News
BCS ECDL qualification listed in performance
Piping Championships Are Back With A Twist
Young musicians are set to put the wind up Scotland’s bagpipe playing heritage. Scotland’s top young pipers and drummers are starting to gear up for the world’s largest schools pipe band competition – which this year comes with a twist.
The Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships (SSPBC) features an innovative ‘Freestyle’ category which aims to show how traditional piping and drumming can be combined with other musical instruments to create a modern take on pipe music. The event will see the musicians – with some swapping their pipes for a piano, guitar or even bongo drums, midway – perform tunes under the theme ‘anything goes’, ranging from Scottish melodies, songs from musicals and hits from One Direction.
David Johnston, Chairman of the SSPBC committee, said the Freestyle competition is unique in the world.
He said: “The Freestyle category is all about the traditional pipes and drums – but with a twist. “It offers a chance for pipers and drummers to let
loose from the rigid competition format to perform some more modern pieces in a relaxed atmosphere. “It means that schools can look to use their whole orchestras and young musicians to compete in a novel competition.
“This category is all about injecting some fun into the competition and showcasing the outstanding musical talent of our younger generation, regardless of what instrument they play.”
Already seven schools have entered for the 10 slots available in the Freestyle category, who will face a judging panel consisting of some of Scotland’s most senior Pipe Majors, as well as Craig Munro from Scottish piping favourites The Red Hot Chilli Pipers. Elsewhere, entries are starting to flood in for the SSPBC which takes place on March 8 at Broughton High School and Fettes College in Edinburgh. The deadline for entries closes on 26 January and the SSPBC committee is keen to encourage more schools to sign up.
For more information or to sign-up to the competition, visit the SSPBC website
www.scottishschoolspipebandchampionships.com.
tables for 2017 The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that the Level 2 ECDL Certificate in IT Application Skills (QCF) from BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT will be eligible for performance points in 2017. The qualification features in the published list of qualifications that will count in the Key Stage 4 Performance Tables in 2017. For pupils finishing Key Stage 4 in 2017 it means that they will gain full recognition for their efforts, with up to 58 performance points awarded for the highest-achieving students (Distinction* 58 points, Distinction 52 points, Merit 46 points, and Pass 40 points).
Jon Buttriss, CEO of BCS Learning & Development Ltd, part of the Institute says: “We’re delighted that ECDL continues to be included in the Department for Education’s performance points listing. The allocation of performance points reinforces the message that these qualifications are not only rigorous but they also provide students with greater options for study and employment. This is re-enforced by the continued growth in the number of schools who are using ECDL to help them deliver the digital literacy element of the new Computing curriculum. To date over 2.5 million people in the UK have studied IT skills and demonstrated them via ECDL.” Further information can be found at:
http://www.bcs.org/ecdl
Catering academy gears up for new school guidelines with two senior appointments
Catering Academy has bolstered its management team in preparation for the new school food guidelines, which come into effect in January.
Mike Ham, an existing long-standing team member, has moved into a full-time quality and standards role within education and will be responsible for focusing on service and quality in all schools once the new guidelines are implemented. Mike, who has held a number of positions with Catering Academy, most latterly general manager sales, will be charged with driving uptake and dealing with any challenges regarding compliance presented by Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) and the new school food plan.
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Louise Goodall also joins Team Academy as its new nutritionist, helping to support the company with all new allergen legislation as well as acting as a support for the healthcare team. Louise, who is a recent honours graduate from The University of Nottingham, will be the go-to person on allergen advice for the rest of her colleagues at Catering Academy. Catering Academy now operates in over 100 education sites and is keen to ensure that the same quality and service of food it exhibits currently, is delivered through the new menus on offer.
January 2015
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