Monthly Archives: November 2011

Fundraising Event, News

Christmas Fayre – 3rd December

Just to remind you that the Christmas Fayre is next Saturday at 10am – 12 noon.  Please come along and enjoy some festive fun.  There are some fantastic raffle prizes  to be won (see below).  West Barns Parent Council would like to thank everybody who has donated towards the raffle:

Prizes: 

Round of Golf for 4 at Cardrona (2 of these)

Dinner for 2 at the Marine Hotel, North Berwick 

Family Pass for Scottish Seabird Centre

FamilyPass for Museum of Flight

 2 tickets for Cineworld Cinema

 £25 Gift Voucher from Tyninghame Smiddy  

 £20 voucher for Kings Palace

£10 voucher for Belhaven Smokery

Planter from Merry Hatton Garden Centre

Hamper from Merry Hatton Garden Centre

 Box of Chocolates from Rock Lobster

Box of Ice Delight from Belhaven Fruit Farm 

£5 voucher from Crunchy Carrot

Bags, Eggs & Sprout sticks from Knowes Farm shop

Selection of Jamie Oliver products for both children and adults (kindly donated by the Staff’s Jaimie evening)

Various other Hampers 

 

 

News

Get Going Programme for Families

 

Let’s Get Going!

What is it?

Get Going is a new family healthy lifestyle programme, which aims to
encourage children to get active, eat well and work towards a healthy weight.

Who is it for?

The programme is offered by NHS Lothian and is available free of charge
to all Lothian families. It’s aimed at children aged 5 -18, who are overweight or obese, and their parents or carers.

Why is a healthy weight important for children?    

Children who are overweight tend to grow into overweight adults. A
healthy weight reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes,
osteoarthritis and some cancers. 

What happens at Get Going?

The programme starts with an individual consultation
for your whole family.  This is an opportunity to meet one of your Healthy Lifestyle Coaches, chat about Get Going and introduce some steps that you can take towards a healthier lifestyle. At this appointment, we’ll measure your child’s height and weight and will also ask you to complete a questionnaire. This will help us to track your progress as you move through the programme.

What does it involve?

Supported by our trained Healthy Lifestyle Coaches, Get Going will help you find ways to build healthy eating and physical activity into your family’s life.  We’ll help you introduce small changes that you can keep up for life. The emphasis is on fun, feeling good and making small realistic changes towards a healthier lifestyle.

Get Going is an 8 week programme:-

Session 1:       one-to-one consultation with your healthy lifestyle coach.

Sessions 2-7:  meet the rest of your small group.  At these sessions, you’ll get the chance to share ideas and children will take part in a fun activity
session.  The weekly topics are:

Week Family discussion topic Parent discussion topic
1 Traffic
light eating scheme		 Positive
parenting, portion sizes
2 Physical
activity & screen time		 Increasing
family activity
3 Environment/stimulus
control		 Changing
the environment, shopping, food labels
4 Eating
outside the home		 School
lunches, lunch boxes, eating out
5 Tricky
situations, problem solving		 How
parents can help with planning & problem solving
6 Revisiting
healthy eating advice		 Long
term targets

Session 8:       a follow up one-to-one between your family and your healthy lifestyle coach.

It doesn’t end there – we’ll keep in touch by telephone for any extra support you may need, and then invite you to a further follow-up after 6 months.  During this time, you’ll get discounted access to Enjoy Leisure facilities.

What changes will I be asked to make?

The changes that you choose to make are entirely up to
you and your family.  It’s important that you can incorporate any changes into your lifestyle and keep these up long-term.

We’ll introduce a healthier eating plan – a simple plan based on traffic lights that will help you to make healthier choices on a daily basis.  We’ll also help you to find ways to build more physical activity into your life and encourage you to cut down on time spent inactive.

It’ll be up to you to decide what you’d like to do but we’ll help you set goals and show you simple ways you can monitor your progress and reward your child for doing well.

What will Get Going help me to achieve?

