By Professor John Robertson OBA
BBC Scotland, cramming as much industrial dispute as they can into the 4 minutes BBC Breakfast give them, return excitedly to Glasgow.
Here’s what they never tell you:
First:
Second:
From 2017 to 2023, the number of pupils in Scotland’s state schools has increased from 688 959 to 705 528, by 2.4%.
In the same period, the number of teachers has increased from 51 513 to 54 033, by 4.9%.
In the same period, the ratio of pupils to teachers has fallen (improved) from 13.6 to 13.2.2
This is the lowest (best) in the UK, compared with PTRs of 18 in England, 18.4 in Wales and 17.4 in Northern Ireland.3
The BBC Scotland report does not mention the above.
Third:
In June 2024, in TES:
Council leaders have this afternoon unanimously voted to reject a condition that a £145.5 million Scottish government grant will require teacher numbers to be maintained, in the hope of instead seeking a compromise. All 32 Scottish local authorities have decided not to sign the grant letter that requires them to agree to maintaining teacher numbers. A Cosla spokesperson said: “Councils rightly have high ambitions for all learners in Scotland, demonstrated through the stretch aims set to drive progress in raising attainment and closing the poverty-related attainment gap.
“We recognise the vital role of teachers in improving outcomes for children and young people but progress cannot be made by focusing on teachers alone.”
The spokesperson added: “Investment is required in wider support that may well sit outside the classroom and, indeed, the school. It is for this reason that councils cannot sign a grant offer letter that restricts the use of funding in this way, and does not enable a holistic focus on improving outcomes.”4
BBC Scotland only mention the above crucial context in the 37th of 42 paragraphs.
Sources:
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c70392gwx0wo
- https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-for-schools-in-scotland-2023/pages/headline-school-and-early-learning-and-childcare-elc-statistics/
- https://www.gov.scot/publications/pupil-projections-implications-teacher-resourcing-needs-scotland-education-workforce-modelling-research/pages/10/
- https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/scottish-councils-reject-requirement-maintain-teacher-numbers
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
BBCScorchedland’s reporting of Industrial disputes in Scottish schools is an Education !
Propaganda novices come from far and wide to see learn from the masters of this dark art .
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FB just took this down when I tried to share. Says it’s misleading!
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Hayley Valentine, New BBC Scotland boss.
“I was involved in our referendum programming. I will defend it to accusations of bias until my dying day. I firmly believe that the BBC is not biased, that there is no agenda.“
Here we go all over again no change.
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@rtpscott @ 11.01am today
Oops sorry I was too busy writing my comment below (which was added on after your comment) that I did not see that you had already noted the appointment of Hayley Valentine as the new BBC Scotland boss and you had also noted her opinion on the BBC’s supposed but not ‘impartial’ involvement in the 2014 Indy Ref via their (biased pro UK BT) coverage for the NO side.
Apologies
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The new Director of BBC Scotland has been announced.
It is Hayley Valentine.
Same Hayley Valentine who in 2019 was reported as saying this:
“I was involved in our referendum programming. I will defend it to accusations of bias until my dying day. I firmly believe that the BBC is not biased, that there is no agenda.”
So it seems, as per, that there will be ‘no change then at the BBC in Scotland with their particular brand of preferred propaganda’.
Hayley Valentine is currently the head of BBC Midlands.
However to add salt onto the (Scottish) wounds this appointment was hailed by the BBC director general Tim Davie ( a former Tory candidate) as being a positive for the BBC in Scotland, but then also as news , this news is then assumed to be somehow positive news too for the Scottish public when he, Davie, said :
“I know Hayley is determined to build on BBC Scotland’s editorial success – working with talented journalists and content-makers across the country, inside and outside the BBC”.
“Editorial success” as in them continuing to promote bias and an agenda aka propaganda across Scotland via the content on their pages within the BBC Scotland news section of their website, their BBC Radio news and discussion programmes and also BBC Reporting Scotland (so what’s the current viewing and listening figures now for their TV and Radio news/discussion programmes ?).
(As in, via the BBC, where we get NOT the news where we are but the news that they, the BBC both here-or rather elsewhere – decides is the news we will get from them).
Which so far has been a succession of #SNPBAD stories and #ScotlandIsSh*te stories while simultanously attempting to minimise any political damage for any Pro UK political party both within and outwith Scotland.
Just to further verify my point as to who Ms Valentine really is and what she really represents for Scotland then formerly she was the launch editor of BBC Scotland’s The Nine in 2019 and is a former head of the BBC radio newsroom.
(I thought The Nine was supposed to be one of the programmes to be axed by the BBC in a cost cutting exercise yet still it is on air – so what is it’s current viewing figures Ha Ha ?).
She has also held a number of senior roles including head of news at Radio 5 Live and executive producer of BBC Question Time.
So very much a case of ‘say no more’ indeed.
As with her having that pedigree (BBC CV) and also with her skewed opinion on the BBC’s (damaging and biased) role in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum (and also her declaring there is no bias or agenda with the BBC) then I am confident that what we will see going forward, is that it will be ‘Business as usual’ at the BBC in Scotland , especially with her as the new Director of BBC Scotland.
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A clear case of ”Meet the new Boss , same as the old Boss !”
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‘The BBC Scotland report does not mention ….’.
No BBC Scotland report allows comparative analysis of matters across the nations of the UK unless … you know what! And no British Labour Party politician in Scotland acknowledges the validity of comparing matters in Scotland with equivalents in British Labour Party run Wales.
On education and the experiences of young people in Wales, the following report (March 2024) from the BBC’s much favoured, ‘authoritative’ think tank, the Institute for Fiscal Studies must never be referred to in the hearing of a potential Labour voter in Scotland!
Source https://ifs.org.uk/publications/major-challenges-education-wales
The IFS report concludes: ‘The inescapable truth is that disadvantaged pupils in Wales have low skill levels and low levels of educational attainment.
‘This drives a high disadvantage gap, reduces opportunities in the labour market and perpetuates inequalities. This will act as a drag on growth and living standards.’
‘The overwhelming conclusion is that the overall level of educational performance in Wales is low, and inequalities are high and persistent.’
How is any of this even possible under a British Labour Party government, one that’s been in power continuously for so very long? Shocked?
Meanwhile, from the British Labour Party’s house magazine in Scotland, the Daily Record on 26 September 2024: ‘Time for poor to see their rewards as Sarwar aims focus on ‘forgotten 60 per cent’ – Record View says the Scottish Labour leader’s focus on the “forgotten 60 per cent” of youngsters who do not go to university should be welcomed.‘
These IFS research findings must never be referred to in the hearing of a Daily Record political journalist either! The risk of harmful cognitive dissonance would be too great, perhaps?
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Councils are always trying to cut teacher numbers. Trying to cut additional needs support. Scottish Gov has to ring fence educational funding or the Council try to spend it on other things. The Scottish Gov paying additional funding for counsellors in schools. Average primary class sizes 23. 15,000 classroom assistants. Secondary 5/6 years class sizes are lower on average.
30% pupils go to university. 25% mature student. 7% EU + foreign students paying the full cost. 15 unis. The highest pro rata in the world. Colleges and apprenticeships getting young people into training and work.
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