Tes Scotland

School attendance in Scotland – and beyond – has become a huge concern since Covid.

 Emma Seith talks to Scotland editor Henry Hepburn about her long read on attendance. Why are things going in the wrong direction, what is the impact and, crucially, what can schools do about it?

National Progression Award have rapidly grown in popularity in Scottish schools.

The absence of exams and the “real-world” application of the 267 NPAs on offer – in courses as varied as criminology, esports, Gaelic songwriting and end-of-life care – hold huge appeal to schools and students at a time when assessments and qualifications are being reformed – although some doubts remain.

Scotland editor Henry Hepburn talks to senior reporter Emma Seith about her long read for Teson the rise of NPAs.

Scotland editor Henry Hepburn talks about his visit to award-winning Alva Academy to find out about the huge range of offerings to students – in the core timetable and beyond – and the school’s remarkable bonds with the surrounding community. Meanwhile, senior reporter Emma Seith tells us what she learned after securing the first in-depth, sit-down interview with new education secretary Jenny Gilruth.

Scotland editor Henry Hepburnand senior reporter Emma Seith talk about their latest big read, on a group of experienced secondary heads who have invited the world to see their boldest and most innovative practice.

Senior reporter Emma Seith and Scotland editor Henry Hepburn talk about our latest big feature, on landmark research exploring the student teacher experience in Scotland – and the role of schools play in it. They also give you a flavour of five other recent must-reads from the Tes Scotland team.

Overseas school trips are becoming rarer, and some local authorities have all but ruled them out.

Senior reporter Emma Seithand Scotland editor Henry Hepburn talk about our big feature on what’s behind this and whether foreign school trips are worth saving – and also delve into other big issues Tes Scotland has been covering.

Many teachers in Scotland are looking for secure work, yet many schools are looking for teachers. How can both those things be true at the same time?

Senior reporter Emma Seith and Scotland editor Henry Hepburn talk about our new long read on the conundrum of teacher supply and teacher recruitment.

Behaviour is always a concern among teachers, but many school staff feel that Covid has made things worse.

Senior reporter Emma Seith and Scotland editor Henry Hepburn look at what is happening in schools and delve into an often a polarised debate around behaviour, as they discuss the latest Tes Scotland long read.

Free school meals are now offered to every child in the first five years of primary school in Scotland, and school food is much improved from the chips and cheese days of a generation ago.

But in the midst of Covid and cuts crises, will the impetus remain for improving the quality of – and access – to school meals?

Senior reporter Emma Seith talks about her latest long read for Tes Scotland.

Could a fast-growing maths qualification change attitudes to the subject and overcome the phenomenon of “maths anxiety”?

Senior reporter Emma Seith talks about the rise of “applications of maths” in Scotland, and how it makes a more explicit connection between the maths of the classroom and the maths of the world beyond the school gates.

There is growing demand for Gaelic-medium education and the numbers involved are already far higher than they were a few decades ago, but significant barriers remain to the language’s progress in Scottish schools.

In our new episode, senior reporter Emma Seith talks about her long read on Gaelic-medium education and – in the midst of a consultation on a Scottish Languages Bill – the prospects for the language in the years ahead.

It was perhaps the strangest story ever reported by Tes in our 122-year

history. In 1995, the world’s media descended on a school on the

outskirts of Glasgow after it emerged that a teenage pupil called

Brandon Lee – or so everyone thought – had actually been a man in his

thirties.

Now, the bizarre tale makes it onto the screen in a

highly entertaining new film, My Old School, which gets its UK release

today. We speak to director Jono McLeod – who was also one of the pupils

who sat in the same classrooms as Brandon Lee.

With the return of results for national exams last week, it may seem like another step has been taken towards a post-Covid normality for Scottish schools – but the truth is far more complex.

In the first episode of a new season of the Tes Scotland podcast, Emma Seith and Henry Hepburn talk about their latest long read. They spoke to teachers, school leaders and other key education figures about what lies ahead in 2022-23 – and what needs to happen to make it go as smoothly as possible.

In the final episode of Film Schools: what we learn when cinema goes to school, teacher Alan Gillespie talks about the classic 2003 comedy School of Rock, featuring an unforgettable performance from Jack Black as wannabe rock star and (very much unqualified) teacher Dewey Finn. He dupes his way into a job at an expensive prep school where he is aghast at the priorities of his pupils’ families and teachers. Dewey starts out a disgruntled clock-watcher but when he sees the untapped musical talent in his class, it lights a fire in him – and sets off a hilarious and ultimately inspiring chain of events.

Film Schools plans to return for another season later in the year.

