Child Benefit can be claimed for children after they turn 16 if they are staying on in approved education or training
Parents have less than 2 weeks to tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) their 16-19 year-old is continuing education or training or their Child Benefit payments will stop.
Hundreds of thousands of teenagers will decide on their future this week as they receive their GCSE results on Thursday (22 August 2024).
For parents of 16-19 year-olds who haven’t yet extended their claim, Child Benefit payments will stop after 31 August. If their child is going to continue in approved education or training, parents can continue receiving Child Benefit and HMRC is urging them to extend their claim now.
To make sure they do not miss out, parents can quickly and easily extend their Child Benefit claim online on GOV.UK or via the HMRC app. More than 270,000 parents have extended their claim digitally so far, with the changes applied to their record without the need to wait on the phone.
Parents should keep their claim details up to date, even if they’ve opted not to receive Child Benefit payments due to the High Income Child Benefit Charge. Parents who want to opt back into receiving Child Benefit payments, can do this quickly and easily online on GOV.UK or in the HMRC app.
Child Benefit is worth up to £1,331 a year for the first or only child, and up to £881 a year for every additional child.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “Child Benefit is an important financial support for many households and we don’t want to see any eligible family miss out.
“You can extend your claim quickly and easily online or via the HMRC app, just search ‘Child Benefit when your child turns 16’ on GOV.UK.”
Victoria Benson, CEO of Gingerbread, the charity for single parent families, said: “Child Benefit is valuable to families and particularly single parent families, who are forced to make ends meet on a single income.
“It’s really important, with the 31 August deadline fast approaching, that parents whose children are going into further education and training extend their claim as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this crucial financial help.”
Child Benefit can continue to be paid for children who are studying full time in non-advanced education, which includes:
A levels or Scottish Highers
International Baccalaureate
Home education – if it started before their child turned 16, or after 16 if they have a statement of special educational needs and it was assessed by the local authority
T levels
NVQs, up to level 3
Child Benefit will also continue for children studying on one of these unpaid approved training courses:
in Wales: Foundation Apprenticeships, Traineeships or the Jobs Growth Wales+ scheme
in Northern Ireland: PEACEPLUS Youth Programme 3.2, Training for Success or Skills for Life and Work
in Scotland: the No One Left Behind programme.
If a child changes their mind about further education or training, parents can simply inform HMRC online or via the HMRC app and payments will be adjusted accordingly.
Parents will need a Government Gateway user ID and password to use HMRC’s online services. If they do not have one already, they can register on GOV.UK and will just need their National Insurance number or postcode, and 2 forms of ID.
Nineteen female Afghan medical students have arrived in Scotland after they were banned from completing their studies by the authorities in Afghanistan.
The Scottish Government amended student funding legislation to ensure the women could be treated as home students and receive free tuition and cost of living support.
Scottish charity the Linda Norgrove Foundation has been supporting the women and secured agreement with four Scottish universities – St Andrews, Glasgow, Dundee, and Aberdeen – where the students will now continue their medical degrees as they work to become doctors.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth met the students at Edinburgh Airport to welcome them to Scotland.
Ms Gilruth said: “Gender should not be a barrier to accessing education, and I am pleased that the Scottish Government has been able to support these extraordinary women in their journey to complete their medical education.
“The changes we made to the legislation will ensure they can access the same benefits as their peers, including free tuition and student support.
“Scotland has a proud history of welcoming people from across the world who need support.
“I wish each and every one of these inspiring women the warmest of welcomes to Scotland and look forward to the positive contribution they will make to our country.”
New guidance to empower schools to take action on mobile phone use and next steps in ongoing work to improve relationships and behaviour in schools has been published.
The ‘Behaviour and Relationships in Schools’ action plan, and targeted guidance for teachers to manage mobile phone use in schools, set out steps to be deployed at the national, local and school level over the next three years in response to concerns about relationships and behaviour in schools, including:
supporting the effective recording and monitoring of inappropriate behaviour
encouraging schools to reinforce a positive ethos and culture
providing guidance and support to ensure schools can embed relationships and behaviour policies which set clear expectations of relationships and behaviour
The new guidance on mobile phone use makes clear that while it is for individual schools to determine what action to take, head teachers are empowered to take the steps they see fit, including a full ban on mobile phone use in school if that is their judgement.
Aside from impacting behaviour, a growing body of evidence shows mobile phone use also impacts on learning. The Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 data showed that almost a third of 15-year-olds in Scotland and across all Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries reported being distracted using digital devices in most or every maths class – and around a quarter reported being distracted by others using digital devices.
During a visit to Stonelaw High School in Rutherglen, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “Since the last action plan on relationships and behaviour in Scotland’s schools was published in 2017, our children and young people have experienced periods of significant challenge, including a global pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis which is causing real difficulty for families across the country. There is no doubt this has had a major impact on their schooling and how they learn.
“Improving relationships, behaviour and attendance in schools is one of my top priorities as Education Secretary. We have been working jointly on this with key partners such as COSLA and SAGRABIS since I was appointed and this new action plan contains a series of steps to be taken which will ensure that both pupils and staff are safe and supported.
“It takes an evidence-based approach to responding to the relationships and behaviour challenges faced in our schools and has been informed by the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR), which heard from nearly 4,000 teachers and support staff, as well as discussions with a wide range of stakeholders including teaching unions at the three behaviour summits.
“While it is clear that the vast majority of pupils in our schools continue to behave well, there are undoubtedly growing behavioural issues associated with mobile phones.
“This new guidance empowers head teachers to take the steps they see fit for their school to limit the use of mobile phones, including a full ban on the school estate if they feel that is required and I would encourage teachers to take all the steps they feel necessary to combat these issues.”
COSLA Spokesperson for Children and Young People Tony Buchanan said: “Ensuring children and young people feel supported, safe and ready to learn is of vital importance to Local Government, and we need to make sure schools are safe and welcoming places for all.
“We have worked closely with the Scottish Government and our partners across education system to develop the action plan and guidance published today.
“We will continue to work in partnership to enable the provision of the best possible support, in and out of school, so that children and young people to get the most out of their learning.”
Acting Stonelaw High School Headteacher Vicki Rice said: “We were delighted to welcome the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills to our school. The Cabinet Secretary took part in discussion groups with our staff and pupils who were given a valuable opportunity to talk with her about these important issues as part of their work and study on personal and social education.
“We discussed our work earlier this year with our parents and pupils about excessive phone use and the impact that this can have on learning. This work helped inform our plans for this session to protect the learning environment by limiting phone use in certain areas of the school.
“We will continue to work with our pupils and their families to ensure that this remains supported.
“This fits with our wider efforts to create positive relationships and behaviour right across our school. We know that getting this right for our learners means that they feel safer, more included, respected and supported.
“This in turn helps create strong relationships between our learners and staff and helps improve everyone’s wellbeing.”
Commenting on the publication of the National Action Plan on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools and mobile phone guidance by the Scottish Government, Mike Corbett, National Official Scotland for NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union, said:“While NASUWT is frustrated with the length of time taken to produce this National Action Plan, we have nevertheless engaged in good faith with the Scottish Government, shared our members’ current experiences on managing pupil behaviour and advocated strongly around how they might be addressed.
“We are encouraged by the recognition that a range of approaches and consequences are required given that restorative approaches to poor behaviour do not work for all pupils and cannot be the only tool available to schools when responding to incidents of abuse and violence.
“We need to see better recording and monitoring of behaviour incidents in schools as an essential part of ensuring consistency and measuring progress and improvements over time.
“We very much welcome that the principle of serious consequences for serious misbehaviour, up to and including exclusion, where necessary, has been accepted.
“The Scottish Government must make it clear that serious misbehaviour will carry serious consequences if any plan is to secure a safe and orderly environment for teachers and students.
“Given the recent riots in other parts of the UK, the acknowledgement that more work is needed to support schools in addressing racism and racist incidents, along with other forms of discrimination such as misogyny, is welcome.
“We know that mobile phones can be used as a tool to bully and harass fellow pupils and teachers, as well as distracting pupils from their learning. We therefore welcome the guidance from the Scottish Government that school leaders can take steps to limit or ban the use of phones in their schools if they see fit. However, to be effective, addressing the use of mobile phones should form part of joined up whole-school strategies on managing pupil behaviour.
“While we are pleased to see that the Action Plan intends that schools will be offered support to adopt the recommendations within it, including suggested approaches and exemplars, it is disappointing that the Scottish Government has not as yet committed any additional funding, time or resources to schools to support this work.
“Teachers and school leaders are already dealing with excessive workloads and constrained budgets. Implementing the recommendations of this action plan is too important a task to be simply added to schools’ already lengthy to do lists. Ring-fenced time and funding is needed.”
A University of Edinburgh academic and AI specialist will spend a term at one of the top universities in the world this autumn in order to explore ways to encourage more young people from disadvantaged groups to study computing.
Fiona McNeill has been awarded an All Disciplines Scholar Award from the Fulbright Commission and will head to California, the home of Silicon Valley, as part of an academic exchange.
The number of girls studying computing is falling and researchers have warned that the continued male dominance of the digital space could harm the UK’s aim to be a technology ‘superpower’.[1]
Fiona McNeill, a Reader in Computing Education, already runs a tutoring programme for pupils in disadvantaged communities and introduced one of the first robotics competitions for schools.
Her award at the University of California, San Diego is part of the longstanding US-UK Fulbright Commission exchange programme and she will be furthering her research at first hand on how UC San Diego has successfully broadened the appeal of tech subjects.
Co-funding this Fulbright award is the Rita Allen Foundation, a US philanthropic funder of transformative early-stage research ideas and civic engagement.
And this North American foundation has invited Fiona to join their pioneeringCivic Science Network as a Civic Science Associate – addressing biases and fostering inclusivity in research environments.
Fiona McNeill said: “The fundamental problem is that computer scientists are not very diverse. The discipline tends to be dominated by white and Asian males from more affluent social backgrounds.
“Correcting that imbalance is really important because this technology is driving society. For example, when Apple[2] developed its ‘Health’ app, there was no tracking of periods. The fact that this could be important hadn’t crossed the minds of its male designers. Similar issues come up all the time everywhere.”
Fiona began her career working in AI but has always been interested in education and how to broaden the appeal of computing. She will use her time in San Diego to study the inclusive policies introduced there, why they work and whether they would be equally successful if replicated in Scotland.
Fiona added: “I’ve been doing collaborative work with UC San Diego for a couple of years now. They’ve changed their student support model and we’ve been working together to see how students are responding to that.
“They’ve had a lot of success, however the environments are very different. I wanted to spend time there to experience it for myself and see what we might be able to copy.
“For this project I’ll be looking at what we can do to improve retention and outcomes for those who go to university. For example, as well as being less likely to take computing in schools, girls are more likely to drop out once they get to university and more likely to end up in a job in a different sector.
“We need to create an environment where girls and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds feel ‘this is the place for me’.”
The US-UK Fulbright Commission was established in the aftermath of the Second World War to foster better understanding between the US and the UK, and promote the empathy gained from cultural immersion.
Active in 150 countries, the Fulbright programme is the largest international education exchange in the world: more than 370,000 people have participated in it globally since it began, and over 25,000 have received US-UK Fulbright awards.
Sixty-two Fulbright alumni have won Nobel Prizes; 88 have won Pulitzer Prizes and 40 have served as head of state or government.
Maria Balinska, Executive Director of the US-UK Fulbright Commission, said: “Our vision is a world where there are no obstacles to learning, understanding and collaboration.
“Today there are many global challenges to overcome, and the world needs compassionate leaders to tackle them.
“This year’s cohort of awardees will be placing cultural engagement at the heart of their experiences as they undertake ambitious study and research programmes in the US: I am filled with hope for the wonderful collaborations that will ensue.”
Elizabeth Christopherson, President and CEO of the Rita Allen Foundation, said: “The Rita Allen Foundation is pleased to partner with the US–UK Fulbright Commission to support trailblazers co-creating a future where all people can shape science to expand its benefits and horizons.
“We are eager to welcome Fiona to the dynamic community of Civic Science Associates and Fellows working to create new bridges for learning across sectors and communities, using the tools of science and evidence to open access for new generations.”
Fiona McNeill will join a cohort of 31 Fulbrighters heading to the USA from the UK for 2024-25 and is one of a long line of over 600 Fulbright awardees that have headed to California since 1949.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth has congratulated students across Scotland as they receive their Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) exam results.
Around 145,000 students – the highest since 2015 – have achieved a wide range of qualifications including National 5, Highers, Advanced Highers and SQA Awards.
With this year marking the return of full coursework assessment following the disruption during the pandemic, the data published by the SQA shows the pass rates for Advanced Highers are 75.3%, Highers are 74.9% and 77.2% at National 5 level.
A record 90,045 vocational and technical qualifications have been awarded this year, an increase of almost 25% on 2024, reflecting the wide range of opportunities available to students.
The data also shows the poverty-related attainment gap at National 5 and Higher has returned to levels broadly similar to 2019 – the last year of pre-pandemic results.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “Congratulations to all of Scotland’s young people receiving their results for this year.
“Their resilience is remarkable, and their achievements all the more impressive given the significant disruption to learning due to the pandemic at the end of primary school and start of the secondary school journey. Today is a chance to celebrate the full breadth of achievements attained by Scotland’s young people.
“I also want to give my thanks to the teachers, lecturers and staff in our schools and colleges – and, importantly, Scotland’s parents and carers – for supporting each individual young person.
“Among those achievements, I’m really heartened to see a record high 90,045 vocational or technical qualifications have been awarded this year, up almost a quarter on 2023’s results.
“Young people now have a much wider range of choice than ever before, allowing them to find the route into employment or further education that is right for them and we know that the poverty related gap has reduced by 60% since 2009 for young people leaving school and going on to a positive destination, such as work, training or further study.
“Of course Scotland is not unique – and like countries the world over, our education system is still in recovery from the pandemic. Undoubtedly, that has contributed to some of the variability we have seen in results this year, particularly with the full return to qualifications requirements for the first time since the pandemic.
“I am determined to work with our teachers, school staff and local authorities to drive further improvements in our schools.
“The curriculum improvement cycle is already underway, with mathematics and numeracy being prioritised first, which is being led by the recently appointed new national specialist in Mathematics.
“In the coming weeks, I will publish the Behaviour Action Plan, set out new action to improve attendance and confirm the Scottish Government’s next steps on qualifications reform early in the new parliamentary term.
“I am also conscious that there is a wide degree of variation in results between our 32 local authorities. To that end, I will be meeting with all local authority Directors of Education, the Chief Examiner and the interim Chief Inspector to consider the context of these results and how the Scottish Government can work with our councils to drive the improvements we all want to see.”
Levels of attainment for pupils across Edinburgh remain above those achieved before the Covid pandemic according to exam results released today.
Around 12,390 pupils in the Capital have received their results from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). This is the first year since 2019 where there are no adjustments to course and assessment requirements. Different assessment models were used in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the pandemic.
A total of 44,003 resulted awards were certificated for 12,392 candidates (including special school, adult and mainstream secondary pupils) in over 92 subjects ranging from Accounting to Urdu.
The performance of pupils across Edinburgh was maintained or improved in most measures for National 5 and Higher courses when compared to both 2023 and 2019 performance.
The gap in performance between the least advantaged and the most advantaged pupils has decreased in almost all measures when compared with 2023 and 2019 data.
The number of passes in National Progression Awards have increased by 17%. By broadening the range of learning pathways for young people more personalised opportunities for achievement are being created.
Sanjay Nair (16) who is going into sixth year at Liberton High School said: “I had the vision of going to university since I was quite young and towards the end of this year I decided to stay on for sixth year.
“I’ll go to university next year to make sure I’m ready to go on to study further. I’ve enjoyed Computing Science for a while and I like programming. My Dad does it at home and so I’m delighted that I’ve got the A and Bs at higher I need to make my parents proud and do what I’ve always wanted to do.”
Paige Quin (15) who has just left Liberton High school to go to college to study Childcare said: “Over the last couple of years I’ve done courses in hairdressing and beauty at Granton College and I studied childcare in school.
“I’m excited now to be moving on to college and my goal is to become a foster carer as I think it is really important that all children have the right to a loving and caring environment. I’m really pleased that I got the grades I needed today to do that.
Jenna Braban (17) who has just left Liberton High School to go to Cambridge to study Veterinary Medicine said: “I’ve always wanted to be a vet and I started considering Cambridge as a possibility at the end of fifth year. Going to a summer school made my mind up.
“I’ve had to study so hard to achieve the As I got at advanced higher. I did a lot of interviews and my teachers were a great support during that time. I’m ecstatic about my results and I can’t wait to start my studies at Cambridge after the summer.
Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “I would like to thank all of our school staff who have worked incredibly hard to ensure that our young people were able to perform so well in their coursework and examinations.
“I want to recognise the invaluable support given by parents and carers and most of all I would like to take this opportunity to praise the efforts of our young people.
“Every learner’s journey and achievements are unique to them, we have the ambition that all young people are able to fulfil their potential, reach the highest levels of achievement through the provision of the best possible educational experiences.
“I am particularly pleased that our schools are using a wide range of vocational qualifications, providing pathways for all into positive destinations.”
