Edinburgh Lectures 2012 announce starry line up

The Edinburgh Lectures 2012 series has announced one of its best ever line-ups to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of this long running lecture programme.

Edinburgh Napier University Drama Society’s X-Rated Xmas Show

The drama society at Edinburgh Napier University, affectionately known as ‘NUDS’, is performing their Christmas sketch show at The Bongo Club on Friday 16 December 2011. All the sketches are written, produced and performed by its members, most of whom are students at Edinburgh Napier.

The first part of the show will consist of short sketches of a comedic nature. The second half is one, lengthier performance. Every member of the society is involved in some way and, as last year’s Christmas show was cancelled due to the weather, the cast and crew will be pulling out all the stops to make it an enjoyable evening for all.

Josephine Heinemeier, President of NUDS, said:- “Preparations for the show are coming along well. Being a university based amateur dramatics company, obviously there are extra pressures on time (exams, assessments etc.) so we don’t have as much time as would be ideal to rehearse, but the dedication of every member allows us to pull together and present a well rounded show.

“People can expect a combination of pop culture references, puns and peculiar humour. There is a little something for everyone.”

‘XXX-Mas’ tickets are available now or you can buy at the door. Tickets cost £5 (£4 concessions) and the doors open at 7pm, with the show to start at 7:30pm. Due to the venue, only over-18s are allowed.

Previously….with Ian Rankin and Nigel Planer…

 

Previously is a history festival and if you hurry up you can still catch one or two of the 200+ events which have been organised in the city. What you are unable to do however, is attend the event with Nigel Planer and Ian Rankin, which took place last Thursday…..nice photos though of the James Bond impersonators? (Yes,Nigel Planer, that’s him from The Young Ones…!)

There are many events planned for your delectation and delight in the Previously festival all over the city and beyond.

For example here is just a mini morsel of what is on tomorrow, Tuesday 22 November 2011.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Lecture at Lauriston Castle starts at 10.30a.m. Using portraits and caricatures from public and private collections, this illustrated talk looks at some of the famous and infamous men and women who contributed to the history of medicine in Edinburgh from the founding of the Incorporation of Surgeons in 1505 to the many surgical advances of the Victorian age.

Sin in the City starts at 6p.m on The Royal Mile. This unique tour is an opportunity to see a different side of the history of Edinburgh. The content may surprise you, it may even shock, but it will definitely entertain.

“Join us for Sin in the City and learn about what sin, seduction and godly discipline meant in centuries past. Your guide will reveal true stories of murder, adultery and betrayal from Edinburgh’s fascinating history.

The tour ends in Megget’s Cellar, a candlelit room above the Vaults in Blair Street, where you can enjoy a complimentary drink and hear more tales of love, lust and passion!”

Tour last 90 mins.

Carl Rosa Opera and Touring Scotland 1874-1900 is on at The Beehive in the Grassmarket from 6.30p.m.

Iain Fraser, publisher and co-founder (with his two brothers) of Opera Scotland, the new website for opera listings and performance history, reveals for the first time some of the results of research by the Opera Scotland team, drawing on the material in a new publication available next year.

The Carl Rosa Opera Company is remembered for touring opera productions right across Britain. The company started to perform main stage opera in Scotland in 1874 (to a quality never before seen in the provinces), and continued to do so, despite some gaps, until 1957. Opera Scotland has by now identified over 2500 of their main stage performances, and just finalised the performance schedule from 1874 to 1900.

Rosa’s aims were to take opera in English to new audiences, involving the latest operas and new artists along with some established stars and proven popular pieces. Iain tells the story through the performances and the personalities involved who performed on the Scottish stage – Rosa himself, various other conductors such as Eugene Goossens father and son, and his singers, who included the great baritone Charles Santley and Marie Roze (who inspired Bizet to conceive Carmen), Aynsley Cook and Zelie de Lussan. Mentioned too are the operas Rosa introduced to Scotland – in the nineteenth century alone they included Flying Dutchman, Merry Wives of Windsor, Manon, Hansel and Gretel, La Boheme and Valkyrie.

