, Head Teacher Sarah Brown explains how their pupils are “better prepared for life beyond school because they develop a key set of skills which set them apart from other pupils.”

Alex Cumming, Assistant Director for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scotland, described the video as a fantastic example of how a school can integrate the Award into the curriculum. View the full video on the DofE website.

Green Pencil Award – only 2 weeks left!

This year’s Green Pencil Award is just around the corner, with the closing date in just 2 weeks! To tie in with 2013 being the Year of Natural Scotland, the theme this year is ‘Scotland’s wonderful weather?!’ and we’re inviting P4-P7 pupils to write about the one aspect of the environment that really does affect everything in the natural world.

Entries are invited until Friday 11 October with the final award ceremony taking place in Edinburgh Central Library on Friday 29 November.

Find out more about the awards here.

Standing on the roof of Africa!

Julia (right) and colleague Michelle at the peak!

After an arduous six day expedition, a member of Children and Families staff completed her ascent of Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, this month.  Julia Sproul of Planning and Performance undertook the challenge to raise funds for charity.  She reached Uhuru Peak on Wednesday 18 September.  The peak is 5,895 metres high – by comparison, Everest Base Camp is 5,364 metres while our own Ben Nevis stands at a mere 1,344 metres.

Julia raised a substantial sum for SANDS Lothian, the Still Birth and Neo-natal Death Society. SANDS provides support to bereaved parents who have experienced miscarriage, still birth or the death of a baby soon after birth.

Well done Julia!

And finally…

This weekend sees the return of Doors Open Day, and this year, two of our schools (Tynecastle and Boroughmuir High) will joining a number of other Council buildings in opening their doors to the public.

Now in its 22nd year, the Doors Open Day Edinburgh event is a popular (and free) chance to explore some of Edinburgh’s most architecturally, culturally and socially significant buildings. Many venues feature behind-the-scenes tours, activities, exhibitions and/or talks which bring the history of the building, garden, cemetery or monument and its everyday use to life. Some sites organise additional free activities for children and families.

Enjoy!

Winners Rebekah, Natalia and Eva with Gillian Tee, Cllr Godzik and Cllr Fullerton

Many thanks to all school pupils, community groups and users of the Children and Families Department who sent in entries for this year’s competition. They were difficult decisions, but here are the winners:

Rebekah Thomson, Firrhill High School for her music themed design, which will be used on cards from Councillor Paul Godzik, Convenor for Education Children and Families.

Natalia Hidalgo-Szumeil, Oaklands Special School for her wonderful Christmas tree painting, for cards from Gillian Tee, Director of Children and Families.

Our judges also praised Eva Carter from Kirkliston Primary School for her colourful picture, which we think looks a bit like something Andy Warhol might have created!

The winners were presented with packs of their cards in the City Chambers earlier today. The winning entries along with a selection of the 100s of other entries will be on display in Waverley Court from next Monday until Friday 27 December 2013.

Rebekah’s winning design hit all the right notes with our judges

Natalia’s snowy scene with bold colours and wonderful textures.

Eva’s pop art masterpiece

Here’s just a few of the other wonderful entries – and you can see even more design in this PDF (3MB)…

We love the pen in the corner of this card, captured in the process of adding the smiley faces!

A lovely use of hand printing for this colourful character.

Santa tending to his reindeer.

Have yourself a merry thistle Christmas with this prickly picture.

This week we reported a couple of book-related stories – how Craigour Park pupils become published authors and what happened when the Book Bus came to Tynecastle High. We also got an update on efforts to consult on services for disabled children, announced the winners of our Design a Christmas Card competition, and launched a new internet safety competition.

But that’s not all! Here are some other things people have sent in…

Green Pencil Award winner announced

Congrats to Leith Primary’s Jack Elliott, winner of this year’s Green Pencil Award for creative writing on an environmental theme.

20 finalists from P4-P7 attended the awards ceremony at Central Library, where Jack was presented with the overall prize by Edinburgh Makar, Ron Butlin.

See the full list of finalists and as read Jack’s excellent piece, “Winter Banter”, in this press release on the Council news blog.

Update: also see the online gallery of winners.

The Green Pencil Award finalists

Major investment in schools announced

St Cuthbert’s Head Teacher Catriona Taylor welcomes the news of extra funding with P7 pupils and Cllrs Godzik, Fullerton and Burns.

