Awards agency promised #163;2m
- The Scottish government has promised #163;2 million in additional funding for the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS), to increase staffing and lengthen the opening hours of phone lines. This comes after an independent review found the SAAS was not equipped to manage demand. The review was commissioned after thousands of students were affected by delays in receiving student loan and bursary payments last year.
iPads to be given to 300 students
- Lomond School will provide iPads to every student from P6 to S6 from the autumn term - 310 students in total - at no cost to parents. To enable use of the tablets in every classroom, each teaching area will be equipped with wi-fiin the coming months. Fifty iPads will also be handed out to staff at the independent school in Helensburgh, and an iPad suite with 30 tablets will be made available to children in P5 and below.
Tuck into food education
- A #163;1 million fund has been launched to improve the education students receive about food, including where it comes from and how it affects their health. Food for Thought will release up to #163;5,000 from the Scottish government for teachers, with the aim of supporting at least 200 projects during 2013-15. It will be topped up with contributions from the private sector. bit.ly14mSZdB
Young tennis ace invited to Paris
- As Andy Murray prepares for his latest attempt to win the French Open, another Scot will be chasing glory on Parisian clay courts. Merchiston Castle School student Jacob Fearnley has become the first Scottish player to be invited to the prestigious Longines Future Tennis Aces Competition in Paris. The 11-year-old from Edinburgh is ranked second in the British under-12 category. Merchiston, along with St George’s School for Girls, provides the students for the Tennis Academy Scotland.
Cash for care organisations
- The first awards have been made from a #163;10 million Scottish government early learning and childcare fund. Two organisations that provide nursery and out-of-school care will receive an extra #163;155,000, children’s minister Aileen Campbell has announced. The money goes to the Care and Learning Alliance and the National Day Nurseries Association, and adds to #163;1.5 million already allocated through the Big Lottery to early learning and childcare bodies.
