It all adds up: Making Maths Count

Stronger focus on Maths in schools

Efforts to drive maths attainment in schools and refocus Scotland’s attitude to maths learning are to be stepped up in a new government-led programme.

Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Angela Constance has announced greater support will be given to secondary-school level maths teachers through a new group established to prepare and share resources.

In addition, a group with responsibility for raising the profile of maths and numeracy as an essential skill for learning, life and work, will be set up.

The establishment of both groups marks the first steps of Making Maths Count, a Government-led programme with the aim of improving maths and numeracy attainment in primary and secondary school.

This work follows the Scottish Government launch of Read, Write, Count campaign last month, to encourage greater parental involvement in supporting early literacy and numeracy skills of P1-3 pupils, and the launch of the Scottish Government’s £100 million Attainment Challenge to support learning in disadvantaged communities.

Earlier this week, the First Minister announced the establishment of a National Improvement Framework, with national standardised assessments in literacy and numeracy for pupils in P1, 4, 7 and in the third year of secondary school.

Ms Constance said: “Maths has a vital place at the heart of our curriculum and maths and numeracy are one of the gateways to success in work, learning and life. As Education Secretary, I want to see attainment in both improve at all ages and stages.

“While we are already investing heavily and taking forward a range of actions to support primary and secondary-level learning, it is clear from our national attainment data that improving numeracy is an urgent area for action.

“That’s why I am launching Making Maths Count. The two groups I am announcing today will have important and distinct remits.

“We have already provided a package of resources to teachers to support delivery of maths teaching within Curriculum for Excellence. Today I am pleased to announce that a teacher-led group will take that work further. They will consult directly with the maths teaching workforce in secondary schools to assess what more can be done to ensure both teachers and pupils get the support they need. The group will be formed next month and will present an interim progress report to me by the end of the year.

“And while the world around us is continually evolving, the role of maths and numeracy in our labour market, our economy and our day-to-day lives will be here forever. It will only become more important as sectors such as digital technologies continue to grow.

“We need to promote greater enthusiasm for and confidence in maths and numeracy amongst young people and their parents and redress some of the cultural assumptions that are holding back our potential.

“I will be setting the new group the challenge of making maths matter more to Scotland. I want them to provide new ideas on promoting the benefits of maths and numeracy and how this can improve the quality of education and raise attainment. It will have a strong focus on understanding attitudes and promoting maths and numeracy and how we can address the myths and assumptions that surround maths and numeracy.

“It will be important that this new profile-raising group for Mathematics and Numeracy will involve partners and engage widely with young people, parents, business and academia as well as teachers.

“I will say more about further work to be taken forward through Making Maths Count in coming weeks, including at the Scottish Learning Festival, but our vision is clear. By building a strong base of robust and consistent evidence, we can take big strides towards improving Scotland’s relationship with maths, strengthening attainment performance in schools and supporting our future economy.”

Sturgeon sets out her stall

Education set to be key battleground in next year’s Holyrood elections

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has placed education at the heart of her Programme for Government, outlining how her vision of a fairer and more prosperous society can be achieved through helping Scotland’s young people.

Unveiling the Scottish Government’s plans for the final year of this parliamentary term, the First Minister announced a new National Improvement Framework that will help close the gap in attainment and ensure all children are being equipped with the skills they need.

The framework will help track the progress of all children, introducing a national system of standardised assessment in P1, P4, P7 and S3 that will bring consistency to the assessment of literacy and numeracy and tracking of progress across Scotland.

A wide-ranging legislative programme will see eight new bills introduced, with measures included to strengthen the law on harassment and sexual offending; increase security for private tenants, protecting against excessive rents; and implement the recommendations made by the Infant Cremation Commission.

The First Minister also announced additional support for Scotland’s kinship carers, with additional funding to local authorities to increase financial support for kinship carers to the same level as foster carers.

Outlining her plans for Scotland’s public services, the First Minister announced plans to complete the integration of health and social care by April 2016 and test new models of primary care in ten sites across Scotland. She also announced that policing would be strengthened by a national review of police governance and a new requirement on the Chief Constable to submit to local public scrutiny sessions.

