Struck off for sex with pupil
A teacher has been struck off the teaching register for having sex with a 16-year-old pupil in her Glasgow home and buying alcohol for other children in 2009. Christine Fair, who was a 27-year-old probationer at Larkhall Academy in South Lanarkshire at the time, was observed buying alcohol for the boy and other pupils. The GTCS disciplinary sub-committee heard evidence from another teacher who confronted the 16-year-old about rumours that he had had sex with Ms Fair.
Deal ends row over job cuts
The University and College Union has ended its dispute with Glasgow Caledonian University after the university agreed to drop its threat of compulsory redundancies. The union had threatened to take industrial action and led a high-profile campaign, supported by a number of MSPs, against plans to make 95 staff redundant.
Science Centre chief appointed
Professor Jim McDonald, principal of Strathclyde University, has been appointed the new chair of Glasgow Science Centre board. The board’s acting chair, Professor John Coggins, said Professor McDonald would be able to strengthen the centre’s links to applied science and engineering and was ideally placed to secure greater involvement of Scotland’s major companies in its activities.
Dundee gets new director
Michael Wood, the current head of secondary schools at Dundee City Council, has been appointed the authority’s new director of education. He will take over the post when the current incumbent, Jim Collins, retires at the end of June. Mr Wood previously worked for HMIE, where he was district inspector responsible for Angus, Dundee City, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire councils. He also provided Curriculum for Excellence support to education authorities.
Bursaries plan in frame for award
The Budget for Bursaries campaign, run by NUS Scotland and student associations, has been shortlisted for the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations’ award for “campaign of the year”. Prompted by a proposed pound;1.7m real terms cut to college student bursary funding in the Scottish budget, it achieved a Government U-turn and extra funding for bursaries and more places after more than 32,000 letters and emails were sent to MSPs in just over a month.
