2021-22 Education Area Report - OLI - Final
Argyll and Bute Council · 15 June 2022
Back to Oban Lorn & The Isles Area Committee — 15 June 2022 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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1 0000000 Argyll and Bute Council 2021 - 2022 OUR CHILDREN… THEIR FUTURE… Education Service Primary Area Report: Oban, Lorn and the Isles
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2 Introduction Within the OLI area there are 25 Primary Schools (Luing Primary School, Achaleven Primary School and Kilchrenan Primary School are currently mothballed). There is secondary school provision in Oban High School, Tiree High School and Tobermory High School. Nursery provision is provided within several of these schools and Gaelic Medium Education is provided at Bunessan Primary School, Strath of Appin Primary School, Rockfield Primary School, Salen Primary School and Tiree Primary School. Our primary school rolls vary considerably ranging from 2 pupils (Kilchattan Primary School) to over 250 pupils (Rockfield Primary School). The Education Performance Data Analysis Report to Community Services Committee on 16th December 2021 asked elected members to note that following the cancellation of the formal SQA examination diet due to Covid-19, schools submitted Provisional Results for each young person. The Provisional Results were based on teacher professional judgement which considered a wide range of candidate assessment evidence. All attainment evidence was subject to extensive moderation and quality assurance as detailed in the 2021 Alternative Certification Model (ACM), as published by the SQA. This report provides a range of key information about school provision during the school session August 2021 to June 2022 and reports the National collection of attainment and achievement data from June 2021. This is the first uplift of attainment data since 2018/2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns which resulted in pupils learning remotely from home. Additional and more detailed information about each school can be found in the schools’ Standards and Quality Reports. In addition each school’s Improvement Plan outlines their main priorities for improvement. Most schools have an active website where these documents can be accessed and further links or information can be obtained from the Head Teacher.
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3 Primary School Profiles Oban, Lorn and the Isles SIMD Profile: Table shows number of pupils at each SIMD level in each cluster area of Argyll and Bute. Cluster 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Unknown* Total Bute 54 88 119 46 34 17 358 Cowal 111 77 115 101 223 222 17 866 Helensburgh and Lomond 45 89 97 55 137 236 275 383 200 130 11 1658 Islay and Jura 39 181 2 222 Kintyre North 2 87 34 123 Kintyre South 85 63 22 79 165 92 2 508 Mid-Argyll 64 75 43 148 176 1 507 Mull and Iona 99 86 185 OLI 22 8 157 380 170 355 127 40 1259 *this is generally new builds. We are using the SIMD data from June 2021.
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4 Mull Cluster School Profile 2021-2022 Primary School Roll (as at census) * Cluster Primary Schools 17/18 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 % change in Roll over 5 years1 Dervaig Primary School 24 30 25 22 22 -8.33% Lochdonhead Primary School 5 4 10 10 10 100% Salen Primary School 30 34 35 29 25 -16.67% Salen Gaelic Primary School 49 51 48 45 42 -14.29 Tobermory Primary School 58 61 62 62 68 17.24% Ulva Primary School 7 9 8 8 16 128.57% Total Roll for cluster 173 189 188 176 183 5.78% * Data for rolls provided at Census each year 1 Please note the % change in Roll over 5 years shows the percentage change in roll figures from 2017/18 to 2021/22 and is not an average.
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5 Footwear and Clothing Grant and Free School Meal Information for Mull Clothing and Footwear Grant (CFG) is not shown as a National Average as each authority set their own criteria and therefore cannot be compared accurately. Please note that 2021-2022 data for CFG and Free School Meals (FSM) is to date (end February 2022) and therefore may change as the year progresses. In January 2022, the Scottish Government launched the extension of free school meal universal eligibility to include all children in primary 1-5. The above figures only show those pupils in P6 and P7. In August 2021 the Scottish Government introduced a School clothing grant minimum for all authorities set at £120 for Primary pupils and £150 for Secondary pupils. During session 2020/21 the Scottish Government introduced ‘Bridging’ payments of £130 per pupil in receipt of FSM under the National criteria (this excludes anyone eligible who receive FSM in P1 to P6 who do not qualify financially). These payments are made 4 times per year (Easter, Summer, October and Christmas).Further information can be found at Scottish Child Payment Bridging Payments - mygov.scot. In addition to this anyone eligible for these payments have been paid a FSM payment during the school holiday period. Further information School meals - mygov.scot
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6 Exclusion and Attendance Information for Mull Authorised absence includes bereavement, short – term exceptional domestic situations, religious observance, weddings of immediate family. Unauthorised absence includes truancy, unexplained absence and most family holidays during term time. Attendance and absence is outlined in Management Circular 3.03. During 2020/21 there were additional attendance codes added for COVID. These codes can count as attendance, authorised absence or unauthorised absence depending on the circumstance. Please note that attendance data for 2021/22 is up to 28 February and not a complete year. It is therefore subject to change. Please note that exclusion data for 2021/22 is up to 28 February and not a complete year. It is therefore subject to change.
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7 Achievement over time - Mull Achievement over time – Mull Gaidhlig NOTES: It is important to note that where numbers on roll for pupils are small within a cohort/school, care need to be taken in interpreting data as it can skew trends both favourably and also present a negative picture overall when it could be a very small amount of children indicated. ER English reading, EW English writing, ELT English Listening and talking N Numeracy GR Gaelic reading, GW Gaelic writing, GLT Gaelic Listening and talking. There was no ACEL collection during session 2019/20 due to COVID
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8 The table below outlines the National expectations of when most children and young people may achieve each level: CfE Level Stage Early The final two years of early learning and childcare before a child goes to school and P1, or later for some. First To the end of P4, but earlier or later for some. Second To the end of P7, but earlier or later for some. Third and fourth S1-S3, but earlier or later for some. Further information: National Improvement Framework for Scottish Education – https://www.gov.scot/policies/schools/national-improvement-framework/
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9 Oban, Lorn and the Isles School Profile 2021-2022 Primary School Roll (as at census) * Cluster Primary Schools 17/18 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 % change in Roll over 5 years1 Achaleven Primary School (mothballed) 9 13 9 7 0 -100% Arinagour Primary School 7 7 8 6 6 -14.29% Barcaldine Primary School 10 9 10 10 13 30% Bunessan Primary Gaelic Unit - 4 4 3 11 100% Bunessan Primary School 36 23 19 21 7 -80.56% Dalmally Primary School 35 38 35 31 29 -17.14% Dunbeg Primary School 99 88 98 90 88 -11.11% Easdale Primary School 14 14 16 17 20 42.86% Iona Primary School 20 20 18 17 14 -30% Kilchattan Primary School 5 4 6 8 2 -60% Kilchrenan Primary School (mothballed Feb 2022) 6 7 8 12 6 0% Kilninver Primary School 25 26 22 29 26 4% Lismore Primary School 8 9 12 11 11 37.50% Lochnell Primary School 130 124 114 112 119 -8.46% Luing Primary School (mothballed) 14 10 7 0 0 -100% Park Primary School 253 250 252 240 240 -5.14% Rockfield Gaelic Primary School 48 49 58 61 56 16.67% Rockfield Primary School 320 321 308 276 259 -19.06% St Columba’s Primary School 99 109 103 132 148 49.49% Strath of Appin Primary School 24 17 17 17 16 -33.33% Strath of Appin Gaelic Primary School 5 7 7 11 12 140.00% Taynuilt Primary School 79 72 69 67 70 -11.39% Tiree Primary School 32 32 31 27 23 -28.13% Tiree Primary School Gaelic Unit 31 34 38 36 40 29.03% Total Roll for cluster 1309 1287 1269 1241 1216 -7.1% * Data for rolls provided at Census each year 1 Please note the % change in Roll over 5 years shows the percentage change in roll figures from 2017/18 to 2021/22 and is not an average.