The aim isn’t to lose lots of weight, but to give you the support you need to help your child achieve and maintain a healthier weight for life.  Some of the benefits we hope you’ll see are:

  • You’ll      learn ideas and tips for eating well
  • You’ll      start to enjoy a more active family life
  • Your      child will feel healthier and happier

How much does it cost?

The group sessions and one-to-one appointments with your coach are completely free.  

How do I register?

Children who are above a healthy weight can be referred to Get Going by
their GP, Health Visitor, school nurse/teacher or a professional. Parents can also register their child for the programme by contacting: 

Get Going Administrator

Telephone: 0131 536 0302

Email: Get.Going@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

Or contact your local Child
Healthy Lifestyle Co-ordinator: –

Caroline Kaye

East Lothian Council, John Muir House

Tel: 01620 828 760

Mobile: 07530 311 852

Email: ckaye@eastlothian.gov.uk

More information and online registration forms are available at the Get
Going website:

www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/getgoing

News, Uncategorized

Update from the National Parent Forum of Scotland

Please see below an update from Carol Snow who is the East Lothian Rep. of the National Parent Forum of Scotland;-

Dear parent councils, parents/carers

Please find below information which we hope you will find useful. 

Our website www.parentforumscotland.org includes details of the National Parent Forum are representatives and lists the national bodies on which we sit.  We are always delighted to hear from parents, so feel free to raise any issues or suggest ideas to us via enquiries@parentforumscotland.org.

This update covers new information for parents on changing qualifications, next steps for Curriculum for Excellence in schools, as well as an important opportunity for parents of children with additional support for learning needs.

·         Building the National Parent Forum of Scotland Database

We are compiling a national database of parent contacts and parent council chairs, solely for the use of the National Parent Forum of Scotland on matters relating to parental involvement in education.  If you would like to be included in this, please email enquiries@parentforumscotland.org.

            Opportunity to speak to Angela Constance, the Minister for Children and Young People

The Minister for Children and Young People, Angela Constance, who gave the keynote speech at our conference (see below) is keen to speak to a different parent council chair each week on the telephone.  If a parent council chair would like to take up this opportunity, please email me at npfs@cps.uklinux.net giving your name, your parent council, and your phone number.  Your number will not be used for any other purpose.  Please contact me by Tuesday, 25 October.

·         Our Successful Second National Parent Forum of Scotland Conference – 1 October 2011

Our second annual conference, ‘Curriculum for Excellence – One Year On’ in Bishopbriggs Academy  was attended by over 200 parent representatives.  The event provided parents with an opportunity to ask questions, share ideas and discuss their views on a range of issues. Angela Constance, MSP and Minister for Children and Young People, opened the event and took part in a question and answer session with parents. We offered workshops on teacher professional standards, Curriculum for Excellence in primary schools, sharing learning with parents, the new School Inspection framework, the Senior Phase of Curriculum for Excellence, the new National Qualifications and many more.  Feedback from parent attendees was brilliant: “It’s been great hearing about the good practice that is going on.  It also helps us to get used to the language of Curriculum for Excellence.  We’ve also picked up lots of really useful ideas for encouraging parental involvement” (Marie McIntosh, Doune Primary School).  Jill Kent of Charleston Academy said: “The sessions have been fantastic.  The more I learn about Curriculum for Excellence, the better I feel about it”.

Prior to the start of the conference there was an online discussion.  This has now closed you might be interested to read some of the comments which are available as an archive.

http://www.engageforeducation.org/2011/06/national-parent-forum-of-scotland/

·         Next Steps in Schools for Curriculum for Excellence (CfE)

Joanna Murphy, our National Parent Forum rep on the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Management Board, wrote recently to all parent council chairs via their schools.  Joanna described the expectations of the CfE Management Board over the coming school year.  New Primary 7 profiles will be introduced from 2012.  These profiles, devised by schools and local authorities, will present a holistic record of a child’s achievements, in and outside school.  They will differ from a school report which focuses on learning and they will be useful in supporting transition to high school.

