Glasgow Kelvin hit by no-confidence vote

Members of the EIS-FELA union at Glasgow Kelvin College have unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in their management. The college hit the headlines when it encountered problems with the enrolment process at the start of this academic year. A spokesman for the board of management said it understood “that some staff are feeling concerned during this period of an unprecedented rate of change, but we do not believe this vote reflects the views of the majority of staff within the college”. He added that the college continued to work with the union to address matters brought to its attention. At Glasgow Clyde College, a smaller vote of no confidence by EIS-FELA members at the Anniesland campus was also passed.

Higgs boson contest announces winners

The winners of the inaugural Higgs boson competition for schools have been announced. The contest was launched last year by the Institute of Physics in Scotland on the same day as the University of Edinburgh’s Peter Higgs was announced as a joint winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics. Contestants were asked to write about where the Higgs boson discovery might take future research. The winning teams included a group of P6-7 pupils from the High School of Dundee; Queen Margaret Academy, South Ayrshire (S1-2); Eastwood High School, East Renfrewshire (S3-4); and Trinity Academy, Edinburgh (S5-6). Special awards went to Edinburgh’s George Watson’s College and Gleniffer High School, Renfrewshire.

Personal finance programme gets cash injection

Financial education in Scottish schools has received a boost with a three-year, pound;45,000 sponsorship deal from the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) Educational Trust. The money will go towards supporting the Stewart Ivory Financial Education Programme Scotland (SIFEP), which last year gave talks on personal finance to about 15,000 school-leavers. The CISI Educational Trust will also donate 15,000 copies of its #yourmoney book each year. SIFEP chair Hamish Buchan said: “The need to raise the financial awareness of young people.remains as great as ever.”

Young advisers to shape national arts strategy

Fourteen “arts advisers” aged between 14 and 20 have been selected from across Scotland to shape Time to Shine, the national youth arts strategy. Appointed by Young Scot and Creative Scotland, they will explore new ways for young people to get involved with the arts. Young Scot chief executive Louise Macdonald said: “Being involved in the arts can give young people confidence, the opportunity to learn new skills, and gain valuable experiences which can benefit their learning, work and life.”

Dundee High keeps taking the tablets

The independent High School of Dundee has become one of the first schools in Scotland to introduce tablet computers for every pupil across several year groups. Students in P6-S4 will be issued with iPads, with their parents repaying the school in instalments. Pupils who already own iPads can bring those in to class. Headteacher John Halliday said: “Computers in schools are standard. This, however, takes this element of learning on to a whole new level, bringing a sharp focus on each pupil’s responsibility for their own learning.”