The great critic Herman Klein rated Rosa’s achievements in opera in the late nineteenth century as almost unmatched. Certainly he brought opera of a high standard to new and larger audiences, and he and his company deserve their place in Scotland’s first History Festival.

Robert Louis Stevenson was born on 13 November, 1850, and in the week of the anniversary of his birthday, Edinburgh Napier University’s Centre for Literature and Writing (CLAW), in partnership with The City Art Centre, celebrated the occasion by hosting the special evening with Ian Rankin and Nigel Planer.

So here is another photo to show you what you have already missed. Don’t miss the rest of Previously…Scotland’s History Festival which runs till 30 November 2011.

 

Photos courtesy of Colin Hattersley

07974 957 388

Jobs in Edinburgh for the girls…not just the boys

Female technology stars of the future were treated to a careers event aimed at encouraging more women in to what is a predominantly male industry.

Skills Development Scotland and Scottish Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology organised the ‘Your digital future’ event that was held last month in Edinburgh Napier University.

The event aimed to dispel the myth that technology jobs are “for the boys” and encouraged female school pupils from across Edinburgh to challenge stereotypes by considering a career in the industry.

Malcolm Barron, SDS’s Head of Operations for the region, said: “Women continue to be massively under-represented in science, technology engineering and mathematics jobs (STEM careers). Not only is this limiting to the women themselves, but the skills shortages in these fields are detrimental to economic growth.

“It has also been documented that when women do pursue a STEM career, they often leave the role to move in to another industry.

“The event we organised offered the opportunity for girl pupils to hear from women who not only pursued a job in the technology industry but who have gone on to have highly successful careers.”

The ‘Your digital future’ event followed on from an Ofsted report that highlighted the need to develop ‘better opportunities for young women to meet professional women working in non-stereotypical roles’.

Among the school pupils attending the event was Royal High School pupil, Jenny Martin who commented that it was: “Good to hear about the career paths of the three speakers.”

Fellow Royal High pupil, Soffi Keenan added: “It was really interesting to meet the speakers and the other professionals during the networking.”

The professional women speaking at the event included senior staff from IBM, Harvey Nash Plc and Interface 3

Fiona Hunter, a Project Manager with technology company Sopra Group, was also among those sharing her experience at the event.

Fiona – who has a First Class Honours Degree in Applied Computing from the University of Dundee – said: “I was very keen to take part in this event and my company was delighted to support me.

“Both Sopra Group and I are very aware of the need to encourage people to think about a career in the IT sector. We need a good strong channel of potential new recruits for the future and particularly see the need to increase the numbers of females coming through to offset the diminishing numbers who are currently studying IT in our universities.”

She added: “If my participation in the event enthuses a few girls in to our industry then this will be a win/win for everyone.”

Breaking from the crowd to pursue a career in engineering was a tough decision for Elise Littlejohn but one that she does not regret.

While her friends were training to be hairdressers, Elise, from Edinburgh, was applying to a Fabrication and Welding course at her local college knowing that she would be the only girl in the group.

“I loved it,” she said. “At first it was difficult being the only girl but I soon settled in and was seen as just ‘one of the guys’.”

On her tutor’s recommendation, Elise (19) then decided to complete an Access to Engineering course before applying to carry out a Modern Apprenticeship (MA) with the company Selex Galileo – a leader in the defence electronics market.

Elise said: “I had doubts about pursuing a predominantly ‘male’ profession but I quickly realised that workplaces don’t discriminate because of your sex. There are more female engineers in Selex Galileo than I expected and I was happily surprised.

“I have also been told by some of my older colleagues that there are more women working as senior and specialist engineers than when they were apprentices so that is definitely a good thing and shows that things are slowly changing.”

Elise is currently in her third year of training and is working to achieve a level three engineering MA.

“I wake up in the morning not knowing what I’ll be doing that day because no two days are ever really the same which keeps the job interesting,” Elise explained. “My family are all really proud that I chose a career that I love and I have no regrets about going this route.”

During her time with Selex Galileo, Elise has proven that she is an outstanding and dedicated worker. Her skills have also led her on to training new Modern Apprentices within the company.

