The Scottish Government

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Issue 2 • September 2003

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Peter Peacock, Minister for Education and Young People

I am delighted to be the Minister for Education and Young People at a time when we can see progress towards achieving the outcomes set out in the National Priorities for Education. As Deputy Minister I was involved in the creation of the Standards in Scotland's Schools Act etc 2000 which gave rise to the Priorities and the School Improvement Framework. In my view the strength of the approach lies in the shared national vision that the Priorities provide, while at a local level the framework empowers teachers, Head Teachers and local authorities to decide how they will pursue the outcomes in their own context. What stands out for me so far is the way in which the Priorities provide a constant reminder that education is about more than just achievement and attainment. They represent the hopes we have for all our children to realise their potential.

Welcome

This newsletter is for staff in schools who are at the frontline in delivering the National Priorities in Education. We hope you find it useful. We are always keen to hear your views. If you would like to contribute to the newsletter, or to comment on an aspect of the National Priorities, please contact: EducationNationalPriorities@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or phone 0131 244 0160.

What are the National Priorities?

The National Priorities are a key part of the new School Improvement Framework introduced through the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc. Act (2000). The cornerstone of this Act is the need to ensure that every child reaches his or her full potential.

PRIORITY ONE Achievement and Attainment

To raise standards of educational attainment for all in schools, especially in the core skills of literacy and numeracy, and to achieve better levels in national measures of achievement including examination results.

PRIORITY TWO Framework for Learning

To support and develop the skills of teachers, the self discipline of pupils and to enhance school environments so that they are conducive to teaching and learning.

PRIORITY THREE Inclusion and Equality

To promote equality and help every pupil benefit from education, with particular regard paid to pupils with disabilities and special educational needs, and to Gaelic and other lesser-used languages.

PRIORITY FOUR Values and Citizenship

To work with parents to teach pupils respect for self and one another and their interdependence with other members of their neighbourhood and society and to teach them the duties and responsibilities of citizenship in a democratic society.

PRIORITY FIVE Learning for Life

To equip pupils with the foundation skills, attitudes and expectations necessary to prosper in a changing society and to encourage creativity and ambition.

The National Priorities Website is regularly updated. Check it out.http://www.nationalpriorities.org.uk( See FAQ)

SETT - 24 & 25 September 2003

If you are going to Scottish Education and Teaching with Technology event this year at SECC in Glasgow, look out for the National Priorities in Practice Stand. For more information call 0870 429 4490 or visit http://www.settshow.com .

In this issue

What are the National Priorities?
Future Learning and Teaching project.
Cloud 9 Video Conferencing Scheme.
Eco-Schools Update.
HMI School Inspections and the National Priorities.
Appointment of new Development Officers at LTS.
Scottish Education Awards....Celebrating Success.
Progress Reports - The Baseline Report.
The National Priorities Website: Frequently Asked Questions.
Support for You.

Future Learning and Teaching Programme

What might the classroom or school of the future look like?
Do you think children will learn in different ways? Do you have ideas that you would like to try out in your classroom, school or community? If so, the Scottish Executive's Future Learning and Teaching (FLaT) Programme may be able to help you. The FLaT Innovation Fund has been set up to support local authorities, school clusters, schools and teachers in classrooms who have an innovative idea they would like to pilot.

What's important is that the innovation:

• enriches young people's learning experiences
• promotes attainment and achievement
• tackles barriers to inclusion
• creates a learning and teaching environment that is sensitive to individual needs.

The Innovation Fund can help you by arranging independent evaluation of your project and may be able to provide modest funds to assist with project start-up costs such as CPD, teaching materials and resources.

Find out more at: www.flatprojects.org.uk or contact
us directly:

Team Leader: Shirley Laing at shirley.laing@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Project Executives: Denyse Kozub at denyse.kozub@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Darren Dickson at darren.dickson@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Eco-Schools Update

Across Scotland as a whole, almost 600 schools have now registered with the Eco-Schools Programme. This is double the number who were registered in August 2002.

In terms of actual Awards gained, 41 schools have achieved a Bronze Award, 10 schools a Silver Award and 37 schools the prestigious Green Flag Award.

Kate Campbell, the Eco-Schools Officer for Scotland, based with Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: "This increase in the number of schools registered with the Eco-Schools programme is most encouraging. We expect this trend to continue and look forward to an increase in the number of schools applying for their first Green Flag Award later this year. It is always most rewarding to see some of the incredible work the schools are involved in, particularly relating to living more sustainably, and getting this message across to both the young people and the wider community."

Kate can be contacted at Keep Scotland Beautiful's offices in Stirling at 7 Melville Terrace, FK8 2ND. Her contact number is 01786 471333. Her email address is kate.campbell@encams.org.uk

HMIE School Inspections and the National Priorities

As schools plan for, and carry out their work on, the National Priorities, HM Inspectors of Education (HMIE) are evaluating this work. HMIE continue to pay attention to performance in each of the areas of the National Priorities. School inspections will look at how schools plan for development in each priority area and the projects they are putting in place. In particular, HMIE are focusing on the impact of these projects for children, young people and families. Inspectors will pay close attention to how pupils benefit from the initiatives that schools introduce. Pupils' attainment and wider achievement is evaluated by HMIE along with demonstrated improvements relating to inclusion, citizenship and learning for life. HMIE and schools are using the new edition of How good is our school? (HGIOS) to help them evaluate their work in the National Priorities.

