Overhaul for Borders schools

A pound;3.1 million programme is under way to renew the ICT infrastructure in all 72 primary and secondary schools throughout the Scottish Borders over the next two years. Work to update equipment, including servers, computers and laptops, and associated software, began in two test sites at Galashiels Academy and Selkirk High over the summer holiday.

University hits research high

The University of Edinburgh has attracted record investment in its research work. Figures released this week show that the university was awarded pound;250 million to fund its research in 2011-12 - 37 per cent more than it received in 2010-11. The sum is a record for any Scottish university, beating the pound;249 million earned by Edinburgh in 2008-09.

Funding to boost HE numbers

The Scottish government has invested pound;5.5 million to fund 1,000 additional places at the University of the Highlands and Islands as part of its policy commitment to ensuring every 16- to 19-year-old has a place in learning or education. The extra places would generate pound;22.5 million for Scotland, said the government, citing a report by Biggar Economics, which said that every pound;1 spent on UHI would generate four times that amount for the Scottish economy.

Better start for Scottish children

Over pound;150,000 is to be spent giving Scottish children a better start in life through the disbursement of the first grants made by the Communities and Families Fund - a joint venture between the Big Lottery Fund and the Scottish government. Twenty projects benefited this week from the fund, launched in May 2012, which aims to help groups working with children aged under eight. Groups can apply for funding worth from pound;250 to pound;10,000.

Correction

In last week’s story “New complaints procedure but no way to appeal judgements”, TESS stated that reports could still be amended at the post- publication stage. This should have read at the “post-inspection stage prior to publication”.