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10 Footwear and Clothing Grant and Free School Meal Information for OLI Clothing and Footwear Grant (CFG) is not shown as a National Average as each authority set their own criteria and therefore cannot be compared accurately. Please note that 2021-2022 data for CFG and Free School Meals (FSM) is to date (end February 2022) and therefore may change as the year progresses. in January 2022, the Scottish Government launched the extension of free school meal universal eligibility to include all children in primary 1-5. The above figures only show those pupils in P6 and P7. In August 2021 the Scottish Government introduced a School clothing grant minimum for all authorities set at £120 for Primary pupils and £150 for Secondary pupils. During session 2020/21 the Scottish Government introduced ‘Bridging’ payments of £130 per pupil in receipt of FSM under the National criteria (this excludes anyone eligible who receive FSM in P1 to P6 who do not qualify financially). These payments are made 4 times per year (Easter, Summer, October and Christmas).Further information can be found at Scottish Child Payment Bridging Payments - mygov.scot. In addition to this anyone eligible for these payments have been paid a FSM payment during the school holiday period.. Further information School meals - mygov.scot
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11 Exclusion and Attendance Information for OLI Authorised absence includes bereavement, short – term exceptional domestic situations, religious observance, weddings of immediate family. Unauthorised absence includes truancy, unexplained absence and most family holidays during term time. Attendance and absence is outlined in Management Circular 3.03. During 2020/21 there were additional attendance codes added for COVID. These codes can count as attendance, authorised absence or unauthorised absence depending on the circumstance. Please note that attendance data for 2021/22 is up to 28 February and not a complete year. It is therefore subject to change. Please note that exclusion data for 2021/22 is up to 28 February and not a complete year. It is therefore subject to change.
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12 Achievement over time - OLI Achievement over time – OLI Gaidhlig NOTES: It is important to note that where numbers on roll for pupils are small within a cohort/school, care need to be taken in interpreting data as it can skew trends both favourably and also present a negative picture overall when it could be a very small amount of children indicated. ER English reading, EW English writing, ELT English Listening and talking N Numeracy GR Gaelic reading, GW Gaelic writing, GLT Gaelic Listening and talking. There was no ACEL collection during session 2019/20 due to COVID
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13 The table below outlines the National expectations of when most children and young people may achieve each level: CfE Level Stage Early The final two years of early learning and childcare before a child goes to school and P1, or later for some. First To the end of P4, but earlier or later for some. Second To the end of P7, but earlier or later for some. Third and fourth S1-S3, but earlier or later for some. Further information: National Improvement Framework for Scottish Education – https://www.gov.scot/policies/schools/national-improvement-framework/
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14 General Updates 1 + 2 Languages The 1+2 Languages policy aims to ensure that all children and young people are equipped with the skills they need for life and work. Every child has the opportunity to learn a modern language from P1 onwards; this language (known as L2) is an entitlement up to the end of S3. Additionally, each child should have the opportunity to learn a second modern language (known as L3) at the latest from P5 onwards and continuing to the end of Primary school. Young people are entitled to learn a second language (L3) within their Broad General Education i.e. within the S1 to S3 experience. 16 Primary schools are delivering French as L2 from P1 onwards in the Oban, Lorn & Isles area. Rockfield Primary School, Bunessan Primary School, and Strath of Appin Primary School are delivering Gaelic as L2 within the Oban High School cluster. The majority of the schools in this cluster deliver Gaelic as L3. Those schools that teach Gaelic as L2 provide French as L3. Iona Primary School also provides BSL as L3 and took part in the L3 Mandarin course, offered by SCILT/CISS, this session. Oban High School provides French or Gaelic as L2 and French, Gaelic or Spanish as L3. The 5 Primary schools in the Mull cluster deliver Gaelic as L2 and French as L3. Tobermory High School delivers Gaelic as L2 and French as L3. Tiree Primary School delivers Gaelic as L2 and French as L3. Tiree High School also provides Gaelic as L2 and French as L3. The clusters are now working towards ensuring effective progression in language learning from P1 through to the end of the BGE. This has been facilitated by schools using the Argyll & Bute French Key Language Progression framework or Argyll & Bute Gaelic key language progression framework P1-7 Within the Authority, Oban is the only cluster not to have one language as L2. Therefore, there needs to be ongoing collaboration to ensure smooth transitions from P7 to S1. The clusters (except Tiree which has a key contact) have Language Leaders who provide support to local schools. The clusters are using the online platform PowerLanguage Schools (PLS) as the main teaching resource to deliver French . This resource can also be used for teaching Spanish and German. The schools teaching Gaelic use the online resource Go!Gaelic. All schools have resource packs with resources for teaching French. Practitioners can also find teaching resources and information on the 1+2 Languages section of the SALi blog. Schools delivering BSL have resource packs and received training to support this. Schools also have access to support in terms of CLPL and teaching resources on the Teachers professional Learning Hub CLPL provided for OLI: Upskilling in Languages 5-week beginners and follow-on French courses provided in the first and second term and then again in the third term. 20-week GLPS (Gaelic) online course for Primary teachers. This opportunity is fully funded by the Scottish Government. Twilight or morning sessions (Sept 21-March 22). Gaelic beginners’ and follow-on course provided in the first and second term. Four Gaelic taster sessions for beginners’ provided in March 2022. These sessions provided an introduction to simple Gaelic phrases to be used with learners in class. A 4-week Spanish beginners’ and follow-on course provided in the second and third term. A 5-week German beginners’ course provided in January 2022.
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15 Training sessions on using the L3 BSL teaching resource pack (Sept 2021). Languages pedagogy sessions: Teaching Languages through Songs and Games (March 22). Using Storytelling to Enhance your Language Teaching (March 22). Connecting Language Learning across the Curriculum (Nov 21). Enhancing language learning using digital tools in partnership with the Digital Team (Nov 21). Teaching 1+2 at All Levels- 3 sessions: Early Level, First Level, Second/Third Level (Sept/Oct 21). Differentiation Strategies and Multi-Composite Class Approaches (May 21). Ensuring Progression in Language Learning (May 21). Celebrating Achievements in Languages (May 21). Strategic sessions: Getting languages back on track - Moving forward with your 1+2 Languages strategy provided by Education Scotland. Getting the most from PowerLanguages School Resources led by PowerLanguages. Many teachers from OLI who signed up for Immersion courses funded by an Erasmus+ grant and due to take place in France have been unable to attend these due to the pandemic. An alternative has been found and these teachers have now been offered an online training course provided by our partners LFEE. This session we have continued with our Authority wide French link with our partners from the Université de Picardie- Jules Verne. This has now become a virtual link and French Primary Student Teachers assist Primary Teachers in Argyll and Bute virtually with the delivery of French lessons and are able to add a cultural element to the learning. Teachers from OLI have taken part in this project this session. Representatives from the university intend to visit Argyll and Bute in June 2022 and we hope to continue to develop this longstanding international partnership. This session, all clusters are using a French and Gaelic learning resource as part of the Authority wide ELC to P1 transition project - Over the Rainbow. This means that language learning is an integral part of this Early Years transition process. There were many winners from OLI in the Authority wide Multi-lingual Storytelling competition. Winners: Bunessan Primary School won 2nd and 3rd prize in the learning languages category with Gaelic stories. Early Years Children and families within Argyll and Bute currently access Local Authority Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) and Gaelic provision as appropriate, offered either through term-time based sessions or a year-round model, now that the 1140 hours Scottish Government initiative has been phased in. ELC is also provided by childminders, voluntary and privately operated groups in addition to Local Authority services. The third sector is in a position to provide ‘wrap around’ childcare for parents who wish to purchase hours to allow them to work, attend college, etc.