She added: “The only thing I would change would be to have more female apprentices alongside me so I don’t have to listen to football chat all the time. So hopefully I’ll inspire more women to pursue a career in engineering.

“I would tell any young girl considering a future career in a predominantly male environment to just go for it. If you have your heart set on doing something, don’t let stereotypes or anyone else say you can’t do it.”

Chris Simpson, Apprentice Training Manager at Selex Galileo has overseen Elise’s work since she joined the company in August 2009.

He said: ““At Selex Galileo we visit many schools to promote engineering to girls as a career. We aim to change the perception that all engineering is a manual job where you get your hands dirty. Our engineers experience clean room environments and many are based in offices dealing with product design.

“Elise has had both manual experience and hands on experience. Elise now works in the quality department where she experiences the best of both worlds. She is a credit to the Modern Apprenticeship programme and a valuable employee who goes to show what women are capable of in engineering.”

Five things you need to know today

A section of the Scottish Parliament had to be closed yesterday after a concrete slab came loose near to Alex Salmond’s office. According to The Scotsman, about 1000 concrete slabs will now have to be checked.

The NSPCC have launched a text helpline for children in Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland aimed at making it easier for them to report cases of abuse. Our article is here.

Axo Gallery has confirmed to The Reporter that it raised over £1000 at the Silent Auction last weekend for Forest Cafe.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival programme has been launched this morning. You can read about it here, and we will have more on the films coming up for you very soon. Our David McGinty was at the press launch for us.

The Guardian has published its 2012 University League Table today, with three out of four of Edinburgh’s Universities rising up the ranks. The University of Edinburgh was the only university in the capital to fall down the table, albeit slightly.

Heriot-Watt University rose from 32nd place to 27th, Edinburgh Napier University rose from 55th to 52nd, Queen Margaret University rose from 63rd to 56th while The University of Edinburgh fell from 15th to 16th place.

The Guardian measures several factors when compiling the table, including student satisfaction levels, teaching and feedback satisfaction, the student to staff ratio and the chances of a career within 6 months of graduating. The main table measures each University as a whole, although it is possible to search for the quality of education in distinct subject areas, such as Law.

Liberton High School are winners at Make Waste History Summit 2011

Pupils from secondary schools across Scotland entered the Dragons’ Den at the Changeworks national Make Waste History Summit 2011 which took place today at  Edinburgh Napier University. Liberton High School won the final vote after successfully pitching their enterprising project idea to reduce plastic bottles in school to an esteemed panel of dragons and their peers.

Liberton High School’s winning team was made up of members Ellie McCallum, Emily Robertson, Claire Bunting, Rowan Moran and Tyler Wilson.

Fiona Lundius, Liberton High School teacher said: “I am blown away, absolutely gob smacked. We put our eco schools committee together on the last day of term where we launched workshops including Changeworks. The kids were told yesterday that they were to come to the Make Waste History summit and within 24 hours they’ve won it. That’s been fantastic for them and for me and for our school. I think if they can go back with the enthusiasm and the ideas they’ve shown the school they can only benefit the school. This is a fantastic starting point.”

Winning team members Tyler Wilson and Ellie McCallum added: “We’re really happy! Everyone voted for us because they thought our presentation was really good.  It was really good and really exciting. We were speechless when we won.”

The Summit opened with Ally Tibbitt’s inspirational story of successful social entrepreneurship with award-winning community sustainability development initiative, Greener Leith.

Ally said:- “It was a tremendous honor to be asked to be a keynote speaker, I hope I did it justice. What was really inspiring was hearing from the school pupils. They had so many ideas it was hard to take them all in. I think Liberton High school deserved to win, they had a really great idea and a really brilliant pitch. It was great to see it go to an Edinburgh school.”

The summit offered pupils from schools in Scotland the opportunity to equip themselves with the sustainable skills needed to reduce waste in school and turn their enterprising idea into a reality.

