Tag: education

Reeves to protect English education priorities ‘in face of inherited £22 billion blackhole’

  • Chancellor confirms steps to protect education and early years priorities as part of her first Budget. 
  • £1.4bn allocated for school rebuilding, reaffirming the government’s commitment to improve the school estate.
  • Funding will form a packet of measures to break down barriers to opportunity, so every child has the chance to succeed in life.     

Improving opportunities for our children and young people will be a key feature of the Chancellor’s first Budget, including £1.4bn to rebuild crumbling schools.  

The investment to rebuild school buildings, alongside funding for children’s social care, breakfast clubs and early years childcare reflect the government’s commitment to putting education back at the forefront of national life, breaking down the barriers to opportunity for all children. 

The decision to protect education priorities at the Budget comes at a crucial time for the sector with the government inheriting a £22 billion blackhole in the public finances and having to take tough decisions. 

The Chancellor has committed £1.4bn to ensure the delivery of the existing School Rebuilding Programme, with 50 rebuilds a year delivering on promises made to parents, teachers and local communities that crumbling school buildings will be rebuilt.  

The confirmation of the funding for education follows a 5.5% pay increase for school teachers agreed earlier in the year as the government sets out to reset relationships with the sector.  

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said: “This Government’s first Budget will set out how we will fix the foundations of the country. It will mean tough decisions, but also the start of a new chapter for Britain, by growing our economy through investing in our future to rebuild our schools, hospitals and broken roads.

“Protecting funding for education was one of the things I wanted to do first because our children are the future of this country. We might have inherited a mess, but they should not suffer for it.” 

Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, said: “This is a Budget about fixing the foundations of the country, so there can be no better place to start than the life chances of our children and young people.  

“Our inheritance may be dire, but I will never accept that any child should learn in a crumbling classroom. 

“We are determined to break down those barriers to opportunity, whether it’s brilliant early years, free breakfast clubs or high and rising standards in our schools, this government is putting education back at the forefront of national life.”  

£1.8 billion has also been confirmed to support the expansion of government-funded childcare, helping deliver the roll-out through local authorities – with a further £15m of capital funding allocated to expand school-based nurseries.

Primary schools can now apply for up to £150,000 of the £15m, with the first stage of the plan set to support up to 300 new or expanded nurseries across England creating much-needed places in areas most in demand.  

To support parents, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, the government today also confirmed it will triple its investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million to help ensure children are ready to learn at the start of the school day, and helping drive improvements to behaviour, attendance and attainment. 

Meanwhile to keep more children in stable and loving homes, the new government has also announced £44 million to support kinship and foster carers.  

This will include trialling a new kinship allowance in up to 10 local authorities to test whether paying an allowance to cover certain costs – like supporting a child to settle into a new home with relatives – can help increase the number of children taken in by family members and friends. 

It will also help recruit more foster parents by ensuring that every local authority has access to a regional recruitment hub. These hubs help raise awareness about fostering and offer prospective carers a centralised platform to find information, ask questions and get support from the start of their fostering journey. 

This is expected to generate hundreds of new foster placements, reduce local authorities’ reliance on the expensive residential care market and offer children a stable environment to grow up in. The government has also confirmed its commitment to further reforms to children’s social care in future spending reviews to make sure every child, irrespective of background, has the best start in life. 

Chief Executive at Kinship, Dr Lucy Peake, said: “We are pleased that the Government has made a commitment to trialling a new Kinship Allowance so that more children can be raised in well-supported kinship care with family and friends who love them, delivering better outcomes for children and for the public purse than the care system.

“We look forward to further reforms to children’s social care which should ensure that all kinship families get the financial, practical and emotional support they need and deserve.”

Scottish Government to commit £12.5 million to support education in Africa

Scotland intends to support inclusive education in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia with funding of up to £12.5 million over the next five years, First Minister John Swinney has announced.

The funding will support two programmes, the first of which aims to remove barriers to quality education for out-of-school children with disabilities and additional support needs. The second programme will support girls and women to complete secondary education and transition to tertiary or technical education.

The First Minister met the High Commissioners of Malawi and Zambia, and the Deputy High Commissioner of Rwanda during a series of engagements in London yesterday (15 October), where he re-affirmed the Scottish Government’s commitment to collaborative international development with its partner countries.  

The First Minister said: “This funding aims to help overcome some of the persistent barriers faced by women, girls and children with disabilities, to ensure they have equal access to education, and are fully included in the social and economic life of their communities.

“The Scottish Government has prioritised this work as part of our commitment to international development and good global citizenship, working in partnership with our counterparts in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia to meet the aims of the UN Sustainable Development goals.

“So I am very pleased to confirm this additional funding in support of those efforts. I am also grateful for the work of Oxfam, Link Education International and local partners in all three countries who are delivering these programmes to help some of the world’s most marginalised learners, who have the same right to a quality education as anyone else.”

H.E. Macenje Mazoka, Zambia High Commissioner to the United Kingdom said: “The Scottish Government’s ongoing commitment to inclusive education in Zambia is a testament to the strong bonds between our nations.

“Their support for programs that enhance access to quality education for all, especially for marginalised groups, aligns perfectly with Zambia’s vision for equitable development.

“We look forward to strengthening the positive impact this partnership will continue to have on our education system and the lives of Zambian students, particularly those who are the most vulnerable.”

Inclusive education – International development – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Education Summit session held at Royal High School

The Atlantic Rim Collaboratory Summit is being co-hosted by @ScotGov this year. The annual gathering brings together pupils, teachers and education experts.

Over four days, participants will share ideas about how to improve schools in the different countries taking part.

First Minister @JohnSwinney and Education Secretary @JennyGilruth (a former teacher at RHS) met international delegates, pupils and teachers attending a Summit session at the Royal High School.

They discussed ways to improve attendance at school and help children get the most from their education.

Royal High School said on Twitter: “Our School Captain, Hannah & Vice Captains Hollie & Skye delivered exceptional speeches and were a credit to RHS. It was a pleasure to welcome delegates to our school.”

SQA Insight highlights success for Edinburgh pupils

Edinburgh’s pupils continue to be among the best performing in Scotland

Results from the SQA Insight report shows Edinburgh’s learners are performing better than their virtual comparators in 14 out of 15 key measures,  with 7% more pupils gaining at least one Advanced Higher than in other areas in Scotland.

Edinburgh learners are also out-performing their virtual comparators in Literacy and Numeracy for all stages and levels.

A virtual comparator is a sample of students from other areas of Scotland who have similar characteristics to a school’s students.

The news builds on the SQA exam results in August showing levels of attainment for pupils across Edinburgh remaining above those achieved before the Covid pandemic.

Insight provides teachers and lecturers with a summary of how learners have performed in their exams and coursework for each subject at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher level over the past year.

Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “This has been another positive year for our pupils. I want to congratulate them, as well as all our teaching and support staff. Their hard work has certainly paid off and praise should go to them as well as all the parents and carers who have supported the children.

“I welcome the results from the SQA Insights report. We have invested heavily in improving the skills of our workforce and I am confident that our staff will continue to improve the quality of teaching and learning to meet the needs of the city’s young people.

“Let’s not forget there is no wrong pathway for our young people as everyone’s learner journey is different. School is about ensuring all our young people are able to fulfil their potential by attaining the highest level of achievements possible and by receiving the best possible experience.

“We want all our learners to find their pathways into the world of higher and further education, employment or training and to narrow the gap between those living in different areas of affluence.”

Course reports – written by principal assessors and principal verifiers – are published to give an insight into how learners performed, detailing which areas of the course assessment where learners performed well, and which areas proved to be more demanding.

Principal assessors and other senior appointees are experienced teachers and lecturers who work with SQA to produce the course reports and highlight examples where candidates have performed well in their external assessments.

The reports also contain advice for teachers, lecturers, and training practitioners on preparing learners for the coming year’s assessments, as well as statistical data relating to grade boundaries.

Maths Week Scotland: “Bring back the abacus – and make maths learning fun”

EdTech entrepreneur responds to calls for Times Tables to be scrapped

An ancient counting tool first used as early as 2,400 BC should be brought back to classrooms if the new UK government decides to scrap times-tables tests, a Scottish business is arguing.

Glasgow-based British Youth International College (BYITC) specialises in teaching maths using the abacus and says the device, which involves sliding beads along a frame to count, can help children perform mathematical calculations faster than a calculator.

Students of the College include 10-year-old Tejas Mittal, who can solve 90 to 100 complex sums mentally in just 60 minutes.

“Instead of memorising numbers – like the multiplications of the times-tables – the abacus teaches children to actually visualise the calculations,” explained Dr Rashmi Mantri, who founded BYITC in 2015 after using an abacus to teach her son basic arithmetic.

“Students are then able to do big calculations mentally without the use of any calculator or paper. The abacus method doesn’t require your child to physically handle one of these ancient instruments. We teach children to visualise the abacus in their heads, then use their fingers to manipulate the imaginary beads.”

The annual Maths Week Scotland takes place from Monday 23rd September, a matter of weeks after news outlets reported that the government might make times-tables tests optional, to simplify the school curriculum.

If this were to become policy in either England or Scotland, abacus maths could be introduced in schools to make maths and arithmetic more fun – and improve learning outcomes, Dr Mantri said.

“Research has shown that abacus learners had 200% better memory than non-abacus learners,” she added.

“Because it’s a visual way of learning – using either a real or a virtual abacus – we find students enjoy it and engage with it more than they might do in a traditional maths lesson. 

“From the thousands of students who learn maths with us, we also believe the abacus method is one of the best confidence-building tools in education. Children who do well at maths tend to have more confidence in other areas of study. And the better they do in school, the more that confidence carries over to areas outside of the classroom.”

Dr Mantri said school pupil Tejas Mittal, from Edinburgh, demonstrated “remarkable speed and accuracy” in mental arithmetic.

She said: “His father tells us that Tejas uses his abacus skills in everyday scenarios, like calculating grocery totals and measuring the carpet areas in square feet of a newly constructed building.”

Tejas’s father, Mukesh Mittal, Senior Delivery Manager at Cognizant, said: “As a parent, I am beyond thrilled with the progress Tejas has made through the Abacus Maths course at BYITC. The transformation has been remarkable, not just in his academic performance but in how he applies maths in daily life.

“Tejas confidently uses his abacus skills in real-world scenarios, impressing us and even our friends and family. We are incredibly grateful to the team at BYITC for their dedication and the positive impact they’ve had on our son’s education and overall development. Thank you for making maths not just a subject but a life skill that Tejas will carry with him always.”

BYITC teaches abacus maths online to students globally through its interactive Supermaths programme, which offers a mix of weekly teacher-led abacus maths classes and online tutorials.

The abacus is thought to have been first used by the Babylonians, an ancient Middle Eastern civilization, as early as 2,400 BC. The device consists of several rows of beads grouped in tens and mounted on a frame. Maths calculations are made by sliding beads back and forth to represent the various numbers in the calculation.

“Fingers, pebble calculators and computers have been used across history to calculate big numbers,” Dr Mantri said. “But the abacus is the one device that stands the test of millennia and is known to be highly effective at training the brain to make mathematical calculations involving huge numbers.”

BYITC says research in countries including Japan has shown that benefits of the abacus method include:

  • Numerical Memory – Learning to do maths on an abacus makes it easier for students to memorise long numbers. A study at Japan’s Shinshu University showed that nine-digit memorisation was ‘fairly easy’ for students
  • Problem-Solving Skills – The abacus method improves problem-solving skills, both in maths and other areas of life. The method teaches children to think through problems logically.
  • Rapid Calculations – Learning maths with the abacus method equips a student to do rapid calculations without the need for electronic devices or writing instruments. All calculations are performed in the head by visualising the abacus.
  • Critical Thinking – The skills learned in the abacus method make students better at critical thinking in other areas of life. They are better able to conceptualise all sorts of challenges. They think through solutions and reach conclusions more easily.

Dr Mantri started teaching her son, Dhruv, maths using the abacus method when he was in Primary 5. By the age of 12, Dhruv – who has featured on TV shows for his “human calculator” skills – was developing web programming tutorials and giving online cyber security seminars. Now 18, he is pursuing a career in data science and analytics.

BYITC holds regular maths competitions to showcase the remarkable skills of its students.

Merchiston Castle School invites prospective families to Open Morning

One of Edinburgh’s top independent schools, Merchiston Castle School, is opening its 196-year-old gates to welcome prospective families for an Open Morning on Saturday 28 September.

An opportunity to explore the stunning 100-acre campus and see first-hand Merchiston’s premium facilities, families are invited to discover the top-tier educational experience offered at Scotland’s leading independent school for boys.

Visitors will have the chance to speak to the dedicated teaching staff, hear from the Head Teacher, Jonathan Anderson, and chat with both existing parents and students about their personal experiences of the school.

Pupil-led tours will run throughout the day, offering interested families the chance to view boarding houses, communal spaces, and subject classrooms.

For those inspired by recent sporting performances, a visit to the school’s world-class sporting facilities is on the cards – including the pioneering Tennis Academy in which Wimbledon competitor Jacob Fearnley first cut his teeth.

Interactive sessions for both tennis and golf will take place, offering a chance to meet the respective academy Directors, and get a sense of how Merchiston encourages sporting ambitions alongside a top-tier academic education.

Jonathan Anderson, Headmaster of Merchiston, said: “I look forward to welcoming families and sharing how Merchiston delivers an exceptional school experience for boys.

“We understand how important it is for families to choose the right school for their child, which is why we aim to provide comprehensive Open Events so that parents and sons can truly get to know our school culture and community.”

Merchiston’s Open Morning will run from 10:00am – 12:30pm on Saturday 28 September. Interested families can register for a place here.

Merchiston’s new Forest Nursery and Junior School will also be holding an Open Morning on 28 September from 9:30am – 11:30am.

Here families can discover more about the innovative approach the Forest at Merchiston takes to educating children ages 3 to 7.

Top university for student mentoring launches innovative fresh take

Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh has launched another pioneering mentorship project with a novel twist that will better prepare students for the world of work. 

To build upon the success of its inaugural QMU Employer Mentoring Programme, QMU has developed the Rotational Leadership Mentoring Programme (ROME) – the first of its kind in the education sector. This has been designed to give students the opportunity to understand the various industries and career paths available to them by pairing them with four expert mentors. 

In this new rotational set-up, students from 2nd year and above can meet with each of their four mentors to focus on a key skill required for that specific role or industry. This means that students can concentrate on key areas with different specialists, such as analytical skills, critical thinking, decision making, team building, and other leadership skills. 

Mentors already enrolled for the upcoming year include professionals working across all sectors, including those in the NHS, The Scottish Government, the IHG Hotel group and Dakota Hotels. QMU’s own Principal, Sir Paul Grice, has also been named as a mentor for this year.  

Juan Garcia, Employability and Development Advisor at QMU, who is the brainchild behind the innovative mentoring programme, explained: “The idea of rotating mentors is completely new to the higher education sector, and something I was keen to drive forward to ensure our students have the best chance to develop their employability skills and learn from different industry experts. 

“What also makes this so unique is that most mentorship programmes aren’t available to students until their 4th year. We wanted to make this available to our students from as early as their 2nd year to give them the best head start. It is vital that we continue to adapt and develop our career programmes to keep up with the ever-changing needs of our students, so they feel really well equipped to step into the world of work. 

“We want students and graduates to have the confidence, skillset and knowledge to hit the ground running.  Input from good mentors can help to give students excellent industry insights that will give them the edge, allowing them to stand out in the crowd. They can also help direct them into key areas and open doors to other work opportunities.” 

Graeme Cleland, Business Development Manager at law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn and one of this year’s mentors, said: “It’s fantastic to see QMU developing new ways to extend the proven benefits of mentoring programmes to even more students.

“This programme will allow mentees to progress faster by drawing on the experience and contacts from their mentor, learn how to navigate entering their chosen field, and understand what skills they should focus on developing. 

“Mentors involved also benefit too. As well as lending a helping hand to those aspiring to build a career, they also learn a lot from mentees about what the next generation of colleagues are looking for in the workplace, which can be taken back into their business.” 

QMU’s mentoring schemes are distinctive from other university mentoring schemes in that they are particularly student driven and internationally recognised. The University aims to deliver what students really need and want, as well as ensure students develop the skills that employers are looking for.  

The award-winning and accredited QMU Employer Mentoring Programme, which was established in 2013, was created with the aim of increasing student confidence and developing excellent industry links and job opportunities. Since its inception, the programme has provided over 500 students with expert mentorship from across a huge variety of sectors and professions.  

Adrian Crichton, a graduate of QMU who took part in the mentorship programme when he was a student, is now returning to be a mentor in the rotational project. Adrian, who graduated from QMU in 2019 with a BA (Hons) in PR, Marketing and Events, is now the Director of Business Planning and Strategy within the Global Strategy and Enablement team at American Express. 

The pilot Rotational Leadership Mentoring Programme will be open to QMU students for two weeks from the 16th September 2024. 

Find out more on our website – https://www.qmu.ac.uk/study-here/services-for-students/careers-and-employability/careers-and-employability/employer-mentoring/ 

Record number of pupils in “good or satisfactory” schools

Investment drives major improvement

A record number of pupils in Scotland are being taught in schools in “good or satisfactory” condition, official figures show.

The 2024 School Estate Statistics show that a record 91.7% of school buildings, with a total of 647,773 pupils, are in a good or satisfactory condition.

This is an increase of 29 percentage points since April 2007. Since then, 1,139 school building projects have been completed.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “This government is determined to deliver high quality learning environments for all pupils in Scotland – and a key part of that is delivering a world-class school estate.

“Positive school environments play a huge role in the education of Scotland’s young people and our investment is paying dividends, with a record high number of schools being in good or satisfactory condition.

“The Scottish Government is continuing its investment in the school estate through the £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme. As set out in our Programme for Government, construction will begin on a further eight school building projects over the next year.

“This means that by the end of 2027-28, Scotland will have seen 47 modern, state-of-the-art school buildings open, thanks to our investment.”

School estate statistics 2024 – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Charity urges Secondary Schools to use new resource to inspire pupils’ confidence to live tobacco-free lives

ASH Scotland is encouraging secondary school teachers in Edinburgh to use a new resource pack as part of cross-curricular learning to inspire young people to make confident, informed decisions to protect their long-term health by not taking up smoking or vaping.

The Tobacco-free Schools pack, which features 28 engaging activities that can be used in group lessons, is being launched by the charity at a time when the major public health issues of youth smoking and, increasingly, vaping are causing great concern for teachers and other school staff working with children.

The pack provides up-to-date facts and statistics covering a range of topics such as ‘Understanding addiction’, ‘Smoking and mental health’, ‘Are e-cigarettes safe?’, ‘Being confidently nicotine-free’ and ‘Cigarette butts and e-cigarette waste’ to support the delivery of personal and social education classes or for classwork across various subjects.

Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive for ASH Scotland, said: “With concerned teachers across Scotland regularly contacting us for information and advice about tobacco and vapes, it is important that those working with young people in Edinburgh can access robust, evidence-based tailored resources to engage and empower youngsters to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.

“We are pleased to launch our new Tobacco-free Schools resource pack which is specially designed to be an effective learning aid to enable teachers to facilitate classwork to help equip pupils to increase their knowledge about the risks associated with both smoking and vaping.

“The pack’s interactive resources offer opportunities for teachers to promote a smoke and vape-free culture on school campuses through building the confidence of students to prevent peer pressure from steering them in a harmful direction and, instead, make positive choices to protect their physical and mental health by not smoking or vaping.”

To download the pack, visit www.ashscotland.org.uk/schoolspack