The above is from BBC Family& Education but was headlined on the BBC Scotland site without any helpful clarification of actual costs in Scotland:
BBC analysis shows the cost of a full-time nursery place for a child under two in Great Britain varies greatly. It costs an average of £285 a week, the equivalent of 44% of the average pay for full-time workers.
Costs are lower in Scotland. But in inner London, despite people earning more, disproportionately higher nursery fees amount to more than half of the average full-time wage.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-64865602
Based on the above percentages then, nursery costs for under 2’s are 23.9% higher in the UK (8.5 as a percentage of 35.5) so less than £11 000 pa in Scotland?
Talking-up Scotland 
Since the article on the BBC Health and Family page makes a general statement about average cost across the whole of the U.K. and provides a graphic showing costs in Scotland, Wales and large English regions. Northern Ireland, as is fairly common does not even appear on the map, never mind it’s cost being reported.
The main part of the article is essentially two case studies which are largely interview.
So, why does this feature on the BBC SCOTLAND page since there is nothing specifically Scottish in it?
Could it be that they want the headline figure to be interpreted as ‘yet another example of the Scottish Government failing’?
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It’s getting lots of coverage on Radio 4 Today programme. But Listeners will get zero sense of difference between Scotland and England, and indeed Wales.
Lots of references to the ‘nation’ – England = GB again!
I wonder if the source research report is in the public domain? It may give more on how Labour’s government in Wales is performing?
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When I talk of “Scotland” I do so lovingly because I love all of Scotland.
When I see people talking about “the nation” it’s clear that there are parts of “the nation” they refer to , that they do not like , there is an obvious divide in attitude and political will between the south of England and the north of England.
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O/T Once ‘alert’ one picks up on even the little ‘misrepresentations’ perpetrated by the BBC! By chance, I caught the opening minutes of Woman’s Hour discussing a new film starring Emily Watson called ‘God’s Creatures’.
The presenter tells us (in terms) that the film was shown at the Glasgow Film Festival and that it will “premier in the UK” shortly. Do I misunderstand ‘premier’? Do I misunderstand the meaning of ‘UK’? (If only!)
From the Glasgow Film Festival website: ‘ UK premieres include Kelly Macdonald and Monica Dolan in Carol Morley’s acclaimed Typist Artist Pirate King; Paul Mescal and Emily Watson disrupting a close knit community in God’s Creatures; ..’ (and more)
Yes this is trivial but my antennae are now so finely tuned to suspect any and all BBC output on matters, even peripherally, concerning Scotland! And I am not often ‘pleasantly surprised’!
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As ever with HMS James Cook, it’s what it shunts off the main page which is the more intriguing.
They have a habit of promoting England centric articles implying it’s a UK wide problem, yet note on the same web-page the article by India Grant (never heard of her) entitled “How does Scotland tackle its vet shortage?” not only crowding out “news from where you are ” but flips the perspective.
The entire UK is struggling with insufficient income and a politically encouraged acceptance of accruing debt, the only growth industry the UQ has had for the best part of 50 years and rising in clients.
Childcare costs have become a hot topic particularly in England because it’s no longer the luxury for the few it once was and they’re no longer the few, and guess who caused that, yup, the Tories.
Filling medical positions (human, animal…caring) are in short supply because London’s political policies made it so, again the Tories.
Who is James Cook as his predecessor the dis-Honourable Smith promoting ? Westminster.
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I too spotted the Vet story on the BBC News website’s Scotland page – and was ‘intrigued’! It refers to an ‘action plan’ to address workforce issues published by the Royal College. of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).
The first sentence in the BBC article: ‘Changes need to be made in the veterinary sector in Scotland to avert a workforce crisis, according to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.’ A ‘workforce crisis’ specifically in Scotland?
Now I’ve tried to find this ‘action plan’ – presuming it to be newly published – for Scotland. But on the RCVS website all I’ve found is this:
‘The RCVS has published its Workforce Action Plan setting out the key areas in which the veterinary sector, including representative organisations, employers, charities and other stakeholder groups, can work together to mitigate the impact of the ongoing workforce shortages in the professions.’ Note also this plan was published on 10 November 2022. Newsworthy today?
See: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/news/rcvs-publishes-workforce-action-plan-setting-out-how-the-sector/
In the opening chapter of the RCVS document we have this (with my emphasis):
‘There have been WORKFORCE SHORTAGES DEVELOPING IN THE VETERINARY PROFESSIONS, NOT JUST IN THE UK, BUT WORLDWIDE, FOR YEARS. However, a myriad of different and more recent factors have impacted on the three Rs (recruitment, retention, return) IN THE UK IN PARTICULAR.
‘These factors include, but are not limited to, THE UK’S EU EXIT, THE Covid-19 pandemic and increased pet ownership. These have significantly affected the number of vets and vet nurses joining and staying in the veterinary professions, as well as the demand for veterinary services.’
So this action plan is for the UK’s veterinary workforce not just Scotland’s. Indeed, a search of the document for references specifically to ‘Scotland’ finds just ONE – contained in a reference to ‘Food Standards Scotland’!
Surely there must be another RCVS ‘action plan’, one for Scotland to justify this BBC news coverage and framing today?
Well the BBC article includes this: ‘The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has released an action plan which acknowledges that a lack of flexible working hours can lead to people leaving the profession.’
And the RCVS action plan referred to above has this: ‘Another reason cited for people leaving the professions was a lack of flexibility in working hours,..’.
So maybe there is NOT another, more recent, Scotland-specific plan to avert a Scotland-specific ‘crisis. The action plan the BBC is using today may indeed be this plan for THE WHOLE UK after all. Who would have thought it?
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Oh, very well spotted and followed up Stewart – I hadn’t read the article, but cited the headline as example of HMS James Cook et al obsession in projecting UK-wide issues as Scotland specific on almost any subject.
However, went back to read said article, and found it eventually, retired a page and a half back – https://archive.ph/g8B4g
The opening paragraph by India Grant does indeed claim “Changes need to be made in the veterinary sector in Scotland to avert a workforce crisis, according to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons”.
Now India may have chosen to lie or been instructed to do so, but a deliberate lie it appears.
I see beneath her attribution to the article (a rarity these days with so many dodgy inputs) is also attributed “The Nine” – I’m out of the country hence wonder if this is a mis-translation of “Der Nein” ? Somewhat unfortunate for Herr Flick-Cook with https://twitter.com/g_gosden/status/1633806786133127168 doing the rounds…
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