Anita Sharkey, Waste Education officer at The City of Edinburgh Council commented: “It was absolutely fantastic and I was really happy to be invited along, especially to be a dragon. I was blown away by the groups I saw, they were proper waste projects that would work. They had really thought through their pitch, including marketing activity, costs and how they would motivate teaching staff.”

Funded by the City of Edinburgh Council, workshops include marketing, finance, evaluation and effectively presenting their enterprising project ideas.

Edinburgh Lecture 9 February 2011 – James Robertson

Award-winning Scottish author, and Writer in Residence at Edinburgh Napier University, James Robertson will examine the ways in which writers from Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott to Iain Banks, Alasdair Gray and Janice Galloway portray the cities in their work.

Mr Robertson will deliver his Edinburgh Lecture entitled ‘The City in Scottish Literature’ at Edinburgh Napier University on Wednesday 9th February 2011.

He said: “Many of Scotland’s great writers, from the age of Enlightenment to the 20th century, came from rural or island communities: they found cities alien and incomprehensible, even when their political sympathies lay with the mass of the populations that inhabited them. My Edinburgh Lecture will explore what this has meant for the representation of cities in Scottish literature, and how the relationship between writers and cities might develop in a post-industrial age.”

Councillor Deidre Brock, Culture and Leisure Convener, said: “From Stevenson’s depiction of the duality of Edinburgh in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, to Alasdair Gray’s re-imagined Glasgow in Lanark, Scotland’s cities have long provided inspiration to many of our greatest literary figures. It’s especially fitting to be exploring this topic here in Edinburgh, the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature. James Robertson is one of our most highly-regarded and interesting authors, and we can all look forward to a fascinating and thought-provoking Edinburgh Lecture on Wednesday.”

James Robertson is the author of The Fanatic (2000), Joseph Knight (2004), The Testament of Gideon Mack (2006) and And the Land Lay Still (2010), which won the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year award in 2010.

Visit Edinburgh’s Writers’ Museum to delve deeper into the life and works of three of Scotland’s most celebrated writers, Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott, all of whom will feature in James Robertson’ Edinburgh Lecture.

Forthcoming Edinburgh Lectures in the 2010/11 Talking Cities series include a focus on ‘solar cities’ by Professor Susan Roaf at the Edinburgh Business School on Thursday 10 March.

Tickets for the Edinburgh Lectures can be purchased online from the Usher Hall – online, in person or by phone on 0131 228 1155.

Clipper – because it’s worth it….

An independent survey has revealed that Edinburgh’s entry in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, gained a media exposure in excess of $10 million.

By bringing the Clipper 11-12 Race to the Capital, the city and country could build on this success – the 09-10 event hosted by Hull attracted more than 150,000 people and an independent evaluation estimated that £9.3m was generated for the region’s economy.

Laura Gordon, CEO of Corporate Connections International, is working with race organisers Clipper Ventures to help them identify suitable corporate partners for the Scottish entry for the 2011-2012 race.

She says, “The Clipper Race provides a unique marketing platform for international business promotion at 15 ports of call across the world over a year-long period. A Scottish entry will create a powerful focus for a global business initiative that will not only boost trade and international brand recognition for the commercial sponsors but will also raise the profile of the country as an international destination.”

First Minister Alex Salmond has offered his support. He said:

“Last year, I was delighted to officially name Edinburgh’s entry and welcome the yacht to the 09/10 race. The crew of Edinburgh Inspiring Capital took the Homecoming message to ports across the world and encouraged visitors to come to Scotland long after the year’s celebrations. They were wonderful ambassadors for Scotland, as well as an inspiration to others who are striving to overcome personal challenges or to achieve their ambitions.

“The Scottish Government was proud to support this fine venture and I hope that this tremendous competition continues for many years to come.”

Figures delivered by Sports Marketing Surveys, the independent evaluation agency used by FIFA and McLaren, reported that the city’s entry in 09-10 featured in 783 media stories and reached an audience of over 40 million people worldwide during the ten month race. The total audience for the race (and all entries) exceeded half a billion people, with the overall media value estimated at more than $100m.

