The new chief inspector of education is Gayle Gorman, director of education and children’s services with Aberdeen City Council. The announcement was made weeks after she was seconded to lead the Northern Alliance, which brings together Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, Highland, the Western Isles, Shetland, Orkney and Moray. She will begin on 4 December. Graeme Logan has filled the post on an acting basis.

Next week more than 450,000 free books will be gifted to all children in P1-3 during Book Week Scotland. P1 pupils will receive three books while P2 and P3 pupils will receive bags containing two books, as well as counting games and writing materials to share with parents and carers. The Scottish Book Trust has worked with Scottish government, Education Scotland and Creative Scotland to organise this year’s bags.

A new outdoor nursery pilot programme has been launched in Glasgow, in a bid to create more childcare spaces ahead of plans to almost double nursery hours by 2020. The Castlemilk outdoor nurseries programme - the Welly Wanderers - is based in Castlemilk woods and is being delivered by the Glasgow City Council, Inspiring Scotland and eight local nurseries. It enables almost 400 children to play, learn and have fun outdoors.

“I don’t learn when people are shouting at me” is one of the messages contained in a document presented to education secretary John Swinney this week. The document - entitled What Kind of Scotland? Children’s voices influencing Scotland’s future - aims to reflect the views of 6,000 children to mark the 21st birthday of the Children’s Parliament.