Members of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) have begun industrial action over excessive workload, after 91 per cent of voters backed the move. The EIS union suspended its plans for industrial action after the Scottish government announced that National 5 and Higher unit assessments would be phased out from 2017-18. But SSTA general secretary Seamus Searson, while welcoming that move, said there had “not been any progress” on reducing workload pressure in the current school year.

A respected college lecturer and EIS union official has died.Charlie Cassidy worked at a Clydeside shipyard and in the merchant navy before moving into education. For many years he was branch secretary at Springburn (later North Glasgow) College. His most influential interventions came when the government was removing colleges from local authority control. Former colleague Joe Eyre noted that Mr Cassidy’s efforts to protect conditions of service and salaries are still benefitting college staff to this day.

Some 2,000 desks and chairs from the old Portobello High School in Edinburgh are getting a fresh lease of life in Ghana. The new school building has just opened, replacing its 1960s predecessor. An online portal has helped the school to distribute much of the old contents at home and abroad, with beneficiaries including the charity Chance for Africa. The charity’s founder, Zak Abdulai, said that he hoped that the scheme would lead to “lasting overseas friendships” between schools in Scotland and Africa.

Pupils across Scotland are being invited to an engineering event entitled “How to hack your home”. The free live show in Edinburgh, for school groups aged 11-18, is being presented by electrical engineer Professor Danielle George. She will show how to take control of everyday devices in the home and “achieve extraordinary things”. The event will take place on Thursday 1 December, from 1.30-2.30pm, at the Royal College of Physicians. Further details can be found on the Royal Institution website.

@Henry_Hepburn