Ms Sturgeon proposed that the next Scottish election to follow the 2016 poll will be held in 2021, as she confirmed that the Scottish Elections (Dates) Bill would be brought forward in the forthcoming session.

And she confirmed that the Scottish Government would begin to implement the additional powers to be devolved following the Smith Commission process, with a planned cut in air passenger duty to be brought in from 2018, and a Scottish rate of income tax to be set for 2016/17 in the forthcoming budget.

The First Minister said: “Improving school attainment is arguably the single most important objective in this Programme for Government. “Improving it overall and closing the gap between children in our most and least deprived areas is fundamental to our aim of making Scotland fairer and more prosperous.

“To address it, we need to be open to innovation and new practice – that’s the purpose of our £100 million Attainment Fund.

“But we also need to have better information about attainment so that we measure progress consistently and drive change. We need to be able to see what’s working and where we still need to improve.

“So I can confirm that we will establish a new National Improvement Framework – a draft of it is being published today. We will introduce new national standardised assessments for pupils in primaries 1, 4, 7 and in the third year of secondary school.

“The new assessments will focus on literacy and numeracy. They will be piloted next year in schools participating in the Attainment Challenge and then introduced in all schools in 2017.

“The new national assessments – which we will develop in partnership with local government, teachers and parents – will replace the variety of different assessments already used by local authorities. So they will not increase teacher workload – indeed, as a government, we are mindful of the need to reduce bureaucracy so that teachers can focus on what they do best: helping children to learn.

“These new assessments will introduce greater consistency to Curriculum for Excellence. They will provide reliable evidence of a child’s performance or progress – but they will not be the sole measurement. This is not about narrowing the curriculum or forcing teachers to “teach to a test”. It is not a return to the national testing of old. And the assessments will inform teacher judgment – not replace it.

“They will provide robust and consistent evidence to help teachers judge whether or not a child is achieving the required level of Curriculum for Excellence”.

The First Minister concluded: “This ambitious and reforming Programme for Government speaks to our aspirations. It sets out how this Government will work – now and in the long term – to achieve our vision for Scotland’s future.

“And it demonstrates how enduring values – a belief in enterprise, a faith in the value of education, a commitment to fairness and solidarity, and a passion for democratic engagement – can be applied to make Scotland a fairer and more prosperous country.”

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said the SNP government’s record on education was not one to be proud of and called for more investment in front-line staff.

She said: “Almost half of the poorest kids leaving primary school are unable to write properly or to count properly. “That should shame us as a nation.”

Ms Dugdale added that instead of putting money into recruiting ‘attainment advisers’, the government should invest in teaching staff.

She went on: “Let’s see money invested in the teachers who are working with those pupils who face the biggest barriers to educational achievement.

‘We know who they are and where they work. We know so many of those teachers already defy the odds daily and help their pupils to shine.

“We can reward these teachers, we can give them more classroom assistants, we can bring in a new Enhanced Teacher Grade to raise the skills and rewards of those teaching in the most challenging classrooms.”

The Scottish Greens welcomed intention to tackle inequality, introduce rent controls for private tenants and oppose anti-union legislation – but are challenging ministers on climate change, education, health and land reform.

The Green say the First Minister made no mention of climate change despite the government’s failure to meet emissions targets four years running, but it did contain further support for oil and gas extraction and cutting air passenger duty. They added that the First Minister’s statement provided no clarity for communities concerned about fracking and underground coal gasification.

Patrick Harvie, Scottish Green MSP for Glasgow, said: “This final list of legislation before the 2016 election shows a Scottish Government that remains cautious in most areas but on housing it’s welcome to see ministers responding to the growing calls for greater security for tenants. Bringing in controls in areas where rents are spiralling beyond people’s means is something I have long advocated, and I look forward to seeing the detail of the Bill.

“On welfare, we know the UK Government intends to cut a further £12 billion as part of its cruel austerity agenda. Today’s comments from the First Minister on the creation of a Scottish Social Security system are welcome, as is her understanding that we must restore dignity to the welfare state.