Council leader, Jenny Dawe, has previously made the case to business leaders for the city to join the likes of New York, Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town in hosting a leg of the biennial round-the-world race.

“Not only did the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race prove to be a fresh, innovative way of marketing Edinburgh internationally, it made a real difference to the lives of the young Capital crew members who participated. I fully support Clipper in their efforts to not only continue Scotland’s participation in this unique event but also to explore the exciting possibility of bringing the race here to Edinburgh”, she said.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo, non-stop around the world and Chairman of Clipper Ventures, added: “There is a real opportunity to build on the 09-10 campaign, generating further investment through activations in the race ports from key business locations of California and New York to Singapore and China.  It would also be a real first for Scotland, to bring an international round the world yachts race and its influential sponsors to the capital for a celebration of Edinburgh as a world-class destination.”

Snowy Times 3 December 2010

Some more news about the way our capital is coping with the white stuff. We will again update this article throughout the day so keep coming back!

If you have any information for us then please get in touch with us at theedinburghreporter@gmail.com

Here is the news from The City of Edinburgh Council about schools for Monday 6 December 2010.

All secondary schools are set to open for some pupils and 55 primaries are set to open on Monday.

The situation remains changeable so parents so parents should check the Council’s website on Sunday afternoon for confirmation/updates on the situation below.

All staff should continue to report to work. If staff cannot report to their usual place of work then they should go to the nearest City of Edinburgh Council school. Staff should not go to Prestonfield Primary.

Home to School contract bus companies will provide transport for registered students. This is of course subject to change if the weather impacts on the service.

City Education Leader Cllr Marilyne MacLaren talks about getting to school:-“We are trying our best to get schools and nurseries open again and but we want parents to be assured that we don’t expect that everyone will be able to get to school. We know that nowadays most pupils really enjoy their school experience and will be keen to get back into the swing of things.

“Our aim is to open as many schools as possible so we can get Edinburgh’s education service up and running.  We understand that, in some circumstances, it may be very difficult or nearly impossible to make the journey to school. In these cases it is of course for parents to make a judgement about whether to send children to school.

“We run a vital service and we want it be as available as possible.  We don’t expect schools to be full at this stage but we are confident, that as we move forward, more and more schools should open and more and more pupils will gradually make it along until eventually things get back to normal.

“Until then we’ll keep working with the Council’s gritting teams and with contractors who we’ll bring in to make routes to school and school grounds as safe and accessible as possible.”

The current situation

Secondary Schools

All secondary schools are set to open for some pupils.  Some schools may open to more pupils so be sure to check the council website on Sunday. Current details as follows:

Balerno S4-S6 – No transport for pupils who take private bus from Livingston & Mid-Calder
Boroughmuir S4-S6
Broughton S4-S6
Castlebrae S4-S6
Craigmount S4-S6
Craigroyston S3-S6
Currie S4-S6
Drummond S4-S6
Firrhill    S4-S6
Forrester S3-S6
Gracemount S3-S6
Holy Rood RC S4-S6
James Gillespie’s S4-S6
Leith Academy S1-S6
Liberton S4-S6
Portobello S4-S6
Queensferry S5-S6
St Augustine’s RC S4-S6
St Thomas of Aquin’s RC S4-S6
The Royal High S4-S6
Trinity Academy S4-S6
Tynecastle High S4-S6
Wester Hailes Education Centre S3-S6

Lunches will be provided.

Primary Schools

The following 55 (of 87) primary schools will be open on Monday as well as the nursery at Clovenstone. Clovenstone Primary will be closed.

