Education

Glasgow City Council is facing criticism from teachers, parents, and unions over its proposal to slash 172 teaching posts across its primary and secondary schools. The council says the move is part of an education service reform that aims to save £27.8 million over three years, as it grapples with a £107 million budget deficit. Education service reform or budget cuts? The council claims that the education service reform is not just about cutting costs, but also about improving outcomes for pupils, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. It says it will invest in digital learning, curriculum development, and staff training,…

ScotlandIS, the national voice of the Scottish tech sector, has announced a new partnership with Saturday School Ltd, a tutoring organisation, to launch The ScotlandIS Scholarship. The scholarship is aimed at empowering young people from Glasgow and The West to shape, change and drive Scotland’s digital economy. What is the scholarship about? The scholarship will support 12 ScotlandIS Scholars from Glasgow and The West in securing their National 5 Maths qualification. This support includes six weekly lessons in National 5 Maths at Saturday School in The Glasgow Academy, attendance at The National 5 Maths Grade Booster Day to prepare for…

Teachers demand 10% pay rise Thousands of Scottish teachers have left their jobs in the past year, as the pay dispute between the unions and the government continues to escalate. According to the latest figures from the Scottish government, the number of teachers who quit in 2023 was 4,567, up from 3,895 in 2022 and 3,317 in 2021. This represents a 37.7% increase in teacher resignations over the past three years. The main reason for the mass exodus of teachers is the ongoing disagreement over their salaries, which the unions claim are among the lowest in Europe. The Educational Institute…

Scotland’s curriculum for school education has been challenged by a head teacher who claims it is vague and ambiguous, leaving schools unsure about what to teach and how to assess students. Curriculum for Excellence under scrutiny The head teacher, who wishes to remain anonymous, has written a letter to the Scottish government, expressing his concerns about the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), which aims to provide a holistic, coherent, and future-oriented approach to learning between the ages of 3 and 18. The letter, which was obtained by The Scotsman, states that the CfE is “thoroughly confused” and “lacks clarity, coherence, and…

Private childcare providers in Scotland are struggling to survive as they face significant underfunding from local councils, according to a new report by the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) Scotland. Funding gap widens between private and public nurseries The report, based on a survey of 200 private nurseries across Scotland, found that the average funding rate for three and four-year-olds was £5.31 per hour, which was 17% lower than the average cost of delivering the service. This means that private nurseries are losing an average of £1,029 per funded child per year. In contrast, the average funding rate for council-run nurseries…

The Cost-of-Living Crisis Poverty is not a new problem in Scotland, but it has become more severe and widespread due to the cost-of-living crisis that has hit many families this year. According to SallyAnn Kelly, the chief executive of the children’s charity Aberlour, more and more families are struggling to afford basic necessities such as food, clothing, heating and transport. This has a direct impact on the well-being and education of their children, who often come to school hungry, cold, tired and unprepared. Kelly said that the charity has seen a 50 per cent increase in demand for its services since the start of the…

England’s education minister has been criticised for failing to disclose that some schools in England were excluded from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests in 2018, which may have inflated the country’s performance in the global rankings. What are the PISA tests? The PISA tests are conducted every three years by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to measure the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics, science, and global competence. The tests are designed to assess how well students can apply their learning to real-life situations and problems. The PISA tests are widely…

Smartphones have become an integral part of our lives, but they can also pose challenges and risks when used in educational settings. In this article, we will explore how smartphones in classrooms affect students’ learning and well-being, and what policies and practices can be adopted to balance the benefits and drawbacks of these devices. The Impact of Smartphones on Learning Outcomes Smartphones can be useful tools for learning, as they can provide access to information, communication, and collaboration. However, they can also be sources of distraction, disruption, and cheating. Research has shown that students who use their smartphones for non-academic purposes during…

Scotland’s education system has suffered a huge decline in its performance in the latest Pisa rankings, an international survey that measures the skills of 15-year-olds in reading, maths and science. The country’s scores in all three subjects were lower than the OECD average, and well below the levels achieved in 2000. Pisa: What is it and why does it matter? Pisa stands for Programme for International Student Assessment, and it is conducted every three years by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It tests the abilities of 600,000 students from 79 countries and regions to apply what they…