Education
Alf Young: Wha’s like us… a lesson in privileged status
SCOTLAND prides itself on enjoying a more egalitarian society than our neighbours, but inequality is entrenched, writes Alf Young
6 commentsRosshall Academy: history of the school
ROSSHALL Academy, a state secondary school, was formed in 1999 following the merger of Penilee and Crookston Castle secondary schools.
‘Teachers’ fears over exams were ignored’
TEACHERS have criticised a national audit of readiness for Scotland’s new exams, accusing it of ignoring their concerns about the new qualifications.
2 comments87,915 racist incidents in schools over five years
TENS of thousands of racist incidents were recorded in schools over a five-year period, new figures reveal.
2 commentsClassroom assistant says he is not a paedophile
A CLASSROOM assistant who hoarded a stash of child pornography while working at the school where his mother taught blamed his offending on an attention disorder.
University ban for net abuse student
A STUDENT jailed for using Twitter to mock heart-attack football star Fabrice Muamba has been banned from his university for the rest of the year.
Man who raised the standards
A FORMER head teacher who is now part of the Scottish Government’s task group on attainment, Brian McAlinden was credited with driving up results at Castlemilk High School.
Alan Massie: Social mobility leaves the ‘excluded’ further behind
There are parts of the country where the only economic activity is criminal and educational level is so low only a few can escape, writes Allan Massie
7 comments
Put teachers on five-year contracts, says expert
TEACHERS should be given fixed-term contracts to encourage continued development throughout their careers and drive up attainment in Scotland’s schools, it has been argued.
34 commentsGraduates putting their careers first
MORE and more graduates are shunning gap years and travelling overseas in favour of getting on the career ladder, a survey of university leavers has found.
1 commentHugh Reilly: Tablets no cure for education headache
ANNOYINGLY, my family and imaginary friend continue to regard me as a something of a technophobe. To be fair, my mobile phone is a somewhat retro item. Put it this way: when I take a picture using the camera function, I have to place a dark cloth over my head and hold a flash bulb aloft.
Pete Martin: Dumb and glummer
FOR a people who have long fought for education and raised their country up as an example to others, we Scots are often world-beaters when it comes to wilful ignorance, writes Pete Martin
6 commentsSpellchecker takes the blame
Technology has left many British citizens unable to spell words like “definitely” and “separate”.
2 commentsNumber of suspect university applications trebles
THE number of budding students suspected of plagiarism in their university applications more than tripled last year, new figures show.
A–level question on... Frankie Boyle
SCOTTISH comedian Frankie Boyle has been featured in an A- level General Studies question by an English exam board.
Harry Potter is great literature, say academics
THEY were a publishing phenomenon that worked magic on young readers everywhere, but left some literary critics far from spellbound.
1 commentiPad use in schools to be investigated
WAYS of promoting the use of tablet computers in schools are to be explored by the Scottish Government amid concerns that those already using them could leave others behind.
3 comments
Eddie Barnes: Honest debate over university tuition costs required
ALEX Salmond famously declared before last year’s Scottish elections that “the rocks will melt with the sun” before he asks graduates to pay back the cost of their tuition after graduating, as is happening in England. The pledge prompted Labour, in slightly less flowery language, and with notably less conviction, to match him as best they could. Now, a drastic acceleration in climate change excepting, it appears that the latter could be the first to have a rethink on this most steaming of hot potatoes.
13 commentsHappily single Abertay names its next principal
A SCOTTISH university which avoided a controversial merger with a neighbouring institution has appointed a new principal.
Professor Nigel Seaton, 51, will become the principal and vice-chancellor of Abertay University after plans to merge it with Dundee University were dropped.
Additional support for schoolchildren in need is ‘patchy’
MORE than a quarter of children in some parts of Scotland require additional support during their schooling, according to a new report.
2 commentsGlow a leading light of curriculum
BILLED as the world’s first national safe and secure online community for pupils, parents and teachers, Glow is a key part of Scotland’s new curriculum, Curriculum for Excellence.
Google walks away from pioneering website linking Scotland’s schools
FEARS have been raised over the future of a world-leading website used in Scotland’s schools after Google pulled out of the race to develop it.
Hugh Reilly: Empower pupils but don’t let them speak
I wistfully recall the occasion that my sons, both mere striplings at the time, badgered me into hiring a rowing boat for two hours at Hogganfield Loch, the Lake Constance of Glasgow’s east end.
Teachers slam ‘Tesco rate’ for supply staff
THE education of Scotland’s children is being put at risk by a controversial pay deal that sees supply teachers paid a “Tesco rate” of about £50 a day, it has been claimed.
Teachers’ union chief hits out at ‘derisory and offensive’ pay
The head of a secondary school teachers’ union has said it will work “with the devil and his cat” to protect pay and conditions.
