Fears of stampede for chartered status
- The rush to start the chartered teacher scheme in August could cause a logjam in the system and leave behind many irate applicants, a senior teacher trainer warned this week. Iain Smith, dean of the faculty of education at Strathclyde University, also said teachers still have to pay about #163;600 for each of the 12 modules out of their own pockets.
Enterprise gets a can-do salesman
- The retail tycoon who is the country’s most prominent advocate of entrepreneurialism has emerged as the figure behind what the First Minister called his “flagship policy” for schools in the run-up to May’s elections. Tom Hunter’s part in the drive to revive the Scottish tradition of 19th-century capitalists such as Andrew Carnegie will help make enterprise education virtually compulsory in all schools.
All bets are off, warns HMI
- Inspectors have warned secondary schools there will be no curriculum “free for all” after Jack McConnell, the first minister, signalled the end of the “one size fits all” model of comprehensive. Any school, for example, that wants to ditch modern languages at the end of S2 will be forced to justify its decision on “reasons of principle and not just reasons of expediency”.
Pupils’ anti-war protests barred
- Los Angeles education chiefs have narrowly stopped short of condemning a US-led attack on Iraq. In a heated meeting, they opted instead to encourage teachers to lead classroom debates on the issue, amid reports that pupils have been punished for peacefully expressing opposition to war. Caprice Young, president of the board of education, said eight incidents had been reported to her, but that there had been no reports of pro-war students being punished.
Granite City picks up an Oscar
- Aberdeen’s education department has beaten off competition from North Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire to carry off the Caithness Glass trophy for the authority that has done most to “close the gap” between disadvantaged pupils and others, at the annual teaching “Oscars”. The TES Scotland reported a month ago on findings from the city’s early intervention programme.
