Amidst all the political drama in the run-up to the Holyrood elections – a new party, personal rivalries, defections, allegations and counter-allegations – the substantive issues facing Scotland risk being neglected. Whatever the outcome of the vote, education will remain one of the most crucial policy areas and the person appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills … [Read more...] about Education: no more business as usual
schools
Why do we need a Year of Childhood?
‘Great news!’ I said to my chum. ‘2021 has been declared The Year of Childhood in Scotland.’ She looked underwhelmed. Then thought for a bit and asked: ‘Hang on, haven’t we already had a Year of Childhood?’ ‘No,’ I said. ‘That was the Year of Young People.’ ‘Ah! I see…’ Her eyes glazed over. ‘So when do we get the Year of Disgruntled, Disillusioned 45-Year-Olds?’ Happy new … [Read more...] about Why do we need a Year of Childhood?
Education and inequality: Part Two
In the last post I presented statistics showing that Scotland has some high percentages of pupils living in one council area but attending secondary school in an adjacent area. There were two notable examples: pupils commuting from Glasgow to its leafy suburbs — East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire — and also from Clackmannanshire to Stirlingshire. In this post we'll look … [Read more...] about Education and inequality: Part Two