The proportion of school leavers achieving at least one Higher rose from 55.7 per cent in 2012-13 to 61.7 per cent last year, national statistics show. However, pupils living in Scotland’s 20 per cent most deprived areas remain far less likely to achieve at least one Higher: in 2015-16, 42.7 per cent did so, up from 34.9 per cent in 2012-13.

Scotland’s teachers would be earning much more this year if wages had increased with inflation, new figures show. Analysis by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, highlighted by Scottish Labour, indicates that teachers would be between £4,427 and £5,889 better off, had wages increased in line with inflation. Members of the EIS union this month passed a motion calling for salaries to match inflation.

Eighty-one per cent of Edinburgh residents support plans to establish St Mary’s Music School at the Old Royal High School, according to an Ipsos MORI survey. The survey, for the Royal High School Preservation Trust, shows that 10 per cent preferred alternative proposals for a hotel. The iconic building on Calton Hill is also known as New Parliament House, after a 1970s proposal for it to accommodate a devolved Scottish assembly.

A new charity has made £50,000 available for projects that teach digital technologies skills. The Digital Xtra Fund is designed to support schemes that inspire pupils to take digital skills out of the classroom and teach concepts such as coding or data science in a fun way. Each project can apply for funding up to £5,000. For further information, visit www.digitalxtrafund.scot