ACC - Connecting the Curriculum Issue 1

EDUCATION, CULTUREAND SPORT

Learners in Aberdeen CityPrimary Schools have proven tobe highly successful socialentrepreneurs. Their challengewas to grow a £1 grant in amonth using any legal means!Following the success of thisyear’s Micro-Tyco event Scottish

Minister for Education andLifelong Learning metpupils and staff from StJoseph’s Primary afterthey, once again, toppedthe national leader board.Mick Jackson, founder ofthe Wild HeartsFoundation, was also inattendance during the daywhere he awarded theschool trophies for ‘Winnerof Schools and Universities’for 2011 and 2012 andoverall 3rd place 2012 havingraised over a staggering £14,000in just one month.

Sonia Mills, teacher at St Joseph’sPrimary School, said “From thebeginning of Micro-Tyco, thechildren were inspired by theWildHearts vision. Discoveringtheir own talents whilst helpingothers engaged everyone whotook part.”For 11 year old Leah theimportance was in the SocialEnterprise aspect commentingthat, “Because of Micro-Tyco I amnow a Global Ethical Investor”.

ISSUE ONE | JUNE | 2013

Get InvolvedAberdeen schools have made agreat impact in the Micro-TycoChallenge with teachers graspingthe opportunity to provide a reallife context for cross-curricularlearning. Does your class hold thenext generation of socialentrepreneurs? Inspire thefuture with WildHearts in Action!

For further information:

www.micro-tyco.com

[email protected]

NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR YOUNGCITY ENTREPRENEURS

SCOTTISH MINISTER VISITS St JOSEPH'S PRIMARY

CONNECTINGthe curriculum

QUICK LINKSAberdeen City CfE blogKeep up to date with allthe latest developments.

bit.ly/AberdeenBfE

Share curricularresources, ideas andmaterials in the BALTICglow group.bit.ly/AberdeenBALTIC

Find out the latestinformation about theGlow migration.bit.ly/ZGv75J

A series of briefingpapers with informationand advice to supportpractitioners with CfE.bit.ly/11OKyGl

Pupils from St Joseph’s Primary celebrate their success

with Mike Russell


bit.ly/AberdeenBfE

bit.ly/AberdeenBALTIC

http://bit.ly/ZGv75J

http://bit.ly/11OKyGl


P7 Challenge PacksA fantastic 118 challenge packswere sent out to Primary 7 pupilsand are currently being returned.The packs are filled with problemsand questions to challenge pupils’skills and knowledge within Mathsand Numeracy. The challenge willrun through the month of May andwhen returned pupils will be ableto celebrate their success withinschool and also across theauthority.

ASG ModerationStaff from Kincorth and NorthfieldASGs have been involved innumeracy moderation activities.The ASGs have been workingtogether to look at security oflevels and are developing andtrialling materials that will beshared more openly at a laterdate.

World Maths DayNorthfield Academy took part in the World Maths DayChallenge and surpassed their previous totals andtargets by achieving a t 75834 correct answers. BrendaHarden, Faculty Head said that “Taking part in WorldMaths Day has been very motivating for pupils. Thecross-curricular nature has allowed Maths to be acontext for learning about other countries in the world.”

CPD:Numeracy Through StoriesA twilight CPD held on March 12th focused on creative ways to introduceand deliver Maths and Numeracy through the use of texts and songs.During the session, teachers were tasked to plan lessons and activitiesusing a range of books made available through the Curriculum Resourceand Information Service (CRIS) based at Kincorth Academy. The materi-als that were developed have now been uploaded to the Numeracy GlowGroup alongside a list of suggested books that could be used.

NUMERACY

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:bit.ly/AberdeenBALTICOr contact:SHONA PATTERSONDevelopment Officer: [email protected] 52429

P7 Enterprising Mathematics ChallengeGroups of Primary 7 pupils from across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshiremet at the University of Aberdeen’s Elphinstone Hall to compete inthe Enterprising Mathematics Challenge. Supported by Opito andHelen Martin from the University, the event provided pupils with anopportunity to use their mathematical and numeracy skills in real lifeproblems through timed challenges and a competitive environment.The event had a great buzz around it and pupils and teachers wereengaged in challenges throughout the day. Well done to all thePrimary 7 pupils who took part!

curriculum for excellence

What are learners saying aboutWorld Maths Day?“It’s challenging, motivating andmakes you determined to comefirst and beat your best score”(Erin, 14)

“It’s fun and gets your braingoing. The pressure is excitingand makes you want to workharder.” (Mia, 13)

Learners at Northfield Academy take part in World Maths Day

mailto:[email protected]



Active LiteracyAll schools have now received copies of the Primary 6 and Primary 7materials. Successful training for over one hundred teachers was runin February, based on these resources. Further training for all sectorswill be on offer next session for Active Literacy.

