EPNoSL VIP - the Virtual Platform of the European Policy Network on School Leadership

As a member of EPA or a person interested in parental involvement you are a VIP for EPNoSL, so join the Virtual Platform to

-          access resources on school leadership,

-          watch our webinars and gain up-to-date information on what is happening in the field of school leadership in Europe,

-          join the discussions and speak with school heads, trainers, academic experts,

-          learn from others and share your experience on the topic you choose,

-          influence policy.

ADOCARE-conference

Towards a good mental health care for adolescents in Europe

European Parliament in Brussels October 16th, 2014

This comprehensive report is also available as PDF-file for download.

Among the last invitations for EPA a new thematic focus emerged recently: mental health.

Achieving validation of learning outcomes best practices and the way forward

Ana-Carla Pereira (EC), Conny Reuter (Solidar)
and Pavel Trantina (EESC)

This conference organised by SOLIDAR Foundation in cooperation with La Ligue de l'enseignement was hosted by Julie Ward, MEP (UK Labour party, S&D Group) in the European Parliament in Brussels on October 14, 2014. Due to my presence at the meeting of the ADHD-Alliance I could only participate in the closing panel presentations.

EPNoSL PLA in Nice and October Newsletter

The fifth EPNoSL Peer Learning Activity (PLA) took place in Nice, France on 25-26 September 2014. The PLA stimulated knowledge exchange between policymakers, practitioners, researchers and other stakeholders towards enhancing school leadership for equity and learning. All documentation from the Nice PLA is now available on the EPNoSL portal. 

ADHD Alliance for a Change

EPA was invited by the ADHD-Alliance for a Change to attend a meeting in Brussels. The Presentation and discussion was hosted by Rosa Estaràs Ferragut MEP on October 14^th, 2014. The Real Voices Report Launch Event brought together experts and stakeholders from various fields. EPA had not been involved in the preparatory actions. EPA’s claim to act as the Voice of European Parents made it reasonable to follow this invitation.

Child poverty figures on the rise. Commissioner Andor: “Member States must invest in children”

On the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Commissioner László Andor recalls the EU measures which can help Member States reduce child poverty. Effective use of policy guidance and EU funds can make a difference. Listening to children and young people, and organisations working with them, would be a good place to start

By Jana Hainsworth, Secretary General of Eurochild.

Family-School Get-together - Newsflash from Finland

The Finnish Parents’ League has published a leaflet about Kodin ja koulun päivä (Family-School Get-together). The Family-School Get-together is an informal event that offers families and teaching staff the opportunity to interact with and get to know each other. It can take the form of morning coffee shared by teachers and parents, an entire Saturday filled with exciting programme events, or a friendly evening after a day's work. Most important is to find the time to interact.

Forum on the future priorities of ET2020

The third annual Education, Training and Youth Forum was held in Brussels on 9th and 10th October. As usual there were about 350 stakeholders in these fields and as usual parents were represented by EPA. The Forum witnessed the farewell of Commissioner Vassiliou who has done a lot during her 5-year assignment and also we heard the encouragingly enthusiastic Silvia Costa, the new President of the CULT Committee of the European Parliament. Xavier Prats-Monné who became Director General at DG EAC introduced some thought-provoking ideas. The results of a stakeholder survey was presented as well as a report on youth work in Europe. Participants had the opportunity to share some thoughts in workshops and at the end of the Forum Pierre Mairesse, Director General at DG EAC shared his thoughts about the issues highlighted by the participants. Read our detailed report below.

'Protection of minors in the context of screen convergence' confrence in Barcelona

On behalf of EPA, board member Josep-Manuel Prats has attended a conference in Barcelona on 9/10 October, held by Euralva and some local Associations of listeners and viewers. The topic of the conference was Media Convergence, and it took a view of the European regulations, technical solutions and education. The general contents of the conference in Barcelona was not especially focused on parental education and training to face the challenges properly, but on regulatory and technical solutions. We think that this is good, but not enough.

Global Handwashing Day - 15th October

Global Handwashing Day was originally created for children and schools, but can be celebrated by anyone promoting handwashing with soap.

Each year, over 200 million people are involved in celebrations in over 100 countries around the world. Global Handwashing is endorsed by a wide array of governments, international institutions, civil society organizations, NGOs, private companies, and individuals.

The day was established to

foster and support a global culture of handwashing with soap,

shine a spotlight on the state of handwashing in every country,

raise awareness about the benefits of handwashing with soap.

Empowering marginalised groups through education and training in the Danube Region

The two-day conference held in Vienna on 2/3 October 2014 mainly focused on presenting strategies and projects for the inclusion of Roma families into society and especially on improving children’s integration in school. Read Arja Krauchenberg's report below

Nordic conference on an equal school for all in Helsinki

From 12.-13.September 2014 the Nordic Committee for parent organizations in the Nordic countries organized a conference with over 50 participants from parent organizations in the Nordic countries. Participants came from Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Norway.

Why languages matter: European and national perspectives on multilingualism

The conference Why languages matter: European and national perspectives on mulitlingualism was held in Florence, Italy on 25^th and 26^th September 2014 in the frame of the Italian presidency. The event was attended by Arja Krauchenberg on behalf of EPA. Read her comprehensive report here:

Eurydice launches new short overview on Annual Instruction Time

The Comparative Overview on Recommended Annual Instruction Time in Full-time Compulsory Education in Europe 2013/14 has just been published by Eurydice. Going through the data some EPA members found that the data provided by their respective governments and used by Eurydice may not be correct. We would appreciate if EPA members sent us their comments if they find mistakes in the data provided.