Abbeyhill
Balgreen
Blackhall
Bonaly
Broomhouse
Broughton
Bruntsfield
Castleview
Clermiston
Corstorphine
Craigentinny
Craiglockhart
Craigour Park (No breakfast club)
Craigroyston
Crammond (No nursery class)
Dalry
Davidson’s Mains
Ferryhill
Flora Stevenson
Forthview
Granton(No nursery class, will re-open Tuesday)
Gylemuir
Hermitage Park
Holy Cross RC
James Gillespie’s
Leith
Leith Walk(No nursery class)
Liberton(No nursery class)
Longstone
Lorne
Murrayburn (Language class open on Monday, no nursery class)
Oxgangs
Pirniehall
Preston Street
Queensferry
Roseburn
Sciennes
Sighthill
South Morningside (Fairmilehead annex closed – no nursery class, no breakfast or afterschool clubs. Cluny annex will be open but no bus service until further notice.)
St Catherine’s RC (No nursery class)
St Cuthbert’s RC
St David’s RC
St John’s RC (No nursery class)
St Joseph’s RC
St Mary’s RC – Edin
St Mary’s RC – Leith
St Peter’s RC
Stenhouse
Stockbridge
The Royal High (No nursery class)
Tollcross
Towerbank
Trinity(No afterschool club)
Victoria
Wardie

Lunches will be provided.

The rest of Edinburgh’s Primaries will remain closed

Special schools

The following special schools are set to open on Monday

St Crispin’s
Braidburn
Pilrig Park
Wellington
Rowanfield
The Panmure St Ann’s service will continue to operate

Nurseries

The following nurseries will be open on Monday:

Cowgate Under 5′s Centre
Tynecastle
Calderglen
Balgreen
Stanwell
Cameron House
St Leonard’s
Grassmarket
High School Yards
Hope Cottage
Princess Elizabeth
Greengables
Lochrin
Spinney Lane
Liberton
Queensferry Early Years Centre
Fort Early Years Centre
Craigroyston Early Years Centre

Other Council nurseries are closed.

Community Centres

The following City of Edinburgh Council community centres will be closed:

Ratho
Roseberry Hall
Inch
Jack Kane
Bingham
Castleview
Magdalene Rannoch
Kirkliston
Norwood Wing
Craigmount Wing
Juniper Green

All other Council community centres will be open.  Day adult education classes will run next week but evening classes will not.

Other Children & Families services

All Child and Family centres will be open with a reduced service. Please contact the centres direct for information.

Anyone looking to attend external events normally hosted in schools, e.g. councillor surgeries or community groups, should check if they are going ahead.

City Libraries are open this weekend. Tales of One City the library blog tells us:-”Almost all our libraries will be open as normal this weekend (Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 December).

The only exception is Ratho Library which will be closed.

As we’ve been saying all week -  things could change depending on the weather. Our advice remains to phone ahead if you are thinking of visiting a library to make sure it will be open when you get there.

Remember you can also renew books by logging on to your account or over the telephone (contact details on our web site).”

The City of Edinburgh Council are concerned to ensure that all vulnerable people are looked after at this time. They said:- “Vulnerable people in Edinburgh affected by the severe weather are set to benefit from emergency supplies being organised by The City of Edinburgh Council.

The supplies will be available for those who are assessed as having an urgent need and are unable to get to their local shops or don’t have family members or neighbours who can help.

The items are coming from the local Tesco in Colinton and the Council’s own staff are helping out with deliveries. Volunteers are also on standby from the Red Cross.

Councillor Paul Edie, Health and Social Care leader, said the Council was making sure the most vulnerable citizens of the Capital continued to receive support throughout the severe weather.

He said: “The freezing conditions are making it almost impossible for some of our most vulnerable people to buy their essential daily shopping items.

“These emergency supplies will help them in their time of need and I’m delighted that we have so many committed volunteers helping us with this very worthwhile cause.

“I would also urge people to show their community spirit by checking with their elderly neighbours if they need any help with their shopping.”

The parcels will contain items such as UHT milk, tinned vegetables and fruit, teabags, biscuits, tins of corned beef/ham and other essential household goods.

Anyone who is worried or needs advice should contact Social Care Direct for advice on 0131 200 2324 or in the evenings and at weekends contact can be made with the out of hours service at 0800 731 6969.”

The Foodies Festival gets under way today at noon at The Assembly Rooms.More details here.

There has been an enormous drop in temperature in Scotland overnight and in Edinburgh the mercury has gone down to -15 degrees at the airport. Many roads are affected by ice. Check the condition of the roads with sites like the AA which has useful advice for driving in the wintry conditions or with BBC Travel News.

