Informed Scotland July/August 2017 – Shortages, statistics, participation & perceptions

We’ve become used to holiday season being as busy as the rest of the year for learning & skills. 2017 was no different, with teacher shortages and recruitment one of the hottest topics making the headlines. As usual at this time of year the digest is packed with statistics, research studies, surveys and exam results. […]

Who’s where in Scottish learning & skills?

The fifth annual Informed Scotland Organisations & People Special has just been published to coincide with the start of the 2017–18 academic session. It provides a snapshot of a busy and ever-changing learning & skills landscape. Each year we add more items – this year there are links to over 330 organisations, up from 280 […]

Informed Scotland June 2017 – Reforms, statistics & a few surprises

The most significant learning & skills item in June was the Scottish Government’s Education Governance report, setting out major changes for the school sector. The plans made media and political headlines and prompted extremes of reaction. COSLA described the shift from the current local authority role as ‘concerning in every way’. The General Teaching Council for Scotland […]

Informed Scotland May 2017 – Examining, exploring, reviewing & reporting

The general election might have restricted government business, but it didn’t stop the publication of a raft of learning & skills reports. The May digest is stuffed full of those worth reading and sharing on a range of topics. In particular look out for: the final Scottish Survey of Literacy & Numeracy, examining literacy attainment […]

Informed Scotland General Election Extra

Ahead of each major election we provide Informed Scotland subscribers with a quick scan of manifestos and resources focusing on or highlighting learning and skills issues. The UK General Election 2017 Extra includes links to resources, such as Education Scotland’s You decide website, Young Scot’s Everything You Need to Know About the 2017 General Election, and Enable […]

Informed Scotland April 2017 – Gender, equity, anxiety & achievement

There was plenty to capture the attention in learning & skills this month, even with the Easter holidays and elections creating a few ‘distractions’. Gender and equity was once again a hot topic right across the landscape. Research reports initiated by the David Hume Institute on why boys do less well in education than girls, and British […]

Leadership through collaborative learning – Informed Scotland Special

We’re delighted to publish an Informed Scotland Leadership Special. It was commissioned by the Scottish College for Educational Leadership (SCEL) and launched at their major conference in Perth on 3 May 2017. Gillian Hamilton, Chief Executive of SCEL said, ‘Building leadership capacity at all levels through collaborative learning is crucial and must be a priority in […]

Celebrating achievement in adult learning

by Jackie Borge of Borge Consulting. Continuing our guest blog series featuring Informed Scotland subscribers writing on the theme Making connections across the learning & skills landscape. I’ve worked in adult learning for almost three decades, yet I still feel a tug on my heart strings when I hear how learning has affected people and […]

Informed Scotland March 2017 – Early learning, future skills

Early learning made it onto the Hot Topics list for only the third time in 49 issues. The main reason was publication of the Scottish Government’s Action Plan for Early Learning & Childcare (ELC). Even if ELC isn’t usually on your radar it’s worth taking a look, as there are actions relevant to pretty much […]

Informed Scotland February 2017 – Strategies, hubs & busting myths

February might have been the shortest month, but it certainly wasn’t the quietest.  As usual there were numerous sets of statistics, plus new strategies, task groups, courses, announcements, launches and partnerships. The learning & skills word of the month was ‘hub’: Glasgow Science Centre is to set up science hubs in primary school classrooms across Scotland […]