Friends

In 2015, 153,190 pupils in Scotland’s schools were identified as having Additional Support Needs (ASN), representing more than one in five of the pupil population (22.5 per cent). The number of those identified with ASN has increased by over 16 per cent since 2013, and is putting pressure on already stretched resources.

On the face of it, an increase of 20p an hour in the rate of pay for lowest paid workers seems like a reasonable ask. Yet the implications of this increase run much deeper than you might think, making it potentially prohibitive for many employers, including my own.

The social security system has been in a continual state of evolution ever since it was created in the 1940s, with the changing priorities of successive UK governments.

Rarely a day goes by without an announcement about a groundbreaking development to improve our population’s health: life-enhancing medicines, technology or treatments to tackle 21st-century health issues, such as dementia, obesity, diabetes and cancer.

If nothing changes, in the not too distant future we will be facing a crisis in caring for older and dying people in Scotland. Social care is at the heart of preventing this crisis.

Strict rules rightly govern contracts awarded by public bodies, and, in some cases, by utilities. Contractors must make clear not just their costs, but also exactly what they will do: so what happens when the buyer’s requirements change during a project? Recent regulations which sought to offer clarity have simply shifted this grey area.

The thoughts of the Agriculture and Rural sectors are turning to potential changes in the wake of Brexit. The main concerns are trade and access to the single market; labour (free movement of persons); and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). There are many associated areas, such as environmental legislation and competition. However, it is highly likely current rules and regulations will continue to apply once we leave the European Union (EU), and even long after that.

Inheritance Tax is very emotive. Nobody likes paying it, particularly on savings put aside from hard-earned income, which has already been taxed. Any additional tax-free allowances are to be welcomed – usually!

While Brexit looks set to herald the most significant change to businesses’ operating environment in a generation, we don’t yet know what leaving the EU will actually mean for organisations on a day-to-day basis. With the UK Government tight-lipped about its nascent negotiating strategy, and with the commencement of negotiations months (and a not insignificant Supreme Court ruling) away, it might seem difficult for organisations to meaningfully plan for Brexit at this time.

It’s 19 September 2016. A crisp, clear morning at Loch Eil in the Highlands and a group of 108 children from St Machar Academy in Aberdeen are embarking on a five-day Outward Bound course where they will be challenged through a series of outdoor adventures in beautiful wilderness surroundings. Working with the students to build confidence, leadership and resilience is a team of experienced instructors and teachers from the school. But what is different about this particular programme is that alongside them are two Employee Ambassadors from Swagelok Scotland: Julie Ross and Nicola Johnston.

As a 17-year old-student in a £45 million school campus, it is almost unthinkable to imagine a school without three tremendous colour-coded floors, a glass ceiling with pyramidal details above our canteen area, a stash of interactive smart-boards just itching to be used and thousands of books, textbooks and jotters waiting for their spines to be creased.

What does it take to change the world? That was the big question Girlguiding Scotland asked girls aged 13-18 at the launch of Girlguiding’s campaigning project – Action for Change.

L ook through most newspapers on any given day and few people would envy the task of teachers. That said, few people would envy the job of those setting the agenda for teaching in Scotland either.

BBC1 is about to screen an engrossing two-part documentary about Fair Isle. Crafted by BAFTA-winning director Louise Lockwood, the films follow residents over the course of a full year, showing the realities of life on the UK’s most remote inhabited island.

In a world of complexities, it is logical to assume that conserving biodiversity – especially in plants, which are neither fluffy nor cute – is not at the top of the priority list in many countries. Those affected by conflict or environmental disasters and the resulting poverty, for example, could be presumed to have better things on their mind.

Watching the Paralympics this year from Rio, and four years ago from London, I have seen something which I never thought would be possible. A new generation of role models emerged championing achievement and diversity, succeeding in something which might have been seen as impossible only ten years ago.

I was born at the start of the swinging sixties, just after Prime Minister Harold McMillan declared “most of our people have never had it so good”. Sadly, Theresa May would struggle to make the same assertion to young people today. Despite the wealth our country has, the so-called Millennial Generation is finding it increasingly difficult to get on in life.

Since April, it has been easier for communities in Scotland to exercise the right to buy neglected or unused land. Communities have welcomed these changes but in practice, will they work for both communities and landowners?

The Declaration of Arbroath, created in 1320, still resonates around the world. In Scotland it is lauded as the first powerful public statement of nationhood; in the United States, many see it as a direct inspiration for the American Declaration of Independence.