“On land reform, we must see the proposed Bill toughened up if we genuinely aspire to a more democratic system of land ownership. And the lack of action on climate change must be challenged in light of four years of failed targets and the opportunity to create many more jobs in low carbon industries.

“Critically, the SNP must put an end to its contradictory positions on fracking and similar environmental threats – voters next year deserve to know what the SNP actually intend to do on this contentious issue.”

Alison Johnstone, Scottish Green MSP for Lothian, said: “On education, we know that class sizes have gone up, spending per pupil has remained flat, and college places have been cut. So the move towards standard testing seems a strange priority, and ministers will have their work cut out convincing people that it will help.

“A better focus would be support for teaching staff by reversing cuts to Additional Support Needs, an area that is vital to giving every child the best chance to succeed. And the same goes for Adult Learning, an area that needs real investment if we want a more equal society.

“On health, we know too many people are experiencing lengthy waits for treatment and our NHS staff are under pressure due to tight budgets, rising costs and more complex health needs. We need better connections within the NHS and more focus on preventative spending, and Green MSPs will continue to press for these priorities.”

City authors dominate Children’s Book Awards shortlist

Edinburgh-based authors have dominated the shortlist for the 2016 Scottish Children’s Book Awards, with four out of the nine shortlisted authors hailing from the city.

Emily MacKenzie, Elizabeth Laird, Danny Weston and Joan Lingard are all up for the prestigious awards, which celebrate the most popular children’s and young adult books by Scottish authors or illustrators.

Run by Scottish Book Trust with support from Creative Scotland, they are Scotland’s largest book awards with a total prize fund of £12,000 – the nine shortlisted authors and illustrators receive £500 per book, and the three winning books receive £3,000 each.

Emily MacKenzie, who lives in the New Town and studied Graphic Design at Edinburgh College of Art, has been shortlisted in the Bookbug Readers (3-7 yrs) category for her debut picture book Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit Book Burglar, published by Bloomsbury.

She was recently shortlisted for The Independent Bookshop Week Children’s Picture Book Award and her second book, Stanley The Amazing Knitting Cat will be published by Bloomsbury in January 2016.

Commenting on her nomination, Emily said: “I was absolutely over the moon when I found out that Ralfy had been shortlisted for the Scottish Children’s Book Awards!

“The book has had such a warm response from teachers, librarians and the children I’ve read it to so far which has been really lovely, but the idea that a further 64,000 P1 children starting school in Scotland this year will receive a copy of it to enjoy and hopefully help them on to a path of loving reading and books as much as I do, blows my mind. It’s a dream come true and Ralfy and I want to say a big thank you to Scottish Book Trust for all their support!”

A free copy of Emily’s book will be gifted to every Primary 1 child during Book Week Scotland, in the Bookbug P1 Family Bag, along with copies of the two other shortlisted books in the Bookbug category.

This bag was produced by Scottish Book Trust in conjunction with Education Scotland and the Scottish Government as part of Read, Write, Count – a new literacy and numeracy campaign aimed at children in Primary 1 to 3.

Elizabeth Laird, based in the Old Town, has been shortlisted in the Younger Readers (8-11 yrs) category for her book The Fastest Boy in the World, published by Macmillan.

Elizabeth, who has previously appeared on the 2008 and 2010 Scottish Children’s Book Awards shortlists, is an award-winning author of children’s fiction and travel. She has written over 30 books for children and has been shortlisted five times for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, including for The Fastest Boy in the World this year. She has been nominated by UK IBBY for the international Hans Christian Anderson Award, and her new novel, Dindy and the Elephant, was published in June. Elizabeth now lives with her husband, splitting their time between London and Edinburgh.

Elizabeth said: “It’s a thrill and an honour to be shortlisted for the Scottish Children’s Book Award. ‘The Fastest Boy in the World’ is an Ethiopian lad called Solomon, who dreams of joining the ranks of the great African running champions. Now, thanks to this lovely award, he’ll be running all the way round Scotland. Go Solomon!”

