Don Ledingham’s Learning Log

One of the joys of my job is getting to watch a range of school performances.
On Tuesday evening I went to see the Humbie Primary School Nativity at the Parish Church - a remarkable building in its own right.

I’ve been to many such nativities and I’m usually captivated by the enthusiasm and innocence which characterise [...]

 
Continuing on the theme of outcome agreements I’ve been working with colleagues over the last few weeks to try to put some meat on the bones of what this might look like.
It was interesting to read what the OECD examiners recommended in relation to this:
Greater school autonomy in a local government framework
Some of the recommendations [...]

 
I still haven’t received my copy of the The OECD report of Quality and Equity of Education in Scotland but I accessed the read only version as advised by John Connell.
I’ve had to type up the following - as I couldn’t cut and paste - apologies for any errors.
As I suspected it’s much more positive than [...]

 
I was in Pinkie St Peter’s primary School this afternoon and spent most of my time in the P1 and P1/2 classes.
I came across the idea of “reading jotters” for the first time - I’m sure they are in common use in many schools but as I’ve said on many occasions I’m still learning.
The two [...]

 
I had a very enjoyable vist this week to Preston Lodge High School to observe five S1 pupils being taught a science lesson.  Amy, Sean Michael, Steven, Dale and Jade showed tremendous understanding and application, and were fortunate to be taught by a great teacher in Gillian Binnie, supported by Mandy Reid.  The class overcame [...]

 
I was in Stoneyhill Primary School this morning and spent most of my time in three P1/2 classes.
My point of focus was on how teachers engage children in active learning whilst ensuring that high quality learning is taking place. The concern with Active Learning can sometimes be that there is lots of activity but little actual learning - [...]

Apologies if I seem to be obsessed by OECD reports at the mooment but the recently published OECD Review of National Policies for Education - Quality and Equity of Schooling in Scotland is too important to ignore.
It’s very disappointing that the actual report is not freely available.  I’ve sent off for a copy and will review its [...]

The concordat agreed by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Scottish Government sets out how funding and outcome agreements will operate over the next three years.
The document is worth reading on a number of counts but it’s the section relating to efficiency savings that perhaps sets out the greatest challenge for education.
The text reads [...]

Ann McLanachan, until recently, Headteacher at Longniddry Primary School, East Lothian, receiving her award for Lifetime Acheivement at the 2006 awards ceremony. 
The Scottish Education Awards aim to celebrate the hard work and success taking place in Scottish education.
Nominations will close at 5 pm on Friday 22 February and the winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 13 June at [...]