Posted by admin on November 30, 2017 ·
by Neil Mathers, Chief Executive, Children’s University Scotland. Continuing our guest blog series featuring Informed Scotland subscribers writing on the theme Making connections across the learning & skills landscape.
In Scotland today almost a quarter of children are growing up in poverty, and many lack even the most basic essentials to help them thrive. Low income and material deprivation impacts on multiple aspects of children’s learning and creates inequalities at every age and stage of their education.
Children from the most disadvantaged communities are less likely to get a job, engage in training, or progress into further or higher education; in adulthood they are more likely to be out of work, earn less and be in low-status, insecure jobs. Poverty not only damages children’s prospects, but also affects their experience of life in the here and now.
All children and young people have the right to a good start in life, regardless of their background, but in order to change the lives of children growing up in poverty it is essential to intervene early and work across all aspects of children’s lives in a coordinated and sustained way.
Children’s University Scotland wants every child to have the opportunity to learn and pursue their ambitions to the fullest. We inspire learning beyond the classroom that enriches children’s lives, broadens their horizons and transforms their prospects for the future. We give a platform to thousands of children who want to try new experiences, develop new interests and acquire new skills.
We do this by working in partnership with schools, colleges, universities and other learning providers to provide access to affordable, high quality out-of-school learning that raises aspirations, boosts achievement and helps each child to achieve their potential.
Aspire is our programme for inspiring learning and celebrating achievement at every age and stage of a child’s life. Our online platform enables children and families to search for opportunities, track their progress and visualise their skills development. Participation in learning experiences is recognised and rewarded as children collect credits and unlock awards that celebrate their learning journey.
Looking beyond the classroom to deliver integrated after-school activities, such as study support, can have a significant impact on achievement. Targeted support such as peer tutoring, mentoring and helping children understand how to improve their own learning outcomes can also make a difference.
Most of a child’s learning takes place outside of school, and it is therefore critical to strengthen support for parents to engage in their children’s learning at home.
Over the next few years we aim to work at every age and stage of children’s education, strengthening the role we play in learning at home, increasing opportunities to learn outside of school and contributing evidence on what works to close the achievement gap.
To find out more or enquire about working in partnership, contact Neil at [email protected]
Website: www.childrensuniversityscotland.com
Twitter: @ChildrenUniScot Facebook: @ChildrensUniversityScotland
Read previous guest blogs in the series, including those from GTC Scotland, Be Personnel, SCEL, Clyde Gateway, EDT Scotland and SCQF Partnership.
Posted by admin on November 9, 2017 ·
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October is usually a little less hectic for Scottish learning & skills – but not this year…
The main items this month were the Scottish Government’s Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths [STEM] – Education & Training Strategy, accompanied by an announcement for £20k STEM teacher bursaries; and publication of their Expansion of Early Learning & Childcare: Quality Action Plan.
The latter should be read alongside NHS Health Scotland’s review of the benefits to children of attending high quality early learning & childcare, also published in October.
A number of consultations were announced, including those on measuring the poverty-related attainment gap and on revising the professional standards for college lecturers. A major consultation on the new Education (Scotland) Bill was just published at the start of November – but more on that next month!
Other interesting items to look out for include:
- two reports on the use of contextual information in university admissions from the Scottish Funding Council and Sutton Trust
- Education Scotland’s changes to school inspections
- Carnegie UK Trust’s report making recommendations on digital inclusion for vulnerable young people – and demonstrating that it’s wrong to assume all young people are ‘digital natives’.
It’s also worth highlighting that the target set for the Developing the Young Workforce agenda – to reduce youth unemployment by 40% by 2021 – has been met four years ahead of schedule. If only anyone had the time to celebrate…
Thank you for all the recent positive feedback! Become an Informed Scotland subscriber so you can keep on top of all the developments. Email [email protected] to request a sample copy.
Posted by admin on October 11, 2017 ·
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September was another hectic month of high profile, high level activity, particularly – but not exclusively – involving schools.
The Scottish Government has once again put education centre stage in its plans for the year, in what it describes as a programme of ‘radical reform’.
One of the hottest topics for school governance is the creation of six new Regional Improvement Collaboratives, whose improvement plans are to be ready by January 2018.
In fact, ‘collaboration’ has to be the word of the month:
A report for Interface by BiGGar Economics demonstrated the bottom-line benefits as a result of industry collaborating with academia. Education Scotland and the Care Inspectorate set up a Collaborative Working Group to create a new shared inspection framework for early learning & childcare and out of school care settings. Scottish College for Educational Leadership endorsed a Fife Council Teacher Leadership course including collaborative enquiry. Universities and colleges formalised agreements and memoranda of understanding to collaborate with institutions and bodies at home and abroad. And a report for Creative Scotland by BOP Consulting, on how to remove challenges faced by young people in accessing the arts, concluded that ‘collaboration is key’.