Teachers prepare for strike ballot as tensions grow over new examinations and pay freeze
TEACHERS are threatening industrial action if the Scottish Government does not agree to delay the implementation of controversial new exams.
Bullying of disabled children rife in Scots schools, say experts
BULLYING of disabled children – including physical attacks and name-calling – is “prevalent” in Scottish education, a new report has warned.
Simon Pia: A failure to get top marks
SCHOOLS in Scotland have not been performing well when compared with other countries like China – a major worry for politicians writes
Simon Pia
‘Forget medicine and law – get pupils into IT and engineering’
PARENTS should be educated about the plentiful jobs available for their children in IT and engineering, Scotland’s enterprise chief said yesterday, as MSPs heard fresh evidence on ways to grow Scotland’s economy.
More time needed for new exams, say teachers
PUPILS’ exam results could suffer if teachers are not given more time to prepare for the introduction of controversial new exams, it has been warned.
Sex-in-cupboard maths teacher struck off
A TEACHER who had sex with two pupils in a school cupboard has been struck off the register of teachers.
Bid to honour Charles Dickens’ Scottish connections
One of the world’s leading authorities on the work of Charles Dickens is planning to establish the first Dickens Fellowship in Scotland.
College route loophole closing
The number of private English language colleges that could be providing illegal immigrants claiming to be students with a route into the UK has fallen by nearly 95 per cent, new research has shown.
Budget cuts hitting pledge on nurseries claim unions
THE education of Scotland’s pre-school children is being undermined by cuts being made to the number of qualified nursery teachers by cash-strapped councils, it has been warned.
2 commentsHugh Reilly: The well-hidden happiness of teens
IF YOU’RE happy and you know it, clap your hands. Until recently, largely by dint of anecdotal evidence garnered from my teaching days, I had believed the applause of teenagers would have been quieter than the sound of one hand clapping in the darkness. Indeed, it was my perception that the clapometer might have struggled to reach the derisorily decibel level achieved when Johnny Cash took to the stage at a Saudi Arabian prison for recidivist thieves.
Education ‘isn’t the answer’
Staying in education longer may make a person smarter, but it may not make them happier, new research suggests.
1 commentCandace Currie: Gender divide in health and wellbeing must be targeted
SCOTLAND ranks highly on life satisfaction, suggesting that our young people are relatively content with their lives.
6 commentsCase study: We’re fit and ready to face the future
DANIEL Simpson, 15, says despite the challenges awaiting them when they leave school, he and his friends are happy with their lot.
1 comment
Allan Massie: Never mind the bank balance, feel the quality
The concept of paying teachers by results has led to grotesque assertions on the value of their work, writes Allan Massie
Young Scots among happiest in Europe, says major report
A MAJOR international survey has found young people in Scotland are some of the happiest in Europe, with fewer smoking and using drugs and more brushing their teeth regularly.
33 comments
Loophole ‘lets Northern Irish students avoid Scottish tuition fees’
SCOTTISH universities have denied they are facing an influx of so-called “fee refugees” from Northern Ireland after it emerged some students there are being told that they can obtain free tuition with an Irish passport.
20 commentsChinese to fund new Strathclyde laboratory for space station research
THE Chinese government is to fund a new laboratory at a Scottish university to develop space stations and spacecraft docking.
4 commentsSchools audit for new exams ‘superficial’
SCOTLAND’S largest teaching union has criticised an “audit” being carried out to assess whether schools are ready for the introduction of new exams.
Hugh Reilly: More je ne sais quoi in school. C’est super!
Mon dieu! Qu’est-ce que c’est? According to British Council Scotland, the forthcoming academic session will witness a 20 per cent increase in the number of Foreign Language Assistants. A total of 70 modern language assistants will experience the vida loca of teaching in Scottish education establishments. While this is welcome news, it is a sobering thought that in 2005, there were 284 such staff operating in schools.
Jennifer Dempsie: Problem of achievement solved by autonomy
THERE is growing evidence to support the claim that educational standards improve under independent governance, writes Jennifer Dempsie
2 commentsRise in foreign assistants at Scots schools
THE number of foreign language assistants working in schools in Scotland is to rise by almost 20 per cent for the first time in seven years.
- Family mourn death of Glasgow ‘fight’ schoolboy
- Rangers takeover: Duff & Phelps threaten legal action against BBC
- Today’s youth not fit to be employed, says car firm Arnold Clark
- Rangers administration: Fans fear Duff & Phelps claims could scare off Green
- Rangers takeover: triple penalty punishment enough, says Johnston
- Alistair Darling leads ‘No to independence’ fight over tea and biscuits
- Scottish independence: SNP flip-flops over Nato
- Scottish Independence: SNP ‘won’t be Yes campaign’s only voice’
- Scottish independence: Alex Salmond’s pledge to sign up 1m voters
- Today’s youth not fit to be employed, says car firm Arnold Clark
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Edinburgh
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