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16 Community Childminding is a service which is provided for children following a referral from Health or Social Work; it is designed to be an early intervention to support families predominantly for children aged less than 3 years. Partner childminders also provide ELC for eligible children aged 2 years. Workforce Development Update April 2022 Early Years Foundation Apprentices Cohort 2 commenced August 2019 In a significant scale up this year, 41 pupils commenced the Foundation Apprenticeship in Early Years across 6 Argyll and Bute Secondary schools. 26 commenced the NPA in 5th year to complete the qualification over 2 years. 15 commenced the shorter model, in their 6th year, working towards the NPA and the relevant SVQ2 (SSCYP) units over 1 year. Placements were identified in Argyll and Bute ELC units, including partner providers in the private and voluntary sector. Early Years team members stepped up to deliver the NPA course, across the LA, until October 2019 when 2 new tutors, with appropriate Early Years experience, were recruited by the training centre. Early Years Modern Apprentices Cohort 1 - started in Jan 2019 6 MAs were recruited to the following ELC settings: Park Primary Family Learning Centre Colgrain Primary ELC John Logie Baird Primary ELC Campbeltown Nursery Dalintober Primary, ELC Clyde Cottage Nursery Five out of the six MAs have completed their SVQ3 (Social Services Children and Young People) award early, and two have been successful in securing temporary ELC practitioner posts. Cohort 2 - 2020 – was on hold due to Covid Cohort 3 - started in August 2021 1 at Clyde Cottage, SVQ3 progressing 1 at Silver Birch, SVQ3 progressing 1 at Dunbeg, SVQ3 progressing (December start) 6 MAs were recruited to the following ELC settings: Sandbank Primary Early Level (Gaelic) Rockfield Primary ELC (Gaelic) Dunbeg Primary ELC Lochgilphead Primary ELC Tobermory Primary ELC St. Joseph’s Primary ELC All are making good progress with their SVQ3 (SSCYP) with one changing course to SVQ2 (SSCYP) which is better suited to her role within the ELC unit.
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17 Early Years Graduate Apprentices Argyll and Bute recruited 2 graduate apprentices to take part in a 3 year pilot for the BA in Early Learning and Childcare, in partnership with UHI. One is on track to complete in June 2022 and the other apprentices in June 2023. Funded qualifications In 2021/22, 45 ELC staff were funded to work towards recognised qualifications, to meet SSSC registration and for professional development. SVQ2 (SSCYP) SVQ3 (SSCYP) SVQ4 (SSCYP) BA Childhood Practice MEd in Childhood Practice H&L 0 4 4 1 1 B&C 0 8 4 2 OLI 1 5 2 2 MAKI 2 4 0 4 1 CPD training 21-22 To deliver Scottish Government aims of 1140 hours of quality ELC provision, professional development for staff has been focused on the Early Years team priorities of: leadership at all levels effective use of information to improve outcomes learning and development 0-3 years outdoor learning and family learning CPD – 58 Early Level courses were offered Professional development for staff was focused on the Early Years team priorities of: Nurture Floorbook planning linked to the Three Assets Approach UNCRC Curriculum for Excellence - Partner settings and childminders The Leuven scales of Wellbeing and Involvement Realising the Ambition, national practice guidance The Early Years Team has also continued to work with Stramash to deliver training on Outdoor Learning through the Seasons in Argyll & Bute. This training involved 4 days of training, in different seasons throughout the year, in each of the 4 local areas, with the aim of creating a resource at the end which can be shared across all ELC settings. Our cluster leads have also played an integral part in outdoor training sessions to our settings. For further information on workforce development, please contact linda.burgar@argyll-bute.gov.uk ELC - Learning and Development As part of the Education Strategy ‘Our Children, Their Future’, the Argyll and Bute ‘ELC Learning and Development Framework’ has been developed to provide strong and consistent guidance on learning and development from birth through to a child starting school. Every setting and childminder has
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18 been issued with this guidance and providers are encouraged to use this tool as part of their self- evaluation, along with ‘Building the Ambition’ and ‘How Good is our Early Learning and Childcare?’ Members of the central support team use the framework as a key document as part of their support visits, focusing on ‘Environment’, ‘Experiences’ and ‘Interactions’. Data is also used to analyse the quality of provision with progress being tracked through Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland inspections. Twice a year, the Local Authority gathers data in relation to 4 year old children’s progress within their developmental milestones, and this is used to target resources more effectively. Teams are being trained in the use of improvement methodology to support their own improvement journeys – being clear about how they know a change has led to an improvement. As well as tracking progress in children’s learning outcomes, practitioners in nurseries also track each child’s progress within their developmental milestones. We know that most children achieve their milestones as a matter of course. However, some children might need a little extra help or time to achieve theirs. The milestones we track are: Social, emotional and behavioural Speech and language Cognitive and sensory Fine motor skills Gross motor skills The Early Years Service gathers data twice a year (December and June) to find out how children are progressing within their milestones. The EY target is 45 percent: This table shows the difference from the previous year. Please note this is a different cohort of children being assessed. Locality 2020 2021 Change B&C 42 39 -3% H&L 62 41 -21% MAKI 32 29 -3% OLI 30 36 +6% Authority Wide 42 37 -5% The Early Years Team, alongside the settings, are now using this data to target specific areas that require support. This decline in some areas will likely be connected to the period of Covid, especially for Speech and Language development, where children were not able to experience as much interaction as they can now both within an ELC and out-with. Cluster leads and EY teachers, alongside working with Speech and Language Therapist input and other multi-agency partnerships, are able to direct specific support and work alongside settings to monitor and show the impact of targeted learning. Additional training to staff has been provided on using the tracking system confidently and robustly to evaluate where the children are in terms of their developmental milestones. The impact of this will be seen during our next collection of data in June 2022. Across the localities, Bute and Cowal and Helensburgh and Lomond have the highest percent of children, achieving stage 2, across each milestone. 63% percent of children are achieving stage 2 Area DM Data – December 2021 B+C 39% MAKI 29% OLI 36% H+L 41%
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19 in gross motor skills, 7% higher compared to Authority wide. Across the localities, Helensburgh and Lomond and Bute and Cowal have the highest percent of children, achieving stage 2, across each milestone. 64% percent of children are achieving stage 2 in gross motor skills, 8% higher compared to Authority wide. Across MAKI, 45% or more of children, are achieving stage 2 across their sensory, fine motor and gross motor skills milestones. 37% of children are achieving stage 2 in speech and language, a -16% compared to Bute and Cowal. The percent of children achieving stage 2 in the OLI area within speech and language is +4% higher than MAKI, but still below the target of 45%. Developmental Milestone Data – December 2021 – By Area Similarly, data is collected and analysed around Care Inspectorate gradings of all ELC units. Care Inspectorate Grades – 21/22 69 ELC settings have been inspected and have had gradings assigned (data supplied by Care Inspectorate, issued February 2022). 91% of ELC settings are achieving grade 4 and above. A decrease of -2% as reported in August 2021. Area August 21 March 22 % Change Bute and Cowal 100 100 0 Helensburgh and Lomond 85 80 -5 Mid Argyll Kintyre and Islay 95 91 -4 Oban Lorn and Isles 90 95 +5 *Please note that HALCO had 3 settings that had the highest grading of 6. Inactive ELC Settings Lismore Primary Pre Five Unit Luing Primary Pre Five Unit Southend Primary Pre Five Unit No Inspection Gradings Apple Tree Nursery Campbeltown Aqualibrium Early Learning and Childcare Cardross Early Learning and Childcare Rainbow Childcare Oban Rosneath Early Learning and Childcare Silver Birch Outdoor Nursery Stepping Stones Nursery Willowview Early Learning and Childcare EY Conference November 2021 What’s Love got to do with it? The Importance of a Rights-focused, Relationship-centred and Play-based approach to
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20 Education Our second virtual conference focused on nurture and the wellbeing of our staff and children; we explored the concept of Professional Love and introduced Our Children, Their Nurturing Education. We also looked at how the UNCRC could and should be embedded in practice within ELC and the crucial importance of play in child development. Early Years QI and Curriculum developments 2021–22 We have continued to develop use of the Leuven Scales within settings and evaluate its impact on engagement and learning, especially during Covid recovery. 144 practitioners have attended the Leuven training so far this academic year. Leuven training will continue to take place for new staff early next year. Cl continues to support individual settings’ use of the Leuven scale regularly as a self- evaluation tool to improve quality. We continue to deliver Three Assets training to support all settings and funded ELC childminders to take forward this approach to curriculum planning and pedagogy through planned delivery of training in our CPD catalogue and evaluations of its impact. We are focusing on reviewing the use of Developmental Milestones and its use across CfE Early Level into Primary One and in some instances, Primary Two. This is moderated through cluster meetings and the Likert scale is used to evaluate this. This is ongoing into next year’s development plan to be able to assess its impact. Our EY team developed a new, updated and interactive online link which details all current EY information to support every aspect of EY curriculum and development. It has been extremely well received by Heads of Centres and allows for quick and easy access to documents all in one place. For more information on ELC Learning and Development, please contact Tina Sartain tina.sartain@argyll-bute.gov.uk Assessment and Moderation ‘Systematic evaluation and subsequent sharing of high-quality materials (such as exemplars) in networks and digital platforms (for instance, through Glow) may offer welcome opportunities to support efficient (re)design of practices and professional learning in Scotland.’ OECD Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence: into the Future 2021. In order to support our schools across the Authority with BGE digital moderation, assessment, professional development material and exemplars, we have created Moderation Platforms for all schools. These platforms continue to develop, meeting the needs of our schools. As well as platforms for the geographic areas, including Gaelic, we also have a Secondary platform. These platforms promote networks, provide a one stop shop for professional development in the area of assessment, supports teacher professional judgement and allows for the sharing of agreed standards. We have provided twilight support for schools and practitioners and the platform has also been shared with central staff from the Northern Alliance. To date, we have had 50+ practitioners engaging with the platform and the feedback has been very positive with practitioners valuing the materials available and the opportunities for regular moderation which does not require cover, travelling and photocopying. Education Scotland engaged with 40 practitioners across Argyll and Bute with QAMSO (Quality Assessment and Moderation Support Officer) training in September. This group then worked with Pauline Inglis, Education Officer, to refine and develop the moderation platform and also engaged
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21 in moderation activities within their school. The Education Officer held twilight support meetings with previous QAMSOs, introducing the platform and the QAMSO plan for the session. Continued support is being provided for schools to engage with the platform and Head Teachers are being encouraged to include moderation within their improvement planning for next session. Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Schools were encouraged to engage with national STEM initiatives. Dandelion Schools (Keeping Scotland Beautiful) - specially designed growing cubes, linked to a citizen science app, will be gifted to Secondary schools to explore the future of vertical farming through a series of growing experiments. In addition, seed potatoes and growing medium will be distributed to the Secondary schools and their associated Primary schools for a great tattie growing experiment across the country. Both Dunoon Grammar School and Tobermory High School will engage in this project with their associated cluster next session. The cubes and seed potatoes are being delivered to schools just after the Easter holidays. Scottish Schools Education and Research Centre, Primary Cluster Programme – this professional learning opportunity systematically involves all teachers in a cluster with experiential training, builds networks and provides resources for CLPL and the classroom (via Edina Trust grant). Schools within the HALCO Cluster will be taking part in this initiative next session. Education Officer Pauline Inglis has been working with staff and Education Scotland STEM officer Mark Irwin to develop a STEM platform for Argyll and Bute Council. Practitioners in the steering group wanted video shots of STEM work being undertaken across the Authority. These are being gathered and the platform will be developed and available for August 2022. Outdoor Learning Professional development has remained the area of focus for outdoor learning in session 21/22 with the launch of Argyll and Bute’s Programme and Outdoor Learning. This programme was designed and led by teachers and practitioners in Argyll and Bute and is robustly linked to key policies (Going Out There, Curriculum for Excellence and Out to Play). The programme has had one iteration, with 18 teachers attending. This consisted of face to face practical sessions, interspersed with theory and impact sessions, delivered through Google tools. Feedback from the programme was overwhelmingly positive with one Head Teacher saying, “This was such a worthwhile day and I wish more of my staff had also been able to participate – I would send them in future. So much was covered and it was all really useful and relevant. Best CPD I’ve done for a long time!” The Early Years programme on leading learning is now ready for launch after delays due to Covid. This will run in the autumn term for practitioners at early level. Early Years have delivered training to childminders in Kintyre on outdoor skills such as fire lighting, shelter building and nature. We also brokered access for 55 teachers in Argyll and Bute to the highly rated ‘Taking Maths Outdoors’ which has led to increased outdoor learning and improved Maths education across more than half of Argyll’s Primary schools. Our partnership with Outdoor and Woodland Learning Scotland (OWLS) has delivered eight outdoor first aid training programmes, reaching 48 practitioners, in Argyll and Bute and providing grant access to partners delivering outdoor play and learning experiences for children during the
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22 school holidays in Mull and Mid Argyll. The Argyll OWL group meets five times a year and creates networks of sharing best practice. They are in the process of organising a live network event in September, the first such event since pre-Covid times. Three schools took part in HMIE’s thematic inspection on outdoor learning and two schools were included in the national report as case studies in excellence. Oban High School was cited for its innovative ways of engaging partners and Inveraray Primary School was included as a study of effective strategic leadership in outdoor learning. Digital Literacy The following report summarises the Digital Learning Education Team’s work with learners, teachers and their schools. It includes support with online learning, professional learning, resources, school events, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) initiatives and digital infrastructure. Glow Usage Statistics Glow is the online platform through which teachers communicate, plan and learn, and via which children and young people access digital learning, both in school and at home. In December 2021, there were 106,721 Google Workspace for Education sessions (this is typically the most used Glow application and is therefore a good indicator of engagement). At the start of 2022, January saw 251,965 sessions; usage had more than doubled since December (a 136% increase). There were 6468 unique pupils and 1186 unique staff logins recorded by Glow in December 2021. January saw negligible changes to this (a 0.7% decrease and 0.2% increase respectively), indicating an almost identical number of individuals using Glow in both months.
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23 Scottish Government - a device for every pupil The Scottish Government has made a commitment to provide a device to every learner by the end of the present parliamentary session. Further information on this commitment has not yet been received. It has been suggested that a phased approach may be taken, where devices are released once Local Authorities reach milestones in relation to network infrastructure. The Scottish Government have made a budget commitment of £15 million during 2022/2023 to support Local Authorities to prepare for a 1:1 device rollout. The device deployment phase of this grant is not expected until 2023/2024 and may also include Internet connectivity to support learners who do not have access at home. The Scottish Government has issued a survey to gather information on the landscape of digital maturity across all 32 Local Authorities. The survey is designed to help inform Education Scotland's future roadmap and the potential impact of large numbers of additional devices accessing Glow. Feedback has been sought from other Local Authorities on their plans for a 1:1 device roll out. A meeting has been arranged with practitioners to help inform the Authorities’ position on the most suitable types of devices. Rural Growth Deal The Scottish Government STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) strategy aims to build Scotland's capacity to deliver excellent STEM learning and to close equity gaps in participation and attainment in STEM. It also aims to inspire young people and adults to study STEM, and to provide a better connection between STEM education and training and the needs of the labour market in Scotland. Given that 17% of our population resides across 23 inhabited islands, it is difficult for some of our island and rural communities to access STEM engagement experiences (such as those located in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow). Consequently, various sources of funding are being explored and investigated for the creation of mobile STEM hubs. This proposal has been included as a possible option within the Council’s Rural Growth Deal (RGD) under the section “Attracting – Skills, Training and Education”. STEM Hub Dunoon The Council was successful in a funding bid to the Scottish Government’s Clyde Mission fund. The purpose of the fund is to provide capital support to projects that deliver economic stimulus. The Council has appointed architects to lead the transformation of the former Hill Street office in Dunoon into a STEM hub / community hub. The STEM hub will provide cutting edge learning in the following: Cyber Security Renewable Energy Biology and Marine Science Engineering and Physics The vision of the STEM hub is to implement a blended learning approach (physical, mobile and virtual) that delivers a full suite of high-quality and equitable STEM education and experiences in order to meet the needs of children and young people across Argyll and Bute, as well as equip individuals with skills to benefit and develop the local business community. The budget available for the refurbishment of the building and infrastructure is £807,500.
