Edinburgh Literacies Annual Report

Edinburgh Literacies Annual Report 2010/11 is out now.

Skills for Success

Skills for Success with thanks to http://www.wordle.net/

Millennium Development Goals

DFID have produced a  ‘Developments Magazine’, focusing on the Millennium Development Goals.

Community Organisation for Race Equality (CORE)  are beginning a new weekly North Edinburgh Global Awareness Group  starting on 15th September 2010 (10am – 12noon) at North  Edinburgh Arts Centre. The group helps participants to develop new skills to take positive actions towards eliminating global poverty and acquire skills to question and challenge injustices globally. Group sessions include discussions, activities, reflection, outings, artwork etc.  To inspire us all to play our part in eradicating extreme poverty and hunger CORE and ’Take One Action’ will be showing eye-opening films about the Millennium Development Goals on Friday 10th Sept, 3-5pm at North Edinburgh Arts Centre (followed by Eid Ramadan celebration). Take One Action is also organising a Film Festival at the Edinburgh Film House from Thursday 20th Sept to Tuesday 5th October.

Progress Report: Literacy and Numeracy Curriculum Area

The latest from the SQA can be found in Progress Report: Literacy and Numeracy Curriculum Area  May 2010

World Environment Day 2010

Join thousands of people from countries all over the world in celebrating World Environment Day on 5th June. There are literally thousands of ways to do something positive for the environment.  Get involved online through some of the activities and competitions will be launched in the coming weeks. Check out the Around the World Archive which lists the activities organized in the past years in more than 80 countries. What are you going to do for World Environment Day 2010?

Support for Curriculum for Excellence

Support in using the experiences and outcomes, curriculum planning and assessment approaches is available on the LTS’s Curriculum for Excellence website.    Whilst mostly focussed on schools there are some examples of emerging innovative practice transferable to colleges.

National Literacy and Numeracy Qualifications Latest

At its meeting on 22nd April 2010  the Curriculum for Excellence Management Board welcomed the Cabinet Secretary’s proposal to remove the qualifications in Literacy and Numeracy from S3, and will provide advice in due course on an alternative approach. On 30th March Mike Russell announced

To simplify the system we propose that literacy and numeracy units be built into English and maths courses at SCQF levels 3 to 5 – units that adult learners will be able to take as free standing units to boost their skills. This means employers and others have a clear indication of attainment in literacy and numeracy, whilst making the system clearer and easier to understand.”

The decision also included moving away from the  idea of using a cross-curricular portfolio of evidence of literacy and numeracy because it:

1. placed a heavy burden on the Scottish Qualifications Authority; and
2. lacked the rigour to assess literacy and numeracy at different stages.

Building the Curriculum 5

The next phase of  the roll out of Curriculum for Excellence is outlined in Building the Curriculum 5 . This provides guidance for all teaching staff on the assessment strategy for Curriculum for Excellence. The Assessment Framework is augmented by a document  on quality assurance and moderation .  

A Framework for Assessment to Support the Purposes of Learning 3 to 18

Improving Adult Literacy in Scotland

Improving Adult Literacy in Scotland was published by HMIe in January 2010. The report evaluated adult literacy provision delivered by colleges, local authority community learning and development services and prisons in Scotland.

 The report made general recommendations to all sectors to:

• utilise  ICT to increase access to learning and  widen  learners’ skills;
• make sure that there are effective support mechanisms and resources to support learners with additional support needs;
• develop or utilise existing assessment tools both to identify learners’ initial needs and to assess learner progress;
• implement more effective learner engagement  in evaluation and quality improvement processes;
• embed the values and principles of the Curriculum for Excellence in learning and teaching;
• continue to work in partnership to:
  • coordinate and plan local literacy provision;
  • improve pathways for learner progression;
  • ensure currency of  knowledge and understanding of each other’s provision;
  • maximise use of local  resources and expertise;
  • provide opportunities for more formal recognition of achievement;
  • develop effective systems to track progression and ease learning transitions between partners; and
  • pursue cross-sectoral evaluation of provision to improve service provision and again ease transition between sectors.

 More specific recommendations for colleges include:

• ensuring  partners and stakeholders particularly those involved in guidance are equipped with a sound working knowledge and understanding of what Colleges can offer both individual learners and the community;
• working  more closely  with community learning and development (CLD) teams to enable CLD / adult literacy partnerships to offer greater opportunities for  formal recognition of learner achievements; and
• engaging more effectively with Learning Connections  at a local level and at a National level through Scotland’s Colleges: to enable more effective partnership working to improve progression. (This should be initiated by Learning Connections who should continue to take a lead role in national literacy developments, including the supporting of national and local partners)

 The report also includes a toolkit for adult literacy providers – “What does it look like when it works well?”

Global Awareness

Community Organisation for Race Equality

Global Awareness Amongst North Edinburgh Black & Minority Ethic (BME) communities

 Would you like to develop new skills to take positive actions towards eliminating global poverty, build capacity and acquire skills to question and challenge injustices globally?

 CORE will be starting new Global Awareness groups from February 2010.  The aim of the groups is to promote knowledge, awareness and understanding of global development issues and poverty reduction agenda amongst North Edinburgh BME communities, equipping members of these communities with skills to take positive actions/change behaviour towards eliminating global poverty, including changes in their own actions.

 Each group will meet weekly over a period of 6 months.  Group sessions will include discussions, reflection, outings, art work etc. 

 Please contact us to find out more information about this new project, discuss plans and share any ideas that you may have. 

 For more details, please contact  Adil Ibrahim on 0131 467 7990 or email

adil@community-organisation-for-race-equality.org.uk