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Welcoming parents to Scotland and the Scottish schools

i Oct 22nd No Comments by

A few weeks ago we were invited to join Stirling Council’s English as an Additional Language teachers Tricia Davenport and David Fletcher for an information session for new parents about Scottish Education. The session was a whistle stop tour of the schools system in Scotland that answered a lot of questions and helped me to finally understand how the new exam system works. Among the questions answered were:

  • If my child is doing really well can they move up a year? (No, but the teacher will make sure they are getting work that is challenging for them)
  • Can my child use their phone for translation? (Yes in class but not in exams- they can bring in a dictionary and it’s good for children to get practice using them)
  • Will I be fined if I take my children on holiday during term time? (No-in Scotland, if families go on holiday during term time, this will usually be recorded as an unauthorised absence, (there are exceptions to this) and it is up to the education authority to decide on the sanctions they will use. If you need to take your children out of school during term time, please speak to the school for advice.)
  • Do I need to buy materials for school? (Schools provide all the textbooks but parents will need to buy things like pencils and pens)

We know from our work with parents who are new to Scotland that they have a lot of questions about the education system. From the fact that children in the UK start school age 5 (unlike many European countries where children don’t start formal education until they are 6 or 7) to the lack of formal testing in primary school there are big differences between parents’ own experience of school and the way their children are being taught. Information events like the one I attended in Stirling are vital as they give parents the opportunity to ask questions and understand how things work in Scotland. To make sure that the parents fully understood the session translators were provided including two sixth year pupils (from China and Poland). Tricia and David helped them to prepare before the session and both the young interpreters sat with a parent and explained what was being said by the presenter. As well as making sure that the parents were given the information in their own language the student interpreters will get certificates recognising their work. By giving them the chance to use their linguistic skills the EAL service was showing them the value of speaking two languages and to recognise what a gift bilingualism is.

Reaching out and engaging with these families can make a huge difference and give them reassurance and a sense of belonging. As David said, “We realise how traumatic it can be for families who move to a new education system, and there can be significant differences between education in Scotland and in other countries. These sessions are a good opportunity to meet parents in an informal setting, to discuss concerns and questions.”

Welcome to Gathered Together

i Feb 19th No Comments by

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WELCOME TO OUR NEW BLOG!

GATHERED TOGETHER is a brand new project working to support ethnic and cultural minority parents to become more involved in their child’s education and the school community. We also work with Parent Councils and give them the chance to think about why some parents don’t get involved in the school community and provide the opportunity to develop practical solutions to help to overcome any barriers.

We are supporting parental participation across all cultures.

We’ll be updating this blog regularly and sharing the stories of parents who work with us.

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