Danny Weston, who lives in Tollcross, has been shortlisted in the Older Readers (12-16 yrs) category for his book The Piper, published by Andersen.

He has published three novels (under the name Philip Caveney) with Edinburgh-based publisher Fledgling Press. These are time travel adventures, all set in Edinburgh at different points in its history. The first book Crow Boy is set in Mary Kings Close, Seventeen Coffins is all about the tiny coffins found on Arthur’s Seat in 1836 and the most recent book,One For Sorrow, is all about Robert Louis Stevenson.

In the New Year, Fledgling will be bringing out The Calling – a novel featuring all the statues in Edinburgh. The Piper was also recently shortlisted for the North East Book Award.

Commenting on his nomination, Danny said: “I was surprised and delighted to hear that I had been shortlisted for this prestigious prize. At a time when the importance of literacy seems to be increasingly challenged, prizes like this mean more than ever to authors like me.”

Joan Lingard, who lives in Edinburgh’s New Town, has been shortlisted in the Older Readers (12-16 yrs) category for her novel Trouble on Cable Street, published by Catnip.

Joan has been a published writer for young people and adults for over 40 years and is best known for the Kevin and Sadie books, set in Northern Ireland at the time of the troubles there.

Her popular Elfie and Joe trilogy began when she discovered that her grandfather had run a pub in Stoke Newington in London and she started to research that area around the turn of the 19th Century when he and his wife lived there.

Following a conversation with a friend about the period between the first and second world wars, Joan began to research the impact of the Fascist movement in London in the 1930s, and the parallel conflict in Spain.

Joan said: “I’m delighted that Trouble on Cable Street has been shortlisted for the Scottish Children’s Book Awards. I have been writing for young people for over 40 years and I am always pleased to know that readers are enjoying my books.

“I enjoyed writing this book very much. It is set in a fascinating, unsettled time in Britain’s history – and European history – and the more I read about what happened in the 1930s the more I found parallels with some of the problems we’re facing today, eight decades later.

“In 1936 the communities of the East End of London rallied to stop a march by Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists. They clashed with the police in Cable Street and the march was eventually stopped, but many people were injured in the fighting.

“I always enjoy writing strong characters, and once I’d settled on Isabella and her two brothers their story fell into place against the backdrop of London in those difficult times.”

THE FULL SCOTTISH CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS 2016 SHORTLIST:

Bookbug Readers (3-7 years)

Never Tickle a Tiger by Pamela Butchart and Marc Boutavant (Bloomsbury)
Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit Book Burglar by Emily MacKenzie (Bloomsbury)
Mouse’s First Night at Moonlight School by Simon Puttock and Ali Pye (Nosy Crow).

Younger Readers (8-11 years)

The Nowhere Emporium by Ross Mackenzie (Floris)
The Mysteries of Ravenstorm Island: The Lost Children by Gillian Philip (Orchard)
The Fastest Boy in the World by Elizabeth Laird (Macmillan)

Older Readers (12-16 years)

Black Dove White Raven by Elizabeth Wein (Egmont)
The Piper by Danny Weston (the pseudonym of Philip Caveney) (Andersen)
Trouble on Cable Street by Joan Lingard (Catnip)

Over the next five months, children the length and breadth of Scotland will be reading the three shortlisted books in their age category and voting for their favourite.

The voting deadline is 5 February 2016. The three winning books will be announced at a special award ceremony on 4 March 2016.

Jasmine Fassl, Head of Schools at Scottish Book Trust, said: “The Scottish Children’s Book Awards are a perfect way to celebrate Scotland’s talented authors and illustrators, while also helping participating children to develop an independent love of books and reading.

“Hundreds of schools and libraries from literally every corner of Scotland involve tens of thousands of children in reading and reviewing the shortlisted books every year, proof of both the eagerness of Scottish young people to make their voice heard and of the quality of the shortlisted books.”

