News

Welcome to the first regular newsletter update about what is happening in Newbattle Abbey College - and there is plenty going on!

Dear Friend of Newbattle,

Welcome to the first regular newsletter update about what is happening in Newbattle Abbey College - and there is plenty going on!

We are all very excited about our Puttin’ on the Blitz event to celebrate Newbattle's World War Two heritage on Saturday. It has received some excellent media coverage and we are delighted that at least seven veterans who trained at Newbattle will join us - more details below.

College staff are also looking forward to the next in our series of Newbattle Conversations, with writer and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch - another event celebrating the college's rich history.

Newbattle's contemporary work is also highlighted in this newsletter, including some very positive developments around the Adult Achievement Awards and Gaelic education.

We hope to keep you updated on Newbattle News on a regular basis from now on. If you have any questions, please email the college on [email protected] or call us on 0131 663 1921.

Ann Southwood,
Principal, Newbattle Abbey College

Ministerial Visit

The Scottish Government's Minister for Further Education, Shirley-Anne Somerville, is to visit Newbattle this month, to hear more about the college's role in the ground-breaking Adult Achievement Awards programme.

Marian Docherty, Deputy Principal at Newbattle, has been a key figure in the Scotland-wide development of the awards, which recognise a wide range of achievement at all levels and give individuals awards on the same framework as formal qualifications.

Marian said: "We are very proud of our work with the Adult Achievement Awards so far and we are very ambitious for the future. I look forward to meeting Shirley-Anne Somerville and discussing the tremendous potential of this exciting programme."

Gaelic language boost

The Scottish Funding Council is providing a grant of up to £49,670 from its Strategic Funds to support the establishment of Newbattle Abbey College as a Gaelic Language Hub.

The money, which covers the period 2016-2018, will ensure that there is co-ordinated support for Gaelic learning in the South East of Scotland.

Ann Southwood, Newbattle Principal, said: "This is very welcome news and highlights another area where Newbattle excels in its contribution to education in Scotland."

Everyone at Newbattle Abbey College would like to offer their warmest congratulations to our latest round of graduates, whose successes were celebrated at the Annual Awards Ceremony on Saturday 3rd September.

Newbattle Principal Ann Southwood said: "Our Annual Awards Ceremony celebrates the significant achievements of all our students, which often prove to be a life changing experience."

Puttin’ on the Blitz

A new documentary and book will be launched on this Saturday, 10 September, 2016 at a special event to celebrate the remarkable wartime history of Newbattle.

Artefacts, photographs, military vehicles and 1940s entertainment will set the scene for the 1940s revival and the college cafe will be transformed into a wartime NAAFI canteen. The event - part of Doors Open Day - starts at 10am.

The college had been open for less than three years when it was requisitioned as a training camp on the outbreak of war in 1939. It provided training for the Royal Army Medical Corps and the Auxiliary Territorial Service - often known as The Women’s Army.

When the war ended in 1945, Newbattle spent three years as the No 1 Army Formation College, providing wide-ranging training, from chemistry and physics to upholstery and secretarial skills, to help ex-military personnel find new jobs.

Newbattle Conversations

Writer and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch will deliver the second in the series of Newbattle Conversations, Scotland’s European Outlook, on 24 November, 2016.

The five-year programme of annual lectures and seminars promotes academic debate and public discourse on Scotland’s history and its recent political awakening. It culminates in an international academic conference in Spring 2020 to celebrate the 700th Anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, which was drafted at Newbattle in 1320.

Please contact us on [email protected] or telephone 0131 663 1921 to reserve a place at this lecture.