Plans unveiled to maximise Scotland’s reputation globally
Promoting Scotland’s world leading university research and economic potential is at the core of the country’s first International Education Strategy (IES).
The IES sets out plans to attract more academic staff, and to encourage and support international students to stay in Scotland after qualifying to work in key growth economies.
As part of the strategy, activity will be increased to promote universities and colleges internationally to prospective students, with global alumni communities and the wider Scottish diaspora being engaged.
Work to develop a Scottish Exchange Programme will continue, building on the current Test and Learn project, and a Talent Attraction and Migration Service will be launched in 2024 providing information and advice for students considering staying in Scotland post-qualifying.
Launching the strategy at Edinburgh Napier University, Higher and Further Education Minister Graeme Dey said: “Scotland already has more top universities per head of population than any other country in the world. This strategy sets out our collective aim to create the conditions for our universities and colleges to continue to flourish.
“In the coming months and years, we will continue to work with Scotland’s universities and colleges to help them diversify their international student, research, and staff population by enhancing our reputation as a world-leading safe and inclusive country, with open-minded social policies.
“We will help maximise the social and economic benefits of international higher education, and we will continue to promote Scotland’s world leading research and knowledge exchange sector on the global stage.”
Professor Andrea Nolan, Universities Scotland International Committee Convener, said: “This is Scotland’s first international education strategy, and it gives us a platform, working together with Government and other partners, to further develop these positive links to strengthen the sector’s contribution to the economy, society and culture.
“It also looks to deepen support for the full breadth of universities’ international role.
“We’re already known internationally for the quality of our higher and further education, but what may be less well understood is the role our universities and colleges play as major contributors to inwards investment, and the attraction of talented people who want to live and work in here.
“Working in partnership we will build on all elements of our international work to grow our reach and impact.”
Diplomatic missions call on Israel to halt demolitions and confiscations of Palestinian houses and property in the West Bank
Representatives of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the European Union together with the Palestinian Ministry of Education call on Israel to rescind its recent decision of the Israeli Civil Administration to demolish a donor-funded school in Amera, Hebron.
Israeli authorities issued a final demolition order against the school on Education Day (24th January), leaving the school at imminent risk of demolition. Should the demolition go ahead, 39 Palestinian school children will be deprived of their basic right to education.
The nearest alternative schools are approximately 5km away. Without adequate transport, students must make the long journey by foot, exposed to settler attacks, a heavily trafficked road and inclement weather. Under these conditions, girls and children with disabilities in particular are at a high risk of dropping out.
Palestinian schools in Area C – including those funded by donors – remain vulnerable to Israeli demolitions and settler violence. Since 2022, Israeli authorities have demolished three donor-funded schools. In addition, three donor-funded schools have been vandalised by Israeli settlers and are currently not operational.
Under international law, Israel, as occupying power, has an obligation to ensure that the occupied civilian population has adequate access to basic education.
Palestinian children’s right to an education is undermined by Israel’s planning and zoning system in Area C which prevents Palestinian development, and construction of schools in Area C.
Representatives of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the European Union call on Israel to halt demolitions and confiscations of Palestinian houses and property in accordance with its obligations as an occupying power under international humanitarian law, and to cease the policy of settlement construction and expansion, of designating land for exclusive Israeli use and of denying Palestinian development.
Failure to do so seriously undermines a two state solution and is a major impediment to peace and security.
Around 20,000 pupils are expected to benefit from anti-racism and equality projects based in school libraries across Scotland.
A total of 21 schools will be awarded a share of £200,000 from the School Library Improvement Fund (SLIF).
Projects include:
books to support children who have recently arrived in East Ayrshire from countries including Ukraine
teaching pupils Black, Asian and minority ethnic history as part of learning on historical links to slavery in Inverclyde
a Holistic Inclusion Hub to support parents and pupils from diverse backgrounds to feel more included in the school community in Edinburgh.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth announced the funding during a visit to Annette Street Primary School in Glasgow, which will use the investment to support children from the Roma community.
