Agenda item

The Convener advised the Committee as to a number of good news stories as follows –

• Spectra 2016

On 5 October Spectra 2016 – Aberdeen’s spectacular festival of light won the festival of the year award at the drum Scottish event awards 2016.  The partnership with the arts-led production company Curated Place delivered the four-night light festival in early February, pairing leading international artists with Scottish collaborators creating North East’s most successful event.

• Pupils impress Chinese delegation with their mandarin skills

Pupils from Danestone Primary School showed off their language skills to a delegation from Wuhan University in China, along with representatives from Aberdeen University’s Confucius institute in early October.

Danestone Primary School and Oldmachar Academy, along with Forehill, Glashieburn, Greenbrae and Middleton Park Schools form the only associated school group in the country offering a non European language as part of the curriculum between primary 1 and secondary 6.  The delegation also visited Oldmachar Academy where they met the Lord Provost and pupils and staff including Head Teacher, Judith Mohamed.

It was great to see Aberdeen University’s Confucius institute working so closely with Danestone Primary School and Oldmachar Academy in teaching pupils mandarin.  Being able to communicate in language spoken by 16% of the world’s population would open up new horizons for our children.  The Convener was proud that Aberdeen schools were leading the way in Scotland as being the first to offer a non European language as part of the curriculum from primary 1 upwards.  Having partner schools in Wuhan would also help pupils in Aberdeen appreciate and understand their culture.

The visitors from Aberdeen and Wuhan universities were hugely impressed with what they saw.  It was truly inspirational seeing the P1 class, who had only been at school for 8/9 weeks sing three songs to the delegation in mandarin.

Learning mandarin was much more than just learning a foreign language.  Being able to talk two or more languages would increase overall attainment.  Being better able to learn across all subjects was a major influence in investing the time and effort to introduce mandarin into the curriculum.  The partnership with the University of Aberdeen Confucius institute had been invaluable.  They helped the Service secure individual partner schools in the city of Wuhan and provide each of the schools with a native mandarin speaking volunteer who work with schools for a whole year and support mandarin teaching.  It was also an honour to have Vice Principal Li Fei seeing the amazing work we are doing together and to work with the Service on building further research and teaching collaborations.

• Teachers brave night in the Tolbooth museum for charity

Nine brave teachers from seven Aberdeen secondary schools, took part in a pre-Halloween night inside Aberdeen’s historic, and supposedly haunted Tolbooth museum, Castle Street, on Saturday 29 October 2016, in aid of charity.

The teachers took up the challenge on behalf of two charities: friendly access and me too magazine, a local what’s on guide for children with additional support needs.  The nine spent the evening with a paranormal team and their ordeal was streamed live on the ‘I’m a teacher, get me out of here’ Facebook page and on YouTube.  The public voted by text message on which teacher had the dubious privilege of being allowed to stay in the Tolbooth until midnight.

£4220 was raised on the night, and was being shared between the two charities, and it was great that one of Aberdeen’s most historic buildings was the focal point in the teachers’ fund raising efforts.

The teachers who took part in the event were: John Naples-Campbell (Dyce Academy), Lisa Cairney (Harlaw Academy), Emma Noble (Hazlehead Academy), Thomas Simpson (Bucksburn Academy), Michael Cully (Oldmachar Academy), Rachel Craig (Northfield Academy), Kirsty Irvine (Hazlehead Academy), Shaun Netherway (Dyce Academy) and Barry Gartland (Torry Academy) The Convener, on behalf of Committee, thanked the teachers and Ethel Stewart, Museum Liaison Officer, for giving up their Saturday evening to fund raise for these charities.

• Innovative approach to helping looked after children wins award

Aberdeen City Council’s children’s social work team received a prestigious award for its innovative approach to helping looked after children.  The Herald Society ‘young people’s project of the year’ award had been given jointly to Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council for their work on the Permanence and Care Excellence programme (PACE).

The PACE programme was a national multi-agency approach to reducing delays and difficulties experienced by children in Scotland who could not be cared for by their parents.  PACE, which saw multi-agency teams working in partnership with the centre for excellence for looked after children in Scotland, was developed with the belief that improvement should put children and young people first and focus on the needs of each individual child and how to achieve long-term permanence rather than remaining in temporary care settings.  By making changes to systems and practice a significant reduction in the delays children experience had been achieved.

Aberdeen City Council was invited to participate in the PACE programme in 2014, and since then had significantly contributed to achieving stability in looked after children’s care arrangements here in the North East of Scotland.  Receiving this prestigious award was testament to the Council’s commitment to all looked after children ensuring that they each receive the support that was best suited to them as individuals.  By doing so, we could help give them emotional and legal security which would allow them to be children.  The Committee congratulated the staff involved who helped achieve this accolade.

• Art attack at Kaimhill School

Pupils at Kaimhill School had gained recognised arts qualifications thanks to a week-long arts initiative which saw them participate in creative workshops, where they met local artists and created their own artwork.  Primary one to primary three pupils gained discover awards.  Primary four to primary six pupils achieved explore awards and Primary seven pupils received bronze awards.  All of which were accredited by Trinity College London.

The arts award takeover was led by social enterprise See Think Make, which delivered training and support to schools, arts organisations, libraries, museums and youth groups who wanted to accredit their creative activity for young people aged 0-25 years-old and the aim was to encourage and help create opportunities for more young people in Scotland to gain a recognised qualification in the arts in as fun, simple and flexible way possible.  The takeover was funded by Aberdeen City Council, awards for all (Big Lottery), youth arts collective north east and time to shine.  It was also supported by the University of Aberdeen.

The Convener attended the arts takeover finale event and saw what an ambitious and innovative initiative it was which gave the pupils of Kaimhill School the opportunity to participate in high quality arts activity with a difference.  Not only was it educational and fun, it gave pupils the chance to be creative and gain a recognised qualification.  The Committee congratulated the acting Head Teacher, Susie Webster for taking this initiative forward and delivering a successful week for the children at Kaimhill School.