Schools that are only a few miles apart are offering pupils a vastly different number of subjects to choose from at Higher, new research shows. Figures collected by the Scottish Conservatives reveal that some schools offer as many as 27 subjects, while others run as few as 13. Liz Smith, the party’s education spokeswoman, blamed teacher shortages for the disparity, but council umbrella body Cosla said that the survey ignored pupils who travel to other schools to access subjects.

Cladding of the type used on London’s Grenfell Tower, which went up in flames last month claiming at least 80 lives, has been found on 27 Scottish schools in 12 councils, the government has confirmed. Checks were being carried out by councils and the fire service to ensure that where the aluminium composite material had been used, it had been fitted in line with building regulations.

Moves by the Scottish government to “reflect the needs of modern schools” and include unisex toilets in new school buildings for pupils with gender issues have been welcomed by LGBTI rights campaigners. The government began consulting this week on an update to the regulations on the minimum standard new schools should meet. The current rules - dating from the 1960s - state that half of the toilet accommodation should be for boys and half for girls.

Male students are continuing to snub female-dominated courses such as nursing and health care, despite tough new gender quotas designed to balance up Scottish colleges, according to Audit Scotland. By 2030 colleges are expected to have no subjects with more than 75 per cent of students being from one gender.