Plus new Kick Off Concert, return of community tickets and free events at the Ross Bandstand
Free tickets to be distributed to communities across Edinburgh and Lothians
Edinburgh’s Winter Festival producers Unique Assembly have today announced software management company Halo as new title sponsor of both Edinburgh’s Christmas & Edinburgh’s Hogmanay events.
The partnership will see Halo visible throughout Edinburgh’s festive celebrations, lighting up the capital and presenting a brand-new Kick Off Concert to start next month’s festivities, plus the return of a free programme of events at the Ross Bandstand.
The inaugural free Edinburgh’s Christmas Kick Off Concert at the Ross Bandstand on 14 Nov marks the beginning of seven weeks of Edinburgh’s Christmas with Halo celebrations and will be headlined by the bagpipe supergroup Red Hot Chilli Pipers.
The concert, supported by new headline partner Halo, kickstarts the programme of free community focussed and family-friendly events at the Ross Bandstand, spanning five weekends across the Christmas season.
The Ross Bandstand Programme will also include Edinburgh’s Christmas supporting Edinburgh Diwali to deliver Diwali celebrations on Sun 15 Nov, Light Night on Sun 22 Nov, a weekend of St Andrew’s Day celebrations on Sat 28 & Sun 29 Nov complete with free outdoor ceilidh, and the Santa Fun Run and Santa Paws in aid of charity partner When You Wish Upon a Star on Sun 6 Dec, plus much more…
Edinburgh’s Winter Festival welcomes Halo as the event’s new headline partner, allowing Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay to join the line-up of Scottish events supported by Halo, including Scottish Rugby and the Scottish FA, as Halo commit to supporting large scale sporting and cultural events across Scotland.
On joining Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay, Halo said: “Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay is one of the great winter celebrations in the world, and we’re proud to be part of it.
“Founded in the Highlands, Scotland has always been special for Halo, and through our sporting partnerships that connection is as strong as ever. We believe in supporting the moments that bring people together, and there are few bigger than Hogmanay in Edinburgh, welcoming locals and visitors from every corner of the globe. We can’t wait to see the city light up this winter.”
Also announced today, Edinburgh’s Christmas community tickets initiative is back after a hugely successful year in 2025. Giving out tickets to community groups across Edinburgh and the Lothians, the community initiative offers free tickets to attractions including the LNER Big Wheel, Family Ice Experience with Icelandair, Around the World Star Flyer and much more.
Applications for community tickets are open now, Tue 20 Oct and close Wed 04 Nov. The Community Tickets initiative is intended to give back to the communities that host Edinburgh’s Christmas, and supports tickets for free-to-attend community-funded outreach groups and charities in and around Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Christmas, West Princes Street Gardens, Santa Stories, Lightnight Concert
On the community tickets initiative, Unique Assembly said: “We’re delighted to announce the return of our Community Tickets initiative, this year supported by our new headline partner Halo.
“We’re thrilled to be able to give back to the communities that host us, and to give out festive treats to those who need it most!”
Edinburgh Christmas, West Princes Street Gardens, Santa Stories, Lightnight Concert
Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “It’s fantastic to see another event being added to an already packed festive programme, giving people even more to look forward to as the festive season gets underway.
“With tickets being made available to local communities and charities, I’m delighted that more residents will be able to experience the magic and atmosphere of Edinburgh’s Christmas.
“It’s also a lovely way to recognise and thank the organisations that make such a positive difference to people’s lives throughout the year.
“I’d encourage community groups and charities to put forward an application and take advantage of this opportunity.”
The full Ross Bandstand programme can be found on edwinterfest.com with more events still to be announced.
Poppyscotland has officially launched the 2026 Scottish Poppy Appeal, with this year’s poignant theme centring around, ‘When someone serves in the Armed Forces, their family serves too’.
The annual campaign, which raises vital funds to support veterans, serving personnel, and their dependents across Scotland, officially got underway today (Tuesday, 20th October).
To launch the 2026 appeal, Poppyscotland welcomed charity beneficiaries and their families to Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory in Edinburgh. Each had received Poppyscotland’s support during a time of need.
Photo Caption:- Left Reverend Peter Meagre and 11 year old Ava Mitchell celebrate Poppy Launch 2026 at New Haig House.
Former RAF radiographer Sylvie Ibie sought help from the charity after suddenly losing her job and home and being forced to sleep on a church floor.
Poppyscotland referred Sylvia and her teenage daughter to an organisation that found them a property, then provided white goods, bedroom furniture and other essentials for their new home. The charity also supplied food and clothing vouchers to help them get back on their feet before Sylvia secured a senior NHS role.
Former military police officer Derek Loughran says Poppyscotland’s “life-changing” support enabled him to return to work. After injuries sustained on active duty, which saw him away from his family for long periods of time, the charity provided a state-of-the-art treadmill to aid his recovery.
As his wife Christine’s Alzheimer’s became more difficult to manage, Reverend Peter Meager, a former Royal Army Chaplains’ Department chaplain, sought help from Poppyscotland’s Admiral Nurse service. Admiral Nurse Kath arranged treatment, respite and care support, and helped Peter better understand the condition and access mental health support as Christine’s carer.
All three former Armed Forces members expressed deep gratitude for Poppyscotland’s welfare support, which transformed their families’ experiences.
The launch was also attended by 11-year-old Ava Mitchell, the Poppy Appeal’s youngest volunteer. Inspired by relatives who served in the Armed Forces and received support from Poppyscotland, she has volunteered since the age of five to give back to the charity for helping the country’s veterans.
Photo Caption:- Left Reverend Peter Meagre and 11 year old Ava Mitchell celebrate Poppy Launch 2026 at New Haig House.
The charities Head of Scotland, Leanne Bonner said: “This year’s campaign shines a dedicated spotlight on the vital, yet often unsung, support network behind every uniform. Military families experience unique challenges – including long separations, frequent relocations, and the constant anxiety of having a loved one deployed.
“Poppyscotland aims to remind the public that the sacrifices of service extend far beyond the frontline.
“We want to ensure that military families receive the recognition and support they rightfully deserve. Every donation to the Scottish Poppy Appeal goes toward providing life-changing financial aid, housing support, employment advice, and mental health services to our community here in Scotland.”
Photo caption:- Ava Michell and Mum Jenni in the Lady Haig Poppy Factory. Aya is a huge poopyscotland volunteer raising hundreds of pounds in her last 5 years.
From late October, millions of iconic Scottish four-petal poppies will be distributed by a dedicated network of volunteers cross country in high streets, supermarkets, train stations, and schools.
The Scottish Poppy Appeal is Scotland’s biggest fundraising appeal, with all funds raised helping Poppyscotland continue to provide life-changing support and advice to Scotland’s Armed Forces community.
The Chair of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, Baroness (Heather) Hallett, has today published her sixth report. She concludes that, in the early stages of the pandemic, not enough was done to protect people in care settings and that the adult social care sector appeared to be “something of an afterthought”.
There were more than 43,000 recorded deaths involving Covid-19 in care homes between March 2020 and July 2022. A lack of proper planning, plus failures to implement lessons from earlier pandemic planning exercises, meant the UK government and devolved administrations took critical decisions in the early weeks without the information they needed. Action to protect carers and care users came too late, with devastating consequences.
Module 6, the sixth of the Inquiry’s 10 investigations, examined the impact of the pandemic on the publicly and privately funded adult social care sector in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, including infection prevention, visiting restrictions, the experiences of the care workforce and decisions on discharge from hospitals.
The ‘Care Sector’ (Module 6) report concludes that while the UK government and devolved administrations knew, prior to the pandemic, of the extreme vulnerability of care home residents to respiratory viruses, care homes received insufficient protection at the time they most needed it.
The claim that “a protective ring” had been put in place around care homes “right from the start” of the Covid-19 outbreak was unfounded.
Not enough was done to protect people in care settings between March and mid-April 2020. The decision to speed up the discharge of patients from hospitals into care homes was necessary to free up hospital beds. But the decision to do so was taken in March 2020 when there was not enough testing capacity to know patients’ Covid-19 status.
At the time, isolating discharged patients inside care settings was one of the few effective protections available. Yet, in March 2020, England, Wales and Northern Ireland did not initially advise this, a failure the Inquiry calls “a significant omission”.
Today’s report shows how, as the deadly virus spread rapidly, care home residents were left feeling isolated, abandoned and alone as visiting restrictions cut them off from loved ones, in some cases for months.
Some people were not allowed to be with dying friends or relatives in their final moments, leaving bereaved people grief-stricken.
They could not help their loved ones with daily tasks such as eating, drinking and washing, support which can be vital for some residents.As a result, Baroness Hallett concludes: “Many remain wracked by a guilt that they do not deserve to carry.”
Visiting restrictions did not begin to ease until the summer of 2020. The report concludes that the severity and duration of these restrictions caused “profound and enduring effects” inside care homes, particularly for residents with complex cognitive conditions such as dementia.
Many millions of people across the UK receive adult social care. This includes older people, people with dementia and people living with physical and learning disabilities. For them and the people who dedicate themselves to providing their care, the pandemic totally disrupted their daily lives and had a devastating impact.
Baroness (Heather) Hallett, Chair of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry said: “At the critical early stages of the pandemic, not enough was done to protect those living and working in care homes. The mantra at the time of ‘protecting the NHS’ sometimes came at the expense of the users and providers of care. The adult social care sector as a whole appeared to be something of an afterthought.
“The profound isolation and sense of abandonment felt by residents as a result of the visiting restrictions resulted in immense emotional harm. Most distressingly, some people were not permitted to be with their dying loved ones. Many remain wracked by a guilt that they do not deserve to carry.
“During the pandemic, the action taken by the UK government and devolved administrations to try and protect workers and users of adult social care came too late. The failures were the direct result of an absence of proper pandemic planning for the adult social care sector. It underlines why my recommendations in this report must be acted upon now before the next pandemic strikes.”
The Covid-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated the underlying fragility of the adult social care workforce. A workforce of at least 1.5 million people – including care in the home (domiciliary care) – provided care during the pandemic. Many put their own lives at risk.
Severe shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) meant that some care workers were left having to wear waterproof ponchos from festivals, painters’ overalls, or home-made PPE made from fabric, bin bags and bed linen.
The report describes this as “wholly unacceptable”, finding that care workers were left “without the protection they needed”. It concludes that while PPE shortages were a global problem, better planning could have ensured a much better supply from the outset.
Many care workers suffered burnout. Some left the profession entirely. Changes to sick pay were introduced in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland between March and May 2020, but not in Wales until November 2020.
The UK’s 5.8 million unpaid carers were also heavily relied upon, providing complex care for longer hours with little or no respite. The Inquiry concludes that support for unpaid carers came too late and that for too long the adult social care sector as a whole has been undervalued and under-recognised.
The Inquiry’s latest report also examines concerns about the use of Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions, echoing concerns raised in its Module 3 report that some decisions were made inappropriately or without proper consultation, based on a person’s age, health condition or learning disability.
While finding no evidence of national policy encouraging blanket use of DNACPRs, the report recommends mandatory end-of-life care training for health and social care workers, who often lacked the skills to have these conversations thoughtfully and compassionately.
Ultimately, the report finds that these failures and others stemmed from an absence of proper pre-pandemic planning for the adult social care sector.
Exercise Cygnus, a pandemic preparedness exercise conducted in October 2016, recommended developing ways to assess social care and surge capacity, but this work had not been completed by the time the Covid-19 pandemic struck. As a result, ministers were left making decisions without the information they needed about the sector.
The Chair makes eight key recommendations to ensure the adult social care sector is better protected and better equipped to respond to the next pandemic, including:
Improving arrangements for pandemic planning to ensure clearer structures, roles and responsibilities.
Better planning for the safe isolation of care home residents.
Implementing financial support schemes ready to be rolled out to support adult social care staff to self-isolate or to limit staff movement.
Publishing guidance on visiting restrictions.
Maintaining inspection and oversight by developing protocols to enable inspections to continue, including, where possible, on-site inspections.
Improving the collection of data about deaths in the adult social care sector.
Establishing mandatory end-of-life care training for relevant health and social care workers.
Introducing a voluntary register for the social care workforce in England, recognising and supporting a workforce that already benefits from such registers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
A four-page brief summary of the report can be found on the Inquiry’s website and is available in a variety of languages and accessible formats.
In total, 57 witnesses gave oral evidence during Module 6 public hearings, held between 30 June and 31 July 2025. The Inquiry heard from care home residents and their families, unpaid carers, care workers and sector representatives, as well as healthcare professionals, policy-makers, regulators and relevant experts, including serving and former senior politicians and civil servants.
The Inquiry has already published reports for Modules 1 to 5, all of which are available on the Inquiry’s website. Baroness Hallett notes the action taken to date by the four governments of the UK and expects that all recommendations from all published reports will be implemented promptly and in full.
The Inquiry’s seventh report, Module 7 ‘Test, Trace and Isolate’, will be published on Thursday 19 November 2026. The remaining three reports – Module 8 ‘Children and Young People’, Module 9 ‘Economic Response’ and Module 10 ‘Impact on Society’ – will be published in the first half of 2027.
Road policing officers are continuing enquiries following a fatal road crash on the A8 near Newbridge, Edinburgh, which occurred on Monday, 7 September, 2026.
Between 8am and 12pm on Saturday, 24 October, 2026, the west-bound carriageway of the A8 will be closed between Edinburgh Airport and Newbridge Roundabout to allow officers to conduct investigatory work.
Access to Edinburgh Airport will be maintained during this time.
Edinburgh College recently welcomed a delegation of TVET colleagues from Mauritius, made up of training staff from project lead Saint Gabriel Technical College (SGTC) and the Mauritian Institute of Training and Development (MITD), as part of a British Council-funded project helping partner organisations develop their electric bus maintenance skills, while sharing their own expertise and approaches.
The group of four personnel – SGTC’s Bruno Chellamootoo and Terry Leveque, along with the MITD’s Vijaysingh Chuttur and Khemrajsingh Rampersand – undertook an intensive three days heavy electric vehicle maintenance course, achieving a UK IMI Certificate Level 3 at the Sighthill campus.
The College’s Kieran Lydon, Curriculum Team Manager for Automotive Engineering and Alan Phillips, Automotive Lecturer led the training on specialised equipment, including the recently acquired Ford Transit EV trainer. The chassis allows for in-depth views of its inner workings, while a range of faults can be inserted to simulate real-world problems.
The group also enjoyed a visit to the College’s wider Engineering facilities at the Midlothian campus, observing workshop layouts with guidance from Fraser Wilson, Curriculum Team Manager for Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing, while lecturer Daniel Wright provided our guests with a chance to try out some virtual reality welding equipment.
The areas of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and STEM were also of particular interest to the delegation, with EDI Lead Nina Munday and STEM Co-ordinator for Engineering Catherine Brotherton giving presentations on how those principles are applied at Edinburgh College.
This international skills partnership, supported by funding from the British Council’s Going Global Partnerships programme, focuses on supporting trainers in Mauritius to develop their own heavy electric vehicle maintenance skills and to enhance their knowledge of working with the technology, while allowing them the opportunity to share their own methods and expertise, with a view to informing the approach moving forward.
Upon their return, the participating trainers will support the transfer of knowledge and skills within their respective institutions, helping to build sustainable local training capacity in heavy electric vehicle maintenance.
With electric bus fleets having been introduced in Mauritius, this project is contributing to its wider ambitions to modernise public transport, build local technical capacity and support the transition towards cleaner and more sustainable mobility solutions.
A highlight of the week in Edinburgh was an opportunity to visit the Lothian Buses central depot and head office at Annandale Street. Lothian Buses is the UK’s largest municipally owned bus company and is the holder of the November, 2025 UK Bus Awards ‘Top City Operator’ and Bus Operator of the Year 2026 at the UK National Transport Awards.
The group was welcomed to Lothian Buses by Dylan Dastey, Lothian Buses Engineering Director and Paul Baxter, Chief Engineer. They were shown the organisation of the maintenance facility, a number of electric vehicles and also the tracking systems employed for seeing the citywide charging status of vehicles out on operations.
Dylan Dastey of Lothian Buses said: “We were delighted to welcome delegates to Lothian and offer an insight into our Engineering function, including our highly regarded apprenticeship scheme.
“As the city’s main public transport operator, we are committed to working with key partners, sharing best practice to maintain high standards and support compliance across the sector. As new technologies emerge and evolve, sharing best practice and learning from operators and suppliers across the industry is more important than ever.”
Jon Buglass, Deputy Principal added: “It was wonderful to welcome the delegation from Mauritius, and show them first-hand the important work we are doing teaching our students how to properly maintain and service electric buses.
“The skills needed to work on electric vehicles are becoming increasingly vital as Scotland transitions towards a net-zero future, and we are proud to share our expertise with international partners who are pursuing their own green objectives.”
A cultural close to the week was an Edinburgh Bus Tours open top bus trip around the city’s key sights.
British Council Going Global Partnerships support universities, colleges and wider education stakeholders around the world to work together towards stronger, equitable, inclusive, more internationally connected higher education, science and TVET.
The partnership has also engaged with stakeholders which include the Mauritius Qualifications Authority (MQA), the National Transport Corporation (NTC), HSBC Mauritius and government representatives to support this wider development of electric vehicle maintenance skills in Mauritius.
The Tour de France Grand Départ Trophy visited Portobello yesterday to celebrate the first ever time the race will start in Scotland.
The Tour de France will begin at Edinburgh Castle in July 2027, and ahead of the history-making departure the trophy was brought to Portobello promenade to recognise the work to encourage cycling within Portobello High School.
The school has done incredible work to encourage cycling within it’s community, including the launch of Girls Gone Cycling – a scheme to inspire female pupils to take up cycling.
Ten pupils from the Girl Gone Cycling team are heading to Paris this week to speak at the British Embassy on how they grew the initiative from an idea in June 2026, to within six months, including over 70 pupils and now being replicated in schools across Edinburgh and the East of Scotland.
Council leader Jane Meagher said: “I am really excited and proud to be welcoming the Tour de France trophy to Portobello High School before the tour comes to Edinburgh next summer.
“The Girls Gone Cycling initiative has been incredibly successful in encouraging girls to the sport and, in just a few months, is now being replicated at schools across the East of Scotland.
“The school has been instrumental in encouraging cycling within Portobello and Craigmillar and removing barriers to ensure biking is accessible to all.
“The Tour de France coming to Edinburgh for the first time is very exciting. We are investing £1.7million – money that has been generated from the Visitor Levy – to improve roads for the event and it’s set to bring in millions of pounds for the local economy.
““This will be another event that puts Edinburgh on the worldwide stage and I cannot wait to see the yellow jersey set off with the world famous Edinburgh Castle in the background.”
Headteacher at Portobello High School Greg McDowall said: “Our Pedal Power Porty has been a great success and encouraged so many children to use their bikes. We have a library of bikes for pupils to use so that cycling has no barriers and the older pupils teach basic bike skills and maintenance to the younger children.
“Having the Tour de France trophy come to Portobello is incredible and can only encourage more kids to take up cycling. I know a lot of our pupils are counting the days until the Grand Départ set off from their home city.”
As the long, light-filled days give way to shorter evenings, it’s natural to feel the change. But autumn has so much to offer if we take a moment to notice it. Golden light, spectacular sunsets, crisp mornings, crunchy leaves underfoot, and cosy evenings by candlelight. There’s beauty everywhere, even as we welcome the darker months.
If you’re looking for a way to connect, slow down and embrace the season, why not join us at our Women’s Outdoor Cook Club tomorrow morning?
Meet Nathalie, Sibar and Noor from 10.30am at Granton Community Garden and help create a delicious feast for the community to enjoy from 1pm until the food runs out.
Step outdoors, breathe in the fresh autumn air and connect with your senses.
Enjoy the simple pleasure of being immersed in nature and sharing good food with good company.
People are being invited to help shape a permanent memorial in Scotland to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
An online engagement portal gives people the opportunity to share ideas on the memorial’s purpose, design, scale and location. A series of community engagement events will also take place this autumn, led by Lord Lieutenants and involving organisations and groups representing the country’s diverse communities.
The portal also invites personal memories and reflections on the Late Queen and her connection to Scotland.
The Scotland Legacy Group is developing proposals for the memorial, supported by £1.4 million in capital funding from the UK Government. Views gathered will help inform options for the memorial including its contribution to Scotland’s cultural, heritage, environmental and community life.
Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic Màiri McAllan said: “Queen Elizabeth held a special place in the hearts of many people across Scotland. Her passing in 2022 prompted an outpouring of affection and respect.
“She had a strong connection to Scotland, and it is right that those across the country who would wish to have the opportunity to help shape how that legacy is remembered for future generations.
“We want to hear a broad range of voices, from community and cultural organisations to schools, young people and those with a particular connection to Queen Elizabeth. This memorial should reflect the memories, values and experiences of the people of Scotland, while creating something lasting that future generations can enjoy, use and take pride in.”
Lord Lyon King of Arms and Chair of the Scotland Legacy Group Dr Joseph Morrow said: “The online engagement portal is a key part in the work of the Scotland Legacy Group, and I am delighted that we are now at a stage where it is open for the public to give their views.
“Queen Elizabeth held Scotland and Scottish life in great affection, and the portal is an opportunity for everyone to give their thoughts and ideas which will help shape how we create a fitting tribute to the life of our longest reigning monarch.”
The engagement portal is open until Sunday 13 December and can be accessed online here.
Shocking new analysis carried out by Living Rent and Leith Harbour and Newhaven Community Council on data obtained by Edinburgh Green Councillor Chas Booth reveals that only three in ten licensed Short Term Lets in the capital have planning permission.
Meanwhile a quarter have withdrawn a planning application and just under a quarter have not even applied for planning consent at all.
The analysis covers secondary lets only – in other words letting an entire property that is not someone’s home, and does not include people letting out a room in their own home. The research was released more than four years after the introduction of Edinburgh’s Short Term Let control area, in September 2022, which declared that a Short Term Let in the city was “a material change of use requiring planning permission”.
The analysis was based on comparing the publicly available register of short term let licences with data on every short term let planning application made in the city since 2018, obtained by Cllr Chas Booth.
This analysis shows that:
1,225 (69.84%) of Edinburgh’s 1,754 licensed Short Term Lets do not have planning permission (secondary letting)
465 (26.51%) licensed Short Term Lets have applied for planning permission and then withdrawn the application before it was determined (secondary letting)
425 (24.23%) licensed Short Term Lets have never applied for planning permission (secondary letting)
Commenting on the analysis, Cllr Chas Booth, who obtained the data, said: “Edinburgh’s short term let control area was meant to ensure every STL in the city had planning permission. Yet four years on from its introduction, it clearly isn’t working. Residents living next to unregulated lets have to put up with the disruption that brings, and every STL is one fewer home in a city with a housing emergency.”
“This analysis shows two things. First, the Council isn’t doing enough to enforce the planning and licensing system, and that must improve. But more importantly, it shows the Scottish Government’s legislation is not fit for purpose. There is a loophole as big as a barn door that hundreds of STL owners are exploiting, and residents are paying the price.
“Ministers need to wake up and smell the coffee and act urgently to close it.”
Booth added: “I’m very grateful to Living Rent and Leith Harbour and Newhaven Community Council for carrying out this detailed analysis. If community volunteers can establish the scale of the problem, the Scottish Government has no excuse for not acknowledging it and fixing it.”
Jon ‘Geo’ Camp from Leith Harbour and Newhaven Community Council, who undertook the analysis, said: “Our community council has heard from many residents concerned about short term lets, and this analysis shows why.
“A significant number of licensed lets have no planning permission, and many of them applied for it and then withdrew before a decision was made.
“Residents need to know the system that regulates these lets is working properly, and too often they don’t believe that it is.
“We will keep listening to our community, and keep working with councillors and MSPs to make sure these issues are heard and resolved.”
Education Scotland has published its new corporate plan setting out how the organisation will focus its resources, expertise and partnerships over the next five years to support Scotland’s evolving education system.
The publication marks a new chapter for Education Scotland as it strengthens its role as Scotland’s National Curriculum Agency, with a clear vision to co-design and support the implementation of an ambitious and inclusive curriculum for Scotland’s learners.
To achieve this, Education Scotland will work with partners to strengthen practice and develop the curriculum, placing equity, excellence and inclusion at its core while connecting evidence, policy and practice.
The Corporate Plan was shaped with learners at its heart, drawing on their views through research and publications, alongside extensive engagement with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders.
Drawing on these insights, the plan identifies three strategic priorities that will guide Education Scotland’s work as a curriculum agency:
Strategic Priority 1 (Coherent, inclusive curriculum): working with partners to develop and deliver a coherent, inclusive curriculum that is clearly understood and confidently put into practice across all stages of learning.
Strategic Priority 2 (Leadership of learning and system coherence): building leadership of learning and system coherence through professional learning.
Strategic Priority 3 (Organisational performance, culture and impact): improving its own organisational performance and culture to maximise its positive impact across the country.
Donna McMaster, Chief Executive of Education Scotland, said: “Scotland’s education system is evolving and our new corporate plan sets out exactly how we plan to play our part.
“Our corporate plan is focused on empowering practitioners and placing learners at the heart of everything we do. As a former headteacher, I know first-hand how busy our educators are and exactly how valuable their time is.
“We have listened carefully to you, and your expertise and insights have provided us with a strong, stakeholder-informed and evidence-based foundation for delivery.
“This is the start of an exciting new chapter for Education Scotland. We hope that you will view our corporate plan as more than simply a strategy document – it is a launchpad for a stronger, more collaborative future for Scotland’s education system.”
Education Scotland will be sharing reels from Donna McMaster on social media channels as she explores each strategic priority in more detail. Look out for our annual delivery plan soon to see how we intend to put our corporate plan into action.
