Tag: education

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Youth unemployment in Scotland at 10.2% far lower than UK average of 16.2% due to SNP policy focus on youth employment and efforts to align education with employer needs

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BBC Breakfast this morning, in an extended piece on the number not in work or in education – NEETS – seems to have confused that group – all 16-24 year-olds including economically inactive (not looking, e.g. due to illness, caring, discouraged) – with the unemployed, looking for work and available to start. The figure should be 16.2% in the UK1, 16.3% in Wales2 and only 10.2% in Scotland.3 England drives most of the UK figure; regional highs in London (24.9%), Yorkshire & Humber (17.6%), North East (17.2%). England overall is slightly above the UK average.4 So, youth unemployment in the … Continue reading Youth unemployment in Scotland at 10.2% far lower than UK average of 16.2% due to SNP policy focus on youth employment and efforts to align education with employer needs

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Scottish Government has done more to support vulnerable young care leavers

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Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this: In the Guardian today, the above and: More than 100 young people have died after leaving the care of social services in England in the past year, according to data released by the government. In the year to April 2026 there were 106 reported deaths of care leavers, with 91 deaths reported in the 12 months before. Most of those who died were aged 16 to 21. Although a requirement to report these deaths was introduced in 2023, ministers believe the true figure is probably higher. Labour launched an urgent review into the deaths in April … Continue reading Scottish Government has done more to support vulnerable young care leavers

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Carole Ford again – some maths teacher, some educationist

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On Debate Night, Reform UK’s Thomas Kerr claimed that nearly 400 000 ‘voted for us.’ It was only 365 000, not so near. Then, ‘educationist’ and former head and maths teacher but a former parliamentary Lib Dem candidate too, Carole Ford, converted that 400 000 into ‘three quarters of a million‘ (750 000)! Rusty? Earlier Ford had repeated her trust in the OECD/Pisa tests which some suggest reveal a decline in standards in Scotland. which are sat right across developed countries, the OECD countries. Scotland’s standards have been on the slide since about 2004. Ford was a Heidie in Kilmarnock … Continue reading Carole Ford again – some maths teacher, some educationist

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Top History Professor says ‘All of my students must use AI’ – Me too!

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Regulars will have noted that TuS has been making increased use of AI in the last year or so and getting some criticism of that. I understand why many are concerned but my view is that this is another technology, like those before, we must master, a ‘tiger we must ride.’ Famous last words perhaps but we humans didn’t get where we are, on top because we are the meanest SOBs on the planet, just to let our own technology replace us. If we, crucially, educate or young to use it carefully, it can massively enhance their lives but when … Continue reading Top History Professor says ‘All of my students must use AI’ – Me too!

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With TWELVE times as many temporary school exclusions and ONE THOUSAND times as many permanent exclusions, PER HEAD, than Scotland, England’s schools are in a deep crisis fuelling County Lines gangs and street violence

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Thanks again to Dorothy for alerting me to this. From Channel 4 News last night, the above and: England’s schools have been described as being gripped by rising levels of violence against both teachers and pupils, leading to permanent exclusions. According to a new report, a record 3,320 pupils were permanently excluded last spring – which is about 21% higher than before the Covid pandemic. The report also found vulnerable children were affected most – with their exclusions from school almost 6% higher than other pupils. More than 300,000 were suspended last spring. https://www.channel4.com/news/permanent-exclusions-up-21-as-violence-in-schools-rise What are the comparable figures for … Continue reading With TWELVE times as many temporary school exclusions and ONE THOUSAND times as many permanent exclusions, PER HEAD, than Scotland, England’s schools are in a deep crisis fuelling County Lines gangs and street violence

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‘The SNP’s childcare proposals build on a sustained, multi‑year expansion with measurable benefits for families’

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From BBC Scotland yesterday, the above and: The SNP’s plans to expand free childcare have been criticised by Scottish Labour and the Scottish Conservatives as a “gimmick” and lacking in detail. Is that true? Let’s ask an intelligent speedy independent source: Look at the actual proposals and the Scottish Government’s history of action on free childcare, including relative to England or Wales to assess whether this is just a gimmick or real plan with benefits for parents. From use.ai: Looking at the SNP’s actual proposals and track record on childcare, it would not be accurate to characterise the current plan as “just a gimmick.” … Continue reading ‘The SNP’s childcare proposals build on a sustained, multi‑year expansion with measurable benefits for families’

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‘The SNP won the 2011 Scottish election on an anti- austerity platform focused on tackling child poverty, reducing inequality, and building a more inclusive and universal approach to welfare’

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By stewartb Views on the economic and social policy context that Scotland in Union experiences can pop up in unexpected places. In this example, it’s in a report from the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, University College London (UCL) on the implementation of free school meals in different countries. It’s co-authored by the Institute’s founding director, Mariana Mazzucato, professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value. The latter has a notably high reputation in the UK and internationally, including for work on various aspects of political economy and government policy development. This is the source document: Macfarlane and … Continue reading ‘The SNP won the 2011 Scottish election on an anti- austerity platform focused on tackling child poverty, reducing inequality, and building a more inclusive and universal approach to welfare’

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Institute for Fiscal Studies’ shocking revelation – Scottish Labour does not have a plan to reduce child poverty

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In the Daily Record, three days ago, the above claim but it’s all talk as the IFS has exposed. From Initial response to the Scottish Labour manifesto, published yesterday: Despite signalling that Scottish Labour wants to see falls in child poverty, the manifesto proposes little new cash support for families with children beyond additional support for childcare. The policy to increase the Scottish child payment to £40 a week for children under one is already planned by the outgoing government for 2027–28, as is the plan for breakfast clubs in primary schools. Whilst there is a plan to ‘review’ the … Continue reading Institute for Fiscal Studies’ shocking revelation – Scottish Labour does not have a plan to reduce child poverty

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Oxford researchers write thousands of words but fail to mention that significantly fewer ‘austerity children’ were ‘scarred by poverty’ here after nearly two decades of the SNP

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In the Guardian today: More than a fifth of all “austerity generation” British children have been scarred by poverty for at least half their childhood, a direct legacy of the welfare benefit cuts imposed by Conservative governments in recent years, research reveals. The proportion of children born after 2013 who spent at least six of their first 11 years of life in hardship surged after ministers froze working age benefits levels and imposed policies such as the two-child limit, it found. Austerity policies, which drastically shrank annual welfare spending by tens of billions a year and took thousands of pounds … Continue reading Oxford researchers write thousands of words but fail to mention that significantly fewer ‘austerity children’ were ‘scarred by poverty’ here after nearly two decades of the SNP

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Scotland avoids large classes and lack of support staff found in England to have ‘created a barrier to inclusion’

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In the Guardian today: Lack of specialist staff hinders support for Send children, teacher survey finds – National Education Union poll finds 89% feel class sizes in England are too big to be ‘properly inclusive’. Oversized classes and inadequate staffing levels are hindering teachers’ capacity to support children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), according to a large survey of state school teachers in England. Nine out of 10 (89%) of the 10,000 teachers who took part in the poll by the National Education Union (NEU), before its annual conference in Brighton which starts on Monday, said class sizes … Continue reading Scotland avoids large classes and lack of support staff found in England to have ‘created a barrier to inclusion’