LITERACY

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:bit.ly/AberdeenBALTICOr contact:IONA REIDDevelopment Officer: [email protected] 523909

DECORATE A DOOR – WORLD BOOK DAY COMPETITION22 primary and 5 secondary schools took part in the citywide competitionto help celebrate World Book Day on Thursday 7 March 2013. Classeswere invited to decorate a door using a favourite novel or author as astimulus. Schools then selected an overall winner and entered their pho-tograph in the city competition. Staff at Marischal College then voted onthe entries and Middleton Park was chosen as the city wide winner. Con-gratulations also go to Muirfield, Kingswells and Dyce Primaries who werealso all placed. Thanks to John Lewis and Waterstones forproviding the prizes.


Google Nexus Project5 schools have been chosen to utilise E-Readers as part of a project toincrease motivation for reading for enjoyment. Each school has nowreceived 30 Google Nexus tablets for use with their Primary 6 classesnext session. The project will look at motivation factors for readingand investigate reading patterns.

Brilliant BooksThe very successful Brilliant Books CPD which was originally run byJacqueline Adam at CRIS will run again next session. Participants willbe given 6 recently published books to read and talk about in a BookClub style format. This is a great opportunity to read current chil-dren’s literature – details will be on the Glow CPD page shortly.

First Prize - Middleton Park Primary

Second Prize - Muirfield Primary

Third Prize - Kingswells Primary

ECS Director Gayle Gorman presents prizes for World Book DayPHOTO: ACC




CAREER ACADEMIESCareer Academies that could help tackle skills’ shortages in the oil and gas sector are being introduced intoNorth East Scotland, thanks to a pilot by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils with support from BP.

The focus of the Career Academyprogramme is on the STEM subjects,to raise awareness of career optionsin the oil and gas sector and supportthe development of home-based tal-ent to address some of the local skillsshortage issues.

Kincorth and Oldmachar Academiesare inviting S5 pupils to apply to takepart in the 2 year programme begin-ning in August 2013. Staff from theschools, along with Local Authoritycolleagues, are working with thebusiness community to build a pro-gramme for the students whichincludes business mentors, guru lec-tures visits and a 5 week internship.

Career Academies complements awide range of approaches toEnterprise Education in our schools.The 2 year programme aims to equipyoung people with the necessaryskills and attributes for learning, lifeand work which will provide apathwath to positive and sustaineddestinations in the world of work.www.careeracademies.org.uk

ENTERPRISE

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:bit.ly/AberdeenBALTICOr contact:ALAN TULLOCKDevelopment Officer: Enterprise andApplied [email protected] 522849

CITY CONSORTIUM HIGHLIGHT SKILLS FOR WORKA recent business breakfast saw local business leaders hear how Aberdeen City schools are promoting Skillsfor Work courses. The event, hosted by the Marcliffe Hotel, was organised by Kath Rennie of OldmacharAcademy and included a number of high profile members of the business community. The owner of theMarcliffe Hotel, Stewart Spence, added his support for the pilot highlighting his experience in mentoring andarranging work placements for schools. Students from Oldmachar, Bridge of Don and St Machar Academieswill have the chance to opt for the course as part of the City Campus programme. Participants in the courseswill integrate practical work experience in local businesses with theory taught in the classroom.


BRIDGES TO SCHOOLSAberdeen City Primary schools battled through the winter weather to

take part in this year’s Bridges toSchools event. The project involvespupils building a 12.5m long cable-stayed bridge within an hour lessonand is supported by the Institute ofChartered Engineers. Pupils areable to build, walk across and de-construct the bridge, learning aboutbridges, teamwork and civil engi-neering along the way.

The pupils, dressed in hard hats andhi-visability vests and equipped witha range of tools and components,competed against each other using arange of logic and problem solvingskills.

Budding city recruits meet staff from BP and Career Academies

P6 pupils get to grips with engineering

PHOTO: BP



EDUCATION, CULTUREAND SPORT SCIENCE

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:bit.ly/AberdeenBALTICOr contact:FIONA SAUNDERSDevelopment Officer: [email protected] 522694

CITY PUPILS ENGINEER NATIONAL SUCCESSS6 pupils at Oldmachar Academy have spent the last 6 months in the‘Engineering Education Scheme (EES)’ working alongside industry part-ners Sparrows Energy. The EES aims to provide young people with aninsight into engineering, science and technology along with work relatedlearning in an industrial enterprise context.