Leonie Bell, Director of Creative Development at Creative Scotland, added: “The Scottish Children’s Book Awards is a hugely successfully programme that celebrates children’s and young adult literature while also encouraging reading in children across Scotland.

“The fact that the winners are selected exclusively by children makes this an extra special award to win. By taking an active role in choosing the vote they are taking steps in their journeys as independent readers.

“This is a fantastic shortlist and we encourage young people across Scotland to get involved. We look forward to finding out who they choose as this year’s winners.”

The Scottish Children’s Book Awards also encourage budding authors or journalists to put pen to paper: the popular Book Review Competition offers pupils the chance to win book tokens, sponsored by Waterstones, and an author visit for their school.

Aspiring film makers can enter the book trailer competition to showcase their digital talents and win book tokens for their school. Scottish Book Trust provides extensive learning resources for teachers on how to create book trailers.

CALL Scotland has again worked with Scottish Book Trust and the publishers to create accessible digital versions of the nine shortlisted books for children and young people with physical, visual and reading or dyslexic difficulties, who can’t read the paper books. The accessible digital versions of the shortlisted books are available free of charge from CALL Scotland.

You can request books by going to http://www.callscotland.org.uk/Home/.

Pictures: Rob McDougall

Come grow with Craigie Farm

Craigie Farm’s Education & Environment Open Weekend takes place on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 September from 11.00am – 3.00pm.

Free – all welcome!

Come Grow with Us Poster FINAL

For further information contact volunteer coordinator Lorna Russell on 331 5570 or email lorna.russell@qccc.org.uk

The Prentice Centre’s guid fur a laugh!

With two free fun courses starting in October, The Prentice Centre in Granton Mains is the place to be for fans of Scottish culture this autumn …

‘Guid fer a Laugh’ takes a seriously funny look at Scottish comedy over the years. The course starts on Tuesday 6 October from 6 -8pm and runs for ten weeks (and maybe more if there are calls for an encore!)

SCOTTISH COMEDY POSTER

A bit more highbrow (but only a wee bit!) is ‘An Introduction to the History of Scottish Theatre’. This free ten-week course starts on Monday 5 October from 1.30 – 3.30pm and includes theatre visits.

THEATRE POSTER

Both courses are free. To book your place or for further information call The Prentice Centre on 552 0485.

A pure cornucopia of Scottish culture, so it is!

Learning? Together it’s fun

Early learning initiative will focus on P1 – P3s

Parents and families have a key role to play in helping their children to read, write and count well. That’s the message from Read, Write, Count, a new Government-led campaign aimed at children in Primaries 1 to 3.

The campaign, which was launched yesterday, will build on the Scottish Government’s PlayTalkRead early years campaign by encouraging parents and families to include reading, writing and counting in their everyday activities, such as walking around the supermarket or travelling home from school.

The campaign, which will be delivered in partnership with Education Scotland and Scottish Book Trust, builds on existing Scottish Government efforts to tackle educational inequalities and raise attainment in early years and beyond.

As part of the campaign, all P1-3 children will receive a gift of books and literacy and numeracy learning materials through their school. Outreach will be provided in some communities to support parents, families and communities to make the most of these resources. Resources will be available for children in both English and Gaelic medium education.

Angela Constance, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, said: “Ensuring children read, write and count well early is key to their success at school and in life. There’s lots of really good work already underway across Scotland and Read, Write, Count will bring some exciting new and fun ideas into the mix.

“Crucially, it will encourage parents and families to play a key role in helping their children – something all the evidence suggests can have a big impact on how well children do at school.

“I was proud to launch PlayTalkRead nationally in 2011, which encouraged parents to play, talk and read more often with their children. Read, Write, Count takes the idea of learning further.

“It’s understandable that any parent or carer could feel daunted about playing a part in their child’s education. That’s why our campaign offers support on bringing fun and learning in to everyday activities with their child to make life happier and easier.

“Whether it’s in the supermarket, on the way to school, at bedtime or sitting down for a meal, learning isn’t just for classrooms or homework. Read, Write, Count offers some great ideas on how adults and children can have fun learning and sharing together. I would urge parents, carers and the primary pupils themselves to check out the website for ideas on how to get involved.”