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24 STEM Funding The Digital Learning team was successful in a funding bid to the UK Government Community Renewal Fund (UK CRF) for £100,000. £78,100 of this grant is for the creation of high quality STEM curricular materials. Following a competitive procurement exercise, the Glasgow Science Centre is the successful supplier who will create at least 8 high quality full day STEM activities (suitable for second level – comprising of video, animation and workshops). Wellbeing, Rights and Relationships Our schools have continued to demonstrate a commitment towards becoming Rights Respecting Schools. With 38 Primary schools on their accreditation journey to achieve with UNICEF, 19 have achieved Bronze, 7 Silver, 1 Gold and a further 10 have registered to date. 4 schools have progressed their certification status in 2022, 9 in 2021, 11 in 2020 and 6 in 2019. The breakdown of engagements across the Local Authority is noted below. MAKI 9 x Primary Schools OLI 8 x Primary Schools HALCO 8 x Primary Schools Bute & Cowal 13 x Primary Schools Schools have been encouraged to engage with Argyll & Bute Council Poverty Awareness Training. 10 Primary staff members (teaching and non-teaching) participated in this training. A further training session was delivered in partnership with Education and Social Work to explore ways to engage with pupil voice in relation to Child Poverty. Kirn Primary School is piloting the approach to pupil voice on Child Poverty. Rockfield Primary School has undertook pupil and parental consultation concerning the cost of the school day. The National Parental Involvement and Engagement Census has seen a 7.6% increase in returns from Primary school parents and carers, compared to the pilot that took place in 2020. This survey concluded recently. Further analysis will provide the Local Authority and our schools with valuable information with regards to reviewing engagement as part of Covid renewal plans. Cardross Primary School contributed to the Education Scotland thematic inspection that resulted in “Engaging Families in Learning” engaging-families-in-learning-a-thematic-inspection-of-family-
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25 learning-feb-2021.pdf (education.gov.scot). This was published in February 2021. A number of our schools were involved in thematic inspections with Education Scotland. Inveraray Primary School has been included as a case study within the report that examines “Successful Approaches to Learning Outdoors” Successful Approaches to Learning Outdoors | National Thematic Inspections | HM Chief Inspector Report | Inspection and review | What we do | Education Scotland. This was published in February 2022. Numeracy OLI schools have been well represented in a variety of professional learning opportunities this session. 12 schools have signed up for a series of sessions looking at SEAL (the stages of early arithmetical learning), an approach which seeks to ensure that children have a solid understanding of the building blocks that sit behind later Maths learning and are learning at a pace that is right for them. 8 schools have also taken part in training offered by the Learning through Landscapes organisation, which supports staff in delivering Maths in an outdoor environment. One school on Mull has had the opportunity to work with Dr Lio Moscardini, developing problem solving skills in youngsters – this work is ongoing and we expect it to be developed further across Mull next session. Through our engagement with the Northern Alliance, 2 schools were lucky enough to be given the chance to take part in a Maths Mastery course, examining the ways in which we can ensure deep learning and retention in mathematical skills, while 1 school is working closely with other schools across the Northern Alliance to investigate ways in which we teach fractions effectively. Schools have access to the online Maths programme, Sumdog, which supports a number of competitions and challenges, including regular Argyll and Bute inter schools challenges. Rockfield, Tiree, Lochdonhead and Taynuilt have all won individual, class or daily challenges in 2022. Secondary schools have also been engaged with a variety of numeracy opportunities – all Maths departments are represented at the Northern Alliance’s Subject Specific Support Group, giving them the opportunity to discuss current issues in the teaching of Maths with their colleagues across the North of Scotland, while the Oban High Maths department has attended training organised through the Northern Alliance in Maths Balance – an intervention designed to support S1 and S2 pupils who need some additional input to ensure they achieve their full potential. Literacy All Secondary English departments are also represented at the Northern Alliance’s Subject Specific Support Group and have been involved in the setting up of 2 sessions to support the discussion of consistent standards across the whole of the North of Scotland. Both Secondary and Primary schools are also represented at Education Scotland’s Literacy and English Curricular Network, where they have the opportunity to work alongside colleagues from across Scotland to discuss key priorities in Literacy. Primary practitioners across OLI have been enthusiastic in their engagement with a range of Literacy development opportunities. These include 4 sessions examining approaches to the teaching of writing, 3 sessions exploring Storyline, a way of engaging pupils with Literacy in an inter disciplinary context, and a series of sessions introducing practitioners at early level to Emerging Literacy, an approach to Literacy learning which ensures that every child is working at a pace appropriate to their developmental stage.
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26 Dervaig Primary School Dervaig children have been developing Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) in Maths. This involves the children developing strategies for solving word problems. Dr Lio Moscardini, a specialist in children’s Mathematics, Inclusive Practice and Pedagogy visited the Maths classes to see how the learners are progressing with CGI and share his expertise. He works with schools to connect with CGI and comes with 30 years of research experience. Dr Lio commented, “You are doing really good work with the children and the benefits of it are evident.” We felt proud of the children and staff when he commented on the ‘good work’ that was taking place and how ‘engaged’ the children were. It is evident that the children are really improving their problem solving skills. They have grown in confidence and are engaged with their Maths. The word problems were continued during lockdown with learning online as the children wanted to do them at home. Developing Maths was a school priority and, as we embed CGI Maths in school, we have reached out to other schools to create links in implementing this most effectively. Curriculum for Excellence aims for learners to gain knowledge and develop skills for learning, life and work. CGI word problems are written specifically for them and are relevant to life. This allows them to make connections between their Maths and the real world. Personalisation and Choice, a design principal, features highly in this as the word problems are personalised and they are encouraged to develop their own strategies. Arinagour Primary School RSPB Bird Week Our 6 children (P3-P7) took part with the help of our RSPB contacts on the island. Two bird feeders were placed in the school playground, located for ideal viewing of the bird visitors
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27 throughout the day. Children were responsible for recording the various species of birds and refilling the feeders as and when required. We also went on an organised walk to The Lodge just outside the village where another two feeders had been erected. They were accompanied by one of the RSPB staff who assisted in identifying the different birds and provided information about the different habitats. The children used iPads to take photographs. Data handling skills were gained from collating information on birds. Scientific knowledge regarding animals and habitats was gained. This ties in well with their outdoor learning and the School Improvement Plan focus in making use of our unique outdoor environment here on Coll. The children will continue to monitor the visiting birds over the coming months and note any differences during the change of season. We will also be doing more work with the local RSPB including a visit to their workshop and a beach/trail bird-spotting walk in the summer term. This activity has impacted on us recognising that we have a great opportunity for a community link with RSPB and their staff to enhance the learning of the children. Barcaldine Primary School All pupils (P1-7) created their own Forest Fairy Houses, either by themselves or with a partner, in our neighbouring woods of Sutherland’s Grove. After watching ‘Scotland’s Home of the Year’, they painted love hearts on a small stone and placed it in their favourite part of their house. Pupils learned to present their homes by using appropriate and engaging language and including introductions and endings. They used iPads to record themselves presenting their homes, then reviewed their presentation and made improvements where they thought necessary. Finally, pupils used their listening and talking skills to present their house to the rest of the class. Votes were cast and the winner of the 2022 Forest Fairy Home of the Year was announced and celebrated. This is part of our actions to raise attainment in Listening and Talking and re-establish partnerships (Forestry and Land Scotland) in our School Improvement Plan. All children were completely engaged and improved their presentation skills.
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28 Dunbeg Primary School P5 to P7 children have once again been trained by Allan Wright (Live Argyll) as Young Leaders. Almost all ran one of the clubs for either P1 to P4 or P5 to P7. The clubs related to the leaders’ own interests and included: Football, Dance, History, Mindfulness Technology, Gymnastics, Arts and Crafts and Athletics. This was the second year of this programme, discounting March 2020 - September 2021. The children worked in pairs and trios to plan the activities and ran the clubs once weekly. Allan Wright has been involved over several weeks (training the leaders). He has also dropped in to talk through sessions and offer support and encouragement to the leaders. He will involve them in a new health award later on this week. Lunch clubs at Dunbeg Primary School This links to the National Improvement Framework (NIF): Placing the human rights and needs of every child and young person at the centre of education • Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing • Improvement in (leadership) skills and sustained, positive school-leaver destinations for all young people. It also reflects our commitment to pupil voice and participation in school life in this year’s School Improvement Plan. Current impact: On the wellbeing, health and skills of the leaders who were committed to the clubs. Some of our leaders have previously lacked confidence and blossomed in the role. Each leader has committed and maintained the role since the beginning. We had 66 members participating over the week (some in more than one club). Pupil enjoyment was evident when the clubs were ongoing. The playground became even more settled as between 1/6 to 1/3 of pupils were actively engaged in structured play each day. Some of the Dance Club group members outdoors - warm up game. Young leaders left and middle of shot.