A proposal to invest £30m upgrading schools, nurseries and other buildings will go before councillors next week, with a commitment to upgrade all schools currently identified as in ‘poor’ condition.

Totally Sound wraps up its 10th year with South Bridge show

Disco Funk star Nile Rodgers with performers earlier this year

Totally Sound youth music project have been very busy celebrating their 10^th birthday this year, including a ‘thank you’ party for all who have supported the project over the years and a birthday concert at Summerhall which featured 35 performers from 10 high schools as well as trainees and college students.

Former Totally Sound participants ‘Mad Tango’ headlined the ‘Electric Stage’, rounding off a spectacular evening that showcased a diverse range of performances including rap and hip hop and Japanese folk songs. Disco funk superstar Nile Rodgers made a surprise visit to congratulate the project on reaching its 10th anniversary. His message to the young people was ‘keep doing what you’re doing!’

The final celebration is happening tomorrow (Saturday 7 Dec) afternoon at South Bridge Resource Centre. It will be another fabulous musical event with loads of talent on show with over 40 young people taking part, many performing their own original material.

Will Totally Sound get lucky again with another a surprise guest? Come along to enjoy the show and find out! For more information phone 558 3545 or email cld-southbridge@ea.edin.sch.uk.

Progress for Portobello Park development

Councillor Paul Godzik, Convener of the Education, Children and Families Committee, welcomed two key milestones for a new Portobello High School this week. Speaking on Wednesday, he said:

Today marks some important milestones in our bid to build a new Portobello High School on Portobello Park. I am pleased that the City of Edinburgh Council (Portobello Park) Bill Committee has recommended to the Scottish Parliament that the general principles of the bill be agreed to and that it proceeds as a Private Bill. I now look forward to the Scottish Parliament considering this report in due course.

Craigroyston pupils get baking for homeless charity

Pupils from Craigroyston Primary got into the Christmas spirit early by taking part in Shelter Scotland’s Great Gingerbread House Sale.  The campaign challenged schools to bake and build gingerbread festive treats, to help the housing and homelessness charity’s Christmas appeal.

In Scotland, around 4,800 children will wake up homeless this Christmas – enough to fill 28 primary schools!

Scottish Gas worked with Craigroyston Primary to help 35 P1 pupils, 28 parents and six staff take up the challenge of baking and building 35 sweet gingerbread homes. The delicious treats are due to be sold at the company’s Shelter Scotland Christmas fundraising day next week.

WHEC staff and students out in the cold for city’s homeless

Also in support of homeless people, brave students and staff from Wester Hailes Education Centre slept out on George Street on Friday night in aid of the Rock Trust.

Miss Dancer, from the school’s languages department, said:

Having now experienced a night outside on the pavement I think we were all left contemplating just how terrifyingly lonely it must feel to find yourself on the streets night after night without the protection and comforts we were offered by the lovely staff at Rock Trust.

The Rock Trust supports young homeless people in Edinburgh & the Lothians. So far WHEC have raised over £300 in combined donations from staff, family and friends and hope to hit £400 once all the pledges are collected.

Ministerial visit for Firrhill High

Firrhill High wrote to tell us about the visit they had from Mike Russell MSP last month, as part of a focus on the implementation of the Curriculum for Excellence, looking at Learning in Languages, Physics, and the integration of the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme within the curriculum.

You can read the full report on Firrhill High’s website (PDF).

Pupils pitch in to clean up Edinburgh

School pupils, community groups and local councillors donned gloves and brooms last Friday in a mass bid to make Edinburgh a litter free city.

Hundreds of people volunteered to tidy up their communities at coordinated clean-ups as part of the City of Edinburgh Council’s Clean Up Edinburgh campaign. The “day of action” saw areas affected by litter and graffiti transformed by the volunteers, who were joined by the Council staff from environmental services and all departments across the organisation.

Good job everyone!

And finally…

Staff were working flat out yesterday as high winds hit the city – you can read about the disruptions here and don’t forget to follow the Council website, Twitter account and Facebook page for updates during severe weather.

As today is the last day of term, we thought we’d bring forward the weekly round up by one day. This will be our last proper round up of 2013 but look out for a special “best of 2013″ round up next week.

So far this week we reported on St Peter’s Primary School and Nursery Class Inspection, we gave an update on how are we doing on International School Awards, and heard about a project helping disabled young people make choices beyond school life.

Elsewhere…

Firrhill pupils building on robotic success

Firrhill High School has won a place on the Elite Engineering Programme (EEP) for schools. They are one of the 25 UK schools, selected from 150 applicants, to receive almost £3000 worth of robotics kit for the school. The pupils will be able to use the resource to build sophisticated programmable robots and then compete against other in regional and national contests.

Find out more on the school’s website.

Liberton High welcomes star guest

Photo: Julie Howden via Herald Scotland

Pupils at Liberton High enjoyed an inspirational visit from astronaut Chris Hadfield when he dropped in to tell them about life (and spending Christmas) in space.

As the Herald Scotland reported yesterday, Head Teacher Stephen Kelly introduced the Commander to students by saying: “I think he’s the most famous astronaut in the world, particularly famous for promoting science through social media.”

Check out Chris’ Twitter account for some of his out-of-this-world tweets and pics.

Boroughmuir win Young Consumers of the Year Edinburgh Final

The winning team

The team from Boroughmuir High has won the Edinburgh Final of the Young Consumers of the Year 2013/14 Competition.

Teachers taking Mandarin back to class

We are delighted to have extended the popular Modern Languages in the Primary School (MLPS) training programme to include Mandarin for primary and secondary teachers. Based at the new Confucius classroom in Leith Academy, the course is designed to give teachers a basic knowledge of Mandarin language, including both pinyin and characters, and to give teachers an experience of Chinese culture which they can then take back to the classroom.

Reporting earlier this week on the plans to bring the language to schools in the city, the Edinburgh Evening News points out that a recent British Council study found Mandarin to be one of the five languages considered most important to the UK’s future.

Liz Gray, Quality Improvement Officer, said: “We know that if Scotland is to compete in a global market, language skills are vital.”

Invite to Freedom of the City event for Prof Higgs

Prof Higgs. Photo by Murdo Macleod via the Guardian

The Lord Provost will be presenting Professor Peter Higgs with the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh on Wednesday 8 January 2014. The presentation will take place in the McEwan Hall, Bristo Square as part of the event “Edinburgh’s Enlightenment Reborn; An Audience with Higgs, Englert & Kibble”. 

This is a large public event which will take place from 6pm – 8pm (doors open at 5pm). Tickets are free but allocated on a first come first served basis. To reserve your seats please register online - this link also has full details of the evening’s programme.

Delivering cheer to children in need

Every December the staff in the local Royal Mail depot raise funds amongst their staff for children in need and use them to buy Christmas gifts for the children that the South West Social Work Practice are aware of who would otherwise receive little or nothing at Christmas. Sean Bell, Children’s Practice Team Manager (South West), said:

The work that the Royal Mail staff put in to this is incredible and any money that they have left over they use to engage young people in need in activities. For example, this year they arranged a rock-climbing session at Ratho for some of our children.

This year they have once again raised a lot of money and have already delivered lots of Christmas gifts to our team for distribution by social workers.

Well done to all involved for their first class effort!

Film shows South West and Pentlands in new light

A new DVD, aimed at presenting the South West and Pentlands Neighbourhood in a more positive light, has been created by young people from the area.

The South West and Pentlands youth forums decided to come together on a common issue identified by both forums around negative perceptions people have of our local communities. The youth forums decided to tackle these negative attitudes by challenging public perception through creating an upbeat and positive DVD, “South by South West”, highlighting the many good aspects in our communities.

Find out more, and watch the video online, on the South West Neighbourhood Partnership website.

And finally… Happy Christmas from the C&F staff choir!

The choir, now known as Waverley Voices, would like to thank everyone who has listened to our performances in Waverley Court and beyond this year, and especially those who have made donations to our charitable collections.

The choir has now raised over £4000 for charities including Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK, and, most recently, the Philippines disaster fund.

There has been some delay in editing and mixing our studio recordings made earlier this year, but we should have CDs ready for distribution to our very patient fans early in the new year!

The Children and Families staff choir

That’s all for now – have a wonderful festive break and we’ll see you in 2014!

Director of Children and Families Gillian Tee

In this regular update from Gillian Tee, Director of Children and Families, we hear about recent events such as the Fanfare Concert and Creative Conversations, get an update from several meetings (including Children’s Partnership, CCwP and Education, Children and Families Committee) and visits to establishments (Boroughmuir High, St Thomas of Aquin’s and Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pairce).

