Music tuition fees have been scrapped by Renfrewshire Council, at a cost of £150,000. The council said this would “ensure every child has the same opportunity, regardless of their background”. But council officers in other parts of the country are considering moving away from directly employed music instructors - who often work with pupils from the primary years - in favour of outside providers. This option was described as “privatisation through the back door” by the EIS union’s Instrumental Music Teachers’ Network.
More than 20 primaries were officially recognised as the first digital schools in Scotland this week. The Digital Schools Awards were officially launched by education secretary John Swinney at the Scottish Learning Festival last year to encourage and reward schools that make the best use of digital technology in the classroom. To date, 195 schools have signed up for the scheme and 21 have achieved the status. The programme aims to sign up 400 participating primary schools in Scotland in its first full year.
The Scottish government has revealed who will be charged with proposing changes that will improve the quality of life and outcomes for young people in care. Fiona Duncan, chief executive of Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland, has been appointed as the chair to the independent root-and-branch Care Review in Scotland. Just 69 per cent of looked-after children leave school with one or more qualification at the equivalent of National 5 or above, compared with 92 per cent of all pupils. They are also far more likely to be excluded from school.
Schoolchildren have a week left to design a poster for the 70th anniversary of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The Fringe Schools Poster Competition is one of Scotland’s longest-running arts outreach projects, with more than 100,000 young people taking part since its launch in 1980. The competition is open to pupils from P1 upwards. Information for schools, including a creative brief and teaching resources, can be found at edfringe.com/poster. The deadline is Friday 3 March.
@TESScotland
