This week
Consultation is on the cards
- Dumfries and Galloway’s education committee has agreed to a consultation on the Dumfries Learning Town Project, which aims to prioritise the preparation of young people for employment. This would see a senior school established next to the University of the West of Scotland and Dumfries and Galloway College campuses to provide flexible provision for pupils aged 15 and over.
Jakimciw named as shadow chair
- Tony Jakimciw has been confirmed as shadow chair for the Fife college region. Announcing his appointment a week after the chairs for the other 12 regions, the government said Mr Jakimciw, principal of Dumfries and Galloway College, would work with the Fife colleges and other interested parties to ensure college courses in the region best met the needs of learners and local employers.
Lottery money to help youths
- Sixteen grants worth a total of £636,242 have been announced by the Big Lottery Fund’s Young Start fund to help eight- to 24-year-olds reach their potential through “fun, educational and employability projects”. The investment comes from dormant bank and building society accounts, and will support a diverse range of schemes, including art and music, Tourette Scotland’s What Makes Me Tic awareness-raising and Free Wheel North’s Special Needs Cycling.
New expert to help Glow shine
- Education secretary Michael Russell has appointed the chief scientific adviser, Professor Muffy Calder, to convene an ICT excellence group to consider the future development of schools’ intranet Glow. The group will draw on the experience of teachers and educational technology experts and report later this year.
A dozen schools will be built
- An additional 12 Scottish schools are to be built, thanks to careful management of the £1.25 billion school building budget. According to a report by the Scottish Futures Trust, it has secured £131 million of benefits and savings over the past year, with “substantial savings” coming from the Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme.