Fanfare Concert

A musical highlight is the annual Fanfare Concert which was held this year at St. Paul’s and St. George’s Church. It showcased the city’s young musical talent and was a night to remember with something for everyone from rock and jazz, orchestral and classical. In Edinburgh we are delighted to offer young people so many opportunities to learn music. We have Scotland’s largest Instrumental Music Service and we are delighted that it continues to be offered free to all pupils. Pupils in Edinburgh have a wide choice of instruments which vary from school to school.

We currently teach around 5,000 pupils aged between 8 and 18. Just over 15% of the eligible school role participates in music lessons delivered by our instructors and this is the 2^nd highest uptake of instrumental music in Scotland.

Association of Directors of Education Forum

This was a regular meeting of Directors of Education across Scotland. I was asked to make a presentation about Edinburgh’s success in raising educational attainment and ‘closing the attainment gap’. This lead to a helpful discussion about what other authorities were doing, particularly in relation to school improvement networks. 

Children’s Partnership

The focus of this Children’s Partnership was on tackling poverty and inequality.  Dr Margaret Douglas, Deputy Director of Public Health NHS Lothian, gave a helpful presentation on Edinburgh’s Health Inequality Framework. We agreed to take forward work in relation to:

• affordable childcare
• youth employment
• educational attainment
• school meals
• children with disabilities

A workshop on these issues will be held in March 2014. Find out more about the Children’s Partnership on the Council website.

6VT Youth Cafe Annual Event

I was pleased to be invited to present the awards at 6VT’s annual event.  6VT Youth Cafe is located in the Old Town and attracts over 350 young people from across the city from a wide variety of backgrounds. As a purpose designed youth cafe 6VT provides a high quality, safe one stop shop model in which youth workers, social workers and specialist staff area available to support young people in a joined up way leading to positive outcomes. 

Christmas Card Competition Winners Presentation

Winners Rebekah, Natalia and Eva with Gillen Tee, Cllr Godzik and Cllr Fullerton

Each year we organisation a Christmas Card competition and invite all school pupils and community groups to design a card for myself and Councillor Paul Godzik . This year we also asked for a design for the Corporate Christmas card. I was impressed with the creativity of the designs and choosing the winners was a difficult decision. However we selected our favourite entries and invited the pupils into the City Chambers to say thank you.

The winners were Rebekah Thomson from Firrhill High School whose design was chosen by Councillor Paul Godzik and Eva Carter from Kirkliston Primary School whose design was used for the Corporate Christmas card.  I chose the card made by Natalia Hidalgo-Szumeil from Oaklands Special School. Congratulations to all involved.

Read more about the winnings entries in this earlier post.

Consultative Committee with Parents Meeting

This meeting covered a wide range of issues including a full discussion on matters that have been raised through the Parent Neighbourhood Forums. There is a positive momentum underway in which items are raised locally in Neighbourhood Forums and taken forward by Moyra Wilson, Senior Education Manager.

New Qualifications

Parents had been asking us for more information about the new qualifications. Karen Prophet, Senior Education Manager provided a comprehensive update on the New Highers and the Nationals 4 and 5.

School Meals

Jim Davidson, from Service for Communities, presented an item on school meals. He reported that the take up of school meals has increased significantly. He was also keen to listen to parents’ feedback about how we could further improve the quality of school meals and pupils’ experience of lunchtimes.

Parents web pages

Moyra gave us a progress report on the web pages for parents and invited further feedback. The creation of these pages has involved the views of parents at each stage of its development and I am looking forward to it going live early in the new year. 

Boroughmuir High School

As part of my programme of visiting new Head Teachers I enjoyed my visit to Boroughmuir High School and speaking to David Dempster. The school community are delighted that approval has been given for £35m funding to build a brand new school. The plans for the canal-side site include:

• teaching areas arranged around a multi-functional ‘heart’, or atrium
• traditional classrooms offering easy access to collaborative break out areas
• enhanced facilities for physical activity and external learning, including a unique roof-top multi-use external games area
• a new public park, along the canal’s north bank, next to the site of the new school which will create a vibrant public space next to the waterway and towpath. 

Read more about the new Boroughmuir High School project.

Image copyright 2013 Allan Murray Architects

St Thomas of Aquin’s RC High School

One of the highlights of my discussion with Mike Wilkins, who is Acting Head Teacher, was to celebrate the success of St Thomas of Aquin’s recent positive destination results in which they were the best in the local authority.  The attainment results have also been continually improving and the school’s performance is now amongst the best in Scotland. It was interesting hearing the wide range of measures the school has put in place to reach these outcomes and I have encouraged them to share these more widely. I was pleased to visit the school’s inclusion base to see the excellent work I had heard so much about. 

Education, Children and Families Committee 

Towerbank Primary School Choir opened Committee with their beautiful carols and helped us get into the festive spirit. This was followed by a short presentation from Edinburgh Youth Issues Forum who spoke very impressively about the Edinburgh Young People’s Participation Strategy. 

The progress report on Castlebrae Community High School was welcomed by the Committee.

The annual report on educational attainment highlighted that there has been year on year improvements in our exam results since 2006. The attainment of pupils’ Highers and Advanced Highers continues to be the top quartile nationally.

The Children and Families capital asset management programme 2014-19 detailed the current and future priorities. It presented a £30m programme of investment in the Children and Families estate over the next five years.

To read more detail about the Committee decisions please look at the coverage written by John Heywood, Departmental Assistant to the Convener.

Creative Conversations

I was invited to take part in the Creative Conversation Christmas Celebration entitled ‘What Difference Does it Make?’  This event had a slightly different focus to previous events and ‘Creative Catalysts’ were invited to share how previous Creative Conversations inspired them to take action. The catalysts were David Cameron Learning Education consultant, Lucy Vaughan Head of Creative Learning Lyceum theatre, Heather Lucchesi Art teacher at St Crispin’s,  Eileen Littlewood Head Teacher Forthview Primary School and Lindsay Fullarton Depute Head Teacher Balerno High School.  Their reflections included different ways of working, challenges to the norm, surprises, being outside the comfort zone and inspiring stories of deep pupil engagement.

Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pairce

I enjoyed my visit to our Gaelic Primary School and meeting the Head Teacher Anne MacPhail. I was pleased to see a busy, thriving school valued by its parents and community. You can follow the school’s progress on their website.

This week we reported on the events of Safer Internet Day 2014, announced the approaching deadline of the Scottish Education Awards 2014 and heard an update from the Children’s Social Work Practice Panel.

In other news..

Firrhill High is the Wheel Deal

Pupils from the school’s eco group have created a leaflet to promote cycling. This addresses the aims from their School Travel Plan to:

• Reduce unnecessary car use
• Encourage healthy and sustainable travel options
• Increase safety for students and staff getting to and from school

The leaflet is designed to fold down to credit card shape and is full of tips to encourage safe cycling. Read The Wheel Deal Cycle Leaflet.

Pupils help launch cyber bullying campaign

The latest stage of our Speak up Speak out campaign addressing forms of harm was launched on Safer Internet Day on Tuesday. At the launch featured pupils from Drummond High School discussed their experiences and views of cyber bullying. The campaign seeks to highlight that online abuse and bullying can affect anyone regardless of age, race, religion or gender. Read the full story in our news centre.

The launch was one of many events for Safer Internet Day and the conversation inspired by these events continues on Twitter. Join in using the hashtag #SID2014.

Read all about it! Media award for schools opens

The Scottish School Media Awards invite all secondary school pupils to submit their own print or online newspaper. This is a great opportunity for budding publishers, journalists, graphic designers and other creative young people to see their work recognised with a national award. The awards have 14 categories, including those for outstanding:

• Magazine
• Newspaper
• Feature
• Front cover
• Design and layout

So whether you are producing a quality school newsletter, class magazine or creating a brand new webzine, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved.

The deadline for entries is 30 April 2014 and winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony in Edinburgh in June.

Read the full details at Impress Scotland.

And finally… Happy Valentine’s Day!

It’s not all flowers and chocolates. Learn about the origins of St. Valentine’s Day with the Education Scotland resources.

It has been a quiet news week with the school’s enjoying the February break. We still managed to bring you news from the Netherlands with our report on Family Group Decision Making’s trip to study the Eigen Kracht system.

In other news…

Tree of Hope created to commemorate the Holocaust

Pupils in S3 at Firrhill High School took part in some special activities for Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 22nd. Maria Chamberlain, a second-generation Polish Holocaust survivor, visited them to talk about the experiences of her parents and the art class created a Tree of Hope as part of their work with the Anne Frank Trust.

The school is having a tree planting ceremony on June 12th; what would have been Anne Frank’s 80th birthday.

Read more about Firrrhill’s Holocaust remembrance work.

