Tag: education

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BBC Scotland trumpet one of those rare ‘Scotland worse than England’ stories but they’re not the same in a key way they will have known of but hid from you

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to move has had her request for special measures turned down by Scotland’s exam body. Romi Loffler, who communicates by blinking, asked Qualifications Scotland if she could sit her Nat 5 history exam question at a time over weeks. It said no, despite exam boards in England making similar accommodations. Headlining on BBC Scotland’s insert in BBC Breakfast today, one of the latter’s common attempts to portray Scotland in a less favourable light than England. This time, it’s in the emotive context of disabled access to exams. It’s dishonest. First and less of a concern, the exam ‘boards‘ plural. Qualifications … Continue reading BBC Scotland trumpet one of those rare ‘Scotland worse than England’ stories but they’re not the same in a key way they will have known of but hid from you

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Scotland’s training support for parents is designed to prevent drop-out and to meet a child poverty target which England cares not to even have

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From Training support for up to 2,400 parents published today: Up to 2,400 parents will be able to access training at colleges across Scotland to enter or progress in work. As part of the Scottish Government’s mission to eradicate child poverty, a total of £10 million is being invested in the college sector through the Raising Income through Skills and Education (RISE) initiative. This helps families at the greatest risk of poverty to access the skills and education they need to enter, sustain and progress in work.  Alongside training courses, the project will unlock additional support with childcare and transport … Continue reading Scotland’s training support for parents is designed to prevent drop-out and to meet a child poverty target which England cares not to even have

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Labour Education Secretary gets mixed up and sets scene for English schools to fall further behind Scotland

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The above impending financial, then inevitably, educational chaos comes on the heels of research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies revealing how just far behind Scotland, in terms of the crucial funding of resources and staffing, England’s schools are. From Scottish school spending, teachers and pupil numbers Luke Sibieta Darcey Snape Published on 14 February 2025: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/scottish-school-spending-teachers-and-pupil-numbers Here are the Key Findings: Total spending on schools and early years education in Scotland increased by £1.7 billion or 27% in real terms between 2015–16 and 2023–24. Current plans for 2024–25 imply an effective real-terms freeze in total spending of just over £7.8 … Continue reading Labour Education Secretary gets mixed up and sets scene for English schools to fall further behind Scotland

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As the media in Scotland wallow in the mire just how impressive is the Scottish Government’s Child Payment policy in the UK and across Europe?

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It has attracted strong praise from respected poverty experts, with some describing it as exceptional even by European standards. These are among the strongest attributable statements: Figure Quote and context Professor Danny Dorling, University of Oxford The David Hume Institute reported in August 2023 that he described the payment as creating “the biggest fall in child poverty anywhere in Europe for at least 40 years.” This is the institute’s account of his remarks at its event. David Hume Institute Chris Birt, Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s associate director for Scotland On its expansion in November 2022: “a watershed moment for tackling poverty … Continue reading As the media in Scotland wallow in the mire just how impressive is the Scottish Government’s Child Payment policy in the UK and across Europe?

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‘Horrifying’ scale of child-on-child sexual abuse in schools cannot be confidently transferred to Scotland

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In the Guardian today: Lawyers and campaigners have condemned the “horrifying” scale of child-on-child sexual abuse in schools after a Guardian investigation revealed thousands of sexual offences against under-13s, including multiple rapes, are reported to police every year. Close to five sexual crimes against children aged 12 and younger were recorded on average by police every day in primary and secondary schools in England and Wales, according to Guardian analysis of police data for 2021-25. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/oct/04/child-on-child-sexual-abuse-schools-england-and-wales Directly comparable figures are not available. However, sexual offences based on police records published in government outlets are. In the year ending March 2026, … Continue reading ‘Horrifying’ scale of child-on-child sexual abuse in schools cannot be confidently transferred to Scotland

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Scotland’s predicted child poverty will perhaps be ‘missing a legally binding target’ at 21.8% but England’s 31.5%, 44% higher (!) is hidden from your eyes by James Cook

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and the Scottish Government’s on course to miss legally binding targets to cut poverty ‘by a wide margin.’ That’s come from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s annual report. Child Poverty is not headlining on any of the other BBC News websites. Only James Cook is on it. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has not reported separately on child poverty this year in any of the other UK nations despite it having been much higher in all of them other than Scotland and with little prospect of falling in them. In January 2026, the JRF (different authors) said: Child poverty rates in Scotland … Continue reading Scotland’s predicted child poverty will perhaps be ‘missing a legally binding target’ at 21.8% but England’s 31.5%, 44% higher (!) is hidden from your eyes by James Cook

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Far more Scots using pre-school childcare and far more satisfied with it

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Before the crowdfunder finishes tomorrow, support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at:Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-goingOr by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 From the Scottish Household Survey childcare results published two days ago: Results published today from the Scottish Household Survey 2025 show that 83% of households with a two to five year old child (not yet at school) used at least one form of childcare, similar to previous years. The most common forms of childcare used were local authority nurseries and private nurseries, used by 43% and 27% of households respectively. Around 4% … Continue reading Far more Scots using pre-school childcare and far more satisfied with it

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Huge surge in child exploitation – carrying drugs in body cavities and sexual abuse – by English county lines drug gangs in Scotland

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With only 3 days left, support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 From Human Trafficking NRM referrals re county lines – 10yrs published by Police Scotland today, that ‘referrals made by Police Scotland to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) where county lines and suspected criminal exploitation was a factor‘ was: Under 16 year-olds – from 6 in 2020/2021 to 39 in 2025/2026, almost a seven-fold increase. 16-17 year-olds, from 16 to 65, a four-fold increase. Source: https://www.scotland.police.uk/access-to-information/freedom-of-information/disclosure-log/disclosure-log-2026/june/26-1022-human-trafficking-nrm-referrals-re-county-lines-10yrs/ What forms does that exploitation … Continue reading Huge surge in child exploitation – carrying drugs in body cavities and sexual abuse – by English county lines drug gangs in Scotland

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Labour’s Alan Milburn says more English Neets want to work but won’t learn from Scotland where more than one third fewer of them are unemployed

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep goingCrowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-goingOr by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 The Guardian today (Is that getting boring?): The ideas that Neets (young people not in education, employment or training) simply aren’t trying hard enough to find a job, or don’t want one, are “myths,” Alan Milburn wrote in his interim report on the subject earlier this year – “sometimes cruel ones”. Although 84% of Neets say they want to work, their prospects are unfairly limited by where they live.  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/18/the-guardian-view-on-youth-unemployment-too-few-jobs-in-too-many-places BBC Breakfast in May 2026, in an extended piece on the number not in work or in education – … Continue reading Labour’s Alan Milburn says more English Neets want to work but won’t learn from Scotland where more than one third fewer of them are unemployed

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Consent for large AI data centres – BBC Scotland deliberately conceals the rigorous science behind today’s Scottish Government guidance

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Help Talking-up Scotland keep goin Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421 Earlier today, the Scottish Government published the above statement after the Holyrood debate on large data centres. At around 18:00, BBC Scotland, the taxpayer-funded, public service provider, responded with this: Planning consent for large data centres in Scotland is “highly unlikely” to be granted in the next three months, the Scottish government says. The Scottish Greens have called for application processes to be paused until new national guidelines are in force – with an emphasis on energy demand and the environment. Ministers, while rejecting … Continue reading Consent for large AI data centres – BBC Scotland deliberately conceals the rigorous science behind today’s Scottish Government guidance