The 7 pupils have worked as a team to solve a real life problemidentified by Sparrows Energy. During this time they have liaised withvarious employees at Sparrows Energy, organised and held regularmeetings with their mentors and spent time developing their solution atSparrows itself. The pupils attended the EES SCOTLAND CELEBRATIONAND ASSESSMENT DAY at the University of Strathclyde. At the eventthey gave a presentation about the project and their findings to a panelof industry experts. The pupils beat stiff competition from otherschools in Scotland to win the EES trophy and a prize of £250.


Make the link!

Remember that you can apply tohave a professional who works inScience, Engineering, Technologyor Maths come to your school tohelp deliver a lesson, a talk orhelp with a project.

Information at:www.stemscotland.com/seas

P6/7 SCIENCE CHAMPIONS

On 16th and 17th Jan, a total of 16 schools attended the launch of theP6/7 Science Champions Award at Satrosphere. Pupils were trainedin how to help early years pupils to learn about Science by learningabout questioning skills and how to make learning Science exciting.The scheme run over the term and there was an awards event forparticipants on 17th June.

S6 SCIENCE AMBASSADORS

This year we have 38 S6 Science Ambassadors signed up to work with31 primary schools. Unfortunately we were not able to find an am-bassador for every school who wanted one. This is limited by how farthe ambassador can travel and a simple shortage. Currently 10 out ofour 12 Secondary Schools participate in the scheme.

LOCAL RESOURCES

There are many local resources inAberdeen. Here are some ideasyou may not have thought about.Please send in your ideas.

● The Maritime Museum – oil!● The Duthie Park Education

Centre - plants● Satrosphere (remember

the free tickets!)● Natural History Centre● Codonas – forces, electricity● Marine Laboratory – marine

renewables (turbines,wave power…)




HEALTH ANDWELLBEING

Contact:Development Officers:Physical EducationGARY [email protected] [email protected] 523914/523592

PHYSICAL EDUCATION MASTERCLASS FOR HAZLEHEAD ASG

Within the Hazlehead ASG, staff are keen to give chil-dren opportunities for success. Master classes havebeen one area that is being developed to give smallgroups of excelling individuals the chance to workacross the ASG with peers. Mrs Jones, Head Teacher atHazlehead School invited Gary Giles ( Physical Educa-tion Development Officer ) to deliver the master classto twenty pupils.

The Physical Education masterclass was deliveredthrough possession games and creative dance. Pupillearning intentions were focused around specificlevel two Experiences & Outcomes, with the successcriteria linked to the significant aspects of learningwithin Physical Education, eg - decision making, prob-lem solving, creativity and co-operation.The work produced by the pupils on the day was fantas-tic. The effort and attitude shown by the pupils was acredit to both themselves and their school.


HEALTH HUBS

A broad-based health advice service is being piloted within TorryAcademy. The aim of the “health hub” is to increase accessibility andreduce health inequalities for young people by providing a drop-inservice within school. The hub will provide general support on a rangeof health issues including mental and emotional wellbeing, andphysical activity.

The Health Hub builds on the school nurse service already provided inschools by offering a more structured input at a dedicated time eachweek. It is hoped this will help to engage hard to reach young peopleby introducing them to health services that they might otherwisechoose not to work with.

DID YOU KNOW?

28% of people will experience amental health problem at somepoint in their lives

61% of the population knowsomeone close to them who hasexperience of mental ill-health

Up to two thirds of people willrecover from long term mentalhealth problems

The most commonly experiencedmental health problems aredepression, panic attacks, severestress and anxiety disorder

TRANSITION AT ST MACHAR ASG

The St Machar Multi-Agency Transition Group identified a need tosupport pupils transitioning from Primary to Secondary school.

Supported by funding from the St Machar Learning Partnership, all P6pupils from St Machar ASG were invited to get together to meet theirnew peers. The day kicked off with workshops specifically designed tobuild confidence and self-esteem with a focus on positive thinking andachieving goals. The afternoon workshops focused on alleviatingpupil’s anxieties of Secondary School. The session included a presenta-tion which aimed to raise awareness of pupils’ common experiencesrelating to the 1st year of Secondary School. The workshop concludedby taking a look at ‘introductions and first impressions’ by using cur-rent examples of famous people. Pupils commented on how successfulthe event was and felt it was of great benefit.

Development Officer Gary Giles delivering PE masterclass




ATTACHMENT TRAINING

Dr Suzanne Zeedyk has delivered Attachment Training during Apriland May 2013 to 4000 staff and foster carers across Aberdeen.