Award-winning young writers reap their rewards

Local poet Lorna Irvine recently led the Green Pencil Award 2013 winners in a writing workshop at Dynamic Earth.

The 20 winners took part in creating their own Rainforest Book by making a book painting their picture of a rainforest in their own words.

The theme of the 2013 competition was ‘Scotland’s Wonderful Weather?!’ and the 20 winners were chosen from over 850  entrants. The workshop was one of a number of prizes.

This year’s competition will be launched in August. The title will be revealed before the school holidays.

Schools invited to take part in natural diversity campaign

The British Science Association are offering a great opporunity for young scientists to get involved in understanding the natural world with The Big Bumblebee Discovery. The project looks to understand the behaviour of bumblebees in different areas across the UK.

Projects on natural diversity and bumblebees are not unheard of in our schools and we have reported previously on Davidson’s Mains Primary School’s urban pollinator project.

The first 3000 should to get involved have the chance of receiving a free lavender plant and learning resources. Visit The Pod to find out more and sign up for the project.

And finally… The Edinburgh International Science Festival programme is announced!

The programme was announced last Thursday and features a range of entertaining and educational activities for children and their families. The festival takes place from 5 April – 20 Apri. Have a look at the programme and find out more at www.sciencefestival.co.uk.

Mandarin is increasingly popular in our schools.

Secondary school pupils from several of our schools recently attended an event to celebrate learning Chinese language and culture through the work in Confucius Classrooms.

The contributing schools were:

• Firrhill High
• St Thomas of Aquin’s RC High
• Tynecastle High
• Royal High
• Leith Academy
• Craigmount High

Fettes College and St George’s School for Girls also contributed to the event hosted by St. George’s.

The event provided an opportunity to share ideas and resources to stimulate the learning and teaching of Chinese language and culture. A series of practical workshops run by Chinese teachers were staged throughout the afternoon with pupils taking part in informal Mandarin sessions, Tai Chi, and the Chinese Tea Ceremony. Students were also introduced to Chinese Calligraphy, Chinese Etiquette, and Chinese Music.

The next Confucius Classrooms event will be ‘The next step on the Mandarin journey’ on 20 June 2014. This is aimed at pupils who are thinking about taking Chinese on to further education.

About Confucius Classrooms

Confucius Classrooms are central hubs based in schools and serving the local community that promote Chinese language and culture and foster links with Chinese communities.

The first dedicated City of Edinburgh Council Confucius Hub was opened at Leith Academy in February 2013.

Find out more about Confucius Classrooms on Education Scotland.

This week we brought you the news of our staff’s achievement at The Standard of Headship Leadership Conference and Award Ceremony, a report on how a community re-building project in Craigmillar is creating better futures for school pupils and the community itself and we told you about the work of our energy-saving pupils and their visit to Waverley Court.

In other news…

WHEC pupil selected as Commonwealth Games baton bearer

Wester Hailes S5 pupil Kerry Renwick has been selected to represent the school as a baton bearer for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

As well as being a member of the hockey, basketball and dance clubs, Kerry encourages others to be part of sport and has been delivering dance lessons to local primary pupils. She helps pupils  to create dance routines,  get involved in physical activity and gain confidence in their own abilities, regardless of the level at which they are working.

Kerry said:

I am thrilled to have this amazing opportunity to be a baton bearer. It is an inspiring challenge and one I never thought I’d get to be part of.  I have watched the baton travel through other countries and it’s exciting to think that will be me! I feel honoured to be a part of the Commonwealth Games and leave an encouraging legacy for all those pupils in my school to strive for the best.

The Queen’s baton arrives in Edinburgh on 14 June 2014.

Going back in time with Firrhill High

By Kathleen, S3 at Firrhill High

A group of S3 students from Firrhill have been involved in a fascinating project learning about and responding artistically to World Ward 1.

The National Memory – Local Stories project explores how the discovery of locally relevant objects from museum collections can engage young people with history.

The project began at the end of last year and culminated in a workshop at the National Portrait Gallery in London at the end of March.

You can read the report about the project on the school’s website and see the excellent images produced by the pupils on the National Portrait Gallery website.

Megan Thomson, a student from Firrhill High School, has been named winner of the Sir Winfried Bischoff Award for Scotland, in recognition of her impressive progress on the Career Academy programme.

The award comes from Career Academies UK, a national education charity that helps young people prepare for the world of work. The Career Academy programme has been running in our secondary schools for the last two years. The two-year long programme  helps boost the employability skills of 16-19 year olds. The Sir Winfried Bischoff Award is given to the students who have developed the most over the programme.

Speaking about winning the regional award, Megan Thomson said

I am so grateful to Laura Drysdale of Change Recruitment, to my school, my Career Academy Coordinator and Career Academies UK for all they have done in helping me develop my skills. The Career Academy programme has been life-changing for me and I would recommend it to anybody.

Shona Dunn, Career Academy Coordinator at Firrhill High School, said

We nominated Megan for this award as we have seen first-hand her transformation throughout the programme. She flourished from a once shy individual to someone comfortable presenting in front of big audiences and completed her internship with Change Recruitment.  We are very proud of Megan and are looking forward to the announcement of the UK winners in May.

From the seven regional winners, two national winners will now be selected. The winners will win a trip to the USA where they will visit Career Academies UK’s sister organisation, the National Academy Foundation, and some of New York’s major businesses. Additionally, if the winners choose to progress to university, they will receive £500 per year for three years towards university costs.

The winner will be announced at the Career Academies UK Graduation Ceremony in London on 7 May 2014.

An exhibition telling the story of Anne Frank’s life is currently running at Firrhill High School.It was opened on 29 April, by Bailie Elaine Aitken, and runs until 9 May.

The exhibition, created with the support of the Anne Frank Trust, uses text and images to explore Anne’s life in Nazi Germany and aims to highlight what happens when prejudice and hatred go unchallenged.

Ros Nixon, Communications Officer, and Sheila Watson, art teacher, of Firrhill High tell us more. At our exhibition opening we had five guest speakers:

• Stephen Brent, who fled Germany via Kindertransport
• Maria Chamberlain, second generation holocaust survivor
• Judy Russell, second generation holocaust survivor
• Sharon Wiener-Ogilvie, second generation holocaust survivor
• Heather Boyce, Anne Frank Trust

They all gave very moving and vivid speeches to our wide-ranging audience. We were joined by our local primary schools and residents from our neighbourhood sheltered housing. Our pupils provided musical entertainment and made an Anne Frank cake which was enjoyed by our visitors. The ingredients were kindly donated from our local Tesco.

This week we are running tours for the general public, Oxgangs library, and other schools. All the tours are guided by our Anne Frank Ambassadors: S2 pupils who have been trained by the Anne Frank Trust.

We are also holding a tree planting ceremony on 11 June 2014 to commemorate what would have been Anne Frank’s 85^th birthday and to remember all the victims of the Holocaust.

The Anne Frank: A History For Today exhibition will be on display at the school until 9 May 2014. Admission is free and open to the general public if pre-requested. Those interested in visiting should email Sheila.Watson@Firrhill.edin.sch.uk to arrange a date and time for a guided tour.

This week we reported on the wealth of information being showcased in our Education Village at the Edinburgh Learning Festival and the interesting Holocaust exhibition and interdisciplinary work going on at Forrester High School.

Ahead of the event on Saturday, we told you about the special school pupil’s taking part in the Queen’s Baton Relay. There was more Commonwealth Games related news as we told you about Pilrig Park’s Going for Gold show at the Festival Theatre. The show is on tonight at 7:30pm come along and support the excellent work done by the school.

In other news…

Young carers claim Arthur’s Seat as part of Carers’ Week

This week has been Carers’ Week, a national initiative to help raise awareness of the challenging and tireless work of carers and work towards improving the lives of carers and those they care for.

Today we celebrate the First National Young Carers Awareness Day to draw attention to the amazing efforts of young people nationwide that provide care for someone.

Around 1pm today the Edinburgh Young Carers Project will be ascending the heights of Arthur’s Seat with some of their young carers to ‘claim it’ in their name.  The idea came from the young people and is hoped to generate some social media buzz.

Follow the hashtag #sharingourcaring on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for posts and photos from the event.

Find out more about the first ever Young Carers’ Day at Carers Trust.

Celebrating life-changing work in Adult Learners’ Week

We celebrated Adult Learners’ Week from 17 – 24 May 2014. Adult Learners’ Week is a worldwide week of celebration and promotion of the impact that adult learning has on people’s lives.

