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Backchat Newsletter - Issue 76 - January 2004

In this issue

Membership and Insurance Renewal – now due

As is the tradition in the January Backchat, we start by wishing you all a very Happy New Year and then move straight on to remind you that membership and insurance payments are now due! Forms were sent out in November and our many thanks to all those who have got them back on time. However, if you have not yet renewed, please note that the insurance cover expired on 31st December. If you have lost your forms, please contact the office and we’ll send out replacements. If you've paid and not received a receipt, please check with the office in case it got lost in the post.
 

Free School Meals – what you said

In August we sent out a questionnaire asking your views on proposals to make school meals free to all. We pointed out that the meals would still have to be paid for somehow – there is indeed no such thing as a free lunch – but that the money would come out of taxation in the same way that schools themselves are free to pupils but funded by taxation. We were delighted with the response and would like to thank everyone who took the time and trouble to reply. We understand that in some schools the survey led to some heated discussion and several commented that they had enjoyed the experience.

All in all we heard from 152 schools - 21 secondary, 127 primary and 4 other.
Many PTA's/PA's had consulted more widely than the committee and in total we had 3,853 “yes” votes. The survey offered three options and the percentage supporting each of the options is as follows

• School meals should be free for all children  41.7%
• School meals should be free for primary school children but not those in secondary 10.8%
• The present system for paying for school meals should continue but with the improvements proposed by the Executive 47.4%

Whilst there were some variations from different parts of Scotland, most agreed with the overall findings. However, those replying from the central area, including Perth, Dundee and Clackmannanshire, voted to support free school meals by 47% to 42%.
Full versions of the survey report, including the results from other regions, and of the 2003 SPTC Conference reports (see over) are available on our website.
 

2003 SPTC Conference Report: Sex

The presentation on Sex was made by a team from Healthy Respect, a Lothian based initiative that is working with schools and parents to improve the sexual health of young people. Their starting point was the research finding that young people who talked to their parents about sex and relationships were less likely to engage in underage sex, get pregnant or contract diseases.

However, parents and youngsters find it easier to talk about sex if there is something to talk about – a prompt that made the discussion seem natural. One example was an initiative started in Wester Hailes. GPs send youngsters a 14th birthday card, introducing themselves and reminding them of the importance of sexual health and of their own role in looking after the youngster. The card also contained useful information, particularly about agencies that youngsters might need to use. However, the card was sent to the parents who then handed it to the 14 year-old thereby creating an occasion for a parent-child discussion on sex. Feedback from the scheme was extremely positive. When asked, “why wait until the child was 14”, the team said that this was a compromise between their aim to communicate with youngsters before they became sexually active and the age at which parents found such communication acceptable.

In the afternoon workshop, we considered problems created by language and the multiplicity of terms used for the parts of the body. We learnt of one project run with P6 children in which they are given the proper, medical names but also asked to write down all the words they knew. A primary headteacher reported that when this had been introduced there had been some resistance by parents, but that now they welcomed it.

We also discussed the role of media and the way soap operas in particular raise sexual questions which parents might not feel ready to talk about to their children. It was pointed out that what seemed explicit to adults often went over the heads of youngsters and that at most simple explanations were needed. All in all it was a challenging presentation and discussion that gave everyone practice in discussing sex.
 

2003 SPTC Conference Report: Drugs

The presentation on drugs by Roy Harrower of Lothian and Borders Police was comprehensive. It covered the range of illegal drugs available, how they were taken, what their impact was in terms of positive feeling, of addiction, what happened if someone overdosed, the cost and the law. He didn’t hold back and everyone emerged much better informed. For example, we learnt that solvent abuse was most dangerous as this could lead to death the first time it was tried. We also learnt of the difference between chemical addiction and emotional addiction.

A long-term survey of how young people reacted to various forms of education found that telling young people nothing was preferable to either scaring them or giving them straight knowledge. However, developing their skills in handling situations where they might be faced with drugs was the most successful form of education. Indeed, while one in three young people try cannabis, as many as this are offered it and refuse. One reason why drug taking is increasing is that costs have not gone up in thirty years and so in real terms drugs have become relatively cheap. Having said that, we got some insight into the mark-up - e-tabs cost 25 pence to make but sell for £4 a time!

Apparently there are fashions in drugs. LSD, popular in the sixties, is not now used very much. Heroin is seen as a back street drug and cocaine is acceptable because pop stars take it. In fact cocaine is at least as dangerous as heroin, and crack cocaine.

Despite the problems of illegal drugs, alcohol is the drug most commonly used by youngsters and smoking is the most dangerous. But youngsters who take illegal drugs are also likely to smoke and drink alcohol! One important consideration is that the illegal drugs have not been subjected to the same rigorous safety checks as medical drugs and we are only slowly learning the long-term and often serious risks of these drugs.
 

Careers Scotland the role of parents

Careers Scotland is an agency that provides career planning skills, advice and guidance to people of all ages. Round the clock access to information is provided through their website www.careers-scotland.org.uk

Here Kate Hassan talks about what they do in schools and how parents can get involved.
Careers Scotland work directly with schools and provide both primary and secondary schools with a range of education materials and services which support and develop the students’ career planning and decision making skills.
Moreover, every secondary school has a qualified Careers Scotland adviser who visits on a regular basis. Their role within the school is to help students, including those with additional support needs, with their career planning whatever they hope to do whether it is employment, entering training or continuing with further study. The advisers also support school staff to deliver a range of career education and Enterprise in Education activities.

But help does not stop when youngsters leave school. After school Careers Scotland continues to provide individuals with support and assistance including details of employment and training opportunities. This information is also on our website.
Research shows that parents are very influential in shaping their children’s futures. Indeed, children often base their career decisions on what they learn from their parents. Careers Scotland is therefore keen to help parents become better informed and more effective in influencing their son / daughter’s career choice and planning. A good starting point is the Careers Scotland website, which contains lots of information, including advice on the key points of transition such as S2 subject choice and options after leaving school.
However, you may also like to consider inviting a representative from Careers Scotland to make a presentation to your Parent / Teacher Association.

Some examples of the themes of such a presentation would include –
  • overview of work done by the Careers Scotland Adviser in the (secondary) school
  • the changing world of work/local labour market information, including information on destinations of school leavers
  • post-school options e.g. Higher Education, Employment

You can contact Careers Scotland for advice or information by telephone or via our web site: -
Tel: 0845 8 502 502
website site: www.careers-scotland.org.uk
 

Your Questions Answered

What's the situation about police checks? Does everyone on the PTA have to have one?
Police checks are not necessary for normal PTA activities. They form part of employment regulations and are connected to the appointment of people to actual posts that involve the regular and/or unsupervised care of young people under 18 years of age. A police check is required whether the person is paid e.g. a teacher, or unpaid e.g. a scout leader. However, it definitely applies to a clear "position" and does not include people who occasionally help out at an event.

The police check reveals what actual convictions someone has. It does not say whether that person is fit to work with children.
The employer should have a clear policy on which convictions will rule someone out from the proposed job and which will be regarded as not relevant. For example if someone has a conviction for objecting to the Skye Bridge tolls, this would not rule them out from working with children.
Police checks are not required on people who are already in post. They are only necessary when someone moves to a new position.

In general PTAs only need to worry about police checks when they are first employing someone to run a club. There is no need for parents who go along to help out at a disco to be police checked nor if they are doing supervised work in the classroom. Moreover, as the police checks only reveal past convictions - not whether the person is suitable to work with children - having people police checked can build up a false sense of security. It is better to operate the safe policy of getting the adults to supervise each other.

 

Regional meetings

Aberdeenshire - Dales Park Primary School, Berryden Road, Peterhead Thursday 5th February 7.30 pm

North Lanarkshire - Bellshill Academy, Main St. Bellshill, Wednesday
25th February 7.30 pm

If you're interested in hosting a regional meeting, please contact the office
 

Anti Bullying Network News

Bullying remains a major concern for parents and children everywhere. We are therefore pleased to send out issue seven of the ABN News. It's full of good ideas, useful information and valuable contacts.
 

School Websites
The Executive recently launched school by school websites to give basic contact details as well as statistical information - examination results for secondary schools and attendance figures for all schools. There are also links to the most recent HMI report and the school website where these exist. You can search the site by school name or by type of school.
The site can be entered through parentzone, the site specifically developed to provide parents with the information they need - happy surfing!
The address is www.parentzonescotland.gov.uk

And finally
This is me signing off as Backchat editor. Apart from a wee break in 1997, I have been editing/writing Backchat since the first edition in 1990 so it is definitely time for a change and new approach. Eleanor Coner will take over this task in February. It just remains for me to say I've enjoyed the job and I hope you have found some of the items interesting and relevant.

Judith Gillespie
 

 

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Article 183 - published on 10 Jan 2004

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