Sophie Moxon, Deputy Director of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Scottish Book Trust is delighted to be working together with the Scottish Government and Education Scotland to deliver Read, Write Count. The campaign builds on the success of our existing Bookbug programme to deliver a new, exciting campaign for P1-3.

“Gifting a pack of high quality books and literacy and numeracy resources directly into the hands of every pupil in P1–3, coupled with strong community outreach, will make a fundamental contribution to the lives and prospects of all children in Scotland, especially those in our most disadvantaged communities.”

For more information and resources on Read, Write, Count, visit www.readwritecount.scot.

New term, new classrooms

Hundreds of primary school children will start learning in their new classrooms today as the city council continues to tackle the issue of rising school rolls. Local primaries Wardie and Flora Stevenson are among the schools to start the new school year with additional classrooms.

The Council has provided 24 new class spaces, delivered in conjunction with partners Hub South East Scotland Ltd and Morrison Construction, for the start of the 2015/16 school session.

The primary schools where the new class spaces have been provided are: James Gillespie’s (4 classes), Clermiston (4), Flora Stevenson (3), Gilmerton (4), Pentland (3), Ratho (4) and Wardie (2).

In addition South Morningside Primary School now has a significant new temporary annexe which has been created for P1 and P2 pupils at the former Deanbank Resource Centre and extra internal space has been provided at both Brunstfield and Liberton Primary Schools.

Since 2013 the Council has provided 70 new class spaces to accommodate the city’s increasing primary school population, ensuring catchment pupils can get a place at their catchment school. At the start of the 2014/15 school year there were 28,010 primary school pupils but latest estimates show this is anticipated to rise to 31,700 by 2020 and then increase further to 35,400 by 2030.

New classrooms or not, good luck to all the children starting their new school today!

Back to skool advice from NHS24

AS children return to school after the summer holidays, NHS 24 is reminding parents of the wealth of health advice and information available to help their families stay fit and healthy throughout the year.

NHS 24 Medical Director Professor George Crooks said: “With children returning to school in the next week or two, what better time than for parents to think about their children’s health and preparing for the year ahead.

“NHS inform includes a section on common health questions associated with children’s health, with information on a wide variety of matters from diet and exercise to pain relief and blood types.

“There is also a section dedicated to answering those common questions you may have about vaccinations and you can also find out what to have in your first aid kit at home.

“It is a busy time of year for parents as they get ready for the new school year but I would advise them to take some time now to think about their children’s health. By taking simple steps, you can help prevent minor illnesses affecting your family.”

For further health advice and information go to www.nhsinform.co.uk

The popular health resource provides a wealth of advice and information on health issues relevant to young people as they embark on or continue their higher education years.

The Health A-Z is packed with information about common illness, treatments and health services, covering topics from acne to yellow fever. Users can also find out about local health services and information on how to register with a GP.

For more info visit

www.twitter.com/nhs24 and www.facebook.com/nhs24

Higher still for Edinburgh pupils

The anxious wait is finally over for thousands of pupils across Edinburgh as they received their exam results today. Early indications are that candidates have once again improved on their performances in many areas from last year and that the overall good performance of city schools has been maintained.

A total of 40,425 resulted awards were certificated for 8,120 candidates (includes special schools, adults and mainstream secondary schools).

Highlights include:

By the end of S4 39% of the roll achieved five qualifications at National 5 Level which is an increase of over 1% from last year.
Across the city there were 17,700 presentations for National 5 courses (pass rate A-C of 80%).
By the end of S5 58% of all pupils achieved one or more Highers – a 4% improvement on last year and a 16% improvement since 2009.
Across the city there were 6,354 presentations for the revised Higher (pass rate A-C of 77%) and 4,693 for the new Curriculum for Excellence Higher (pass rate 82%).
By the end of S6, 63% of the S4 roll achieved one or more Highers – a 2% improvement on last year and a 15% improvement since 2009.