In our latest episode of Film Schools: what we learn when cinema goes to school, teacher Kerry Fraser talks about the 1995 drama Mr Holland’s Opus, featuring an Oscar-nominated performance from Richard Dreyfuss as the titular music teacher. The film follows his career over 30 years, from an inauspicious start when he reluctantly goes into teaching to make ends meet, to a rousing finale – he finally sees the profound impact that he has had on countless students.

There are countless depictions of schools and teaching in the movies. In each episode of Film Schools: what we learn when cinema goes to school – a special Tes Scotland Podcast series for the summer – we speak to a teacher about a memorable cinematic depiction of a school and its staff. We look at what it gets right and wrong about teachers and schools – and whether any of the teaching approaches on display are remotely applicable in their own classroom.

In our fourth episode, teacher Gillian Freeland talks about 2007’s FreedomWriters, based on real events and starring Hilary Swank as a naive young teacher in California. We see her initial fumbling attempts to connect with a difficult class – but also the ultimate impact of her perseverance, unconventional methods and profound commitment to her students.

There are countless depictions of schools and teaching in the movies. In each episode of Film Schools: what we learn when cinema goes to school – a special Tes Scotland Podcast series for the summer – we speak to a teacher about a memorable cinematic depiction of a school and its staff. We look at what it gets right and wrong about teachers and schools – and whether any of the teaching approaches on display are remotely applicable in their own classroom.

In our third episode, teacher Athole McLauchlan talks about the classic documentary Être et Avoir, which immerses viewers in the ups and downs of life of a tiny French village school.

There are countless depictions of schools and teaching in the movies. In each episode of Film Schools: what we learn when cinema goes to school – a special Tes Scotland Podcast series for the summer – we speak to a teacher about a memorable cinematic depiction of a school and its staff. We look at what it gets right and wrong about teachers and schools – and whether any of the teaching approaches on display are remotely applicable in a real-life classroom.

In our second episode, teacher Sammy McHugh looks back at the beloved Scottish classic Gregory’s Girl with the benefit of expert knowledge – she actually worked at the Cumbernauld school where it was filmed.

There are countless depictions of schools and teaching in the movies. In each episode of Film Schools: what we learn when cinema goes to school – a special Tes Scotland Podcast series for the summer – we speak to a teacher about a memorable cinematic depiction of a school and its staff. We look at what it gets right and wrong about teachers and schools – and whether any of the teaching approaches on display are remotely applicable in a real-life classroom.

In our first episode, secondary headteacher John Rutter casts a sceptical eye over the pros and cons of working in the most famous wizarding school of them all: Hogwarts.

Scotland’s last all-girls state school started taking in boys in 2021-22. Emma Seith visited to find out how the first year of co-ed education went – and to weigh up the pros and cons of single-sex schooling.

She speaks to Henry Hepburn, Scotland editor for Tes, about her latest long read and whether single-sex schooling – in Scotland and beyond – is becoming a thing of the past.

A bold move to cut teachers’ weekly class-contact time by 90 minutes emerged just over a year ago – although it was hardly announced with a fanfare.

But when will it happen, what obstacles need to be overcome and what impact might it have? Henry Hepburn has explored all these questions in the latest Tes Scotland long read.

He talks to Oban High School headteacher Peter Bain – the new chair of the BOCSH group of heads –to get a view from inside schools about just how big a deal it will be to cut contact time.

What happens if you bring primary and secondary schools together under one headteacher? Recruitment difficulties and cost pressures are persuading Scottish councils to consider that very idea. Their proposals have fuelled all sorts of concerns, but local authorities insist they are built on a sound pedagogical basis.

Tes Scotland’s Emma Seith speaks about her latest long read, which also looks at the increasing demands on heads that may be deterring teachers from venturing onto the path to school leadership.

Today marks exactly two years since schools throughout Scotland fell silent. Tes Scotland’s Henry Hepburn and Emma Seith speak about their long read marking the anniversary of that seismic moment, when Covid forced previously unthinkable decisions.

They interviewed 10 educators who share remarkable stories about what they have faced and their insight into how education has changed amid the turmoil and trauma of the pandemic. And – as a podcast extra – we also hear from three pupils about their experience of two years of Covid.

Many countries have difficulty recruiting teachers to schools away from the largest population centres, but Scotland came up with what looked like a clever solution: pay new teachers thousands of pounds on top of their salary, if they agree to be sent anywhere the country.

The so-called preference waiver scheme has been around for nearly 20 years now, but what is it like being sent somewhere you might struggle to find on a map? Does it boost or blight careers? And does the scheme actually work?

The late Saroj Lal was a pioneering teacher in Edinburgh in the early 1970s, as one of the Scottish capital’s first BAME teachers. Her son, Vineet Lal, talks about a remarkable career, the challenges she faced, the progress (or lack of it) made in the half century after she entered teaching, and the campaign to leave a lasting legacy to Saroj’s life.