One of the highlights of our celebrations was the Adult Learners’ Awards on 21 May. With the support of the Edinburgh Adult Education Group (a citywide partnership of service providers) we receive a large number of nominations for groups of learners to receive awards. We are always impressed with the quality of the work being undertaken in Edinburgh and are proud host the awards, giving learners the opportunity to have their achievements recognised.

This year we had 30 projects nominated, covering parenting, the arts, dance, exercise, crafts and personal development. The winners of the Special Achievement Awards were:

• Deaf Learners’ Literacies Group run by Community Learning Development (CLD) across the city.
•  Outdoor work skills project run in partnership between our Outdoor Woodland Learning  and Literacies for Employability teams

The Outstanding Achievement Award went to the ‘Write up the Referendum’ project run by  Crisis Skylight Edinburgh, which helps homeless and vulnerable men.

We will be featuring the stories from the winners over the next few weeks so make sure and keep your eyes on the blog.

Find adult learning opportunities on Join in Edinburgh.

Poetic pupils plan publication at Forthview Primary!

P6 and 7 pupils at Forthview Primary School are working on publishing a collection of poetry inspired by a visit to see War Horse at the Festival Theatre.

Local author Mary Turner Thomson has visited the school to talk to the children about the publishing process and will make sure that they are involved in every step. Their names will appear on the cover, so all the pupils will be published authors!

Illustration students from the Edinburgh College of Art have spent two mornings working with the children on lettering and illustration techniques to contribute to the book.

The launch is planned to coincide with Remembrance Sunday, which is especially significant this year as we mark the centenary of the start of World War 1.

Congratulations to Ruth for her Junior Saltire Award!

Ruth Quinn (left) working on the Junior Saltire Award project

We have been keeping you up to date with the progress of our two schools taking part in the Junior Saltire Award. Holy Rood RC High and St. Augustine’s RC High are competing against one another in the S1-S3 category of the competition, which challenges pupils to create a device which generates renewable energy.

At the final last week Ruth Quill of Holy Rood High won the award for Best Individual Achievement in the competition. She beat pupils from schools across Scotland to scoop the £100 prize, which she kindly plans to share with the rest of her team.

Congratulations to Ruth for her achievement and to the other team members - Ronan Milligan, Beth Forrest and David Sviland – for your hard work to reach the final!

And finally… Happy Batonday for Clare!

Clare Williamson, a student at Firrhill High School, will be celebrating her 18^th Birthday as she carries the Queen’s Baton on its journey through Edinburgh tomorrow.

Clare was nominated by her school to carry the baton due to her sporting excellence, both in and out of school.  Clare plays for Hibs Ladies in the Scottish Preimier League and has also represented Scotland at both U17 and U19 level.  She has captained the school’s team and led them to the U15 Scottish Cup Final in 2011 and the Senior Scottish Cup Final this year.

Firrhill are proud of the way Clare has balanced her sport commitments and academic work, gaining five Highers in S5.

Clare is one of the Baton carriers at Heriot Watt University where the baton starts its journey through Edinburgh. All secondary schools in the city were able to nominate inspirational students to participate in the Queen’s Baton Relay.

Find out more about the Queen’s Baton Relay. 

Firrhill High School planted a tree for Anne Frank on what would have been her 85th birthday on 12 June.

Gordon MacDonald, MSP Edinburgh Pentlands, and Stephen Brent, a Holocaust survivor, planted the weeping cherry tree at a special ceremony to commemorate the Holocaust.

Sheila Watson, Art Teacher, and Ros Nixon, Communications Officer, from Firrhill High tell us more about the event.

The weeping cherry tree and bench creates a focal point in our community for reflection and remembrance.

Guests at the event included people from Braidburn School and Milestone House, as well:

• Klondyke Garden Centre, who donated the tree
• The Engraver’s Workshop, who donated the plague
• Tiphereth Community for adults with learning needs, who donated the bench
• Local supermarkets who donated plants and refreshments

There were a number of speakers at the event:

• our pupil Anne Frank Ambassadors
• Heather Boyce, Anne Frank Trust
• Rabbi Rose
• Rev Gayle Taylor, our school chaplain
• Judy Russell, a second-generation Holocaust survivor.

Pupils recited Anne Frank quotes and performed music. The tree planting ceremony was followed by a reception in the school library with an exhibition of artefacts and memorabilia from Holocaust survivors.

This is an ongoing project, which began with our Holocaust Remembrance Day on 22 January and was followed by our school welcoming the Anne Frank Exhibition on 29 April.