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Newmains Primary is delighted to announce that, after a successful validation visit, we have received the Digital Schools Award. During our visit our staff and pupils demonstrated how the use of digital technology is used to enhance the curriculum, deliver high quality learning and teaching and to provide equity in accessing learning at Newmains PS. Our pupil digital leads have been vital in supporting our digital journey, not only helping with device management, but also in supporting staff and pupils during ICT lessons. They were awarded with certificates, recognising the important work they do. Some of our pupils were able to talk about how the use of assistive digital technology, such as speech to text, supports them in accessing the curriculum. Our pupils also shared what they have learned in ICT lessons and how these skills can used in the future. Our teaching staff were enthusiastic in sharing how digital approaches have increased engagement and had a positive impact on learning, teaching and assessment. Our teachers have engaged in a variety of CPD opportunities and have upskilled themselves significantly in the use of digital technologies, particularly since the need for remote learning. We are delighted to be recognised as a digital school and we are committed to continually providing digital approaches to meet the needs of our learners and to provide the high quality learning and teaching opportunities our children deserve. Mrs M Brown (Principal Teacher) Newmains Primary, Wishaw Newmains Primary Digital schools award press release

On Tuesday 28th June 2022 Heathhall Primary School were awarded their Digital Schools Award!   Digital Schools Awards is a national awards scheme to promote, recognise and encourage a whole school approach to the use of digital technology in schools. Schools that successfully complete the programme receive a nationally recognised award by Education Scotland. In order to achieve this award Heathhall School has worked very hard at incorporating Digital technologies across all areas of the curriculum. During the validation interview it was commented that ‘Digital technologies are used to enhance and extend learning experiences and to foster independent learning within and beyond the school.’ It was noted that Young Digital Leaders were able to enhance pupil and staff confidence and that the school worked well at enhancing digital communication with parents and the wider community. While working towards the award the Young Digital Leaders at Heathhall have developed their digital literacy skills and have shared this with other pupils and teachers across the school. They have developed their knowledge and understanding of different software used throughout the school and have enjoyed experimenting with new resources which have been acquired. More information about what is happening at Heathhall can be found on the school website. https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/dg/heathhallschool/ Heathhall Young Digital Leaders Heathhall Primary School gives children in the Upper School a chance to become Young Digital Leaders. As Young Digital Leaders we are here to help children and teachers learn more about technology. We teach a wide range of skills in ICT. To be a Young Digital Leader, we must complete an application form on why we would like to be a Digital Leader, what experience we have had before with computers that would make us a good Digital Leader and strengths and skills we have that can help us in this job. After a discussion with our teachers, we vote for who we believe should be the Young Digital Leaders for the year. The Young Digital Leaders attend an after-school club with Mrs Brown to learn new skills and work with new resources. This can range from Scratch, all the way up to various Microsoft applications and computer robots such as Botleys and Move Minis.  The Young Digital Leaders then prepare lessons and take the place of the teacher to teach the class a new skill. They are then able to work alongside teachers to develop everyone’s skills. Our aim is to help people get better and enjoy ICT as much as we do. -Alex Leed and Tyree Dyson P7 Young Digital Leaders

Our young people, staff and wider community supported our commitment and drive in achieving this prestigious award. Our journey in providing a high quality digital foundation for learning and teaching began pre-Covid, there was an energy from our school community to enhance the digital tools that were available to support curriculum development and to provide learners with stimulating learning experiences. Building on this we constructed a digital strategy that was led by ‘pupil voice’ to ensure well-being was a focal point in delivering a high quality service. Young people have a sound knowledge and understanding of the support mechanisms that are in place across the school and beyond that are available to support their digital wellbeing. In striving to develop a positive ethos for digital learning this has supported the school during the education recovery period since lockdown. Our colleagues at local authority level also continue to support us by providing professional learning opportunities and sharing key information via the Digi Hub Digest that is packed full of advice / support. At the heart of our success is leadership. This has shaped the vision for taking forward digital technologies to enhance learning and teaching. This collaborative approach to leadership based on positive relationships has led young people to work alongside practitioners and other key stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes. Woodfarm High School are delighted to be awarded recognition for our approach to digital wellbeing and are keen to engage with other schools to support them in their own journey towards digital excellence. We also thank Digital Schools Scotland for their support in providing us with an opportunity to share our practice. Mr Paul Lindsay Depute Head Teacher (Acting) Woodfarm high School