Cloud 9 Video Conferencing Scheme

Argyll and Bute has been given pilot status to take forward SEED's Cloud 9 video conferencing initiative. 42 primary and 10 secondary schools in Argyll and Bute have been equipped with new video conferencing systems to establish a model of video conferencing communication between SEED, the education service and schools for the effective development of the National Priorities. The photograph was taken at Argyll and Bute's annual School Board Chair's Conference, held in Inveraray. School Board Chairs participated in workshops on "National Priorities through Videoconferencing" and "Online Electronic Communication".

Jane Logan (Chairperson - Castlehill Primary School, Campbeltown),
Lesley Allan (Quality Improvement Officer - Argyll and Bute Council),
Craig Lemmon (Chairperson - White Gates Learning Centre, Lochgilphead).

Appointment of new Numeracy and Literacy Development Officers at LTS

Numeracy

David Martin, Numeracy Development Officer, was seconded to the post of National Development Officer for Numeracy in November last year. Prior to this he was PT Maths for 12 years and an acting AHT for a year and a half.

Over the next two years he hopes to coordinate the excellent work in numeracy which is going on throughout Scotland and help to spread good practice between authorities. A National Advisory Group for Numeracy has been formed to support the project and to help provide advice to the Scottish Executive on course materials and other learning and teaching support to help raise attainment in numeracy.

Literacy

Cathrin Howells, Literacy Development Officer, has been an adviser in England where she introduced the National Literacy Strategy and the National Numeracy Strategy to both primary and secondary schools.

Two of her main hopes for the project in Scotland are a) that effective practice in the teaching of literacy can be widely shared and celebrated and b) that literacy can become fully embedded across the curriculum as an important part of ensuring a literate future for all our students. Cathrin is also very interested in how children think and learn, as well as exploring the use of interactive and investigative approaches to engage pupils more fully in their own learning. Her motto for all who work with children is, "Always reach for the stars - you never know, you might just hit the moon!"

Scottish Education Awards

It's time to celebrate success!!! The Scottish Education Awards 2003 are coming your way soon. A chance to recognise the good things you are doing as well as to win prizes for your school and enjoy a great day out. The Awards ceremony provides an opportunity to meet many of the other schools involved and a few well-known celebrities as well.

These awards are not just about people who do well in exams, they are about celebrating the achievements of all who participate in education in Scotland and who are actively raising standards in our schools. Packs will be sent direct to schools in the early autumn. If you would like more information meantime please contact Louise McCue at louise.mccue@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Everyone who enters these Awards is a winner - we hope you will want to take part this year and we look forward to receiving your entry. Good luck!

Progress Reports

• You may know that your local authority publishes an annual Improvement Plan for Education which links into your School Development Plan. The authority publishes a progress report each year, in the same way as your school publishes a progress report on your School Development Plan. The latest progress reports were published in January 2003.
• The Scottish Executive is publishing a 'Baseline Report' later this year on the position in 2002 when the National Priorities were beginning to be implemented. This will have a national overview for each of the Priorities and a section for each local authority. Schools and authorities have agreed targets for 2005 locally. A progress report will be published in 2006.

National Priorities Website: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the website address?

http://www.nationalpriorities.org.uk

Do I need a password?

Yes and No! 'Yes' if you wish to access your school's data but 'no' if you want to explore the website for information and resources associated with the National Priorities.

Where do I get a password for my school's data?

Your EA National Priorities Coordinator has the password for all the schools in the authority as well as an authority password.

Why is my password not working?

Sometimes confusion arises between certain letters and numerals. Also the password is case sensitive. Particular care in reading and typing in the passwords is recommended as, depending on the font used to print out the passwords, some letters and numerals may be confused with one another: upper case<I>, lower case <L> and the number <1> Also, the number <0> may be confused with upper case <O>.

Why can I not access the dropdown menus when using the website to access my school's data?

To access the schools handbook and National Priorities data on the website, version 5 and above of Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator is required. You may not have this version installed. You should contact your EA IT support if you need to update your browser.

While trying to access my school's data my internet connection has timed out. Why?

Normally this is a local problem. If you are working in school, contact your EA IT support.

I've clicked on the video clips but nothing happened! Why?

To view the video and audio clips, QuickTime needs to be on your computer. If it is not already installed, please contact your EA IT support.

There's no sound with the video/audio clips. Help!

Check your volume control is on full and not 'mute'. Also, if your computer has speakers, check they are switched on.

I wanted to access an Adobe Acrobat Document but it wouldn't open up. Can you advise?

You require a free program called Acrobat Reader. If this is not already installed, please contact your school or EA IT support.

Support For You

At the Scottish Executive, a team working within the New Educational Developments Division is responsible for taking forward the National Priorities. The team can be contacted at EducationNationalPriorities@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Each education authority has a National Priorities Co-ordinator whose role is to support schools in preparing their development plans and give advice and guidance on any other aspect of the National Priorities.

Your first contact for advice or support is: