Cost of supply staff revealed
The rising cost of temporary staff cover and “huge variations” between local authorities have been revealed in figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives under the Freedom of Information Act. More than pound;450 million was spent on supply teachers from 2008 to 2011; the exact figure is likely to be higher as Edinburgh did not provide information. Some 15,000 supply staff a year were used to cover absence or staff shortages.
New chief for science centre
Stephen Breslin is Glasgow Science Centre’s new chief executive. Dr Breslin, born in 1968, went to St Patrick’s High in Coatbridge and graduated from the University of Strathclyde in 1989 with a BEng (Hons) in mechanical engineering, before further degrees from Sheffield and Strathclyde. He has been chief executive of the educational thinktank Futurelab since 2008.
Bid to combat sectarianism
Ministers made the first in a series of visits to see how schools are tackling sectarianism. Education secretary Michael Russell, who went to Dalkeith community campus with community safety minister Roseanna Cunningham, said: “If we are to eradicate sectarianism from Scotland . we need to start with education. We need to constantly look at ways of getting the message across to the next generation of young Scots that religious intolerance is totally unacceptable in a modern Scotland.”
Cash for George Wyllie projects
The Friends of George Wyllie group has received government money for Glasgow and Inverclyde art initiatives. They include the Big Little Paper Boats schools project, creating an origami line of boats for a George Wyllie retrospective; 24 other projects will also receive support, after culture secretary Fiona Hyslop announced another pound;2.2 million would go towards the Year of Creative Scotland 2012 through the First in a Lifetime programme.
College-school links given boost
Dumfries and Galloway College will receive pound;197,000 of the government’s pound;15 million college-transformation fund to support links with schools, education secretary Michael Russell announced. The college forms one of the 13 FE regions planned by the Scottish government. Mr Russell added that Edinburgh’s Telford, Stevenson, and Jewel and Esk colleges would be given pound;1.5 million to help with “restructuring costs” as they move towards a merger.