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29 Easdale Primary & ELC The second lockdown compounded geographical isolation in an academic year with disruption by two emergency re-locations during major electrical rewiring. Health and Wellbeing has been a high priority for young people recovering from the impact of COVID. Partnership working created opportunities for outdoor learning and leisure accessible from our doorstep. Isle of Seil Golf Club led P4-7 lessons, including funded sessions from a visiting pro golfer, giving children skills to take up family membership and continue a lifelong skill. Active Schools supported golf and also worked with the school to ensure that all: Upper Primary achieved Sports Leaders Certificates. The whole school is on the way to achieving Bronze and Silver Health Awards by summer 2022. OHS Sports Coaches delivered a fully inclusive after school games club for all Primary children supported by the Parent Council. The ELC delivered 75 percent of outdoor learning using school grounds, ‘An Cala’ Open Garden, beach and woodland. Food to table planting continues. Health month saw health, fire and police services visits. Iona Primary School Online learning of languages We took the opportunity to enhance our language provision by signing up to Gaelic funded by Blasad Gàidhlig - Fèisgoil - Fèisean nan Gàidheal, Mandarin funded by Strathclyde University and a Makaton tutor for staff funded by the ASN team. Gaelic is presented every Tuesday to the whole school for 20 weeks and Mandarin is presented to P4-7 every Wednesday for 10 weeks. Both of these experiences looked at speaking, reading and culture. Makaton training is attended 6 hours a week out of school time and this communication tool is embedded in the school community. Funding was secured due to the amount of visitors that the children encounter each year and our intention for Iona to be a communication friendly island. These brain development activities impacted on all areas of attainment. A child with dyscalculia found that simple maths in Mandarin was being functioned in a different part of the brain and it was achievable.
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30 Kilninver Primary School On Twosday, 22/02/22, at Kilninver it was felt that due to various reasons, the Numeracy skills of many children had not made the expected progress and some children were exhibiting anxious behaviours when Numeracy or Maths were mentioned. It was felt that by celebrating a day with a focus on Numeracy and fun, this might help to alleviate some of the anxiety. The day began with the first whole school meeting for two years, the children were introduced to the activities and there was a discussion about the date and its importance. The children were split into their level groups – Early, First and Second – giving them an opportunity to work with other children as this is not how our classes are split. The teaching staff planned a focus activity for the day, differentiating for the different levels. During the day, the children took part in orienteering activities and coding with our Bee-Bots. The focus on this learning was to develop position and movement skills. They developed their mental Maths skills through target Maths and the last group explored symmetry and ‘2’ facts and also investigated the links between doubles and halves. We gathered together again at the end of the day to review the learning. The children were so enthusiastic about the day. Many reported that they weren’t looking forward to the day as they didn’t like maths, but now they are beginning to see that Maths can be fun.
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31 Lochdonhead Primary School Everyone at Lochdonhead Primary School is very proud to have achieved our Silver Medal in the Woodland Trust Green Tree Schools Award. First of all, we completed the ‘Recycling’ activity. An audit of the recycling we already do at Lochdonhead Primary helped to highlight all of the hard work we do to help the environment and identify any areas for improvement. At an Eco-Schools Committee meeting, we pledged to start recycling soft plastics, as there is a new collection point in the Co-Op in Tobermory, and collect plastic milk bottle tops to raise funds for guide dogs for the blind. We have been visiting the local forest for our Forest School sessions. During one of these sessions, we looked at the forest from different viewpoints. We imagined ourselves as a baby deer, hiding from danger in the bracken. What would it be like to be an eagle soaring over the woods, looking down from above? A toadstool could look enormous to a woodlouse or a centipede! Using viewfinder templates, we framed our view and took photos and then used these to create pictures back at school. We gathered acorns from the forest floor. When we got back to school, we planted each one in a small pot with some compost. Just one began to grow, so we have been nurturing it by placing it on a sunny windowsill and watering it regularly. We hope it will grow into a mighty oak tree! Our next goal in the Green Tree Award is to achieve our Gold award. We’re looking forward to getting back out into the forest, come rain…or shine!
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32 Lismore Primary School We recently received our 5th Eco School Flag and certificate. To achieve this, we set three school targets that linked with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We then set to work achieving our targets. This included growing and eating our own food, learning about food miles, recycling, re-using and reducing and learning more about locally sourced products. Our good practise was shared in the Oban Times. We held a One Planet Picnic and invited people from the local community to contribute. We received locally sourced beef and venison and scones made with locally sourced eggs. We also had the most delicious raspberry brownies made with raspberries grown on Lismore and made our own bramble pie with brambles we picked ourselves. We also managed to source some trees from The Woodland Trust. We planted some at school and gave others to the local community. We then went on a day trip to a local croft and helped them plant over 80 trees. We were rewarded with yummy hot chocolate and cake! The whole school took part in all of these events. The activities detailed above helped us develop our work outdoors and work towards national and authority climate change targets. It also helped us establish relationships across the community, which is part of our School Improvement Plan. Lochnell Primary School P6/5 undertook STEM learning activities as part of their human body Interdisciplinary Learning (IDL)work. They were challenged to make puppets with jointed limbs that were able to move like a human body. Next, they had to create a structure that could support a load effectively – just like a human skeleton does.
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33 This linked with our School Improvement Plan work. We wanted to increase how we shared our learning - this IDL was turned into a slideshow and shared with families as part of our learning week. This IDL project formed part of our curriculum development work. Teaching staff have been developing lesson structures and populating progression frameworks to ensure breadth and depth coverage of the Curriculum for Excellence. Collegiate sessions have supported practitioners to develop rich assessment tasks and moderate the results to ensure consistency and the correct level of personalised learner support is in place. It also linked well with the Authority and National Improvement Framework by offering increased opportunities for partnership working with parents who were invited to share skills (e.g. GP’s and scientists). Learning was accessible to all pupils and allowed a range of skills to be developed and shared, ensuring each learner was valued and felt included. Wider achievement opportunities were linked in through PE and Expressive Arts to support learners make connections with their knowledge and problem solving skills. Links were made to the real world and Health and Well Being and Literacy and Numeracy skills were incorporated throughout all tasks. Impact: Positive impact on attainment (pupil voice and professional judgement) through increased engagement using experiential learning opportunities. Successful partnership working with parents. Enhanced practitioner confidence and approach to planning IDL and long term curriculum planning. Strath of Appin Primary School We have been working to embed outdoor learning across all classes this session. Our school is situated within a beautiful natural environment and the Sustran’s cycle path runs directly past the school connecting us to wooded areas, open fields and the shoreline. The ELC has planned outdoor sessions on most days and the Primary classes have participated in a planned half-day of outdoor learning every week. Learning activities are cross-curricular and linked to class learning in P1-7 and pupil interest in the ELC. All classes participated in outdoor sessions with instructors from Ardroy Outdoor Education Centre. This developed pupil and staff confidence in outdoor learning and led to enhanced teamwork skills. This work is linked to priorities in our current School Improvement Plan and the Three Assets Approach in ELC and takes account of the proven benefits of learning in outdoor environments. As a result of this work, teachers and support staff are significantly more confident to work outdoors and use our outdoor environment to provide stimulating learning experiences. Pupils are also becoming increasingly competent in learning from and within our local environment. Outdoor learning has also led to increased inclusion as pupils with social and emotional needs are noticeably more settled out of the classroom. The pupil with complex ASN in the Gaelic Medium class also thrives in outdoor situations and his focus on tasks usually lasts significantly longer than it does in the classroom.