Dr Zeedyk is an Honorary Fellow at theUniversity of Dundee’s School ofPsychology delivered the trainingsessions which lasted for 2½ hours.

Feedback so far...

‘Brilliant investment for all workers,professionals, foster carers etc!’ (Family

Support Officer, ACC)‘Great, thought provoking session...Very

Inspiring.’ (NHS Community Nurse)‘The message is excellent – this needs to

be shared’ (Speech & LanguageTherapist, NHS)

‘Very, very interesting – I want to hear more!’ (Family ResourceWorker, Aberdeen CC’)

‘This Multi Agency training is vital if attachment is to be properlyaddressed’ (Health Visitor, NHS)

‘It was brilliant to hear from other professionals’ (Nursery Manager,Voluntary Sector)

‘Just Excellent, everyone should hear this’ (Social Worker, ACC)

EARLY YEARS

Contact:FIONA THOMSONDevelopment Officer: [email protected] 814792

INTERACTIVE LEARNING DIARY

Four Local Authority nurseries in Aberdeen are currently piloting an Interactive Learning Diary (ILD).The new Interactive Learning Diary (ILD) is a web based tool, to record observations, assessments and learn-ing journeys within a child's diary while capturing evidence and assessing progress within the Curriculumfor Excellence and Pre-Birth to Three in Scotland.

Children are placed right at the heart of their own learning with the tool. They can view their own photo-graphs, reflect on what they were doing at the time, add to their own learning journey’s and even commentwhat they want to learn next or what they are interested in learning more about. It also introduces childrenat a young age to ICT skills.

The Interactive Learning Diary also encourages parental participation and the opportunity to be moreactively involved in their child’s learning journey through secure online access to the "Pupil's Diary". TheParent Portal is an invaluable part of the ILD which enables parents who work away from home to monitortheir child's educational development. Research has shown the importance of a parent's participation intheir child's education and how this has a direct impact on their child’s learning and development


ABOUT EARLY YEARS

Research informs us that duringour earliest years and even pre-birth, a large part of the patternfor our future adult life is set;therefore we acknowledge thatpositive early years experiencesgive children the best start inlife.

“The skills, knowledge, attitudesand qualifications of the work-force are a key focus in improv-ing quality, and the mix of thoseskills is also critical. We wantthe best people working in earlyyears where they can have thebiggest impact on outcomes”

The Early Years Framework, ScottishGovernment and COSLA (2008:22)




S3 PROFILE

S3 pupils are preparing their S3Profiles in all Secondary Schoolsand in our two Special Schools. APDF version of the agreed templatehas been sent to all schools andsome will use this for the finalversion. Some schools are usingalternative ways of creating a Pro-file. These include the use of theGLOW blogging tool, the use of ‘OnThe Button’ and the use of E1marksheets. In Hazlewood andWoodlands an alternative templatewhich is based on current goodpractice, will be used. An evalua-tion document has been preparedand issued to schools. Outcomesfrom that evaluation will be sharedwith a view to informing futureplanning.

Information about resourcesavailable on the NAR has been sentto all schools. These resources areparticularly useful in providing ide-as about how to best prepare pupils

for the process of profiling. Mate-rials produced by Aberdeenschools to support profiling havebeen well received by schools.

P7 PROFILING EVENT

A P7 Profile event was heldWednesday 24 April to discuss cur-rent practice in profiling and alsoto give guidance on the learnerand teacher role in the comple-tion of the P7 Pupil Profile. Allinformation and documents to bedownloaded can be found on thelink below:http://bit.ly/ZOrDJDGiven that we are now in thesecond year of this event, evalua-tions will be circulated after thecompletion of the Profiles. Anappeal went out at the above CPDevent, asking for volunteers tobecome involved in a Working Par-ty to discuss the way forward forthe next session.

ASG MODERATIONThe Moderation Projects are nowcoming to an end and ASG's will beasked to submit their final prod-uct in order for them to be sharedacross the Authority. This will al-low for the sharing of standardsand resources. The In-Service Dayon 7th May focused on Moderationfor the Primary Schools. This al-lowed time for staff to come to-gether to look at an area of the

Useful links:

S3 Profiles Education Scotland:S3 Profiles Education Scotland:http://bit.ly/11SPyIrhttp://bit.ly/11SPyIr

S3 Profile exemplars on NAR :S3 Profile exemplars on NAR :http://bit.ly/10eBB68http://bit.ly/10eBB68

Taking a closer look at the NAR:Taking a closer look at the NAR:http://bit.ly/ZOsL06http://bit.ly/ZOsL06

ASSESSMENT

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:bit.ly/AberdeenBALTIC

Telephone: 523898

OUR CURRENT POSITIONThe team have been developing and shaping up a Strategic Action Plan.A Steering Group for Assessment has been established involving someHT’s, which has been formed following requests for volunteers, and willgive feedback into this Strategic Plan. The first meeting took place on30th April 2013. The plan was also be shared with the ASG AssessmentCoordinators on 1st May. Thereafter, the final draft of the StrategicAction Plan will be prepared and shared with all schools.