September was also packed with numerous important, useful and/or fascinating reports, including:
- a British Council study of young people’s views of education and work
- a Prince’s Trust survey of the value and development of ‘soft skills’
- an exploration of the future of skills and work by Pearson and Nesta plus a prototype skills map
- SQA’s findings from their consultation on National Qualifications with learners and teachers
- the outcomes of the Scottish Parliament Education & Skills Committee inquiry into teacher workforce planning
- a study comparing primary science education in the four UK nations by CFE Research and University of Manchester
- the first statistical Report on Widening Access from Scottish Funding Council
- an economic impact report of the value of college graduates by Fraser of Allander Institute for Colleges Scotland
- and research into young people’s views of their education and training experience by SQW and Young Scot.
And if you are at all interested in improving your cookery skills, check out the new SQA films featuring City of Glasgow College’s famous senior lecturer and MasterChef: The Professionals champion, Gary Maclean!
This is the tip of the learning & skills iceberg… Become an Informed Scotland subscriber so we can keep you on top of all the developments. Email [email protected] to request a sample copy.
Posted by admin on September 13, 2017 ·
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We’ve become used to holiday season being as busy as the rest of the year for learning & skills. 2017 was no different, with teacher shortages and recruitment one of the hottest topics making the headlines.
As usual at this time of year the digest is packed with statistics, research studies, surveys and exam results. There are numerous reports worth delving into, including:
Two interesting reports explore ‘perceptions’. One, by HEPI and Unite Students, compares university applicants’ expectations to the reality of student experience. The other, by Education & Employers Research, looks at the views of primary teachers on the impact of business engagement on pupils’ academic achievement.
Alongside many new courses, centres, websites and resources, the somewhat controversial new Scottish National Standardised Assessments kicked off for pupils in P1, P4, P7 and S3, a new National Film & Television School Scotland was announced, and an innovative new Future Talent career management service opened at Dundee and Angus College. Sadly, the MAKlab design and prototype studio that had been supporting technology education went into liquidation.
Great feedback about the 2017 Organisations & People Special from a new subscriber: ‘This is super useful.’
Become an Informed Scotland subscriber so you can keep on top of all the developments. Email [email protected] to request a sample copy.
Posted by admin on August 31, 2017 ·
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The fifth annual Informed Scotland Organisations & People Special has just been published to coincide with the start of the 2017–18 academic session.
It provides a snapshot of a busy and ever-changing learning & skills landscape.
Each year we add more items – this year there are links to over 330 organisations, up from 280 in 2016 and more than twice as many as in the first edition in 2013.
Subscribers find it a useful directory of the main bodies and institutions operating across business, education, community & adult learning, government and wider society, including:
- Sector-specific skills bodies
- Local authority education departments
- Colleges & universities
- Teacher education institutions
- Developing the Young Workforce regional groups
- Knowledge exchange & innovation centres
There have been many changes since we published the 2016 edition, including new organisations, new appointments, retirements and closures. We’ve also added a few new sections to the Special, including one that lists subject teacher associations and networks.
It was interesting to observe the growing variation of titles for local authority heads of education – although our award for the most inventive job title has to go to a ‘Chief Entrepreneuring Officer’ in the business, employment & enterprise section…
All new subscribers receive a copy – join the growing list and stay well informed.
Become an Informed Scotland subscriber so you can keep on top of all the developments.
Email [email protected] to request a sample copy of the monthly digest or complete and return the order form.
Posted by admin on July 7, 2017 ·
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The most significant learning & skills item in June was the Scottish Government’s Education Governance report, setting out major changes for the school sector.
The plans made media and political headlines and prompted extremes of reaction. COSLA described the shift from the current local authority role as ‘concerning in every way’. The General Teaching Council for Scotland welcomed the focus on extending registration and regulation beyond teachers. And the Scottish Parent Teacher Council was pleased that the importance of parental engagement in schools was recognised, while raising concerns for cuts to the education service.
The strengthened role for Education Scotland, including taking over responsibility for leadership development from SCEL, caught more than a few by surprise.
John Swinney’s piece in Tes Scotland, Henry Hepburn’s Tes editorial and Prof Mark Priestley’s blog present different perspectives on the main issues and are worth a read.
The Scottish Government’s Enterprise & Skills Review Phase 2 report was also launched, although with no real surprises and prompting less of a stir.
June heralded the annual raft of statistical reports and surveys, including on school leavers, higher education leavers from HESA, and their academic experience from HEPI/HEA, Modern Apprenticeships from Skills Development Scotland (SDS), colleges from Audit Scotland, and the digital tech sector from SDS and the Digital Technologies Skills Group.
There was also the welcome return of the IFF Research Employer Perspectives Survey, which used to be published by the UK Commission for Employment & Skills before its demise, and is now managed for the UK by England’s Department for Education.
