Education secretary John Swinney has told Tes Scotland that strike action is “in nobody’s interest”,after the EIS teaching union announced it will be seeking a 10 per cent pay rise for all teachers. EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said this would restore pay to an “acceptable” level after years of lagging behind other countries. The agreed staggered 2 per cent pay rise for 2017-18 brought the starting salary for a fully-qualified primary or secondary teacher up from £26,895 to £27,438.

Primary school leaders’ body AHDS has broadly welcomed plans to give headteachers in Scotland more power - although some heads are daunted at the prospect, with one describing it as “terrifying”. In response to a consultation on the Education (Scotland) Bill, AHDS said all headteachers are “at a different point in their own development”. Local authorities body Cosla this week said the Bill, which includes other controversial proposals, would not improve educational attainment.

The number of homeless children in Scotland is growing, Scottish government figures show. There were 6,581 children in temporary accommodation on 30 September 2017, which is a 10 per cent increase - or a rise of 594 - compared with a year previously.

The Aberdeen Evening Express has reported that Snapchat is to make changes after the newspaper revealed a flaw that could allow people to speak directly to primary schoolchildren. In an investigation, it found evidence of children from local schools publishing their own usernames on the online social network, allowing anyone to talk to them.