Pupils face higher bar for university courses

Scotland on Sunday

- Scottish pupils face tougher entry requirements for university courses in Scotland because of government-imposed caps on the numbers eligible for free tuition. The University of Aberdeen has become the first higher education institution to raise the bar after an 8 per cent increase in the number of applications.

Scandal of junk food ads aimed at children

Daily Mail

- Food companies are targeting children with high-fat and high-sugar drinks and snacks, fuelling an obesity crisis. Nine out of 10 food adverts seen by Scots children promote unhealthy produce, a World Health Organisation-backed report produced by the University of Stirling found. It warns that advertisers are creating a generation of sugar-, salt- and fat-addicted children.

Festival trumpets free concerts for children

The Scotsman

- Thousands of pupils studying music are to enjoy free access to flagship concerts at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival. Primary and secondary pupils receiving instrumental, music or vocal tuition across the city will be able to apply for a Young Musician’s Passport. The scheme will allow at least 5,000 young people to attend any festival concert at the Usher Hall.

School in third flea outbreak

Daily Record

- Worried parents have demanded action after a school was hit by an outbreak of fleas for the third time in less than a year. Education chiefs closed Williamsburgh Primary in Paisley for two days last summer when the school was infested. There was another outbreak in September and now a pupil and a teacher have been sent home after being bitten.

Big-store ban on tobacco displays begins

The Herald

- Smokers will have to look harder to find tobacco on display in supermarkets from this week after new legislation came into force. The law banning cigarettes and other items from being displayed brings Scotland into line with the rest of the UK and is designed to deter young people from smoking.