‘Talk About Teens’ — a chat group for parents from Edinburgh Council
Here’s something nice for parents and carers: a running series of informal coffee hours, just to talk over common issues faced by teenagers and their parents. It’s great for finding out a bit more about why teenagers behave the way they do, and getting up-to-date information on current issues for all young people.
These meetings are themed, as a rule. The next topic is, ‘What are the Options? Positive Destinations’. It’s about what opportunities there are for young people leaving school, and how it all affects benefits. It’s on Wednesday, 18th June, from 1.30 to 3pm, at the West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre.
For more information, or to book a place, call or text Jillian on 07860 736129.
Green Team Summer Programme for Kids, 2014
This may be of interest to parents looking for summer activity camps with a focus on outdoor learning. It’s the Green Team Summer Programmes, a great way to have fun in the outdoors, make new friends, and take part in a range of exciting environmental activities, discovering and exploring some of Edinburgh’s most stunning countryside. Activities include shelter building, outdoor cooking, camouflage, storytelling, rock pooling, natural art and mini raft building.
Each day organisers and young people will meet at 9 am in the car park at Tynecastle High School, Edinburgh, and then travel by minibus. Return time is 5 pm. There will be 2 members of the Green Team staff leading each activity. Children and young people should bring a packed lunch and drink; snacks will be provided.
Who are the Green Team? They’re an environmental organisation based in the Lothians. They work with young people to restore and conserve wild places as an important part of learning about the natural heritage of Scotland. They explore the countryside, and carry out projects and games on conservation themes. Since 1995 over 1700 young people have worked with the Green Team improving their local area, learning about the countryside and achieving a range of awards.
To find out more, or to book something fun, contact Jo Walton, admin@greenteam.org.uk, 0131 337 7227. You can also download a booking form directly!
Cyber-security lessons could be expanded in UK schools
Plans to teach children as young as 11 about careers in cyber-security have been announced. New learning materials would be offered to UK schools to publicise jobs in the sector, the Department for Business, Innovations and Skills said. A recent report said limited awareness of cyber-security as a profession had created a skills shortage. One expert said the UK was at risk of being “left behind and at a disadvantage globally”. Read the full report in this week’s BBC Technology News.
Parenting Across Scotland’s ‘teens project’: calling all carers!
Here is a very interesting notice, from Alison Clancy, Project Officer in ‘Parenting across Scotland’ (PAS), a partnership of charities working together to provide a focus for issues and concerns affecting parents and families in Scotland. They are forming a series of focus groups, in support of ongoing work for the government. Want to volunteer (and get £30)? Read on!
‘[Our] teens project follows on from a parent information mapping exercise that CHILDREN 1st conducted for the Scottish Government. That mapping exercise was based on a commitment in the National Parenting Strategy about the provision of information to parents and carers. The mapping exercise found that most resources were for parents of very young children and there was very little information outside of education to support parents and carers of teenagers.
The teens project is managed by Parenting across Scotland and partner organisations. The objectives of the project are to:
• Identify what information is required by parents/carers of young people
• Explore views on current availability of information
• Access views on resources currently available
• Explore the most effective methods of getting information to parents, and
• Identify key issues in the development of information to parents/carers
We plan to run 4 focus groups and hope to organise these in March. We have certain criteria for the parents/carers that we wish to recruit but would like a broad representation. We are concentrating on parents/carers who have children in either P7 and S1 or S2 to S4.
We have commissioned a research company, Scotinform to conduct the focus groups for us. They will contact the parents/carers directly and will facilitate the focus groups. Each group will consist of between 8 -10 participants and last up to two hours. The groups will be held in the evening at 6pm and 8pm to maximise the chance of attendance. Each participant will receive a £30 incentive voucher for attending and any childcare or travel costs will be reimbursed.
This work will feed into an event on 29 April 2014 in Glasgow. All participants will be invited to attend the event and again childcare and travel costs will be reimbursed.
If you are interested in taking part please contact me as soon as possible.
Looking forward to hearing from you
Alison Clancy
PAS Project Officer
0131 319 8071’
Next Recruitment and Selection Training course
Edinburgh Council’s next Recruitment and Selection Training date is on Monday 11 November, from 6 to 9 p.m.
This course is to enable Parent Council members to participate in the recruitment of promoted teachers. On successful completion of the course, participants will be able to:
• Understand their roles and responsibilities during the recruitment & selection process
• Understand the context and legal framework
• Understand the Council’s procedures for recruitment & selection
This course is suitable for Parent Council members who will be a part of the Appointments Committee for the recruitment of promoted teachers (Head Teacher, Deputes and Principals). This is for those who have never attended a Recruitment and Selection Course with the City of Edinburgh Council.
The course duration is 3 hours (evening).
The course location is Liberton High School, 328 Gilmerton Road, Edinburgh, EH17 7PT
How to book:
Please fill in the booking form and e-mail it to mailto:nicole.fraser@edinburgh.gov.uk
or post it to Nicole Fraser, Administrative Assistant, Business Centre 1/1, Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG.
Broughton High School Parent Council 