An article examined higher education expansion in Scotland. In contrast to the general pattern of stable inequality observed in most nations, overall social inequalities in Scottish higher education enrolment had declined over time. However, this decline had not occurred in all sectors, being limited to the lowest-status institutions.
Source: Cristina Iannelli, Adam Gamoran, and Lindsay Paterson, 'Scottish higher education, 1987-2001: expansion through diversion', Oxford Review of Education, Volume 37 Issue 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
A report examined education and care divisions for children under 5 in Scotland, and set out recommendations for promoting greater integration. Responsibility for an integrated, universal system of early childhood education and childcare – from birth to the age at which children started school – should rest with one government minister.
Source: Early Childhood Education and Care: Developing a fully integrated early years system, Special Report 2, Children in Scotland
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Oct
An article examined the diverging policies of England and Scotland since 1999 on the issue of tuition fees.
Source: Oivind Bratberg, 'A long path to divergence: English and Scottish policies on tuition fees', Higher Education Policy, Volume 24 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Sep
A project in Scotland found that initiatives focusing on improving the health and well-being of school-aged children and young people (aged 3-18) and their families, particularly at key transition stages, could be implemented within schools without injections of additional funding.
Source: Health and Well-being in Schools Project: Final Report, Scottish Government
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Sep
The Scottish Government announced a reform plan for post-16 education and training. It said that it would involve faster progression from college to university, greater collaboration between colleges – including mergers where appropriate – and a closer match between skills and employer needs.
Source: Putting Learners at the Centre: Delivering our ambitions for post-16 education, Scottish Government
Links: Plan | Scottish Government press release | ASSCS press release | UCU press release | BBC report
Date: 2011-Sep
The report of an independent review (led by Gerry McCormac) said that Scotland's education system needed more flexibility so that teachers could do their jobs better. The amount of time that they spent in the classroom needed to be weighed up over a longer period; and teachers needed greater support to run before- and after-school activities. But it said that there should be no change to teachers' working requirements.
Source: Advancing Professionalism in Teaching: The Report of the Review of Teacher Employment in Scotland, Independent Review of Teacher Employment
Links: Report | Review press release | Scottish Government press release | COSLA press release | EIS press release | NASUWT press release | Voice press release | BBC report
Date: 2011-Sep
The report of an official review (led by Willy Roe) said that the post-16 education and vocational training arrangements in Scotland should be strengthened and better integrated with other parts of the education and employment systems. It identified a set of 12 key principles that defined what a learner-centred system would look like, and what each of the principles implied.
Source: Review of Post-16 Education and Vocational Training in Scotland, Scottish Government
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Aug
A report by a committee of MPs said that the coalition government's policy on student visas risked compromising the high standard of education provided by higher education institutions in Scotland, and threatened the valuable contribution of international students to Scottish society.
Source: The Student Immigration System in Scotland, Fifth Report (Session 2010-12), HC 912, House of Commons Scottish Affairs Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report part 1 | Report part 2 | BBC report
Date: 2011-Jul
An article examined the empirical evidence on trends in social class inequalities in educational attainment and the role of education in promoting social mobility in Scotland.
Source: Cristina Iannelli, 'Educational expansion and social mobility: the Scottish case', Social Policy and Society, Volume 10 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Apr
The education inspectorate in Scotland said that children and young people, families, and communities were benefiting from strong partnerships between schools, community learning providers, and other local organizations.
Source: Learning in Scotland s Communities, HM Inspectorate of Education in Scotland
Links: Report | HMIE press release
Date: 2011-Mar
A report by a committee of MSPs said that there was little appetite in Scotland for any of the more radical alternatives for the reform of school funding and management: but real improvements could be made by concentrating on maximizing the quality of teaching and of leadership in schools.
Source: Report on Local Authority Funding of Education and Children's Services and the Future of Schools Management in Scotland, 6th Report 2011, SP Paper 631, Scottish Parliament Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Mar
A report presented a range of options for increasing income for universities in Scotland, as well as setting out scenarios on the possible future funding gap between Scotland and England (based on increased tuition fees in England).
Source: Report of the Scottish Government-Universities Scotland Technical Group on Higher Education, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Scottish Government press release | Universities Scotland press release | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Feb
