Bullying claims rock Scots schools watchdog

The Scotsman

An internal survey of Education Scotland staff found one in 10 said they had been bullied within the past year. Although many employees responded positively, only 37 per cent thought the quango was well run, 6 per cent said they wanted to leave “as soon as possible”, and 15 per cent said they hoped to leave within the next year.

pound;20 million cost of special lessons for migrants

Daily Mail

Scottish schools have been forced to spend pound;20 million on special tuition for children who cannot speak English. English as an additional language (EAL) teachers cost more than pound;6.9 million in 2010-11, reaching pound;20.7 million over the past three years. Schoolchildren in Scotland now speak a total of 134 languages. Each individual child costs the Scottish education system an extra pound;281 a year.

Ritalin use for children soaring

Scotland on Sunday

More than two million daily doses of Ritalin were prescribed to children in Scotland last year, despite calls for doctors to reduce their use of the drug. The use of Ritalin has soared by 300 per cent in 10 years and about 6,000 children are now believed to take the drug even though its effectiveness as a treatment for ADHD is unproven.

Boy of 10 in grope probe over girl, 5

The Sun

A 10-year-old boy is at the centre of a police probe over allegations that he forced a five-year-old girl to grope him on a school minibus taking them home from an Orkney primary. The unruly lad is said to have shouted abuse at the frightened girl before taking her hand and making her touch him.

Sex slave kids `sold for the price of a pair of trainers’

The Daily Record

Child sex slaves as young as 13 are being ferried across Scotland to order, a charity has claimed. Young boys were more likely to fall victim, claimed the charity, Dundee-based youth support group, Eighteen and Under.