Parent councils of secondary schools can also expect to hear an update about your school’s plans for the Senior Phase (S4-S6) of Curriculum for Excellence.  For example, your head teacher will be considering  the shape of your school timetable,  curricular planning, pupil choice and personalisation etc.

·         New Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) Information for Parents

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has issued a new information leaflet for parents, ‘Qualifications are Changing’.  It can be found on http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/46161.html, along with a range of materials to help parents get to grips with the new qualifications.  Secondary schools should now have paper copies of the draft specifications for National 4 and National 5 qualifications.

·         Technology for Additional Support Needs Parent Information Day 12 November 10am-2pm, Moray House, University of Edinburgh, Paterson’s Land, Edinburgh

CALL (Communications, Access, Literacy, Learning), based at the University of Edinburgh, supports young people with additional support needs in Scotland to engage with Curriculum for Excellence using appropriate assistive technologies and tools. 

Parents/carers are invited to an Information Day on 12 November 10am-2pm to see different technologies in action.  This is a great opportunity to update parents/carers on current technological support for children with learning difficulties , e.g. support for removing barriers to reading in exams are being rolled out in schools (Heather Voice and Stuart Voice). Please book online at www.callscotland.org.uk/training.  A charge of £10 is being made to cover the cost of materials and refreshments.   CALL also runs a Technology Family Fun Day in late March/early April for children and parents.

·         Skills Development Scotland launches new web service for young people

Skills Development Scotland provides career information, advice and guidance in a number of ways including in schools, online, face-to-face in more than 50 advice centres and by phone. A new web service www.myworldofwork.co.uk which is designed to help people plan, build and direct their career throughout their lives was launched in August. ‘My World of Work’ features a careers A-Z, CV builder, course search, jobs search and hundreds of video clips of people talking about their jobs.

·         Useful Publications for Parents/Carers

In response to parental requests, the National Parent Forum asked for a new Curriculum for Excellence Factfile – Overview of Key Terms and Features.  This digest of CfE terms is now available on www.ltscotland.org.uk/parentzone/cfe.

Updated material to support parent councils in their roles and organisation will shortly be available at  http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/parentzone/getinvolved/parentcouncils/resources/index.asp.
            Other dates

            The next meeting of the NPFS is 26 November 2011.
With best wishes

 

Carol Snow
East Lothian rep, National Parent Forum of Scotland

News

National Parent Forum of Scotland Update for Parent Councils

 
Learning and Teaching Scotland
 

NPFS Update for Parent Councils
There have been a number of developments of interest to Parent Councils recently.  We thought you might find it useful to have a summary of them and be aware of where to find this information.
June letter from Joanna Murphy, the NPFS representative on the Curriculum for Excellence Management Board, enclosing the latest factfile for parents, Curriculum for Excellence: Key Terms and Features.  Read the letter here and download copies of the factfile here.
Further update from Joanna in September highlighting more CfE developments, particularly in relation to the new P7 profiles and the support around the new qualifications. Read the letter here and see examples of how the P7 Profiles are emerging.
New resources for Parent Councils replace the original Parent Council Welcome Pack.  Hard copies of these have been sent to all Parent Council Chairs and you can download them here: 

  • A leaflet providing background information about Parent Councils for parents and others in the school community.
  • Information for Parent Council members to help them understand their role and signpost them to sources of information and support.
NPFS National Parent Conference 2011 – ‘Curriculum for Excellence – One Year On’, took place at Bishopbriggs Academy, East Dunbartonshire, on Saturday 1 October 2011.  You can see videos from the event, along with presentations from the seminars here.
The NPFS hosted the first ever Scottish online parent conference in the run up to its Annual Conference.  You can see the debate and closing summary from Angela Constance, Minister for Children and Young People here.
Read  more about the activities of the NPFS here or contact us at enquiries@parentforumscotland.org  
News

Education Scotland Survey

Education Scotland is looking to develop a resource for parents/carers of young children between the age of 0-3 or 3-6 years.

