Scottish student roll for part-time classes halves

Scotland on Sunday

- The number of students attending colleges in Scotland for evening and weekend courses has almost halved in the past four years, a new survey reveals. Figures compiled by Colleges Scotland show there were about 29,000 people studying evening and weekend courses last year, compared with 53,000 in 2008. The fall follows attempts by the Scottish government to reshape the college sector.

Children in police cells

Scotland on Sunday

- Children as young as 12 are among hundreds who have been held overnight in police cells in Scotland over the past two years. Some have been kept in custody for several days, with one 15-year-old boy being detained for more than 88 hours. The practice, which goes against a UN treaty protecting children’s human rights, has been described as “disturbing”.

Gregory’s Girl school to close

Daily Record

- The school immortalised in Gregory’s Girl is to close after ministers backed a council decision to shut it down. Abronhill High will shut next year with students transferred to Cumbernauld High. Ministers called in the decision amid concerns that it might be bad for students. But following a review, they concluded that North Lanarkshire Council’s proposals are reasonable.

Yearbook cancelled for disabled pupil jibe

The Herald

- A school yearbook has been used to taunt a disabled former student. Leavers at Glasgow’s Springburn Academy mocked David McIntyre, who has dyspraxia and appealed for help for severe bullying at the school. His father Thomas claimed that the stress of the bullying caused him to go blind. Parents raised the matter after spotting the remarks.

Schools shut by teacher strikes

The Express

- Tens of thousands of schoolchildren missed lessons after teachers in England held a one-day strike. About 2,765 schools were hit by the protest from the National Union of Teachers and NASUWT over changes to pay, pensions and conditions. The strike affected 22 authorities in the North West, with rallies in Liverpool, Manchester, Preston and Chester.