stewartb You may be interested in what follows (with my emphasis), not least because it is NEVER quoted by the corporate media or the BBC. It will become obvious why this is the case! Source: OECD (2021), Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence: Into the Future, Implementing Education Policies, OECD Publishing, Paris (https://www.oecd.org/education/scotland-s-curriculum-for-excellence-bf624417-en.htm ) ‘PISA’s new global competence module aims to capture the capacity of 15-year-olds to examine local, global and intercultural issues, to understand and appreciate the perspectives and world views of others, to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with people from different cultures, and to act for collective well-being … Continue reading SCOTLAND RANKED AMONG THE TOP-PERFORMING COUNTRIES IN GLOBAL COMPETENCE!

Maligned on a daily basis by our mainstream media, Calmac publishes daily performance figures but you won’t see them much in those media. Today, for the 16th May 2023, just the top of a huge list with absolutely no cancellations: The rest at: https://www.calmac.co.uk/calmac-performance-data-browser Continue reading Fact Check: Not one Calmac cancellation yesterday!

– from the Institute for Health Visiting By stewartb Support for children and families in Scotland has been accorded high profile in news coverage in the past week, especially by BBC Scotland. Many, and notably here on TuS, have sought to counter the negativity which has prevailed, including in one instance ‘absolute’ negativity. So here are some further research findings from an independent  health institute which reinforce the positivity in this earlier TuS blog post: ‘Scotland has nearly three times as many health visitors per head of population’. Source: Institute of Health Visiting (18 January, 2023) State of Health Visiting, … Continue reading The ‘good news’ about health visitor support for families in Scotland

In 2019, latest figures I can see, Scotland had around 2 300 health visitors. In 2019, in England, there were only around 8 500 and falling. All things being equal, England might be expected to have had around 23 000 health visitors but had only 8 500, just over a third. Continue reading Scotland has nearly three times as many health visitors per head of population

On repeatedly today: Academics have called for a “pause for thought” after a report found that about one in every 100 children born in Scotland goes into care before their first birthday. Although there has been a slight dip in the numbers recently, experts say the figures are still too high. They have called for more focus on prevention and support. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65591941 Support? Any mention from the researchers in a BBC Scotland report of: Baby boxes worth £30? The Child Payment of £25 weekly for every child? The Pregnancy and Baby Payment replaces and expands on the UK Government’s Sure … Continue reading Babies in care – Researchers can’t find evidence of support for mothers

Bob Lamont This still occupies prime spot on the BBC/Scotland and Scotland/Politics web-pages, but has been demoted on the UK page. Curiously an article on the same subject appeared in the Times, published exactly one minute after Geissler’s “Sunday Show” had aired https://archive.ph/syHzfNone of the Geissler “personalised” framing here, instead referring to failure of SG government and SNP Ministers to progress amendments to the original Bill in 2021, yet also ignoring more pressing issues occupying ministers at the time, eg Covid.The source seems to been a Sun interview, which could only have been conducted before the Geissler Show and the resulting … Continue reading A playground media pile on aided by a childish huff at not being re-appointed?

Gordon Westminster refused legislation in Scotland. Legislation by Holyrood because it refused the Devolved legislation as legit under the Devolution settlement. It was the Westminster Government who would not sanction the legislation. The Holyrood Government gets the blame, as usual. The SNP introduced extended nursery places. Supporting single parents. Child meals at school. Primary. Introduced £25 child payment about to be increased. Baby boxes. Travel for children. Grants and allowance for those in foster care. Kinship payments to prevent children going into care, but staying within the family., Mitigated bedroom tax. MUP cutting consumption of alcohol. Smoking ban. Increasing additional … Continue reading How the SNP Government has worked for children despite Westminster’s obstacles

stewartb Having read the BBC article I conclude that Mr Adamson has malign intentions: this is a reasonable conclusion to draw when on such a complex, intractable subject a professional answers a journalist’s loaded question – ‘Are you saying she’s failed?’ – with the answer ‘Absolutely!’. As Mr Adamson is leaving his post what is his motivation for such ‘absolute’ negativity – to seek to mitigate his own failings in post, to do a final favour for his preferred political party, or some other reason? His statement has clearly been gleefully received by BBC Scotland which in turn provided a … Continue reading ‘As Mr Adamson is leaving his post what is his motivation for such ‘absolute’ negativity – to seek to mitigate his own failings in post, to do a final favour for his preferred political party, or some other reason?’