Overall for S4 pupils 1,325 awards were certificated at SCQF Level 3, 6,779 awards were certificated at SCQF Level 4 and 13,562 awards were certificated at SCQF Level 5.

Nicola Wilson, 16, is an S6 pupil at Broughton High School. She said: “I’m really keen to study Speech and Language Pathology at Strathclyde University so need at least 2As and 3Bs in my Highers. I did well last year in my exams so am hoping for the same again this year.”

Education Convener, Councillor Paul Godzik, said: “Early indications from the SQA exam results show that 2015 has been another really positive year for our pupils which is really encouraging . It’s a real achievement to have not only sustained but built on the successes of last year.

“I also want to congratulate all our teaching staff on their commitment to delivering learning experiences of the highest standards especially given the introduction of the new exams. Our pupils should be very proud of themselves too – all their hard work has certainly paid off and praise should also go to parents who have supported their children over the past year.

“The Council is committed to making sure all school leavers enter a positive destination of employment, training or further education. This year a record 93.1% of young people achieved and sustained a positive destination through initiatives such as the Edinburgh Guarantee. We will be looking to build on this in the future and look forward to seeing many more placements and positive results.”

Councillor Cathy Fullerton, Education Vice Convener, spoke to pupils and parents this morning at Craigmount High School where Minister for Education Angela Constance, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning paid a visit.

She said: “It was a real pleasure to chat to pupils today to hear how they had done in their exams. Their parents were rightly proud of their results and I hope everyone who was successful today achieves their full potential in whatever future career path they embark on.”

All candidates will receive their results by means of the traditional postal delivery on Tuesday 4 August. Those candidates who have activated their MySQA accounts, through which they can choose to receive their exam results by text in addition to their results certificate, will also receive these by 9am on Tuesday 4 August.

Higher and Higher!

Scottish students achieve record number of Higher passes

Students across Scotland have achieved a record 156,000 Higher passes this year – up 5.5 per cent on 2014. Welcoming the figures, Education Secretary Angela Constance said the results are ‘very encouraging’.

Results certificates have been sent to 142,862 candidates sitting a wide range of qualifications – including new Highers for the first year and Nationals for the second year; and existing Access, Intermediates, Highers and Advanced Highers.

Figures released by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) show attainment is again high this year, with Higher English passes up 17.7 per cent to 27,902, and Higher modern languages passes increasing by 15.2 per cent to 7,419.

The pass rate for the new Maths Higher was 70.8 per cent, similar to that in previous years. The SQA awarding process continues to take into account the level of difficulty of the exam.

Advanced Higher passes have increased by 4.0 per cent to a record level of 18,899.

This year also saw significant shifts onto the new National Qualifications at other levels, as the process of transition into the new system continued. For example, there was a large increase in National 5 course entries, particularly among those taken beyond fourth year – with 229,870 A-C grades awarded.

There has also been strong performance in qualifications related to wider skills for life and work, with attainment in Awards, National Certificates and National Progression Awards up 22.8 per cent, to 33,931.

Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Angela Constance said: “This is another strong performance by our young people. They have worked hard, and I congratulate each and every one of them, as well as the families and carers, and teachers and lecturers who have provided support.

“Scotland has seen record numbers of Higher and Advanced Higher passes. Students are performing particularly well in English and in modern languages.

“Despite concerns about the new Higher Maths exam, it’s clear that the system worked, that candidates have been treated fairly, and that standards have been maintained. The checks and balances in place ensure that students who would have gained a particular grade in a qualification in any previous year will still have done so at the same grade this year.

“This year we have already seen a record percentage of school leavers in employment, education or training. Today’s figures show that qualifications recognising life and work skills – such as Awards, National Certificates and National Progression Awards – are up a massive 22.8 per cent. This is very encouraging, as we support schools to do more to prepare our young people for the world of work.

“We now have a curriculum and assessment system designed to get the very best out of students and give them every possible chance of entering employment, training or further education.

“If you have not done as well as you had hoped or if you’ve done better than expected – help is on hand to discuss your future options by calling the exams results helpline on 0808 100 8000.”