Ms Gilruth said: “School libraries play a key role in our efforts to further boost literacy and continue improving attainment but they are also places where positive values can be developed and celebrated.
“Projects supported by this funding will help young people to understand the harmful consequences of racism and ensure they feel empowered to challenge discrimination.
“Scotland’s school libraries are a vital resource and all children should have access to the opportunities they provide. This funding will help ensure that young people from all backgrounds feel the full benefits.”
Chief Executive of Scottish Library and Information Council Pamela Tulloch said: “School libraries play a key role in accelerating education and learning, and ensuring every young person has the chance to fulfil their full potential by enabling access to information and creative opportunities.
“We’re particularly proud to award support to those advocating for anti-racism and anti-discrimination through this year’s Fund, with many projects aiming to increase access and support for pupils who may experience barriers to learning, including those with Additional Support Needs (ASN) and pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL).
“Involving children and young people, and their families, in defining the school library service creates a flexible space for reflection and conversation where learning and creativity are encouraged in a nurturing environment. We look forward to seeing these initiatives come to life.”
Glasgow City Council’s Convener for Education and Early Years, Councillor Christina Cannon said: “Our schools and teachers are always looking at ways in which to support our children and young people – particularly pupils with English as additional language – and this additional funding will help provide resources to complement this work.
“Our diversity is something that we celebrate and we are proud to have more than 113 languages spoken across the city.”
The NSPCC’s ‘Game Safe’ festival features a range of workshops and an in-person esports safeguarding conference which covers child protection within the gaming industry.
Professionals, parents and gamers are invited to attend sessions which educate individuals on how to keep children safe when gaming online.
Childline continues to be here for young people who are concerned about experiences on gaming platforms.
Staff from NSPCC Scotland will lead a workshop on keeping children safe while gaming as part of a new ‘Game Safe’ festival.
The children protection charity is inviting professional, parents and gamers to attend the festival, which aims to raise awareness and educate parents, carers and professionals on how to keep children safe while playing games online, as well as provide opportunities to fundraise for the charity.
The NSPCC’s ‘Game Safe’ festival features a range of workshops and an in-person esports safeguarding conference which covers child protection within the gaming industry.
Euan Graham (above), a Local Campaigns Officer in Scotland, will lead an online workshop on 7th February. More than 900 people have signed up so far.
The festival, taking place on the 5th – 11th February, is launched with several key partners. Vodafone has partnered with the festival and will feature across the week to promote the work they are doing with the NSPCC to ensure every child has a happy and safe online life. Also supporting is The British Esports Federation, who is advising on the esports activation.
The festival comes as a recent report by the NSPCC saw an 82% rise in online grooming crimes against children in the last 5 years. With 89% of children in the UK playing video games, the NSPCC is committed to ensuring that online protections extend to gaming platforms.
One of the key opportunities within the festival is the Safeguarding in Esports Conference, an in-person event being held at Confetti X in Nottingham on the 9th February. This gives esports industry professionals the opportunity to learn more from safeguarding experts about how to protect children who take part in esports competitions. There are also virtual tickets for those unable to attend in person.
The conference features a panel of experts who will share insight on the world of esports, including:
NSPCC’s CEO, Sir Peter Wanless
Wolves FC / Wolves Esports Head of Safeguarding, Lisa Carter
Child Protection in Sport Service Head, Michelle North
Sport England Head of Children, Alex Moore
Alongside the esports conference, there are a variety of online workshops for parents, carers and professionals working with children. These sessions will tackle the topic of keeping children safe when gaming online.
All events will be designed to equip people with the tools and confidence they need to protect young players, bring together key industry stakeholders to improve safeguarding practices across the sector and encourage everyone to fundraise for the charity.
Visitors will also be able to bid for exciting auction prizes. During the week, creators and streamers will be offering prizes during livestreaming, including state-of-the-art gaming furniture and equipment. Another prize is the opportunity for two winners to watch the senior Cymru men’s team train as they prepare for the Euro 24 play off, semi-final against Finland.
Tickets for all Game Safe Festival events can be found here.
Childline counsellors are listening to concerns from children who contact the free helpline, as well as hearing how young people play games online to relax, they are also hearing cases of abuse in the virtual world.
The most commonly mentioned gaming consoles in 2022/23 were Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo (including the Switch) and the top gaming sites discussed Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite.
One boy aged 18 told Childline: “I’m contacting Childline today because of something I’ve seen online… I was invited to a Discord group chat room by someone on Reddit who I didn’t know and in this group chat they were sharing naked photos of underage children!
“I left the chat as soon as I realised what it was and reported it to Discord. But then I discover that Discord had banned MY account?! Now I’m scared I’m going to get in trouble for it even though I’ve not done anything wrong!”
One young person aged 13 told Childline:“During the break from school I was spending lots of time on Roblox. These two older guys were talking to and flirting with me, they complimented my selfies but then made me send sexy pictures to them. I feel so stupid for doing it.
“My parents helped me report it and everything, but I don’t want to go back to school now. I feel like everyone knows what I did.”
Euan Graham, Local Campaigns Officer at NSPCC Scotland, said: “Gaming and technology is a huge part of young people’s lives, so it is crucial parents and carers to better understand what their children enjoy about gaming so they can better support them to navigate these digital spaces safely.
“Gaming is an increasingly social activity, meaning it is more important than ever that parents and carers have the skills and resources to keep children safe while gaming.
“Parents and carers will finish the workshop with more confidence and knowledge and come away with practical skills to ensure they are well equipped to help keep their children safe.”
Lewie Procter, Associate Head of Gaming at the NSPCC, said: “The NSPCC is thrilled to announce the launch of Game Safe, our new gaming festival. A huge number of young people use gaming platforms, and so it is crucial that they are designed with child safety in mind.
“The NSPCC is dedicated to protecting children from abuse both online and in person. Our esports conference is a fantastic opportunity for professionals to learn more about the industry, and the role we all have in keeping young people safe.”
Nicki Lyons, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer at Vodafone UK,said: “As a partner of NSPCC, we are proud to be supporting the Game Safe Festival 2024 and bringing more people into the online safety conversation through the event.
“At Vodafone we have been committed to the online safety space for 14 years and have been working with the NSPCC since early 2023 to create new resources and support via the Vodafone UK Digital Parenting platform, helping equip parents and carers with the information and tools they need to help ensure children are safe and happy online.
“We’re proud to be launching a new online toolkit together in the coming weeks to further support families feeling confident about starting their online journey together.”
Any adults concerned about a child’s safety or wellbeing can contact the NSPCC Helpline at help@nspcc.org.uk or by calling 0808 800 5000.
Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or childline.org.uk.
There has been a rise in young people in Scotland vaping in recent years, with more than 40 per cent of children and teenagers saying they’ve tried vapes by the time they reach S4.1
Vaping is a new and emerging pattern of disruptive behaviour in schools, with staff reporting reduced attendance as young people gather to vape in toilets through the school day.2
Nicotine, often found in vapes, can also be linked to stress, anxiety and struggles with sleeping. Research shows that you can become addicted to nicotine within days of starting to use it and a quarter of teens who tried vaping say they are addicted.3
To help tackle this issue the Scottish Government has launched a campaign which encourages and supports teachers to have conversations with pupils about the serious health risks of vaping.
Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “Smoking damages lives and kills more than 8,000 people a year in Scotland and is burden on our NHS and social care services. Research also suggests that almost one in five adolescents have tried vapes.
“While E-cigarettes are one of a range of tools for adult smokers to quit smoking, they should never be used by young people or adult non-smokers. We must take action to prevent young people using vapes and becoming addicted which will damage their health, and that’s why we launched a marketing campaign. It is much easier to never start than it is to give up.”
Allie Cherry-Byrnes, CEO of Fast Forward, a voluntary education organisation, said: “We know from speaking to schools and parents during our vaping workshops that schools have seen a notable increase of vaping among pupils recently.
“The nicotine addiction associated with vaping can affect pupils’ ability to concentrate in school and schools are also seeing a negative impact on attendance.
“The campaign resources are a useful tool for teachers as they continue to speak to pupils about vaping and help young people understand the health risks involved.”
Resources linking to Curriculum for Excellence have been shared with all Scottish schools, including information and facts about vaping, posters, newsletter copy, social media assets and an expert film featuring Professor Linda Bauld talking about the impacts of vaping on young people.
Professor Linda Bauld from the University of Edinburgh said “There is a rise in young people in Scotland who vape and this is a concern. These are products that should be used by adult smokers trying to quit and not other groups.
“Although we don’t have long term evidence on health harms, we do know that many vaping products contain nicotine that can be addictive. Cravings for nicotine can lead to irritability, restlessness, feeling anxious or depressed, trouble concentrating and sleeping.
“It’s important that we communicate to young people and parents about risks and support them to have informed discussions about these products.”
Nicotine withdrawal can have an impact on a young person’s mental health making them tired, stressed and anxious. It can also affect young people’s concentration and impact their ability to learn and study. The first symptoms of nicotine dependence can appear within days or weeks of starting to occasionally vape.
The ‘Take Hold’ campaign also offers advice for parents about talking to their about vaping and features a striking image of a young person being ‘taken hold of’ by vape smoke, to highlight how vaping can quickly take hold of and impact your life.
There’s still time to try something new this new year as places are available on a wide range of January-start courses at Scotland’s Capital College.
Edinburgh College’s January courses start later this month – meaning potential applicants still have time to book their place and take the next step in their education and career journey.
Places are available in subject areas including: Music; Computing; Cookery and Hospitality; Travel and Tourism; Business; Science; Health and Care; and Sport and Fitness.
In addition to full-time courses, a variety of flexible study options – including evening and part-time – are available to suit the needs of those with family commitments or those in employment.
Courses are delivered by expert lecturers across the College’s four campuses: Granton; Midlothian; Milton Road; and Sighthill – all of which house state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.
As well as high-quality learning, students also have access to extensive support services including: funding, learning support and wellbeing during their time at the College.
Audrey Cumberford, Edinburgh College Principal, said: “We’re looking forward to launching our January-start courses for 2024. It is always an exciting time for us to welcome new students to our Edinburgh College community.
“Our courses are delivered by expert teaching staff and are designed to provide students with the skills they need to either continue their learner journey or achieve their chosen career. We look forward to supporting our next wave of students to take their next step.”
Attendance hubs to more than double to support 1,000 more schools and £15 million investment to expand the attendance mentor pilot programme
Driving up attendance and tackling persistent absence is at the centre of new stronger measures launched today as pupils return to school in England.
More than one million children and young people will be supported into regular education as part of a major expansion of the attendance hubs, which provide a range of tailored support to families and pupils to boost time in school.
There will be 18 new attendance hubs across six regions, bringing the total to 32 and will see nearly 2,000 schools helped to tackle persistent absence.
Hubs are run by schools with excellent attendance that share practical ideas with other primary, secondary, alternative provision and special schools in England who need help to boost their attendance.
From direct pupil engagement initiatives like breakfast clubs and extracurricular activities, to improving their processes and analysis of attendance data, lead hub schools provide a range of support to schools that they can tailor to their pupils and families.
The Westminster government is also increasing the direct support offered to children and their families with the expansion of the attendance mentor pilot programme.
With an investment of up to £15million, over three years, this programme will provide direct intensive support to more than 10,000 persistent and severely absent pupils and their families.
The programme will see trained attendance mentors working in 10 further areas from September 2024. These areas are in addition to the existing pilot programme with Barnardo’s which is already operating in Middlesbrough, Doncaster, Knowsley, Salford, and Stoke on Trent.
The programme provides intensive one-to-one support to pupils who are persistently absent working with them and their families to find out why the child is skipping school. This can lead to extra support, more intensive work with teachers or in some cases bridge-building between school and family.
Being in school has never been more valuable with standards continuing to rise. 89% of schools are now rated good or outstanding, up from 68% in 2010. We are constantly seeing the success of our reforms rising up the rankings in maths, reading and science.
Just this month, England was ranked 11th in the world for maths, up from 27th in 2009, and in May, England was named ‘best in the west’ for primary reading.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “The benefits of our success in raising education standards can only be when all children are in school.
“Tackling attendance is my number one priority. We want all our children to have the best start in life because we know that attending school is vital to a child’s wellbeing, development, and attainment as well as impact future career success.
“I am hugely grateful to all our brilliant teachers, heads, and everyone whose worked with us to make the progress we’ve already made with 380,000 fewer children persistently absent.”
Children’s Commissioner Rachel De Souza said: “As Children’s Commissioner, I have made school attendance one of my top priorities because children tell me how much they value their education and want to be in school.
“Every day counts: when children miss school, it’s not just about missing lessons, it’s also about losing valuable moments spent with their friends and teachers.
“I very much welcome the government’s announcements today which include the recommendations made last year in my report on school attendance.
“I am hopeful that these measures will arm local authorities and schools with real-time information about school absence rates and provide vital support for children who face barriers to attending school.”
Chief Executive of Barnardo’s, Lynn Perry MBE, said: “Our Attendance Mentoring pilot scheme shows that one of the best ways to improve attendance is working individually with children, building trust and listening to their concerns.
“Our mentors encourage children to talk openly about issues such as family finances, bullying, or mental health worries – anything they feel may be preventing them from going to school.
“In Middlesbrough, 82% of the children we have worked with improved their attendance through one-on-one support from an attendance mentor, with almost two-thirds of the children saying their mental health also improved.”
Rob Tarn CBE, Chief Executive of Northern Education Trust said: “We are delighted that the hard work around attendance at North Shore Academy has led to significant impact for our students and their outcomes.
“The fact that this work was recognised as a best practice model meant we felt compelled to share what we are doing with other schools and academies in similar contexts and help where we could.
“This was, in essence, the beginning of the attendance hub programme. Seeing this work extended, with more hubs supporting more schools, is a source of great pride for the trust.”
A national communications campaign on the importance of attendance is also launching today targeting parents and carers.
Under the strapline ‘Moments Matter, Attendance Counts’ it outlines the importance of attendance for attainment, wellbeing, and development as well as signposting to advice for further support.
Key advice includes a recent letter from the Chief Medical Officer that outlines best practice when it comes to attendance and illness.
The intention is to ensure that parents have the guidance they need when it comes to making decisions when deciding to send their child to school or when to keep them home.
The UK government has also committed to further legislation in the coming months that will mean all schools will be required to share their daily school registers.
This, together with reforming pupil registration practice, will modernise how schools record and share data on attendance and support them to understand what is driving absence in their school and provide early support and intervention where pupils are displaying worrying trends of absence.
Exciting career opportunities are available at the much-anticipated Forest Nursery and Junior School
Merchiston Castle School is holding a recruitment event for its highly anticipated Forest Nursery and Junior School, scheduled to open in September 2024.
Taking place on 27 January between 9:30am-11:30am in Merchiston’s picturesque grounds, the event will serve as an opportunity for prospective candidates to hear more about the Forest Nursery and Junior School the rewarding career prospects available.
Enthusiastic early-years practitioners and primary teachers with a passion for outdoor learning and holistic development are encouraged to sign up for the recruitment morning to discover all The Forest at Merchiston has to offer.
Attendees will be taken on a guided tour of the stunning 100-acre wooded campus, discover The Forest’s innovative, child centred curriculum, and hear from Headteacher Davina Bowers, about the unparalleled educational offering The Forest Nursery and Junior School will deliver.
The Forest at Merchiston is looking to fill a number of positions, with full-time and part-time roles available. The recruitment morning is a chance for eager applicants to learn more about this promising career opportunity and gain an insight into Edinburgh’s most exciting early years and primary provision. Interested individuals will later be required to submit a formal application, with interviews scheduled for March 2024.
Davina Bowers, Head of The Forest at Merchiston, said of the event: “This is the ideal opportunity for interested applicants to explore our unique educational provision and gain an understanding of the curriculum, our progressive approach and ambitions for the Forest Nursery and Junior School.
“The event promises to be a wonderful gathering of like-minded practitioners, all passionate about combining academic subjects with the power of outdoor education and child-centred learning.
“I am looking forward to meeting the inspiring and dedicated teachers and practitioners who will make up our future team of educators.”
Those interested in attending the recruitment event on 27 January are asked to register their interest by submitting a form on the website here.
The proportions of pupils in primary achieving expected levels of literacy and numeracy have reached record highs for children from both the most and least deprived areas, according to official statistics.
Overall, the Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL) 2022/23 show:
for numeracy, a total of 79.6% of pupils reached the levels expected in 2022/23, a rise of 0.5 percentage points compared to the previous high (79.1% in 2018/19).
for literacy a rise to 72.7%, up on the previous high of 72.3% in 2018/19
The gap between the proportion of primary pupils from the most and least deprived areas achieving expected levels in literacy has also decreased to the lowest on record in 2022/23.
The figures also show improvements at secondary level compared to 2021/22, with increases in attainment across the board and the gap between those from most and least deprived areas has reduced.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “These figures show record levels of attainment across primary school level and significant improvements in secondary. I congratulate our pupils and teachers for their hard work over the last year.
“These findings are the most up to date statistics on attainment and are comprehensive across all publicly funded schools in Scotland, demonstrating a clear rise in standards above pre-pandemic levels among primary school pupils. Along with this year’s SQA results, they point to widespread rises in attainment.
“I recognise that there is no room for complacency and our programme of reform across the education and skills system will help identify where further improvements can be made and will look to drive enhanced attainment to ensure all young people meet their full potential.”
COSLA’s Children and Young People Spokesperson Cllr Tony Buchanan said: “Today’s Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels publication shows increasing attainment and the attainment gap narrowing reflecting the work and dedication of schools, councils, and partners to improving children’s outcomes. Mainly, it demonstrates the efforts of children and young people themselves and this should be celebrated.
“The improvements are made despite the backdrop of severe and increasing pressure on local budgets and recruitment challenges in specific subjects and areas of the country. Earlier this year we set out clearly to the Scottish Government that additional core funding is crucial to enabling further improvement in the attainment, health and wellbeing of children and young people, as opposed to financial penalties relating to school staffing numbers.
This was particularly important in the context of falling school rolls, changes to Scottish Attainment Challenge funding and the ending of additional resource for councils to support Ukrainian refugees. We are clear that Local Government needs flexibility to provide the right support within and outwith schools, drawing on the expertise of a range of professionals.
“Councils have continued to demonstrate their ambition to further improve outcomes for children and young people across Scotland. In line with the Verity House Agreement, we will seek to engage constructively with the Scottish Government to work collectively towards this shared aim, including on further education reform in line with recent reports on the curriculum, qualifications and new national education bodies.”
Maths will be the first subject area to be updated as part of a new approach to improvement to ensure that Scotland’s curriculum remains engaging, forward looking and supports high quality teaching and learning.
Beginning in 2024, a maths specialist will lead on this work, alongside the National Response to Improving Mathematics (NRIM), which will include looking at curriculum relevance and transitions between primary and secondary.
The 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study, which published last week, showed that in Scotland performance in reading was above the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) average, with results in maths and science in line with the average. This was also the case in the previous survey, in 2018.
Updating Parliament, Cabinet Secretary for Education & Skills Jenny Gilruth said: “While the latest PISA stats showed Scotland has maintained our global standing, every country in the UK has seen a reduction in its PISA scores across maths between 2018 and 2022. I was clear there will be key learnings for us to address reflecting on the latest statistics covering education in Scotland.
“Wider evidence from both the 2023 national qualification results and the most recent literacy and numeracy data for primary, show clear evidence of an ongoing recovery which we are determined to build on. My view is that maths education requires to be a central focus for Government, councils and schools alike.
“I want this work nationally to be led by a maths specialist working alongside the National Response to Improving Mathematics. They will also provide a key role in driving the improvements required to improve Scotland’s performance in maths.”
A maths national thematic inspection, with a focus on teaching and learning will also be carried out by the interim Chief Inspector in 2024, to support this work.
