A new joint campus has created a world-first, by bringing together schools serving both the Catholic and Jewish faiths. The £17 million development in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, is now home to Catholic St Clare’s Primary and the Jewish Calderwood Lodge, as well as a non-denominational nursery class. A new £30 million Barrhead High is also open.
The Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) has responded angrily after a Scottish government review paved the way for the sector to pay business rates. The SCIS said that this would put Scottish education “at a competitive disadvantage in the UK and globally”. Meanwhile, the National Day Nurseries Association has welcomed a recommendation that business rates for nurseries are removed.
The Scottish Conservatives have called for more schools to open during the summer to ensure that pupils from deprived backgrounds do not fall behind. Public health spokesman Brian Whittle questioned why many schools were “under lock and key” during the holidays. In June, Tes Scotland reported Northumbria University research showing that many Scottish pupils start the school year nearly five weeks behind where they were before the summer break.
“Transition”, typically seen to refer to the jump from primary to secondary, will take on a different meaning at new training events. Children in Scotland will run sessions to improve understanding of the role of the teacher and play-based learning as children move from nursery to school, to be held in Edinburgh on 29 September and 17 January. For details, email events@childreninscotland.org.uk
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