Curriculum and decide how it willbe moderated. Staff spent timeon this day, looking through the“Taking a Closer Look at NAR”(TACLAN) document, copies ofwhich are available by followingthe link in the box above. Forthose schools having made priorarrangements time should be allo-cated for moderation before theend of the session.

A Moderation Guide will be creat-ed to further support staff inschools and this can be used by allstaff when devising schemes ofwork to ensure that moderation isembedded throughout the pro-gramme.

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS

What different strategies can weuse to assess children’s progress?

How do we involve children inassessing their own learning?

What evidence do we gather torecord the personal achievementsof each child?


P7-S1 TRANSITIONMARKSHEET

The P7 – S1 transition marksheetwhich was piloted in Kincorth andOldmachar ASGs last session hasbeen made available to all ASGs.The marksheet allows for theeasy transfer of key informationfrom Primary to the receivingSecondary. A short training ses-sion was held on Monday 29 Aprilat 4pm at Kirkhill Nursery / Pri-mary School. More information onthis can be obtained from ShonaMilne.

[email protected]

E1 REPORTING

Schools who arepart of the primaryreporting pilot areworking at differentstages depending on

their reporting calendar. Initialevaluations from teaching staffwho have completed the processare very positive, with almostall staff feeling that it was amore efficient way to completetheir reports. Next session allschools will be given theopportunity to use e1 forreporting.

ASSESSMENT

Development Officers:

Anna Royle 1.0 Mon-Fri [email protected] Blackwood 0.6 Tues-Thurs [email protected] Bonsall 0.4 Tues +1 [email protected] Milne 0.2 Tues [email protected]

BASELINE AND VALUE ADDED ASSESSMENT TOOLS

The Authority is increasing its investment in Baseline and Value addedassessments from CEM. In Primary, ePIPs will continue to be used inPrimary 1, 3, 5 and 7. From this session, INCAS will be introduced inPrimary 2, 4 and 6. In Secondary, MidYIS will continue to be used in S1and from this session SOSCA will be introduced in S2. A working grouphas been set up to take forward this development, a particular focusof which will be support for teachers in the interpretation and use ofthe feedback data. It is anticipated that the more effective use of as-sessment data, in combination with the professional knowledge ofteachers, will secure improved attainment.


Coming Soon:An important addition toResources has been the AngusLearning Programmes (repackedoutcomes) which provides teach-ers with possible learning strate-gies when delivering the E's andO's across the curriculum.

What's next for theTeam?We are in the process of estab-lishing close links with ourAberdeenshire counterparts inAssessment and we are hoping towork closely with them to shareresources and ideas. Next sessionwill bring more focus on Profilingand Reporting at Nursery level.

TAPESTRY UPDATE

Year 1 is coming toan end and someTLC's are up andrunning in schools.Schools which haveseen the most im-

pact from the Tapestry projectare those that have worked as awhole staff in a collegiate andsupportive way. Staff have com-mented on the positive impactThe Tapestry Project has hadboth within and out with theclassroom. With Year 2 of theproject approaching it is hopedthat more teachers will becomeinvolved. TLC leaders have beenasked to complete a short onlinesurvey of how Tapestry has beenused in schools and the results ofwhich will be used to take for-ward the Tapestry Project inYear 2.


LISTENING TO YOUNG PEOPLEAberdeen Pupil Voice Group has been formed with three pupils from almost all Secondary Schools in thecity. Since its formation the group has

●Heard talks from industry, councillors and plannerson Aberdeen and what the city means to them andtheir priorities for the city’s future.●Discussed what Aberdeen means to young peopleand their hopes for the future of the city.●Reported back on group discussion in the CouncilChamber.●Formed a sub group and attended a meeting re-garding the review of the Schools Estate.●Attended a planning meeting in Kingswells, in con-sultation with Adventure Aberdeen, completedworkshops and organised pupil consultation on agreen space.●Worked in groups and selected Global Citizenshiptopic to study.●Applied for funding for their projects, started re-search on these topics and related them to Curricu-lum for Excellence Experiences and Outcomes.