It’s also worth mentioning a couple of reports with some ‘eyebrow-raising’ findings: One on the impact of school subject choices on employment chances by the Applied Quantitative Methods Network at University of Edinburgh, and one on careers and progression for women in farming & agriculture by Newcastle University and James Hutton Institute.
Become an Informed Scotland subscriber to keep on top of all the developments. Email [email protected] to request a sample copy.
Posted by admin on June 9, 2017 ·
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The general election might have restricted government business, but it didn’t stop the publication of a raft of learning & skills reports. The May digest is stuffed full of those worth reading and sharing on a range of topics.
In particular look out for:
On top of all that, the Scottish Parliament’s Education & Skills Committee has been busy examining or reporting on teacher workforce planning, additional support for learning, and personal & social education.
Unbelievably it’s five years since the first issue of Informed Scotland was published in May 2012! Then we were writing about 23.1% youth unemployment (now 9.4%), the end of Standard Grades, and college mergers. An anniversary is a great excuse to thank all our subscribers, both new and those who’ve been with us since the beginning. Archive copies are available should subscribers fancy a reality check on how much, or how little, has changed over the past five years!
Want to keep on top of all the developments? Become an Informed Scotland subscriber. Email [email protected] to request a sample copy.
Posted by admin on June 5, 2017 ·
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Ahead of each major election we provide Informed Scotland subscribers with a quick scan of manifestos and resources focusing on or highlighting learning and skills issues.
The UK General Election 2017 Extra includes links to resources, such as Education Scotland’s You decide website, Young Scot’s Everything You Need to Know About the 2017 General Election, and Enable Scotland’s guides on voting for people with a learning disability.
Links to manifestos include those from Universities Scotland, YMCA Scotland, Learning & Work Institute and YouthLink Scotland.
Not a subscriber? Contact [email protected] for a free copy.
Become an Informed Scotland subscriber to keep on top of all the developments. Email [email protected] to request a sample copy.
Posted by admin on May 15, 2017 ·
AJ Enterprises and emh connect have been awarded a joint three-year contract to produce a new quarterly Research & Policy Digest for Northern Ireland’s Department for the Economy, following a competitive tendering process.
The aim of the new Digest is to provide policy makers and stakeholders in Northern Ireland with quick and easy access to relevant local, national and international studies and strategies.
The two consultancies launched their own learning and skills digests in 2012, following four years producing similar briefings for members of a UK-wide business-education-government forum. Informed Scotland, published by AJ Enterprises and UK Digest, published by emh connect provide subscribers with monthly intelligence on research, policy and practice across government, education, business and the wider community. They encourage and enable connections to be made across the learning and skills landscape. Subscribers include national bodies, businesses, local authorities, colleges and other organisations working in the field.
Angela Gardner of AJ Enterprises and Elaine Hendry of emh connect are delighted to collaborate on creating the new digest for the Department. ‘Winning the tender recognises our track record of keeping busy people up to date and well briefed on the issues that matter. We’re looking forward to working with the Northern Ireland team to provide a useful resource for them and their stakeholders.’
This is a good example of the tailored services we both offer to our clients. For information about similar services, including face-to-face and written policy briefings, contact [email protected]
Posted by admin on May 9, 2017 ·
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There was plenty to capture the attention in learning & skills this month, even with the Easter holidays and elections creating a few ‘distractions’.
Gender and equity was once again a hot topic right across the landscape.
Research reports initiated by the David Hume Institute on why boys do less well in education than girls, and British Council on Gender equality and empowerment of women & girls were presented and debated at events at the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Scottish Parliament respectively.
And a fascinating Equality Challenge Unit report was published on the different experiences of female and male STEMM academics (STEMM being science, technology, engineering, maths + medicine).
Numerous interesting reports and studies provoked much thought and discussion.
There was a Scottish Government Research Strategy for Scottish Education, described by some as ‘about time’. Two reports from IPPR – The inbetweeners on graduate internships and Autonomy in the right place on school governance reform. The first OECD study of students’ wellbeing, with insights into the relationship between school-related anxiety and achievement. Plus a Skills Commission report on Lifelong learning for an ageing workforce, and a review of the impact of the Scottish Credit & Qualifications Framework.
We always enjoy spotting enterprising or creative learning & skills activities.
This month we noticed the Scottish Association of Teachers of PE launched a Higher Physical Education Revision WIKI, created by PE teachers across the country. Fife College distributed 8,000 study packs to students at local secondary schools to support their exam preparation. And a ‘Higher Grounds Coffee Bar’ opened at Auchenharvie Academy, North Ayrshire, supported by Ayrshire College, The Prince’s Trust Scotland and DYW Ayrshire, with pupils able to develop their customer service skills while working towards a City & Guilds Barista Skills certificate!
This is the tip of the information iceberg: become an Informed Scotland subscriber so you can keep on top of all the developments. Email [email protected] to request a sample copy.
Check out our new Leadership Special commissioned by SCEL, and the latest guest blog post, Celebrating achievement in adult learning by Jackie Borge.
