Awards honour outstanding educators
Gillian Campbell-Thow has been named Teacher of the Year at the latest Scottish Education Awards for her inspiring work in languages at All Saints Secondary School in Glasgow. Fred Wildridge of Grange Academy, East Ayrshire, was chosen as Headteacher of the Year, while the Lifetime Achievement prize went to Linda Burke, depute head at Sandaig Primary School in Glasgow. The awards are run by Education Scotland with the Scottish government and the Daily Record.
American dream comes true for state school pupils
Seven Scottish teenagers will be among 61 state school students from the UK starting undergraduate degrees at US universities this autumn, thanks to a new programme run by a social mobility charity. The majority of students in the Sutton Trust scheme come from households with an annual income of less than pound;25,000. The students took part in visits to US campuses before being supported to make applications to Ivy League universities and other institutions.
Bring sex education up to date, campaigners urge
Campaigners have launched a petition asking the Scottish government to introduce mandatory sex and relationship education to schools as part of Curriculum for Excellence. Youth organisation Sexpression: UK believes guidelines must be changed to help young people to make informed decisions about sex. Existing advice does not adequately tackle emerging issues such as sexting and allows Catholic schools to opt out of lessons on contraception, it says. Official guidance for schools is being revised in response to the introduction of CfE and the recent law allowing same-sex marriage.
Private school named and shamed for low pay
An Edinburgh independent school has been named on an HM Revenue and Customs list of 25 UK employers who failed to pay staff the minimum wage of pound;6.31 an hour. Cargilfield School, which teaches pupils aged 3-13 and charges fees of nearly pound;6,000 a term for boarding, underpaid a worker by pound;3,739.
Primaries play catch-up on CfE training
Primary schools have been granted an additional in-service day for Curriculum for Excellence training, bringing them in line with secondaries, the Scottish government has announced. Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the EIS teaching union, said it was essential that primary teachers should have the same right to adequate in-service opportunities and CfE development time as their colleagues in the secondary sector.
Commonwealth summit inspires young leaders
Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington was among famous guests at an event that used the forthcoming Glasgow Commonwealth Games to inspire young leaders and volunteers. The gold medallist swimmer addressed hundreds of delegates from 19 nations at the Commonwealth Youth Summit in Dumfries last weekend. Other speakers included Falklands War veteran Simon Weston. The event was run by Dumfries and Galloway Council and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