Edinburgh Airport seems to be open and most flights are displayed as expected to arrive as scheduled.

Scotrail is trying to maintain its services where possible but these have been cancelled this morning:-

West Highland Line

Far North Line

Aberdeen – Inverness

Perth – Inverness

Glasgow Queen St – Inverness

Lothian Buses have maintained most services although some have been subject to diversions. These are the buses which are running normally:

Services operating FULL ROUTE with no diversions – 4 7 11 12 14 19 21 25 X25 26 X31 32 45 61 AIRLINK 100

Other information on their website.

The City of Edinburgh Council report that all secondary schools are set to open for some pupils and 44 primaries are set to open on Friday.

All staff should continue to report to work. If staff cannot report to their usual place of work then they should go to the nearest City of Edinburgh Council school. (Staff should not go to Prestonfield Primary)

Home to School contract bus companies will provide transport for registered students. This is of course subject to change if the weather impacts on the service.

With colder temperatures and more snow expected, the situation remains changeable so parents are urged to continue checking the Council’s website and Radio Forth for updates.

Secondary Schools

All secondary schools are set to open for some pupils.  Details as follows:

Balerno S4-S6 – No transport for pupils who take private bus from Livingston & Mid-Calder

Boroughmuir S4-S6

Broughton S4-S6

Castlebrae S4-S6

Craigmount S4-S6

Craigroyston S3-S6

Currie S4-S6

Drummond S4-S6

Firrhill   S4-S6

Forrester S3-S6

Gracemount S3-S6

Holy Rood RC S4-S6

James Gillespie’s S4-S6

Leith Academy S1-S6

Liberton S4-S6

Portobello S4-S6

Queensferry S5-S6

St Augustine ‘s RC S4-S6

St Thomas of Aquin’s RC S4-S6

The Royal High S4-S6

Trinity Academy S4-S6

Tynecastle High S4-S6

Wester Hailes Education Centre S3-S6

No lunches will be provided – pupils may wish to bring a packed lunch.

Primary Schools

The following 44 (of 87) primary schools will be open on Friday as well as the nursery at Clovenstone. Clovenstone Primary will be closed.

Abbeyhill

Balgreen

Broomhouse

Broughton

Bruntsfield

Castleview

Clermiston (No nursery class)

Corstorphine

Craigentinny

Craiglockhart

Craigour Park (No breakfast club)

Dalry

Davidson’s Mains

Ferryhill

Flora Stevenson

Forthview

Granton

Gylemuir (No nursery class)

Hermitage Park

Holy Cross RC

James Gillespie’s

Leith

Leith Walk

Lorne

Murrayburn (No nursery class, no language classes)

Oxgangs (No nursery class)

Preston Street

Roseburn     (Nursery closed)

Sciennes

Sighthill

South Morningside (Cluny and Fairmilehead annexes closed, no nursery class, no breakfast or after school clubs.  P1 and 2 to be collected at 12 noon.)

St John ‘s RC     (No nursery class)

St Joseph ‘s RC

St Mary’s RC – Edin

St Mary’s RC – Leith

St Peter’s RC

Stenhouse

Stockbridge

The Royal High  (No nursery class)

Tollcross

Towerbank

Trinity

Victoria

Wardie

No lunches will be provided – pupils may wish to bring a packed lunch.

The rest of the Council run primary schools will remain closed.

All special schools with remain closed with the exception of the Panmure St Ann’s service.

Nurseries

The following nurseries will be open on Friday:

Cowgate Under 5′s Centre

Tynecastle

Calderglen

Balgreen

Stanwell

Cameron House

St Leonard ‘s

Grassmarket

High School Yards

Hope Cottage

Princess Elizabeth

Greengables

Lochrin
Other Council nurseries are closed.

Community Centres

The following City of Edinburgh Council community centres will be closed:

Ratho
Roseberry Hall
Inch
Jack Kane
Bingham
Castleview
Magdalene Rannoch
Kirkliston
Norwood Wing
Craigmount Wing
Juniper Green

All other Council community centres will be open.  Day and evening adult education classes are cancelled for the rest of the week.

