Children should start building the foundations to understand and even create computing technology from as early as P1, as part of fundamental changes in how the subject is taught, experts have said. Those behind the University of Glasgow’s new Centre for Computing Science Education want a more central role for the subject, which has typically been taken only as an option in secondary school or even later.

Education secretary John Swinney has said that the government remains “absolutely committed” to Named Person. He told Holyrood magazine that the controversial scheme will give children and their families “equal access to the right support at the right time, if they need it, regardless of where they live”. A named person would provide a single point of contact - often a teacher or headteacher - to oversee the wellbeing of every under-18 in Scotland.

The teaching of Scots language is boosting pupils’ attainment in national English qualifications, according to a report. The Education Scotland research (bit.ly/ScotsES) shows teachers believe the language can particularly help disengaged pupils. It states: “There was evidence that the use of Scots resulted in improvements in some lower-attaining pupils’ writing skills, motivation and behaviour.”

Dozens of volunteers are going back to primary school as part of a programme aiming to tackle inequalities in literacy. Paired Reading is run by Business in the Community (BITC) Scotland, and encourages businesses to work with local schools. More than 50 people are starting programmes this term in schools in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Inverness.