● Consulted on the Global Citizenship Policy for Education, Culture and Sport. Discussions centred onwhat Global Citizenship is and why it is important.

● Took an active part in a National Planning Aid Conference in Edinburgh and discussed how youngpeople could be more involved in planning issues.

● Made a film with Planning Aid for the Minister of Housing and Regeneration to show how youngpeople can engage with planning issues.

● Involved in consultations on Aberdeen City’s Development Plan working with ACC Planners.● Set up Work Experience in the Scottish Parliament for one pupil.● Formed a sub group to examine ACC’s Inclusion policy.● Delivered workshops at two Education Scotland events on Pupil Voice and Global Citizenship.

MAIN AIMS/OBJECTIVES● Ensure students’ needs are well met within Aberdeen City Council.● Give students’ ownership of educational issues.● Develop skills for learning, life and work.● Make adults aware and reflective of pupil opinion.● Foster a real sense of pride and ambition amongst young people in the City of Aberdeen.

PUPIL VOICE

FOR FURTHER INFORMATIONcontact:ROSELEEN SHANLEYDevelopment Officer: Pupil [email protected] 523898


NEXT STEPS● Pupil Voice Group will continue to be consulted on policy issues

within Aberdeen and in national forums when invited.● Complete Global Citizenship projects and share these with their

schools and wider audiences where appropriate.● Create opportunities for pupils to attend Community Councils and

encourage them to take an active part in their communities in or-der to promote pupil voice on issues that affect them and theirschool community.

● Work with pupils from Primary and Lower Secondary stages on pupilvoice issues.

Senior Students give their views in Council Chamber




E-Twinningwww.etwinning.netIf you are interested in linking witha school in Europe, this site is agreat way to make the first step. Itallows schools to get in touch, dis-cuss potential learning ideas,projects and working together. Withover 100,000 schools registered andboth Secondary and Primary agesrepresented, there is something foreveryone.

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

FOR FURTHER INFORMATIONcontact:ROSALEEN RENTOULPrincipal Officer:Learning [email protected] 522195

RE-THINKING ENERGY COMENIUS PROJECTBucksburn Academy is involved in a Global Citizenship project on renew-able energy with Germany, Norway, the Netherland and Sweden. Eachpartner school or college is investigating renewable energy in their coun-try and carrying out a case study to share with partners.

The Bucksburn Academy Re-thinking Energy (RTE) team visited Norway inFebruary and took part in a range of renewable activities and workshops.They enjoyed working in international teams and learned much aboutthe STEM subjects as well as the language and cultures of all studentspresent. On the 20 May, the RTE team visits Sweden to live in a sustaina-ble school for a week and examine how the school reduces its carbonfootprint. Study visits will also take place to Germany and the Nether-lands before all partners meet in Aberdeen in May 2014.

Here Bucksburn Academy will showcase the work of Aberdeen City Coun-cil, its Hydrogen Policy and share their case study work on Hydrogen ingeneral. They will host a three day event with business, community,environmental and local government partners.


British Councilbritishcouncil.org/scotland.htmThere are various opportunities tocreate international links and ap-ply for resources and fundingthrough this site for individual stu-dents, staff or whole school activi-ties.

Commonwealth YouthExchangewww.cyec.org.uk/While Commonwealth Youth Ex-change do not offer grants forpupil exchanges anymore, thiswebsite is a useful resource formaking sure young people areincreasingly aware of the need tobe responsible and active citi-zens. There is also informationon teacher exchanges betweenUK and the developing world.

Students from Bucksburn Academy work withInternational partners to re-think how energy can be

generated, monitored and used for a sustainablefuture.

PHOTOS: ACC

GET ONLINE AND OUT THERE!One of the longest lasting and strongest ways to build InternationalEducation into the classroom is by connecting your school to the widerworld. While many schools in the city already have an international part-ner, there are many ways to get started if you are looking for a brandnew one. Here are a few of the most useful sites.




GROUPCALL UPDATE

All schools are moving to the new web based version of GroupCall Mes-senger and training opportunities are in the CPD calendar. The pilot ofthis was received with enthusiasm. The mobile devices promised for usewith GroupCall products are now here. The Smartphones are beingrolled out first, schools will be contacted directly about this.

LEARNINGTECHNOLOGIES

FOR FURTHER INFORMATIONContact:RICHARD ELLIOTPrincipal Officer: [email protected] 814772

REVIEW YOUR eSAFETY POLICY

Aberdeen City has adopted the 360o Safe self review tool as an im-portant element of our overall approach to the use of Internetbased resources and mobile devices. As the number of devices in-creases and access to internet resources increases ALL staff andpupils need to be proactive in ensuring the safe and responsible useof the internet for learning and teaching.