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34 St Columba’s Primary School Our P7s are currently taking part in an enterprise project called Virgin Money. This is an interdisciplinary project that has drawn on and increased their skills in Literacy, Numeracy as well as Digital Literacy. The P7s began the project by researching what a business is and how to run a business. They then chose business groups where they developed a business idea. Many of these ideas required the children to create products. One group designed and built their own motorised machine that allowed them to create splash paint art. Once they had created their enterprise idea, they created a business plan and pitch for a Dragon’s Den! To do this, they had to budget for a £5 loan per person and create a business plan, which included how they would make a profit. They had to undertake market research and represent this graphically. They had to come up with their marketing plan and finally a presentation to pitch to the Dragon’s Den. The Dragon’s Den included two local business owners who dialled in via a Google Meet. Each group took their turn to pitch their business plan. They were then given a grilling by the dragons and had to answer a number of difficult questions. Based on their pitch and how they answered the questions, they were either granted the loan or given a list of requirements to do before they were given their money. Once they had their loan, they moved to develop their products for a market day. Each of the classes will be invited to the stalls on market day as well as parents and people from the local community, including the dragons and members of our parish. On market day, the P7s will be required to make decisions such as cutting the price of products as they move through the day or doing deals to make sure they make a profit and not a loss. We felt this ties into national priorities in terms of improving children’s employability skills and using IDL to improve our learners’ achievements in Literacy, Numeracy and Health and Wellbeing by giving them a real context for their learning. This has been a fantastic opportunity for the P7s to get really excited about their learning and to have the opportunity to apply and develop a range of skills in a real life context. They really enjoyed the opportunity to pitch to actual business owners and experience the level of scrutiny entrepreneurs go through.
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35 Rockfield Primary School Staff at Rockfield have been implementing a research based approach to reading and writing as part of our drive to raise attainment in Literacy and as part of our post-COVID recovery plan. This is linked to the National Improvement Framework drivers and Teacher and Practitioner Professionalism. This has involved participation in training programmes Talk for Writing and Phonics International, which have been rolled out across the school. These approaches have been personalised and adapted for Gaelic Medium pupils, in line with key priorities within Gaelic language acquisition. As a result, we are seeing encouraging signs of progress for all learners which is also reflected in better levels of engagement and participation. Some examples are shown below: Primary 1 pupils have learned how to write all the lowercase letters. They are using our phonics to encode words and are beginning to write in sentences. Primary 4 pupils have been exploring a range of writing including writing Scottish menus, fairy tales and letters of complaint! They are currently writing a newspaper report about the sinking of the Titanic vessel. They have researched our facts to ensure they have accurate information from a variety of sources.
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36 In P7B, we have been developing our reading and comprehension skills through our book study of 'The Goldfish Boy'. We have been working to produce persuasive writing pieces, including a persuasive speech, which encourages citizens to come and live in our fantastic new democratic countries (linked to our topic). Tobermory Primary & ELC During British Science Week, Secondary pupils supported learning in ELC and Primary as part of their role as Science Ambassadors. In the ELC, the Ambassadors made volcanoes and carried out a chromatography experiment. P1, 2 and 3 – A presentation was given on plants. This was followed up with a question and answer session and activities labelling diagrams of plants. P3, 4 and 5 – The Ambassadors helped pupils learn about the life cycle of plants and supported pupils to create information posters for display. This also built on their work of developing global citizenship by helping them understand the importance of plants and how the plants help protect the planet. P6 and 7 – The Ambassadors ran a session on how plants could be used to make textile dyes from natural materials. By using colour, texture and smell they helped pupils identify the plants used to make the dyes. They evaluated the success of the materials when they were used to dye some wool, which was later used to create mobiles using natural materials. This work involved staff at different levels planning together to develop effective partnership working between stages of the school. This also created valuable leadership opportunities for our senior students. The use of our Science Ambassadors promoted positive STEM role models to the pupils and allowed pupils to learn from each other, thereby creating motivating hands-on STEM learning experiences.
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37 Taynuilt Primary & ELC Creativity Quest The whole school have undertaken a Creative Quest using digital technology in collaboration with professional illustrators, published authors, past pupils and the local Community Council to develop their ability to express themselves through written and spoken language, music and artwork. The children illustrated their stories, poems, fact files and biographies using Procreate on iPads. They will go on to showcase their work to a worldwide audience on the school website and in a hardback book that the local community are supporting us to publish. The project had three main aims. Firstly, to encourage the children to explore their creative talents. Secondly, that while they may live in a rural location they can have a global audience if they wish. Thirdly, how to do this in a safe and responsible manner. When we go live at the formal launch, we will have workshops for families about responsible use of digital platforms. Tiree Primary School All of our Primary pupils (across both Gaelic Medium and English Medium Education) took part in the Tìr Ìseal nan Òran (Tiree Low Land of Song) project this session. This has been a valuable IDL experience incorporating aspects of Literacy, Technology and Expressive Arts outcomes whilst celebrating Tiree’s heritage, culture and Gaelic language.
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38 All pupils were involved in a drama workshop where they listened to seven stories from the island’s history, tradition and mythology. They were then tasked with retelling the stories through performance. Pupils created, adapted and experimented with different drama techniques in order to portray the stories to an audience. Primary 5 - 7 pupils experienced a series of script writing lessons in order to work together to creatively reflect on the stories and write written responses. This purposeful writing task engaged our pupils and provided enjoyment, whilst providing a significant level of challenge. GME pupils were supported to use Gaelic throughout the writing process. All of our children were given the opportunity during this project to explore the original archived documents and artefacts that underpin the traditional stories. Primary 5 - 7 children identified the sources of information, and learned about how the documents were found and how they were preserved and protected for us to still look at today. The project is island-wide and has provided opportunities for further involvement in our local community, including our pupils showcasing their creative work at the Tiree Music Festival in July. The next step of the project involves P5 - 7 pupils taking part in a Film Making workshop where they will be using STEM skills to create their own animations from their creative writing. P5 - 7 Drama workshop (using freeze frames to retell the story) Ulva Primary School As part of their outdoor learning, the pupils at Ulva Primary School have been enjoying a wide range of curriculum areas through their weekly Shore School Sessions. In September, in partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful and in conjunction with COP26, we organised a One Planet Picnic at our shore school. The focus of this special picnic was that it was to be ‘both good for you and good for the planet’. All our families were involved and all of the food that we had was either home grown, homemade or food that supports a local shop. “We all brought in our items and shared them out. We did this to try and reduce our carbon footprint and reduce food waste as well. We used recycled containers and we reduced food waste by taking the food we didn’t eat back to school to eat there or share with our families at home.” – P7 pupil.
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39 “We were doing a One Planet Picnic for COP26, this meant we had to bring homemade or home grown food. I brought turnip, carrots, pumpkin, apples, onions, courgette and tomatoes.” – P4 pupil “We ate in the shelter and I had a home-made blackberry muffin, it was so good. After we ate, we all had a play and then went back to school.” – P1 pupil Keep Scotland were so impressed with our efforts that we had a special feature in the January 2022 Eco-schools newsletter, which is shared nationally. Dalmally Primary School During term one, Primary 5-7 pupils took part in an interdisciplinary project on the Tokyo Paralympic games which was covering aspects of Health and Wellbeing, Literacy and Numeracy. The main aim was for children to have the opportunity to develop their understanding of disability and challenge any preconceptions while exploring concepts such as equality, discrimination and prejudice. Children were also encouraged to reflect on our school values and how the examples set by Paralympian’s show what can be achieved with a positive attitude and the correct support. Children compared traditional Olympic sports in PE, such as Athletics with Paralympic equivalents. This was also used as a real context to develop children’s understanding of decimal numbers. We also worked with Active Schools to learn about the sport of boccia. Children developed skills in reading for information in Literacy, including understanding how to identify reliable sources through researching a particular Paralympic
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40 sport. Writing lessons focused on developing children’s awareness of the language and structural features of newspaper articles by using examples from a range of different newspapers, magazines and online articles related to the Paralympic games. Children also had the opportunity to interview a Paralympic athlete from the Irish Equestrian team, who’s Mascot was designed and made by a member of our local community. Through taking part in this project, children were able to develop their understanding of what it takes to become a Paralympic athlete, the nature of the challenges they face and how the adaptations and classifications in different sports make them more accessible to create equal opportunities to succeed. Salen Primary School Since returning to Salen Primary following our decant to Tobermory, the pupils and staff have been getting used to their new surroundings. They are enjoying their new rooms and outdoor spaces. Lunch time and after school clubs have restarted. Our P6 and P7 pupils worked with the Active Schools co-ordinator to put together a programme of clubs. The P6 and P7 pupils volunteered to run a range of different active clubs. They planned and delivered the clubs and made sure a register was kept. In addition, our Playground Buddies ran lunch time games sessions twice per week. We had lunch time clubs every day. Indeed, some days we had two clubs running with one taking place in the hall and another one outside. The pupils took the responsibility seriously and enjoyed making sure the younger pupils had fun at their clubs. After school Gardening Club also resumed. Pupils were learning lots, including; what plants and seeds need to grow and flourish recycling yoghurt pots from the school kitchen to grow seeds making their own plant food rich in nutrients, for indoor and outdoor plants, by dehydrating banana and orange skins using a dehydrator making individual wormeries making environmentally friendly bird feeders using donated mismatched china cups and saucers A group of enthusiastic and knowledgeable school support staff ran the club. The club was so popular the leaders were also doing activities with the rest of the pupils at lunch times as well as supporting class growing topics.
