Scottish Labour has launched a new plan “to make Scottish schools the best in the world”. The plan calls for bursaries to attract science and maths teachers, for the chief inspector to draw up a Curriculum for Excellence improvement plan, and for the creation of the new education regions to be halted. Labour also challenged the SNP to commit to real-term increases in education funding.

A scheme to encourage literacy and a love of reading in children is being expanded to secondary schools. The First Minister’s Reading Challenge, which provides pupils with “reading passports” and teachers with resources, will now be piloted up to S3 in six schools. The scheme was previously rolled out to all primary children, following a trial year for P4-P7s.

More students are gaining qualifications in English for speakers of other languages (Esol). Higher passes rose to 742 from 641 in 2016, and National 4 from 426 to 505. National 5 dropped slightly, however, from 794 to 785. Meanwhile, Education Scotland has published an impact report on Esol for 2015-16, which shows that there is unmet demand in most parts of Scotland (see bit.ly/EsolScot).

Scotland’s new children’s commissioner is looking for teenagers to help him shape his work over the next six years. Bruce Adamson’s team wants a group of six young advisers aged 16-18 to draw up a strategic plan and monitor its implementation. They would receive a personal reference from the commissioner and £100 of vouchers. Further information can be found by visiting bit.ly/youngadvisor