A programme that allows people to train part-time to become primary teachers while they hold down their day job is expanding into secondary and is now open for applications. The Distance Learning Initial Teacher Education programme, run by the University of Aberdeen, has been training primary teachers in the north of Scotland for four years and will this year expand into secondary in a bid to ease chronic teacher shortages in the region. For more information on Aberdeenshire-based applications, contact margaret.khan@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.
The number of pupils caught using mobile phones to cheat in their exams increased from nine to 26 recorded cases last year. Overall, 169 candidates sitting exams last year received penalties for cheating, according to new figures from the Scottish Qualifications Authority. The number had risen from 163 in 2015, but the figure is just 0.033 per cent of the total number of entries (516,652). In the vast majority of cases (126), candidates caught cheating had their exam results cancelled.
The number of school leavers in “positive destinations” continues to creep upwards. New national statistics show that, in 2015-16, 93.3 per cent of school leavers were placed in that category, which includes university, FE, training and employment. The proportion has increased since 2011-12, when 90.1 per cent of leavers were in a positive destination, and the rise is even bigger for those from the most-deprived areas. Some critics have suggested that the term “positive destination” is misleading, as it includes jobs with no long-term prospects.
Every school in Scotland has been asked to complete a short survey about the teaching of Chinese language and culture. The Scottish China Education Network (SCEN) has sent out more than 2,600 letters to schools in every sector. SCEN chair Judith McClure said: “We want to map all the opportunities to learn Chinese accurately and to share it with everyone to help with productive links between schools, colleges, universities and businesses.” The closing date is 31 March.
@TESScotland