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41 Kilchattan Primary School As a whole school, including both Nursery and Primary children, we have been working hard to promote Health and Wellbeing through outdoor learning and local visits. We have been learning about plants and the importance of bees this term. This included sampling our local Colonsay honey and comparing it to other brands. I am pleased to say that Colonsay honey won every time! We have also focused on trees and the importance of trees in our environment. In order to motivate our children and create enthusiasm for the topic, we started with ‘Mystery Boxes’ containing a variety of items to spark curiosity and investigative questions. We also visited the local woodland to learn more about the plants and trees on Colonsay. Our P2 pupil was our official photographer and, using a Nikon D60, took some amazing photos and was genuinely in awe of the beauty around him. We have been gardening, planting our poly tunnel and our barrels with vegetables and flower seeds, including seed bombs, which we made ourselves as an integral part of our learning. We also recovered some old crates, which we found washed up on the beach, and planted flowers in them to attract bees. The whole learning experience provided a meaningful and relevant context for children and staff to learn and work together; to connect us to our local environment; to understand and appreciate our natural world through sensory experiences; to promote a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating and to promote learning for sustainability. The project also provided a context for a huge variety of Literacy and Numeracy learning. As an example our P2 pupil surveyed pupils, staff and parents to help us choose which flowers to plant and he read and followed instructions to make seed bombs. Our Nursery children have been counting and sorting the variety of leaves, cones, petals, etc., which we had collected from the forest floor and our P5 pupil participated in an online event on Earth Day engaging in discussion with a traditional legend about trees and learning about deforestation.
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42 Park Primary Young Leadership Training with Active Schools To involve P6 pupils in formal training covering leadership, leading and adapting activities, overcoming challenges and session planning, pupils have been applying this learning to various after schools clubs and taking on roles such as decision makers, event organisers and coaches. The pupils have been encouraged to create activities that were Active, Purposeful, Enjoyable and Safe (APES). They had various discussions around the process leading up to their activities – risk assessment, first aid, safety, training, equipment before choosing the sports to run as after school clubs with groups of younger pupils. They have been developing their coaching skills, not what they do but how they deliver it, following the structure of: Instruction, Exploration, Demonstration, Observation and Feedback. Making seed bombs Helping our local deliveryman to unload our peat-free compost Exploring the mystery box about trees. One of our nursery mums and sister joined us for a stay and play Nursery and primary pupils planting the barrels Emptying the barrels so we can relocate them Some of the ELC learning about bees Woodland walk
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43 It ties in with the following priorities: School - Achievements are valued and the benefits of participating in opportunities out with school are seen. Authority - To equip young people to secure and sustain positive destinations and achieve success in life. National – To equip pupils with the foundation skills, attitudes and expectations necessary to prosper in a changing society and to encourage creativity and ambition. Impact is ongoing, but the young leaders’ confidence in themselves and their abilities has developed and also their confidence when supporting and leading others in sport activities. They have been self-reflecting and building on feedback from younger pupils when planning to deliver further after school clubs. This has developed a more positive attitude towards sports, with pupils seeing the benefits of staying active in an enjoyable way. Comments included “The Primary Sixes are really good at explaining the rules to us.” and “Can we have more clubs with older children?”
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44 Bunessan Primary School Our P5/6 Gaelic Medium pupils were given the opportunity to join P6/7 pupils from a Gaelic Medium class at Salen to go on a residential trip to Edinburgh for two nights for Edinburgh Gaelic Week. This gave our very small class the opportunity to spend time with other Gaelic speaking children and staff, thereby promoting the Gaelic language and helping them understand that Gaelic is not just for speaking in school. In Edinburgh they visited the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle and Our Dynamic Earth with Gaelic speaking tour guides, again letting them see that Gaelic is used widely across Scotland by a variety of people and is not just what we use in school. This trip gave our children the opportunity to mix with others on Mull, create new friendships and enjoy new experiences in a big city which has been difficult over the last two years. It was lovely to see the children growing in confidence and having a lovely time together.
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45 School Contacts School Contact Position Address Phone No. Arinagour Primary Sharon Burt Head Teacher Arinagour, Isle of Coll, PA78 6TA 01879 230376 Barcaldine Primary Julie Watson Head Teacher Barcaldine, Connel, PA37 1SG 01631 720391 Bunessan Primary Kate Petrie Head Teacher Bunessan, Isle of Mull, PA67 6DL 01681 700283 Dalmally Primary Lynn Sinclair Head Teacher Dalmally, Argyll PA33 1BE 01838 200359 Dervaig Primary Tricia Evans Head Teacher Dervaig, Isle of Mull, PA75 6QW 01688 400227 Dunbeg Primary Marny McCulloch Head Teacher Dunbeg, Connel, PA37 1QF 01631 564781 Easdale Primary Judith Frost Head Teacher (Joint Headship with Luing) Easdale, Oban, PA34 4RF 01852 300243 Iona Primary Stephen Glen- Lee Head Teacher Isle of Iona, PA76 6SJ 01681 700348 Kilchattan Primary Kim Bentley Head Teacher Isle of Colonsay, Argyll, PA61 7YR 01951 200340 Kilninver Primary Sharon Burt Head Teacher Kilninver, Oban, PA34 4UT 01852 316236 Lismore Primary Debbie Harris Head Teacher Isle of Lismore, Oban, PA34 5UG 01631 760258 Lochdonhead Primary Susie Carmichael Head Teacher (Joint Headship with Ulva Primary) Lochdonhead, Isle of Mull, PA64 6AP 01680 812473 Lochnell Primary Louise Chisholm Head Teacher Lochnell, Ledaig, Connel, Argyll PA37 1QS 01631 720300 Park Primary Shirley Stuart Head Teacher Kerrera Terrace, Oban, PA34 5AU 01631 563941 Rockfield Primary Caroline Fothergill Head Teacher Oban Primary Campus, Soro- ba Road, Oban, PA34 4SB 01631 568090/568091 Salen Primary Mairi Maclean Head Teacher Salen, Isle of Mull, PA72 6JL 01680 300348 St Columba’s Primary Michaelina MacLellan Head Teacher Oban Primary Campus, Soro- ba Road, Oban, PA34 4SB 01631 568092/ 568090 Strath of Appin Primary Marissa Melville Head Teacher Strath of Appin, Appin, PA38 4BG 01631 730345 Taynuilt Primary Bernie McMillan Head Teacher Taynuilt, Argyll, PA35 1JE 01866 822343 Tiree HS Primary Peter Bain Head Teacher Isle of Tiree, PA77 6XA 01879 220383/ 220790
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46 Tobermory HS Primary Dept. Richard Gawthorpe Acting Head Teacher Tobermory, Isle of Mull, PA75 6PB 01688 302062