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º£½ÇÉçÇø and Bute Council is one of eight local authorities across the North and West of Scotland that are working together to ensure that children and young people are given the best educational opportunities. Known as the Northern Alliance, the partnership is a Regional Improvement Collaborative (RIC) set up to secure excellence and equity in education.

º£½ÇÉçÇø and Bute Council is committed to ensuring that vulnerable young people are getting the most out of their education.  This was the clear message at a meeting of the council’s Community º£½ÇÉçÇø Committee today, when members were updated on the progress that has been made since a principal teacher was appointed specifically for young people in care, and those in need of extra support or protection.

Positive progress is being made by º£½ÇÉçÇø and Bute Council as it prepares for the increase in free early learning and childcare provision, to 1140 hours per year by 2020. The expansion in childcare, from 600 hours to 1140 hours, is part of a Scottish Government initiative aimed at providing young people with a high quality experience that can make a significant contribution to their development, and help close the poverty related attainment gap.

º£½ÇÉçÇø and Bute Council has approved £20,000 funding to Fèisean nan Gàidheal, an organisation that supports the development of traditional music, Gaelic singing and Gaelic drama. The support from the council enables Fèisean nan Gàidheal to lever in additional funding; every £1 of support received from the council, enables £5.40 spend on delivering Gaelic services in the area. The council funding comes from Community Development (£15, 500) and Education º£½ÇÉçÇø’ Gaelic specific budget (£4500) and is for the year 2019/20.

Tha Comhairle Earra-Ghàidheal is Bhòid air aontachadh taic-airgid luach £20,000 a thoirt do dh’Fhèisean nan Gàidheal, a’ bhuidheann a tha a’ toirt taic do agus a’ cur chothroman ionnsachaidh air dòigh airson ceòl traidiseanta, seinn Ghàidhlig agus dràma Gàidhlig. Leis an taic bhon Chomhairle, ’s urrainn do dh’Fhèisean nan Gàidheal maoineachadh a bharrachd a thoirt a-steach; mar thoradh air gach £1 de thaic a bheir a’ Chomhairle seachad, thèid £5.40 a chosg air seirbheisean Gàidhlig san sgìre.

º£½ÇÉçÇø and Bute Council’s Community º£½ÇÉçÇø Committee has agreed the school holiday dates for 2020-2023. The dates were proposed following consultation with schools and parent councils during 2018. They were then agreed by the Head Teacher Advisory Group, the Local Negotiating Committee for Teachers (LNCT) and the Joint Service Committee (JNC). The dates include two additional in-service days for 2019-20 which were announced by the Scottish Government.

Colgrain Primary School has officially launched its new nurture room. ‘The Oasis’ is a purposefully designed and resourced environment, created to support children when they are experiencing some emotional or social challenges in their lives. The school’s vision is to enable all children to reach their full potential, and be the best they can be, and the creation of the nurture room helps to achieve this.

Teams of young entrepreneurs from sixteen schools across Scotland, including Lochgilphead High School, travelled to Edinburgh to take part in the final of a competition to discover the next generation of enterprising young people. The competition is one of the biggest highlights of the year for Young Enterprise Scotland. Area heats took place throughout the year to identify winning teams from across the Scottish regions who set up and ran their own business.

A total of 75 projects across º£½ÇÉçÇø and Bute will receive funding from the council’s Supporting Communities Fund after councillors approved their applications for support. Each of the four Local Area Committees have approved funding for successful applicants in their local areas, with a total of £108,500 being allocated.

Parents are being invited to have their say on their child’s school by taking part in º£½ÇÉçÇø and Bute Council’s Parental Involvement and Engagement Census. The census only takes around five minutes  to complete and will enable parents to help shape local planning and decision making, as well as shaping national education priorities. The census is available on the council website, whilst hard copies are available from your child’s school.