All Child and Family centres will be open with a reduced service. Please contact the centres direct for information.

Anyone looking to attend external events normally hosted in schools, e.g. councillor surgeries or community groups, should check if they are going ahead.

The situation differs with universities and colleges in Edinburgh, some of which are open and some are not.

The Edinburgh Campus of Heriot Watt University will be open today, Friday 3 December. Their website states:-

“Given the continuing poor conditions for travelling, staff and students are advised to use their own judgement in instances where it may be unsafe to do so.

The use of public transport onto the campus is strongly advised wherever possible. While considerable progress has been made with clearing much of the snow from the car parks, they remain icy and parking is restricted.

The Library re-opened on a 24 hour basis from 9.00 am Thursday and this will be a continuing service.

Normal catering service will be available in the Hugh Nisbet Building.

The School of Textiles & Design will be open today, Friday 3 December, from 9.00am to 3.00pm.

The roads around Galashiels are extremely treacherous and we recommend that you should only make the journey to the Campus if you feel that you can travel safely given the current road conditions. If you are unable to travel, please continue with your studies and work on your assessments where possible from your home. The Edinburgh-Borders Campus shuttle bus will not be running until further notice.”

Stevenson College is closed till Monday 6 December according to its website.

Telford College is to be commended on the plentiful advice it has on its website for students. The college is closed till Monday 6 December.

Edinburgh University has useful information on its site for staff, but also confirms that exams have been rescheduled. “All exams scheduled for Monday 6th December have been cancelled due to the impact of the adverse weather conditions. The intention is to reschedule all cancelled exams, and hold them between Saturday 11th December and Friday 17th December. Please check the Registry website regularly as details of your rescheduled exams will be published there.”

Also at Edinburgh the inaugural lecture by Professor Alistair Lawrence scheduled for Tuesday 7th December has been cancelled.

Jewel & Esk College is closed. According to their website Edinburgh & Midlothian campuses are closed to students and staff on  Friday  3 December.

Queen Margaret University said that the campus will be closed “for the remainder of this week due to continued poor weather conditions. The LRC continues to be open on a 24/7 basis for students resident on campus.” They are to issue an update on their website by 6.30pm on Sunday 5 December and will also use Facebook and Twitter for this news. 

Edinburgh Napier have a lot of information for students on their website. The university is open on Friday 3 December. They said:-”We are endeavouring to operate a full range of services on campus, at least between 10.00 and 16.00. All of our virtual services (WebCT, email, websites) are currently operating normally. The JKCC continues to operate 24/7, but technical support is limited.

There will continue to be some unavoidable staff shortages due to travel problems for the remainder of the week. Consequently, some timetabled activities may have to be re-arranged. If so, Schools will manage this locally.

The examinations scheduled from Monday 6 December to Friday 17 December 2010 will proceed as planned. Students who are able to travel to Edinburgh to sit examinations in the formal slot within the examinations timetable should do so.

We are aware that some students will be unable to travel to Edinburgh to sit assessments in the formal slot within the examinations timetable. We are seeking to support students to ensure their progression is not adversely affected by the adverse weather and travel disruption.”

Edinburgh Napier graduate named Britain’s Number One Showbiz journalist

Former Edinburgh Napier University student, Gordon Smart, has been named the number one showbiz journalist in the UK by Press Gazette magazine. Both journalists and the public were surveyed in the search to find the top 50 journalists.

Smart writes the Bizarre column for The Sun. He is credited with exposing Guy Ritchie’s split from Madonna and the recent unsavoury news about The One Show’s Jason Manford.

He told Press Gazette: “I’ve felt as much like a marriage counsellor as a journalist over the last few years.”

But he insisted that his brand of showbiz journalism is a lot more sensitive than that of a previous Sun era: “I feel like I’ve become the respectable face of showbiz journalism. That’s something I’m trying to do.”

Also featuring in the top ten are Daily Mirror 3am editor Clemmie Moodie and British Press Awards winners Caitlin Moran of The Times and Dan Wootton of the News of the World.

Next Page »