The 360 degree safe self review tool is intended to help schoolsreview their eSafety policy and practice, providing:

· Management information and stimulus that can influence the production or review of eSafety policies and develop good practice.· A process for identifying strengths and weaknesses.· Opportunities for commitment and involvement from the whole school.· A continuum for schools to discuss how they might move from a basic level provision for eSafety to practice that is aspirational and innovative.

Use of the online tool allows:

· Collaborative online use.· Immediate feedback as to the suggested actions required to move from one level to the next.· Users to log sources of evidence, comments and action points.· Users to compile and print a wide range of reports.· An opportunity to easily compare/benchmark your responses with other users of the online tool.

ACC is in the process of licensing the 360 Safe tool so that it includes our brand. This will also provide amanagement overview of all 360 Safe activity in Aberdeen schools.We are also ensuring that CPD is available locally, that this programme is sustainable and is varied eachyear, to support schools is moving forward.The tool is free to use up to the point where a school wishes to be formally assessed.

http://www.360safe.org.uk/


Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN)

After the new requirements for asbestos surveyshave been completed, all Secondary Schools willhave WLAN. The plan is that all Primary Schoolswill have WLAN in this financial year. This times-cale is subject to the new asbestos surveys beingcompleted.



Mobile Devices

The Education ICT Team is presently assisting schools to set up their mobile devices. This service is beingprovided to enable to allow users to deploy their recently purchased devices in the absence of school wifi.Although we are not yet able to connect devices to wifi in schools, we will help you to set up your devices anddeploy apps which may be used without internet access.

ACC has recently purchased a Mobile Device Management (MDM) system (Airwatch) which will greatly assistin the deployment and management of devices, the deployment of apps, and content to devices in future. Thissystem is being tested at present. We are also developing an authority wide approach to App purchase usingthe Apple Volume Purchase Programme (VPP) which will provide a 50% discount on most paid apps.

Our approach uses the following basic steps:

LEARNINGTECHNOLOGIES

Filtering

An interim solution has been installed quickly by Corporate IT to tide us over between old and new con-tracts and that is what has been giving you problems recently. Be proactive – Corporate IT has requestedthat you report anomalies to the ICT Helpdesk as soon as you encounter them and they will be rectified.Don’t just accept it, act upon it!

A new system, designed to match our aspirations as far as possible, is being deployed over the next fewweeks. The overall aim in filtering the internet is to provide a reasonable level of protection for all userswhilst recognising that schools need to be able to make decisions about what is and is not available on theinternet in order to deliver the curriculum and to support learning and teaching.

The new filtering system (Fortigate) will allow local decision making around local filtering policy and it willbe straightforward to make changes to the policy applied to individuals or groups. It will be possible, forexample, to enable access to YouTube for groups of users.

ServersMany thanks to all who participated in the consultation about the way forward for our aging servers. A reportwas produced, an options appraisal, and this was presented to the Enterprise Architecture Board, a groupoverseeing ICT developments in the city, and it was well received. This has progressed to the next stage ofthe process. It will be a major project, with large financial implications as well as a welcome change for allinvolved. We have been waiting for this for some time, to underpin very good service delivery and more im-portantly to allow us to provide what we require in teaching and learning. It is exciting that it’s now clearly onthe radar and we are in a position to be able to take this forward.


INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATE

iOS 1. Create an account in our Google Apps for Education environment.● This provides an email address and a 25 Gb online storage area which remains in the control of the

school (as opposed to a personal account)● This is not a retail/public google/gmail account – it is within a separate, ACC owned, domain.

2. Use the google email account to set up an Apple ID3. Register the iOS device with the Apple ID and activate the device.4. Enrol the device with the MDM system to deploy apps & setting

For Android & Kindle devices – step 1 above only.This approach ensures that :

● Devices are registered, recorded and managed.● Apple/Google/Amazon T&Cs are complied with

● Apps are properly purchased and auditable.● School networks are protected.



Reporting

Although no clear directive has currently been issued to schools in terms of reporting using e¹, seven out ofthe 12 secondary schools have been reporting to parents through e¹ either for annual reports or PLPs. Thishas reduced the need to for schools to collate individual subject reports for pupils, as the solution allows anentire pupil report to be printed as a PDF directly to a printer or MFD.Reporting to parents, however, is not limited to annual pupil reports or PLPs. Schools have been using e¹ togather additional information, such as recommended levels for pupils moving into National courses andquickly generating reports to send home.

Tracking

The Aberdeen Learning Festival in February allowed the authority to illustrate many examples of goodpractice in the use of e¹ in Aberdeen City Secondary Schools. Schools are now using marksheets to offer acomprehensive method of tracking pupil progress in certificated courses, using MidYIS predictors, teacher-pupil targets and tracking flags. Overview sheets are available for SMT, Guidance and PTs to allow them tomonitor the progress of pupils in all subjects with the system flagging up pupils who are beginning to causeconcern.The marksheets allow automatic calculation of UPS scores and predicted grades from information enteredinto the system. Core data, as requested by the Authority, can be lifted by central staff without the needfor data to be requested as an additional task to staff’s existing workload.The construction of the marksheets varies from school to school to fit in with the way departments current-ly record pupil data but core data is kept consistent across the Authority to allow for the various centralreturns to take place.

Monitoring

There are examples in schools of the use of the Monitoring facility of e¹ to record various aspects of apupil’s chronology which can then be quickly flagged up to key members of staff through the Alert facility.Examples of its use varies from school to school as it is customised to tie in with the operation of the school,fitting in with current school policies and procedures. Discussion has taken place within the Authority aboutpupil chronologies with the monitoring part of e¹ being one of the possible ways this can be pursued.


Primary/SecondaryTransfer

A pilot of ASGs are now using thePrimary 7/Secondary 1 TransitionForm to allow key information tobe passed on from primary tosecondary. The benefits of thisbeing pupils who move to schoolswhich are out of zone have ac-cess to the same information thezoned school has.

Access To e¹

As with all web based systems,staff can access e¹ outwith theschool environment, should theyso wish. Schools are now consid-ering how parents could use thesystem which would change theway schools currently report onpupil progress with to accessinformation including attend-ance, reporting, tracking andmonitoring information.

e1e1 - BEYOND REGISTRATION

FOR FURTHER INFORMATIONContact:RICHARD ELLIOTPrincipal Officer: [email protected] 814772



What was your last…

Email?● Natural History Centre, discussing a lecture● Young Engineers Coordinator looking at how

they can engage with more schools● Organising attendance at AMES (Association of

Media Education Scotland) conference

Phone Call?● Education Scotland DO Assessment - re: profil-

ing and sharing practice between Authorities● Numeracy Development Officer in Aberdeen-

shire to discuss a meeting we have this weekwith Angus and Moray colleagues

● Head Teacher arranging a visit

CPD Event?● a writing CPD for probationers● 3D imaging for teaching and learning● Moderation/ P7 Pupil Profiling

Conference?● Skills Development Scotland – Make a differ-

ence for a Different World● National Literacy Network in Stirling● The National Numeracy Network in Glasgow

Meeting?● Inter-Authority Skills Goup● Partnership working with BP


INTERVIEW

Tell me a bit more…

What are the biggest difference you noticed betweenworking in school and the central team?

● Opportunity to focus on one area of interest

● I am not constrained by bells and can plan my dayand meeting schedule in a more flexible way

What do you enjoy most about your secondment?● Working a range of different schools, professionals

and businesses and gaining a broader perspective ofeducation.

● I have really enjoyed visiting other schools andmeeting different teachers.

What has been the biggest challenge?● Learning about primary schools and primary teach-

ing. Also learning to communicate with very youngchildren and not taking their brutally honest com-ments to heart.

● Finding somewhere to park!

What skills have you gained through being aDevelopment Officer?

● Diary organisation● I think I have become a much better communicator

and much more confident when presenting to groups● A different perspective on education and an appreci-

ation of the different roles involved

In a series of articles we are asking various teams within Education, Culture and Sport what their jobs entailand how they contribute towards what the service provides. The first group to be interviewed are theDevelopment Officers. The team of Development Officers are all teachers with seconded posts lasting up to23 months before returning to their substansive posts in schools. Posts are a variety of full and part timepositions. The current team range in age, experience and sector and develop specific areas of thecurriculum.

The current Development Officer Team:

Iona Reid - Literacy (Secondary)Gary Giles - PE, Physical Activity and SportShona Patterson - NumeracyRoseleen Shanley - Pupil VoiceLorna Shipley - ScienceFiona Saunders - Science

Anna Royle - AssessmentAnne Bonsall - AssessmentLynda Blackwood - AssessmentAlan Tullock - Enterprise and Applied LearningPatricia MacQueen - PEPASLynne Giles- Literacy (Primary)

A STARTER FOR TEN10 Questions we asked the Development Officer Team



Documents

ACC - Connecting the Curriculum Issue 1