Author: Fergus

Hope everyone is coping in the heat and able to enjoy Towerbank’s proximity to the beach!

It was great to meet a few of you at the end of May when I visited for the drop-in hour. If this is something you found helpful and/or would like to do again next session, I’m sure we can run it again. 

Sending some resources as discussed and promised – apologies this has taken me a while to get round to:

• Let’s Introduce Anxiety Management (LIAM) is an NHS education for Scotland programme to support mild to moderate anxiety/worry. I’ve attached their publicly available workbooks for families and young people, and a one-page leaflet of further resources. I find the workbooks very helpful, particularly as they cover the anxiety trap which can support you and the school in conversations around attendance. Some practical strategies included too, and my key advice is to learn and practice these as a whole family, and when everyone is feeling calm.
• We also spoke about the neurosequential model in education and the “three Rs” of regulation, which is supported by Education Scotland. I think the most straightforward explanation is this article. I’ve attached a couple of leaflets/infographics about this, and for those particularly interested in brain stuff, there’s a video here. Essentially, this emphasises the importance of following a clear sequence when someone is distressed/dysregulated – starting with connection – and understanding that a child will not be able to reason with you whilst distressed.
• The Scottish Centre for Conflict Resolution have a family zone on their website. I find the teenage brain section particularly helpful as it can support your understanding of what is going on in the brains of your almost-teenagers and provide language and framing for them to understand themselves. There are also parts of the website designed for young people, with support about the brain and emotion regulation. 

• I’ve also attached some National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) resources covering attendance pressures, autistic thinking styles, use of visual supports at home, and screen time (for under 5s but with relevance more widely). 

I hope these capture some of the conversations we had and provide a helpful starting point. Please let me know if there’s anything I can clarify for folks, or if anyone would like to chat more. 

Best wishes,

Lindsey

Lindsey Munro (she/her) | Educational Psychologist| Educational Psychology Service

Contact details available on request

To fully deliver the Edinburgh’s ‘Vision for Inclusive Education’, a review of the learning estate is required to ensure it is fit for purpose and meets the needs of our children, young people, staff and wider service users.

In order to take this forward, we are consulting with stakeholders to share and gather information to inform the development of an inclusive learning estates strategy. This strategy will include principles for inclusion to inform mainstream school builds and also consider the special school estate now and into the future.

We would appreciate your support in distributing the attached flyers to your school community and networks to inform them about how to participate and the separate events for ‘Parents and Carers’, and for ‘School leaders, learning and teaching staff, and partner organisations’:

Events

There are a number of ways that you and your school community can get involved.

Individuals or groups can:

·       Fill in a short survey

·       Come along to a consultation event

·       Attend an online consultation event  

• Flyer 1 – for ‘Parents/Carers’
• Flyer 2 – for ‘School leaders, learning and teaching staff, and partner organisations’

Each flyer includes information about dates, times and venues for the events and QR codes to:

• Register for an in-person event
• Register and join an online session
• Complete a short survey (for those unable to attend) 

Individual upil photos will take place in May 2025 with prints delivered to the school before the end of term. Nursery children welcome. Class photos will be taken separately.

Dates

Friday 8th May 12:45 to 17:30.

Friday 15th May 12:45 to 17:00.

Registration for these dates will close on Wednesday 6th May.

How to Book

It’s a 2 step booking process – you must complete both steps.

Please book both appointments in the pupil’s name and ensure the pupil’s class is entered correctly. This enables us to safely deliver the photos to your child.

Step 1

Please book your timeslot from available options here.

Please book your time slot in the lead child’s name. We can photograph 2-3 children per 5 minute slot so if you have 2 kids, just book 1 slot. We may move single child bookings by 5-10 mins to group together 2 kids into a single 5 minute slot.

Step 2

Please register on the photography website – this is where you will see the photos and purchase prints. Please register based on when your appointment is.

Friday 8th May please register here.

Friday 15th May please register here.

After adding your first child and confirming your email address, please add any additional children via the ‘Register Another Pupil’ button.

Purchasing Photos

You’ll get an email to let you know when you can view the photos on Corinne’s website and will be able to purchase digital images or physical prints. Prints will be delivered to the school before the end of term.

Support

Email towerbankphotos@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Download as a PDF below: