Posts Tagged Education in Scotland

Literacy Action Plan: An Action Plan to Improve Literacy in Scotland

November 8, 2010 at 9:00 am · Filed under Education ·Tagged ,

This report was published in October 2010.

“This action plan signals our commitment to a heightened, more targeted focus for improving literacy skills in Scotland through better co-ordination and partnership working focused on clear objectives.

Improvements cannot be confined to a particular sector or point in a learner’s journey. Literacy development starts from birth. Early years settings and schools develop children and young people’s basic and advanced literacy skills and in adulthood the ongoing development of literacy skills helps to advance personal achievements, employment prospects and participation in society.

Our overarching vision is therefore to raise standards of literacy for all from the early years to adulthood. This will require sustained commitment and continuing action at all levels of government, and through support at all points of the education system and wider public services. There will be a particular focus on those with the lowest levels of literacy.”

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Lifelong Learning Series: Age Participation Index for Scotland 2008-09

August 31, 2010 at 9:00 am · Filed under Education ·Tagged , ,

This report was published August 2010.

“Statistics on Students in Higher Education ( HE) at Scottish Institutions 2008-09 are published today by Scotland’s Chief Statistician. This publication contains updates of the Age Participation Index figures, last published in the ‘Participation in Higher Education in Scotland, 2007-08′ publication 1, published on 30 th September 2009. The tables in this publication have been improved to reflect feedback from users of the statistics. The figures reported here supersede those contained within previous releases. The release contains information on HE provision in higher education institutions ( HEIs) in Scotland as well as Scotland’s colleges.

Summary of Key Findings:

  • In 2008-09 the API increased by 0.8 percentage points to 43.0 per cent.
  • The API for females is 48.8 per cent, compared to 37.5 per cent for males.
  • Initial participation continues to be greatest at Scottish HEIs and at first degree level.
  • Participation by entrants coming from the 20 per cent most deprived areas of Scotland increased by 1.4 percentage points over the year to 24.8 per cent. This increase was at a greater rate than for non-deprived areas (which rose by 0.5 percentage points to 47.6 per cent). As such the gap between the two narrowed.
  • Colleges provide most of the courses taken up by entrants from the 20 per cent most deprived areas of Scotland (according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation).
  • The API by local authority ranges from 33.8 per cent in Falkirk to 64.9 per cent in East Renfrewshire.”

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Teacher Vacancies and Probationer Allocations 2010

June 15, 2010 at 9:00 am · Filed under Education ·Tagged , ,

This document was published in June 2010.

“This document contains the results of the latest annual survey of teacher and educational psychologist vacancies, which took place on 19 th February, 2010.

Whilst most vacancies occur at the end of the school year, this survey measures the level of vacancies during term time in order to indicate any possible areas of shortage. It should not therefore be mistaken for the number of job opportunities for new graduates. Job opportunities do however also occur throughout the year as teachers retire or leave the profession.

The main findings were: -

  • There were 354 teacher vacancies advertised at February 2010, equivalent to 0.7 per cent of the full teaching complement. The number of vacancies had decreased from 372 in 2009.
  • There were 95 advertised posts which had been vacant for more than three months. This represents 27 per cent of vacancies and is equivalent to 0.2 per cent of the full teaching complement. The number of these vacancies had decreased from 115 in 2009.
  • Vacancy rates were 0.7 per cent in both primary and secondary (0.2 per cent in both primary and secondary for more than three months).
  • In English and Maths the vacancy rate was 0.8 per cent and there were only 9 and 7 vacancies respectively lasting for more than three months.
  • The vacancy rate amongst Gaelic medium teachers was 1.6 per cent in secondary schools (there were no advertised vacancies in primary schools).
  • Senior posts, additional support needs and general science were the teaching posts with the highest vacancy rates, with 1.7, 1.8 and 3.4 per cent respectively (0.4, 0.5 and 1.4 per cent respectively for more than 3 months).
  • There were also 24 vacancies for Educational Psychologists which accounts for 5.5 per cent of permanent educational psychologists posts (down from 6.9 per cent in 2009).
  • As at 5 th May there were 3,217 probationer teachers provisionally allocated to publicly funded schools for 2010/11 compared to 3,478 at the same time 1 in 2009. Based on previous years about 89 per cent of these will join the induction scheme at start of the next academic year. Eighty nine per cent of probationers were allocated to their first or second choice authorities.”

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Curriculum for Excellence

June 10, 2010 at 9:00 am · Filed under Education ·Tagged ,

These documents were published June 2010.

“Curriculum for Excellence aims to introduce a coherent, more flexible and enriched curriculum for Scottish education from 3 to 18, centred around the learners and enabling them to develop the four capacities.”

Building the Curriculum 3: A Framework for Learning and Teaching: Key Ideas and Priorities

Building the Curriculum 5: A Framework for Assessment: Key Ideas and Priorities

For more information regarding Curriculum for Excellence, visit the Learning and Teaching Scotland website.

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16+ Learning Choices: Policy and Practice Framework: supporting all young people into positive and sustained destinations

April 12, 2010 at 9:00 am · Filed under Education, Social Sciences ·Tagged , , , ,

This report was published on 5th April 2010.

“This Framework sets out the Scottish Government’s policy on 16+ Learning Choices; its expectations for implementation; and clarifies the roles and responsibilities for the wide range of partners involved in supporting young people to progress into positive and sustained post-16 destinations. It is not prescriptive; rather, it offers local partnerships a useful framework for implementing and delivering post-16 learning choices . It explains to which young people an offer should be made; what constitutes an offer and what the offer process looks like. It also clarifies how success will be measured.”

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Proposed Changes to your Child’s School : Guide to the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010

April 8, 2010 at 9:01 am · Filed under Education ·Tagged ,

This leaflet was published 5th April 2010.

“There is a new law in Scotland that sets out the consultation process that local authorities must follow when proposing a permanent change to any of their schools – such as a closure or change of catchment area. As a parent/guardian, you’ll want to know that, regardless of any change, your child’s education remains the priority and that their needs must be met. You play a vital role in your child’s education and your opinions are hugely important when a change to their school is being proposed.

This leaflet provides details on what you can expect from your local authority and the Scottish Government when your child’s school is being proposed for closure or another major change, and what role and rights you have to ensure that your voice is heard. This new law ensures that your role and that of your community is protected.”

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SQA Attainment and School Leaver Qualifications in Scotland: 2008-09

March 25, 2010 at 9:35 am · Filed under Education ·Tagged , , , , ,

This report was published 24th March 2010.

“This report presents information on school leavers qualifications and updated information on exam results, from publicly funded secondary schools, now that the post-appeals process has been completed.”

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Pupils in Scotland, 2009

December 4, 2009 at 1:50 pm · Filed under Education ·Tagged , ,

This report was published on 4th December 2009.

“Contains information on numbers of schools and pupils, types and sizes of schools and classes and some characteristics of pupils.”

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