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Useful LinksBackchat Newsletter - Issue 78 - April 2004
In this issue
- Survey on Advertising in Schools
- Are your contact details up-to-date?
- Let’s Talk About Sex
- Parents Enquiry Scotland
- HMIE News Update
- Call in the fraud squad!
- Exams are just around the corner…
- Your questions answered
- Idea's for social and fundraising events
- Regional Meetings
- Hopscotch Theatre Events for 2004/2005
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Advertising comes into schools in a range of ways from Coke machines in the dining hall to Tesco computers in the classroom. Does it matter? Most adults are immune to such advertising and see it simply as a way to boost school resources, but children are more vulnerable to the hidden messages. Indeed, the advertisers like to go into school because it is “a quiet environment” by which they mean they don’t have to compete for the children’s attention with other products or brands. So, should it be banned or should there be guidelines? We’d like to know what parents think. Please use the survey to find out the views at your school. You can discuss it at a PTA meeting or photocopy the form for wider distribution. The form is also available on our website. Please return completed surveys by 30th June, giving the actual number voting for each option. Feel free to add any comments. | |
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Do you receive Backchat, but are no longer on the PTA Committee? Would you like to change the name of your PTA contact? Let us know either by telephoning 0131 226 4378 or Email: sptc@sptc.info |
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What would you do if your six-year-old asked that question or if your teenager
was starting to “get serious” with their boy/girlfriend? You may find it
difficult to know how to deal with situations like this – you feel embarrassed
and your child just looks awkward.
The easiest thing to do is to put it off until another day. But, studies have
shown that children who have been able to talk openly to their parents about sex
and relationships will often wait to have sex and when they do are more likely
to use contraception. | |
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The booklets from Healthy Respect enclosed with our paper newsletter can help. They illustrate the types of questions children have and offer parents advice on how to talk about sex and relationships. | |
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This group was set up 30 years ago to offer support to parents and families of
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Since it was set up social and
political circumstances have changed a great deal, but the problems facing the
parents of gay youngsters seem to have remained the same.
Parents Enquiry Scotland offers a variety of services including a telephone helpline, one-to-one or group meetings, speakers for interested organisations and information leaflets. If you need help or want to talk to someone, here are the contact details: | |
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HMIE News Update | |
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Online Support for Parents and Teachers | |
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Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) have developed their website to
make it easier for parents to get information on school inspections.
The website includes over 2500 HMIE school reports, links to school, college and local authority websites and sample questionnaires. They are currently developing a “good practice zone” which is designed to
spread examples of what works best in education. You can find the website at
www.hmie.gov.uk | |
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Volunteers Needed | |
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Lay members have become a vital part of the inspection process and, with
inspections taking place on a more regular basis, more volunteers are needed.
The role of a lay member includes talking to a wide range of people during an inspection, (including parents, pupils and community workers), attending team meetings and contributing to the final report. Although lay members do not receive a salary, expenses are covered and care
is taken to ensure that the school to be inspected is only a reasonable distance
from the lay inspector’s home. | |
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Are you interested? If so, you can contact HMIE: Tel: 01382 224155 Email: enquiries@hmie.gov.uk Write: Lay Members Recruitment, HM Inspectorate of Education, Wellgate House, Level 5, The Wellgate, Dundee, DD1 2DB. | |
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An excited group of primary school pupils, hearing that “Her Majesty’s
Inspectors” were visiting the school, asked the lay member whether she knew the
Queen.
They were somewhat disappointed to learn that, not only did she not know the
Queen, she hadn’t even met her – a breach of the Trades Description Act, surely! | |
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and parents all over Scotland are getting ready for the next couple of stressful
months, including our resident harassed mum - Eleanor Coner. | |
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This is the time of year when you start to realise how very different your
children can be. A few years ago when my eldest son was taking his Highers,
there was not much sign of any revision. OK, so now and again he would disappear
into his room only to reappear twenty minutes later saying he was sooo tired and
couldn’t concentrate anymore, so could he please have something to eat/go out
for some fresh air/play golf. What a difference now with the second one! I pop
my head round his door on my way to bed and there he is, hunched over his desk
surrounded by books and revision notes. At first, I was worried – I thought that there was something wrong with him as his brother hadn’t worked like this! But now I realise this is part of the rich tapestry of life - everyone is different. Mind you, just because son number 2 is working so hard doesn’t make it easier for us. He is also much more anxious and gets himself into a real panic just before assessments and exams. Now my message has changed from “don’t you think you ought to be working” to “you can only do your best”. However, recently I came across the following tips suggesting a few concrete things that parents can do to make this time a bit easier. Most of them are common sense, but it does help to be reminded! | |
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Useful websites: www.sqa.org.uk for past papers, exam dates and general advice. www.sptc.info Infoshop our own website has further advice on exams and useful links. | |
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We frequently receive questions from parents via our helpline (0131 226 4378)
and on the website and often select a couple of them to include in Backchat. A list of all questions with their answers are on the website at www.sptc.info in the Infoshop. If you have a question which is not addressed there, please get in touch with us. | |
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We are organising a Summer Fayre and want to hire a Bouncy Castle. Do we need extra insurance? | |
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Your basic public liability insurance covers you for the use of the castle and
the insurers will deal with any claims for injury which may arise. However, you
need to check with the supplier, as you may find that your PTA/PA is liable for
any material damage to the castle itself. In this case, we would advise you to
take out short-term all risks insurance on the bouncy castle to cover this. Contact the office for more details: 0131 226 4378 or email:sptc@sptc.info | |
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A parent from our school has offered to bring along her pony to our summer event and organise pony rides on the school field. Does our SPTC insurance cover us ? | |
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If the owner of the pony is a parent or teacher at the school and is providing
the pony free of charge, then the PTA is covered by their own public liability
insurance. The PTA can still charge for the pony rides. It would be different if
the pony was “hired in” from a stable. You would then have to make sure that the
stable had adequate public liability insurance to cover the use of its horses
for such an event. | |
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Do we need extra cover if we hold events outside the school? | |
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Your insurance covers the PTA/PA for events held anywhere (within the UK), any
time. So, if you want a midnight barbecue on the beach on a Saturday night -
you're covered for your liability, but do remember to take enough warm clothes!
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We have had several requests from PTAs for ideas for social and fundraising
events. We are looking for some inspiration so let us know if you have organised
anything popular and/or unusual and we can pass the idea on. Contact details are: Tel – 0131 226 1917 or email – sptc@sptc.info | |
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SPTC regional meetings are always a great opportunity to meet fellow parents and
get some ideas for events or discuss current school issues. Would you like to
host a regional meeting? All you would have to do is arrange the let and provide
refreshments – we will do the rest. Let us know on: Email: sptc@sptc.info Tel.No: 0131 226 4378 | |
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Attention all Primary and Special Schools! Hopscotch Theatre Company is going on
the road again. If you would like to spend your PTA funds on something
really special for the school, why not suggest a trip to the theatre – you don’t
even have to arrange transport. Hopscotch will travel to you and present a
55-minute production. Here is the programme for the coming year – book early to
avoid disappointment. | |
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Article 185 - published on 02 Apr 2004
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