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Conference
2008 Safe
Internet Use
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Highlights
of previous SSBA conferences :-
2007 Developing a
Parent Council and Encouraging Parental Involvement
2006 The Way Forward
for Parental Involvement
2005 Parents in
Partnership
2003 Partnerships and
responsibilities
2002 SSBA is fit for
the future
2001 Roadshow
2000 International
and published book
available here online
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Conference 2001
.
SSBA Roadshow went on the
road in Highland
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SSBA Roadshow
planned to cover the whole (or nearly) of
Scotland. Ann Hill and Jennifer Gallacher of SSBA
take the Roadshow to within 20 miles of John
O'Groats. |
December
2000, saw the start of a year of SSBA Roadshows
touring the country to visit member Boards in
their own areas to let them know what SSBA is,
what it does and to find out what matters to
members and how we could best serve our
membership. |
The
Highland meetings were held in Newtonmore, Inverness,
Thurso and Golspie along with a meeting with the Director
of Education and the Transport Department. The following
topics were covered:
- What
does a School Board do
The role of
the School Board, how to set an agenda, how
to take minutes, items for discussion, how
representative is your School Board, what to
include in the annual newsletter, how to
communicate with parents, etc.
How SSBA has been
operating since the new Executive Board took
over, how SSBA will consult with Boards and how
the various services will operate to member
Boards.
School Board
training has been offered in the following
authorities:
Aberdeen,
Aberdeenshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire,
East Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, Argyll and
Bute, Dundee City, Fife, East Ayrshire, Highland,
Midlothian, Dumfries and Galloway, North
Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, South Ayrshire,
Shetland as well as a number of privately
organised courses for individuals and groups of
School Boards.
- How
to represent the Boards in Highland
It was seen as a
huge bonus to member Boards in Highland that
Donald Gunn McDonald is not only a co-opted
member of a School Board but also a Headteacher
of another. This teaching background has proved
extremely useful in taking the Educational
Working Group of SSBA forward to members during
our visit to Highland. The Boards in Highland are
now working towards finding the best way for them
to be represented at national level.
Jim Manson was
part owner of a school tour group operator. He is
also a retired traffic policeman with many years
of experience ‘on the road’. He has
been a transport adviser to SSBA for some 8
years. His up to date perception of current
school transport problems and how to address them
went down very well with members of School Boards
and Directorate alike.
Both the
Association of Directors of Education for
Scotland and the Convention of Scottish Local
Authorities have been discussing possible changes
to the school year. It is now some 2 years since
SSBA first discussed the concept of having Friday
lunchtime closure for pupils (as is the case in
Edinburgh), the five term year, or everyone
having the same holidays, e.g. first two weeks in
April and two weeks in October.
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SSBA
meetsNewtonmore School Board
Left to right: Ann Hill, Jim Manson, Isla Russell
and Alison Jones (parent representatives), Donald
Gunn MacDonald, SSBA Executive Board member for
Highland and Patricia MacDonald staff
representative. |
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