Calling all Parents: Murderers Needed
The Scottish Book Trust reports a highly successful project that has gotten S1s at Linlithgow Academy into the school library in droves. Young pupils at the school were called upon recently to solve, in 3 50-minute crime scene investigations, a gruesome murder. They were led through the crime steps by volunteers acting in the character of people involved — maybe — in the crime. See it all in detail here. The project proved very popular, and more importantly it taught the young detectives quickly how the library is organised and how you go about finding things. Would Broughton parents looking for ways to engage our own S1s consider something just as gruesome? Murder, anyone?
cyber-bullying: a problem in the Lothians?
Kezia Dugdale, MSP, Co-Convenor of the CPG on Children & Young People, is seeking general advice and views on the prevalance of cyber-bullying. She is writing to professinoals and parents across the Lothians — anyone interested in helping her understand the extent to which this may be a problem for young people in the region, and to help crowdsource a potential solution.
If you have a view you’d like to share with her, you can contact her through her website, at http://www.keziadugdale.com. If you’ve never heard of cyber-bullying, you can read her essay on the subject here.
water and test scores
Interesting feature on the BBC website, about students who bring a bottle of water to tests. In general, they score better than people who don’t bring water. Is it better hydration? Is it a tactile mnemonic? Read the article and see what you think. Maybe it’s something to suggest to your own anxious test-taker this month.
study leave information
Pauline Cumming, Depute Head Teacher, is sending out individual student timetables today (students should keep these in a safe place) and letters and texts to parents concerning exam procedures, including what to do in case of illness. A copy of this letter will be on the school website later today as well.
There will be an assembly for S4 to recap on this information on Thursday, and for S5/6 on Friday.
What is ‘Devolved School Management’?
The Scottish Government wish Local Authorities to give to primary and secondary schools a minimum of 80% of their own education budgets. The target is 90%. Currently Edinburgh devolves around 91% of its educational budget to schools. The idea is to let schools move quickly to address their needs and be generally efficient about setting their spending priorities.
The scheme is under constant review both locally within Edinburgh and Nationally, for example, the recent Devolved School management Review conducted by David Cameron on behalf of the Scottish Government.
There is a small team of staff within the Children and Families Department that facilitate and review the scheme to ensure that schools are resourced appropriately and the scheme is run correctly and in line with Scottish Government targets.
See what they do in the latest Edinburgh Council Information Bulletin (no. 3), which you’ll find under ‘Parent Council Documents’ in ‘Links we use a lot’ in the sidebar to the right of what you’re reading.
Broughton High School Parent Council 