Additional results analysis
Results by end of S4
5 passes at National 5 or better – 47% (1pp down on 2023).
Results by end of S5
1+ pass at Higher or better – 61% (1 pp up on 2023 and 4 pp up on 2019)
3+ passes Higher or better – 42% (1 pp down on 2023 but 4 pp up on 2019)
5+ passes at Higher or better – 24% (same as 2023 and 4pp up on 2019)
Results by end of S6
1+ pass at Higher or better – 70% (1pp up on 2023 but 4 pp up on 2019)
3+ passes Higher or better – 52% (1pp up on 2023 but 3 pp up on 2019)
5+ passes at Higher or better – 39% (1pp up on 2023 but 3 pp up on 2019)
1+ pass at Advanced Higher – 32% (1pp up on 2023 but 5 pp up on 2019)
Anyone who did not receive the results they had hoped for, or who is just unsure about their next steps, should get in touch with the SDS exam helpline for access to expert careers advice.
Use funding from adding VAT to private school fees to support pupils with additional support needs (ASN) in state schools
Concerns raised over impact of adding VAT for those with ASN, with increased movement of pupils into an under-resourced state sector
Near doubling in the number of pupils in state schools with additional support needs since 2013
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, has called on the Scottish Government to use funding from adding VAT onto private school fees to increase support to those with ASN in state schools.
The UK Labour Government reiterated its manifesto commitment to increase VAT on school fees – at the standard rate of 20 per cent – in the recent King’s Speech. This could potentially boost Scottish Government education spend by £150 million (although it should be noted that this figure does not take account of pupils leaving the independent sector and thereby not contributing).
In addition, the SCSC has raised concerns over the impact that potential displacement of those with ASN from private schools into the state sector will have.
A high percentage of children in private education, estimated at around 9,000, have ASN, and many will have their learning disrupted, by being forced to leave their school, causing them significant problems.
Local authorities will also have to accommodate more pupils in already under-resourced schools and be required to increase funding to support these.
There has been a near doubling (96.8 per cent) between 2013 and 2023 in the number of pupils identified with ASN in state schools, from 131,593 to 259,036, amounting to 123,628 individuals. This includes those with mental health problems, learning disability, autism and dyslexia, and currentlyrepresents more than a third of all pupils (36.7 per cent).
However, this comes against a background of spending cuts and reductions in specialist support.
The Scottish Government’s annual teacher census, for example, indicates that between 2013 and 2023 the number of ASN teachers (publicly funded primary, secondary, special and centrally employed) has fallen from 3,290 to 2,898, a decrease of 392 teachers, representing a cut of 11.9 per cent.1
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “We would urge that any additional funding that comes through adding VAT to private school fees is used to support those with ASN in our state schools, giving those who need it the care and support that they need, and supporting closing the educational attainment gap.
“However, we would urge caution when it comes to adding VAT on fees for those with ASN, as this will have a potential major impact.
“Many of these will be forced to leave school, with their learning disrupted and further exacerbating pressures on an already over-stretched state sector, which is having difficulty coping, and brings further costs to local authorities.
“Clarification is needed from the Scottish Government as to how it intends to address the issue of adding VAT to fees for those with pupils with ASN.”
1 Scottish Government, Pupil Census 2023 supplementary statistics, 19th March 2024, table 1.5.
The DFN Charitable Foundation (DFN Foundation) is celebrating 10 years of tackling complex societal problems and delivering transformative outcomes for unheard voices in the UK and further afield.
The DFN Foundation was set up in 2014 by David Forbes-Nixon OBE with a focus on working across four key pillars: education, employability, healthcare and wildlife conservation.
Over the past decade, DFN Foundation has achieved incredible results in all these areas including setting up a school for pupils with special educational needs at Undershaw and establishing an employability charity, DFN Project SEARCH, which helps get young people with a learning disability and/or autism into jobs.
Further work across the pillars has seen the UK charity supporting a Myeloma Research Programme improving survival rates in myeloma patients with high-risk myeloma and ensuring the survival of the British butterfly, through its work with the Big Butterfly Count.
Founder and Chairman, David Forbes-Nixon said: “I was inspired to set up the DFN Foundation, to honour two of my personal heroes: my son Charlie who has learning and physical disabilities; and my mother who died of multiple myeloma. Over the past decade, our work has strived to create a better world in their legacy and for generations to come.”
The DFN Foundation has achieved a milestone of 10 years’ operating as an industry leading Strategic Commissioning Charity, partnering with the best-in-class charities or setting up its own to deliver the best results for some of the most pressing challenges facing society.
Founded in 2014, the DFN Foundation has strived to make a difference by bringing together the right talent, operating with a business mindset, and staying laser focused on specific goals.
The DFN Foundation was initially focused on improving Disability Employment, Special Needs Education and Healthcare, with these issues all affecting Founder and Chairman, David Forbes-Nixon on a personal level.
David said: “At the start, I wanted the DFN Foundation to focus on the two main causes that I was passionate about: supporting education and employment opportunities for young disabled people; and finding a cure for multiple myeloma.
“However, as we grew, we broadened our scope and we looked to take on some of the most pressing social challenges that often struggle to attract mainstream support because they are viewed as risky, difficult or simply impossible.
“In order to achieve this, I assembled a high-quality board of trustees for the DFN Foundation and we agreed to focus on education, employment, healthcare and wildlife conservation alongside establishing four main goals for the first 10 years. “
Highlights for the DFN Foundation over the past decade include establishing a world class special needs school at Undershaw, and positively influencing best practice around disability employment through a separate employability charity, DFN Project SEARCH.
DFN Project SEARCH was founded in 2018 by David Forbes-Nixon to ensure that young people with special educational needs and learning disabilities receive high quality work-related learning and improved access to long-term paid employment.
70% of DFN Project SEARCH graduates achieve jobs, and 60% achieve full-time permanent roles, compared to the national average of 4.8% of people with a learning disability who are known to local authorities. Moreover, DFN Project SEARCH has got 2,200 young adults with a learning disability and/or autism into jobs so far.
DFN Foundation’s work in healthcare has looked to improve survival rates of myeloma and advance cures through strategic funding of high-quality research which will benefit patients to live longer lives.
As part of this funding, clinical trials of Optimum MUK9 saw 75% of the sample group in the trials still in remission 36 months after starting treatment: this makes it the most successful privately funded UK myeloma clinical trials ever.
The DFN Foundation’s effort to improve wildlife conservation have seen it look to ensure the survival of the British butterfly, through increasing awareness and sponsoring the Big Butterfly Count, a UK-wide citizen science survey.
David said: “On our tenth anniversary year, I think it is important that we take stock and look back on all the incredible achievements that we have had as a Foundation but also look forward to the next stage in our growth.
“As part of this, we want to continue to support Undershaw so it becomes a world class special needs school rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted across all categories and commit additional financial support to DFN Project SEARCH to help get 20,000 young disabled people into jobs by 2034.
“We also want to support securing a route to market for OPTIMUM (MUKnine) clinical trials so that as many myeloma patients as possible can benefit from this pioneering set of drug therapies and share results globally through publications and presentations by Dr Kaiser.
“The DFN Foundation will continue our work in partnership with The Pangolin Project to ensure survival of the Giant Ground Pangolin in the Nyekweri Ecosystem in Kenya.
“Finally, we want to make sure that the DFN Foundation has a lasting impact and as part of our policy work we will launch the DFN Scholars programme and continue to work with Disability Employment Charter and the Centre of Social Justice and lobby policymakers in Parliament with a goal of reducing the disability employment gap.”
On Saturday 6th July, the worldwide International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) results were released, bringing excellent news for the members of the Fettes College Upper Sixth Form who have been following the IB pathway for the past two years.
The school is incredibly proud of the achievements of this talented group of students who scored an impressive average score of 38 points – the best results at Fettes College since 2018. This is compared to a global average of 30 points.
Almost a third of all Fettes candidates gained 40 points or more, with 56% gaining or exceeding a score of 38 points. Four of our students deserve a special mention – two achieving 43 points, one achieving an outstanding 44 points and another, taking the diploma over three years, scoring an exceptional (maximum) 45 points.
The Fettes College IB class of 2024 leave Fettes for distinguished universities across the world such as British Columbia, Harvard, Amsterdam, as well as Oxford (English), Cambridge (Classics), LSE, Edinburgh and St Andrews.
Jonathan Marchant, Deputy Head (Academic) said: “The IB continues to flourish at Fettes. I could not be prouder of the achievements of the IB class of 2024.
“They have shown impressive industry, curiosity and creativity and can now enjoy the fruits of their labour.”
The Head, Helen Harrison, said “Our IB results are testament to a great deal of hard work from our students and superb support from our dedicated staff who maximise the opportunities for students to learn.
“Our IB students are ready for the next exciting stage in their lives, and we wish them well as they head out to make their mark on the world.”
Fettes College offers both the International Baccalaureate and A Level pathways in the Sixth Form, with the A Level results released in August.
Scottish Charity, TechFest, is encouraging Edinburgh students aged between 16-18 to participate in its global essay competition, STEM Next, to share their cutting-edge ideas on the future of industries across energy, medicine and science.
Techfest is transforming STEM education and delivering a new generation of talent. STEM Next is back this year to encourage young people across the world to consider their future under three categories: Energy in Action, Medicine & Life Sciences, and Chemistry & Biological Sciences.
The competition is aligned with the CREST Awards and grounded in STEM, allowing students direct access to industry professionals as part of their essay research. STEM Next has a registration deadline of June 21.
Sarah Chew, Managing Director of TechFest, said: “STEM Next allows students to develop meta-skills that will benefit them for their entire careers, whilst they consider the future of key industries they’re preparing to lead.”
TechFest is challenging Edinburgh students to compete against other young people across the world in STEM Next, an essay competition that encourages entrants to discuss the future of the industries across energy, medicine and science.
TechFest is a charity focused on making STEM education more engaging and inclusive in schools throughout the country whilst helping to connect STEM to various sectors. STEM Next is a collaboration with various partners including: Airswift, CNOOC International, Ocean Winds and Thistle Wind Partners.
The competition is a solo digital project that requires independent research and writing, and is open to students aged 16 – 18 across the world.
Entrants are invited to submit an essay between 1000-3000 words that addresses one of the provided essay questions, with three categories available: Energy in Action, Medicine & Life Sciences and Chemistry & Biological Sciences.
In addition to developing their researching and writing skills, STEM Next also connects young people with industry professionals to learn first-hand about their chosen industry.
TechFest will make introductions that will provide entrants with valuable career insight alongside shaping their interviewing skills as part of the research requirements.
Sarah Chew, Managing Director of TechFest, said: ”STEM Next is a challenge grounded in STEM that has been developed in collaboration with industry and education to deliver the future workforce.
“The competition’s interviewing aspect provides industry with a great opportunity to connect with young people and attract the best and brightest talent who will be the next generation of industry leaders.”
The Aberdeen-based charity is still looking for industry professionals to volunteer their time for these interviews and is calling for anyone with expertise or work experience in Energy, Life Sciences, Medicine, Chemistry, Psychology, Neuroscience, Space Science or Biological Sciences.
Sarah added: “We are still keen for anyone who has the time to engage with these young people to sign-up as these early industry relationships can help forge a spark that will inspire a new wave of problem solvers and decision makers in STEM.“
Ruth Cameron, Managed Services Director EMEA at Airswift, said: “STEM Next is creating the next skilled workforce that will help to solve current and future problems across industries.
“This partnership perfectly ties into one our objectives at Airswift of transforming lives through the provision of international workforce solutions for STEM industries.”
Victoria Allan, Buzzard Onshore Mechanical Support Engineer at CNOOC, said:“At CNOOC, we are focused on delivering safe and sustainable energy for all.
“As we see this shift being adopted across the energy industry, we need bold and practical ideas from young people during this vital transition period and look forward to seeing the world’s best ideas from this year’s entrants.”
Roger McMichael, Stakeholder Manager at Ocean Winds, said: “Ocean Winds is leading the global energy transition into a greener future, and we believe there is no better insight into this challenge than from the fresh perspective of young people.“
Kirsty Macaulay, Stakeholder Engagement Manager at Thistle Wind Partners, said: “As an Edinburgh-based organisation focused on offshore wind development, we are excited to see a range of thought-provoking ideas from Scottish young people. Our nation has a strong heritage for innovation and shaping the modern world.”
Young people competing in the STEM Next competition are eligible for CREST Awards. It also provides an opportunity for students to add additional achievements to their UCAS application.
Moreover, the 1st place winners in each category will be awarded £200 of Amazon vouchers. 2nd place winners in each category will be awarded £100 of Amazon vouchers, and 3rd place winners in each category will be awarded £50 worth of Amazon vouchers.
The deadline to register interest for STEM Next 2024 is June 21, with the project launching on June 17. Students and volunteers can register for STEM Next via the TechFest website:
