Ruth McKay is Headteacher at Portobello High School, a large comprehensive in the east of Edinburgh.
Ruth began her career as an English teacher and quickly moved into Guidance and Pastoral Care. Following a national secondment looking at new ways to measure progress and improvement in education, she spent time working in a local authority as a Quality Improvement Officer before returning to school as a Depute Head Teacher. This is her second headship.
With a particular interest in responses to Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs), Ruth co-organised the highly successful Portobello Learning Festival on this theme in June 2018. A second Portobello Learning Festival will take place in June 2019 on the theme of ‘Changing Relationships, Changing Lives’.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/portobello-learning-festival-2019-changing-relationships-changing-lives-tickets-50085404794?aff=erelexpmlt

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Education for Kids


JUST FOR KIDS LAW exists to help children and young people overcome all the difficulties they face, from problems at school and issues with immigration status to trouble with the police.



They work with and for young people to ensure their legal rights are respected and promoted, and their voices heard and valued.







Last time, Lynsie Monroe spoke to three Just For Kids Law team members:



* Chief Executive Officer, Enver Solomon* Natalie Bichard, Youth Advocate* Alex Temple, Public Lawyer and Policy Officer



For part two of this episode, we hear from two young people, Harry and Kadeem, who have supported the School Exclusion Project and campaign as well as advocate for social change on the issue of school exclusion.

Why young people need lawyers Just For Kids – Part 2 – PP258


JUST FOR KIDS LAW exists to help children and young people overcome all the difficulties they face, from problems at school and issues with immigration status to trouble with the police.



They work with and for young people to ensure their legal rights are respected and promoted, and their voices heard and valued.







Aika Stephenson and Shauneen Lambe established Just for Kids Law in 2006. Shauneen, a barrister and an attorney, had previously acted for death row defendants in the US, and Aika, a solicitor, had become a lawyer after working with the youth offending team and remand prisoners at Feltham Young Offenders Institution.



Shauneen and Aika recognised that the children and young people they worked for often needed more than legal representation – they also needed support and advocacy to address the issues that had led them into the youth justice system in the first place – school exclusion and a lack of support for children with special education needs, children with mental health issues, children in the care system who were not receiving support, and children with housing problems.



Since our first youth advocate was appointed in 2008, we have expanded into an organisation offering a unique holistic service that combines direct advocacy with youth opportunities support and legal representation, while we have also used strategic litigation to change the law on issues as diverse as holding of children in police cells, the law of joint enterprise and access to student finance. We have spread our impact through the advice and training delivered by our Youth Justice Legal Centre and widened the scope of our work from casework and campaigning to holding government to account on their child rights obligations through the merger with the Children’s Rights Alliance for England in 2015.



Lynsie Monroe spoke to three Just For Kids Law team members:



* Chief Executive Officer, Enver Solomon* Natalie Bichard, Youth Advocate* Alex Temple, Public Lawyer and Policy Officer





Why young people need lawyers Just For Kids – PP257


Former footballing star, Kris Boyd



This week, a new presenter to the Pivotal Podcast, Cathy Duncan,  spoke to the Scottish former football star, Kris Boyd. After a very successful career, Kris now works to help improve the mental health of those in need.



Kris grew up in the South Ayrshire village of Tarbolton and started his senior football career with Kilmarnock. He transferred to Rangers in January 2006, and was their top goalscorer in each of his seasons at Ibrox. He is the top goalscorer in the history of the Scottish Premier League, with 167 goals in total.



Pivotal Education Principal Trainer, Cathy Duncan



Boyd had a short spell in English football with Middlesbrough, during which time he was sent on loan to Nottingham Forest. He signed for Turkish club Eskişehirspor in 2011, but terminated his contract after five months and moved to the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer in January 2012. He later returned to both Kilmarnock and Rangers.



Having played several games for the Scotland U21 and Scotland B teams, Boyd received his first cap for the senior Scottish national team in 2006. He scored seven goals in eighteen appearances for the senior national side over four years.



In 2016, Boyd’s younger brother Scott took his own life aged 27. The Kris Boyd Charity was founded in January, 2018. As Kris says:



My wee brother Scott tragically took his own life in September, 2016 and it has left my family devastated. There’s not a day goes by when I don’t think about him and I know it’s even worse for my parents, I feel for them even more as they try to get on with their lives as best they can without Scott being a part of it.Is the reason I’ve set up The Kris Boyd Charity solely down to what happened to Scott? No. Is it a big part of the reason? Yes.To be hit with Scott’s tragedy was a big wake-up call for me which led me to start looking into the different circumstances as to why people commit suicide. It is clear to me now that any given individual doesn’t wake up one morning and, on a whim, decide to end it all. It’s a gradual process which takes place over a period of time. My own wife, Christine, suffers from anxiety. Christine has had to fight internal battles that led to her being unable to do certain things over the years and I did not deal with them properly. I was not fully aware of what she was going through and still goes through on a daily basis, I should have been there for her, been more comforting and understanding. I’m the first to admit I’ve had my failings when trying to deal with Christine’s battles with anxiety, however, I am now listening and I’m learning. It is absolutely vital to do both and this is what I want to impart on those who are living with someone suffering from depression or anxiety.The aim of this charity is to educate people and get people to engage with others when they are in need of help instead of dismissing them or brushing of their feelings as being “weak”. We hope that, in time, society can speak openly when they have issues, it’s about them knowing there will be someone there for them who will show decency and a level of understanding. With young people today mental health is being an ever prevalent issue, due to teenagers being so focused on their phones and social media instead of being active and socialising with their peers in person. This also leads to more online bullying as well as unrealistic beauty standards which add mounting pressure on young people, and can lead to mental health issues.https://www.thekrisboydcharity.co.uk/who-we-are/







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How Kris Boyd moved from scoring goals to supporting children’s mental health – and why it matters PP255


Serena Clark, formerly of Ark Globe Academy



This week, Lynsie Monro speaks to Harrow International School Hong Kong‘s Deputy Head of Lower School (Pupil Wellbeing), Serena Clark.







Serena is an award winning mentor and the recipient of outstanding leadership judgements from Ofsted in 2014 and 2018. With extensive experience of delivering the highest professional standards of educational and parochial care, she has been a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead since 2015 with FGM and Positive Handling specialist training. Serena believes in the value of lifelong learning, the equality and rights of every child and the crucial role education has in building our future. 



As you can imagine, Serena is able to share many insights into her experiences of teaching through lockdown, particularly how to maximise learning at a distance. 




Tweets by serenaclarkhk




 

How to maximise lockdown learning with Serena Clark PP254


This week, Mark Bocker speaks to Shahana Knight, Childhood Trauma and Mental Health Specialist.







Shahana is the Founder and Director of TPC therapy Ltd. A mental health service for children and young people. She manages a large team of play therapists who work with vulnerable children in schools, adoption, fostering and homicide across the UK. She is the founder of the ‘Therapeutic Schools Programme’ through which she works with schools across England to put children’s wellbeing at the core of education.



Shahana is pioneering a vision/mission for all schools to become therapeutic. Her unique approach is making a significant impact and has been recognised by BBC newsround and BBC Teach who have both done features in which she has appeared. She is also a finalist in the upcoming Ladies First Awards 2020, in the categories of; ‘Inspirational Women’ and ‘Business Entrepreneur’.



Shahana writes a regular segment in Headteachers Update, the national magazine for primary schools, sharing therapeutic teaching ideas and techniques. She is also a governor of a primary school and sits on two foster care panels.Her own experiences of childhood trauma inform her work, offering a unique perspective based on empathy, understanding and a raw truth that cannot be found in textbooks alone.



In a detailed and expansive conversation, we learn a great deal about Shahana’s work and plans.




Tweets by TPC_PlayTherapy




https://www.headteacher-update.com/best-practice-article/therapeutic-schools-behaviour-incidents-pupils-vulnerable-learner/224984

Ruth McKay – Grass roots to open sky – 208

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