This resource will help parents understand how their child’s Numeracy, Health and Wellbeing and Literacy skills can be developed through thoughtful conversations and their everyday experiences . 

Education Scotland are seeking the views of parents and are inviting parents/carers to take part in a survey on Parentzone. 

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22DJS3EVJYS

News

Commission on Rural Education – Call for Evidence

The Commission on Rural Education would like to invite you to respond to its Call for Evidence. 

The Commission is tasked with examining how the delivery of rural education can maximise the attainment and life chances of young people in rural areas, and the link between rural education and rural communities.

The Commission will also review the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 and its application and make recommendations on the delivery of all aspects of education in rural areas.

Background

Scottish local authorities are responsible for managing and delivering education services in their communities in line with national strategy set out by the Scottish Government.  This has to be achieved in line with councils’ duties on the delivery of Best Value and in conjunction with delivery of other council functions, including the management of the councils’ school estates.

The Schools (Consultation) Act 2010 came into force in spring 2010.  It introduced extensive changes to the procedures that local authorities follow when consulting on whether to close a school.  Included in the legislation are specific considerations for the treatment of proposals for rural school closures.

Since the end of 2010, concern has arisen regarding the operation of the Act.  Subsequently in June, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning wrote to all Scottish local authorities seeking an agreement to suspend rural school closure proposals, to allow an opportunity for consideration of whether changes are required to the legislation itself and its application.

Remit

The purpose of the Commission on Rural Education is to get to the heart of competing priorities that face national and local government in the delivery of education in rural Scotland.

The Commission on Rural Education is established jointly by the Scottish Government and COSLA.  Our remit is to

    • To review the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 and its application;
    • To examine how the delivery of rural education can maximize attainment and outcomes to give pupils the best life chances, and to examine, where appropriate, how this can be applied more widely;
    • To make recommendations on how to reflect best practice on the delivery of all aspects of education in rural areas (pre-school through to higher & further education);
    • To examine the links between rural education and the preservation, support and development of rural communities and to make recommendations on how these links might be strengthened if necessary; and
    • To examine and make recommendations on funding issues surrounding rural education.

Further information on our work can be found at:
www.commissiononruraleducation.org

The Call for Evidence

This Call for Evidence is intended to gather information to allow the Commission an opportunity to balance the interests of children, parents and communities and the overarching responsibilities of local government and Ministers.

The Commission would like to hear from individuals and organisations across Scotland who have views on the delivery of rural education.  The responses to this Call for Evidence will form an important part of the Commission’s considerations and inform its final recommendations.

Steps to completing the Call for Evidence questionnaire

  1. Please consider the attached questions.  These are not intended to be an exhaustive list of the issues and you are encouraged to provide comments on any other issue you feel may be relevant at the final question.

<<Call for Evidence questions#2.pdf>>   

2.   It would help us greatly if you could respond using the online form.  This is available at www.commissiononruraleducation.org.  This should be a quick and easy way to provide responses and comments on our questions, and will allow your responses to be analysed easily and efficiently. 

3.      However, please note that the online form must be completed in one session; does not offer a ‘Back’ button, and there is a maximum answer length for each question of 4000 characters – about one A4 page of text.  You can cut and paste text on to it. 

4.   If the online form is unsuitable for you, or you cannot access it, an alternative Word version of the form is available on request from: CommissiononRuralEducation@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or by telephoning 0131 244 0877. 

5.      Or you may wish to write to us, in which case we would be grateful if you could indicate clearly which section or question you are referring to. 

Please ensure that we receive your response by 12 January 2012, when the Call for Evidence will close. 

Yours faithfully,

 

David Sutherland
Chair, Commission on Rural Education
Commission on Rural Education Secretariat
Area 2A South
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ
CommissiononRuralEducation@scotland.gsi.gov.uk 

Further information

In considering the Call for Evidence you may find it helpful to have further information on the following topics: