National Recognition for Stonelaw High School Achievements

The Social Enterprise Awards, the nationwide competition that celebrates the work and achievements of the UK’s most inspiring and successful social enterprises took place last night in the 02 venue in London.

Stonelaw High School, Rutherglen won the Young Person’s Social Enterprise of the Year Award for the excellent work undertaken by the school’s Fair Trade group.

Ed Miliband, presented the Award to pupils, David, Carys and, Radika and teacher I Gilchrist who represented the school at the award ceremony.

The Stonelaw Fairtraders group has raised the amazing sum of £120,000 selling Fair Trade products this year which has been used to help support over 300 young people in other countries with Aids

Fantastic to see recognition for all the work undertaken at Stonelaw. Its a great school with lots of exciting things going on. Brain Cooklin HT and the whole school community must feel so proud!

Its sometimes easy to take for granted the work that goes on in our schools on a daily basis. Stonelaw is one of those places where work like this is so embedded that we sometimes need reminded about just how remarkable our young people and those working with them are.

Congratulations to everyone at Stonelaw!

 

Enterprising Calderwood Primary

Calderwood Primary are always very keen to take forward enterprise activities and do so very well. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to their art exhibition today. Opened by a local artist, there were framed artworks on display from all stages. It was all very impressive and there was a great turnout of parents snapping up the art work.

I had another coaching session the other day and again I am finding the experience of being coached and also that of coaching very worthwhile. One of the things which is interesting me is the depth of trust that I feel towards my coach and how quickly that has been built. It is a different kind of relationship with a colleague than those I have had before and a very powerful one. If this approach was embedded in all our practice we would be moving very much towards the kind of collegiate/sharing and empowering model which could affect real change and improvement in our schools.

This along with the space I now have for reflection at work is a learning experience which I’m finding very useful. Its also making me realise just how much time I have always spent crisis managing and whirring to keep up. There’s an enormous need for us all to stop and really think about the why of what we do in our daily lives in education at every level. This is becoming more and more apparent as I visit establishments and see the amount of activity and work that is going on everywhere. It’s how we harness all of that energy to make an impact that’s the killer question. How much of what we are doing every day is just for the completion of tasks so we can move onto the next one? How much of it is making a positive difference to the lives of the children in our care?