A new Digital Community Learning and Development (CLD) initiative is set to begin development following funding from the Scottish Government. Due to be rolled out nationally in autumn 2022, the Digital CLD Award will seek to recognise the ways that CLD services and organisations promote effective use of digital technologies to enhance learning opportunities in youth work, adult learning, and community development programmes. It is the first initiative of its kind in the sector to be delivered through a collaboration between education bodies and industry partners. It has been funded by Scottish Government’s Community Learning and Development policy team and will focus on strengthening organisations’ skills across key areas, helping them to build their own, and their learners’, digital skills, digital literacies and strong digital wellbeing for cyber resilience and internet safety practices. The development of the programme is being led by the Digital Schools Awards, an organisation which was established to encourage a whole-school approach to the use of digital technology in the classroom. It brings expertise from education and industry and is backed by multinational technology companies including HP and AMD, as well as Education Scotland. To date, more than 1.1 million children in 4,200 nursery, primary and secondary schools across Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland have taken part in Digital Schools Awards initiatives. For the first time it is set to engage with organisations throughout the community. It will seek to create a strong legacy of digital skills in the CLD sector by promoting and celebrating improvements in high-quality digital services and learning experiences, and supporting the growth of digitally talented young people and adults. The award will be based around four key principles and designed to be: • Policy-led and reflective for organisations and individuals. • Inclusive, with an emphasis on inclusion and co-creation through the voice of learners so that digitally mature organisations can celebrate their achievements, and digitally developing organisations can use the framework as a road map for improvement. • Encourage and support improvement by acting as a road map for organisations at all stages of their digital development. • Sustainable through the support of a wide range of sectoral partners. The programme is being shaped by a Development Group of specialist partners, including CLD Managers Scotland (CLDMS), CLD Standards Council, Community Development Alliance Scotland (CDAS), Education Scotland, Lead Scotland, Learning Link Scotland, Scotland’s Learning Partnership, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), Youthlink and Youth Scotland. Alan Armstrong, who is leading the development for Digital Awards Scotland, said: Digital technology is already playing a fast-growing and increasingly significant role across all sectors of our education system, and we are pleased to have been given this opportunity to extend our support beyond schools to CLD. The success of our programme lies in our recognition of the importance of local partnerships in shaping how we develop our digital awards, and helping practitioners engage learners, improve learning and reflect key policy requirements and national advice through our reflective framework approach. We are bringing this expertise to the new Digital CLD Award. I am delighted to be working directly with our industry and CLD partners, in a collaboration which will enable us to draw together their high levels of digital expertise, innovation and knowledge. Their support will be invaluable in helping us to co-design a programme which will encourage, highlight and celebrate greater digital inclusion in CLD organisations of all sizes, benefit learners and promote social justice.” Annmarie Whelan, Education Manager, HP Inc. said: It is now widely recognised that fostering digital skills amongst young people needs to be a top priority of our education agenda, and as the world continues to rapidly adopt the use of technology across all areas of life this mission only grows in importance. Over the past few years, the Digital Schools initiative has been incredibly successful in helping educational leaders to understand this message, while providing them with the support and resources needed to implement digital learning strategies. “Expanding the programme beyond the school gates and into community organisations is the next natural step, and will provide local groups with the knowledge and support required to make a real difference. The programme’s ambitions align very much with our own as we strive to give children, young people and adults the skills they need to thrive in a modern world.” The DSA award is one of various projects being funded to support development of digital deployment in the sector. -Ends- Digital Schools is an independent organisation specialising in digital education programmes. Digital Schools operates the Digital Schools Awards and Awards4SELFIE education programmes to support ministries and schools to enhance digital education practices. In 2015, Digital Schools backed by industry partners led by HP Inc., launched the Digital Schools Awards in Scotland and Ireland to provide teachers and school leaders in schools with opportunities to use digital technology and to enhance their digital competences and have these acknowledged. Over 3,900 schools are registered for the programme and 965k pupils from nursery through secondary level have been supported. Digital Schools is leading a consortium of ministries, industry and education partners from five countries (Ireland, Lithuania, Scotland, Serbia and Slovenia) in an EU Erasmus project to explore a new European Digital Schools Awards and demonstrate the potential to be sustainable in the participating countries and beyond. In 2021, Digital Schools will lead a consortium from four countries to design, build and validate a practice sharing hub and mentor system focused on the development and dissemination of best practices in digital deployment. The Academy will facilitate the transfer of digital competence from digitally mature schools to those whose digital journey is less developed.

AMD joins HP in supporting Digital Schools Awards program as it expands across Europe Digital Schools Awards announces a new industry collaboration with global semiconductor company AMD, as it seeks to grow its programme across Europe. Established in 2015 with backing from industry partners led by HP Inc, Digital Schools Awards brings together the sector and education authorities to promote, recognise and encourage a whole school approach to the use of digital technology in schools. To date, more than 1.1 million children in 4,200 nursery, primary and secondary schools across Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland have taken part in Digital Schools Awards initiatives. Next year, the Awards hope to welcome a further 800 schools and 300,000 pupils. For more than 50 years AMD has driven innovation in high-performance computing, graphics and visualization technologies to improve how people live, work and play. As part of the company’s commitment to inspiring the next generation of talent, it partners with  organisations to establish AMD-powered Learning Labs in cities around the world to inspire  and enable students’ pursuits through STEM education. With its support to Digital Schools Awards, AMD aims to advance digital skills in teaching and learning, reward and recognise good practice and encourage the creation of digital schools communities to share experiences and benefits from effective use of technology. AMD will also support Digital Schools Awards as it expands across Europe, with plans to launch a new European award. Anna Doody, programme manager, Digital Schools Awards, said: “AMD is a major global technology  company in the semiconductor sector with a significant commitment to advancing STEM skills in schools. We are excited to have them join our programme and help facilitate digital innovation in as many schools as possible, as we expand across Europe in the coming months.” Annmarie Whelan, Education Manager from HP Inc, said: “We are thrilled to have a long-standing partner like  AMD to participate with us to this programme  in Europe. Collaboration is a cornerstone of the Digital Schools Awards and introducing further industry expertise will bring a significant benefit for the schools that take part in the scheme.” Anne Fertitta, Senior Manager, Global Community Affairs  at AMD said: “At AMD, we’re passionate about enabling the imagination and creativity of the next generation of scientists, researchers and innovators. We’re pleased to work with Digital Schools Awards and HP to expand and improve the use of digital technologies for students and teachers in Europe.” Schools can find out more by visiting: https://www.digitalschoolsawards.com. ENDS

Badge will help young people identify and manage digital harms A ground-breaking education initiative devised to support cyber resilience and internet safety in schools has been revised to incorporate a greater focus on digital wellbeing. The Digital Wellbeing Award, which builds on the CR-IS (Cyber Resilience and Internet safety) Badge, launched by the Digital Schools Award scheme in 2019, aims to provide young people with the skills and confidence required to navigate the digital world. Digital wellbeing is the impact of using digital technology on children and young people’s social and emotional wellbeing. Cyber resilience is a key ambition of the Scottish Government’s Strategic Framework for a Cyber Resilient Scotland, published in February 2021. The new framework acknowledges the increasing amount of time that children spend online and the risks they face as a result. It is also a response to the proliferation of remote learning during the pandemic, with schools facing increasing demands to include digital wellbeing as part of their wider pastoral care. This framework has gathered national and European perspectives and distilled them into a whole-school road map for promoting students’ digital wellbeing through strong cyber resilience and internet safety practices. Crucially, this includes establishing processes that will enable young people to secure, manage and protect their own wellbeing. As previously with CR-IS, the initiative will be offered as a stand-alone badge by Digital Schools Awards Scotland, which was established in 2016 in partnership with Education Scotland, Scottish Government Child Protection Unit, Police Scotland and HP, to bring together government bodies and businesses to support the teaching of digital skills in schools. Anna Doody from Digital Schools Awards said: “Digital Schools Awards was created to help schools develop and maintain positive and resilient digital practices in learning and teaching. Ensuring children have the skills to recognise, react to, and recover from online harms is a natural progression of our work with the education sector. “At the same time, we also need to promote safer, smarter and kinder ways of playing, learning and socialising online.” Ollie Bray, Strategic Director, Education Scotland, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Digital Schools Award for Scotland to launch the Digital Wellbeing award. “Ensuring our young people enjoy a positive experience online is a priority and this new framework will support education, practitioners and learners to foster a community led cyber resilience and internet safety approach to recognise, react and recover within the digital world.” To achieve the new badge schools will be required to show that they have embedded cyber resilience and internet safety into their planning and across all subjects, while also implementing a positive and supportive digital wellbeing ethos. Teachers should include elements of cyber resilience and internet safety in their lessons while student leaders will support and encourage digital wellbeing among their peers. The initiative is developed in conjunction with Education Scotland and supported by industry partners HP and AMD in Scotland. Schools can find out more by visiting: www.digitalschoolsawards.com.

– Young digitals leaders from Ballyclare help launch new cyber safety award scheme  – An industry backed initiative and the first of its kind in Northern Ireland is set to help schools tackle cyber risks and keep pupils safe online. Developed by Digital Schools Awards Northern Ireland to provide education professionals with the resources and support needed to help pupils stay safe in the digital world, the new Cyber Resilience and Internet Safety (CR-IS) Badge is backed by technology companies HP, Microsoft and RM Education with the support of C2K and the Department of Education. Online platforms are becoming increasingly accessible to young people with as many as one in four children aged 8-11 operating their own social media profiles. As the internet becomes further integrated into everyday life, it is vital that schools provide pupils with the knowledge and confidence to operate online. The stand-alone badge will be available to all schools that demonstrate a strategic approach to cyber resilience and internet safety. The initiative follows the successful integration of the Digital Schools Awards programme in primary and secondary schools throughout Northern Ireland, which encourages a whole-school approach to digital learning. Ann-Marie Whelan, HP Education Manager said, “Advances in digital technology have brought about huge positive change into almost every aspect of our lives and we want to ensure our young people enjoy a very positive and beneficial experience. However, we also need to better equip and educate young people on the potential dangers and how to stay safe online.” Digital Schools Awards Validator Dr Victor McNair said, “Schools are ideally placed to provide progressive and relevant activities that help pupils build enduring and adaptable cyber-resilient skills. “Teachers will instantly recognise the language used in the self-review framework and they will benefit from the local and national resources provided to help them develop classroom activities, partnerships and professional learning opportunities.” Pete Murphy, RM Education said, “Introducing the new CR-IS badge is a really positive way to encourage both staff and pupils to understand the actions they can take to stay safe online. “As the UK’s most secure internet safety provider, RM Education is delighted to support NI schools in ensuring young people enjoy a positive experience online.” Speaking at the launch of the new cyber resilience and internet safety award, Karen Irwin, UICT Co-ordinator at Ballyclare Primary School said, “Pupils are very much at the heart of our internet planning and strategy and we encourage an open dialogue between pupils, teachers and parents. Our Digital Leaders group which meets weekly is represented by pupils from each year group and together we work on creative projects and ideas to help everyone stay one step ahead in an ever-changing cyberworld.” First launched in Northern Ireland in 2015, the Digital Schools Awards programme is supported by C2K and the Department of Education and since then over 70 nursery, primary and secondary level schools have completed the programme and achieved Digital Schools status. The programme is open and free to all schools to participate.  Schools can register online for the new Cyber Resilience and Internet Safety Badge at www.digitalschoolsawards.co.uk.

Five schools from Bearsden, just outside Glasgow, have become the first in Scotland to achieve Digital Schools Award status by working together. Bearsden Academy, Mosshead Primary, Bearsden Primary, Baljaffray Primary and Castlehill Primary received the nationally recognised education award via a cluster initiative. It is the first time in the history of the programme, that schools have set out to share resources, mentor and guide each other. As part of the initiative, senior pupils from Bearsden Academy were assigned to each of the four primary schools within the cluster and worked closely with the children to support their digital learning and development. This included maximising the use of technology and the digital learning platform Glow. In addition, teachers at all five schools met regularly to streamline the digital curriculum. They also developed improvement plans as a cluster and for their own school and would regularly reflect on their own personal development. To date, 44% of schools in Scotland are registered for the Digital Schools Awards programme, which encourages excellence in digital learning and supports the efforts of schools, teachers and learners in making the best use of digital technology in the classroom. The initiative, which launched in September 2017, is delivered in partnership with Education Scotland. It was designed to promote, encourage and reward schools that make the best use of digital technology in the classroom and received a financial commitment of £600,000 over five years from leading organisations such as HP, Microsoft and Skills Development Scotland. Initially designed for primary schools, a secondary programme was rolled out in 2018 to focus on real world, work ready scenarios. A total of 165 primary schools and some 25 secondary schools have been awarded Digital Schools status. George Cooper head teacher at Bearsden Academy said: “We are very proud of the pupils and teachers who have worked incredibly hard, often in their free time, to collaborate, exchange knowledge and support each other to achieve the Digital Schools Award. “The cluster initiative was built on the close working relationship we have in our cluster and will help equip our students for the future, whether preparing primary school pupils for secondary school or preparing our senior pupils for adult life in a digital world.” When recognising the schools, validators commented on the digital expertise of staff, strong infrastructure and successful planning to identify teaching and learning needs. There are currently nine other Digitals School clusters taking part in the programme, which aim to achieve Digital School status within six to nine months of commencement. East Dunbartonshire Council’s Convener of Education, Councillor Jim Goodall, said, “It’s great to see Bearsden Academy being recognised for the excellent progress it has made in promoting digital tools to develop young people’s skills for life and work.  The school has adopted innovative ways of promoting their use. It has engaged S6 pupils as digital leaders and they have been working with local primary school pupils to develop the digital skills of younger pupils. Parents have also been involved and the appropriate use of digital tools, both in school and at home, has increased greatly over the last two years.” Anna Doody from Digital Schools Awards said “The Digital Schools programme has successfully brought 165 nursery and primary and 25 secondary schools in Scotland to accreditation. The ability to pull resources, collaborate on ideas and provide guidance to each other only offers another level of support to schools.” Ann Marie Whelan from HP said: “This was a great exercise in collaboration which saw neighbouring schools work closely together to better prepare pupils for the digital world. Participating schools are required to self-assess their developments in digital technology under common practice areas of Leadership and Vision, Digital Technology for Learning and Teaching, School Culture, Professional Development and Resources and Infrastructure. Upon joining the initiative and completing an online self-review framework, schools within a cluster are assigned a validator who will propose a matrix system of support aimed at addressing learning gaps. The Digital Schools Awards Scotland is a national award to promote, recognise and encourage a whole-school approach to the use of digital technology in nursery, primary, special education and secondary schools. The Cyber Resilience and Internet Safety Badge introduced earlier this year provides education professionals with the resources and support required to help pupils safely navigate the digital world. The CR-IS Badge was developed out of a recognition that growing digital teaching and learning in schools should go together with excellence in developing teachers’ and pupils’ cyber resilience and online safety.  Schools can apply for CR-IS without going for the Digital Schools Award or it can be done in conjunction with their application to become a Digital School. Schools are encouraged to register for the free programme through the website www.digitalschoolsawards.co.uk  -Ends- Keep up to date with the Digital Schools’ initiatives by following: Twitter @schools_digital