Pay review `ignorant’

The Scotsman

Union leaders have branded a major review of teaching in Scotland’s schools “ignorant” and called for its recommendations to be ignored. The NASUWT, which represents 7,000 teachers in Scotland, said implementing recommendations made by Professor Gerry McCormac as part of his review into pay and conditions would undermine” the focus on teaching.

`You saved us from sex slavery’

The Press and Journal

A group of eastern European girls who were saved from international sex traffickers by a north-east charity have arrived in Scotland to thank their rescuers. The five young women were among the first to benefit from a series of safe houses built in Moldova by the Peterhead-based New Hope Trust.

Playground project keeps bullying at bay

The Herald

An innovative playground project that uses trees and wild places is being hailed as a blueprint for other Scottish schools after helping to reduce bullying. The call came after an independent evaluation of the playground at Merrylee Primary, on the south side of Glasgow, found it had reduced incidents of bullying by 94 per cent in two years.

Olivia, 12, puts prime minister on the spot

The Courier

Plenty have questioned Government policy on Afghanistan - but not many are 12 years old. Olivia Adam, a pupil at St John’s High in Dundee, has letters from 10 Downing Street and the Ministry of Defence to show for her efforts. Her interest began with the Michael Morpurgo novel Shadow, about an Afghan boy and his mother who flee to Britain only to find themselves in a detention centre.

Boy found with 2,000 pills in school bag

Daily Record

A boy of 15 has been caught with 2,000 illegal Diazepam tablets in his school bag. Police detained him at a Tesco store in Renfrew and found the drugs after store detectives reported a case of shoplifting. It is feared the pills could have been sold on to other children.