Fair Isle Primary can lay claim to being the UK’s most remote school. Headteacher Ruth Stout talks to us about the joy and unique challenges of a long career on island halfway between Orkney and Shetland in the North Atlantic – and the essential qualities for whoever replaces her later this year.

Headteacher Billy Burke speaks to us the day after an SQA results day like no other. He talks about how the assessment process differed this year – for better and worse – and what the changes brought about by the Covid pandemic might mean for Scottish education in the longer term.

Teacher Adam Black tells us about being awarded a British Empire Medal for raising awareness of stammering, why his stammer makes him a better teacher, his love of the unpredictability of working in a school, and why his favourite fictional teacher would – you’d hope – never be found in a real school.

Henry Hepburn, Emma Seith and Julia Belgutay chat about the 10 Tes Scotland people of the year. The full list was revealed today – and, with Covid-19 casting a shadow over every last aspect of Scottish education, there could only be one choice for person of the year.

We speak to Scotland’s children’s commissioner, Bruce Adamson. He tells us about this year of Covid being the hardest time of his professional life, why it was “hugely important” to get children back to school, and why August’s exams debacle was “unjust” and contravened human rights.

The children’s commissioner also tells about his own schooldays in New Zealand – where marching and shooting were compulsory – why Scotland should be proud of its education system, and how schools have provided an “amazing anchor point” during the coronavirus pandemic. You’ll also learn how decades of work can lead to a “beautiful” legal document.

It is exactly six months since the Scottish government decided to close the doors of schools and colleges to stem the spread of coronavirus, and Scottish teachers and pupils have been back now full time for a month. Tes writers Henry Hepburn, Julia Belgutay and Emma Seith reflect on their experience trying to keep up with the news over the period, at the same time as coping with the impact of lockdown on them personally, including home schooling. 

We speak to Scottish education’s “video guy”, Blair Minchin. Blair is a primary teacher in Edinburgh and is one of the few Scottish teachers to become a regular vlogger, sharing what goes on in his classroom – from making silent movies, to using circus skills to explain data. 

He talks about his experience returning to school during a global pandemic, what makes for a good vlog, why he has no time for those who extol zero-tolerance approaches to behaviour management, and his strongly held belief that teachers have a duty to share their practice.

The Scottish government has made it clear it is planning to run the “traditional exam diet” next year but the education secretary John Swinney reveals in this edition of the Tes Scotland podcast that he believes there is “a really strong argument” for the way senior pupils are assessed to be reformed. 

Mr Swinney says the expectation for the coming school year is that the exams will be sustained but adds that he believes “there is every need for us to openly explore whether exam diets are the way of the future”.

Mr Swinney also reveals during the podcast – which was recorded on 3 July – that it is “likely” school staff will have to follow “physical distancing requirements” when schools return after the summer and that for most pupils “there is no tangible case for wearing face masks in school” – although he adds that it may be appropriate for some senior pupils who are “essentially young adults” to wear marks and there are “questions about staff”. He says the government is waiting for guidance from its scientific advisers on the issue.

Face masks are due to become mandatory in shops in Scotland on 10 July.

During the podcast Mr Swinney also speaks about his family’s experience of home schooling; making parliamentary statements remotely from his son’s bedroom and the time his nine-year-old appeared in the background of a meeting of the Covid-19 Education Recovery Group – which is responsible for planning how schools will reopen – in his snorkelling gear. His son, Matthew, was going on a virtual school trip.

Ollie Bray, a former secondary head in Scotland who is now the LEGO Foundation’s director of global programmes, talks about his unusual career trajectory, how educators have responded to coronavirus, the essentials of digital learning, giving Covid-19 “the boot”, why professional learning is more important than ever just now, why play is crucial for learners whatever their age, and the most important quality in a teacher.

Carrie Lindsay – the director of Scotland’s third largest education authority and the president of education directors’ association Ades – talks about what has happened in the two weeks since UK schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. She discusses the Herculean effort it took to get childcare hubs for key workers up and running in just two working days, why the public now more than ever need to help councils identify children at risk, and the Fife school that has set up its own TV channel.

Teacher, academic and award-winning advocate for black and minority ethnic educators – Khadija Mohammed talks about growing up in Glasgow in the 1970s and 1980s, the impact of teachers not pronouncing her name correctly, why some teachers turn a blind eye to racism, BAME children ‘playing white’, what a pupil said to her the day after 9/11, and the unique power teachers have to make a difference.

Education secretary and deputy first minister John Swinney talks about his most ‘magnificent’ teacher, why he joined the SNP as a schoolboy, what he does on his son’s parents’ night, why education is so different from his old finance brief, the criticism he regards as ‘total rubbish’, and the biggest successes and shortcomings of his time in the job.

Former teacher of the year Chris Smith tells us about the quality every teacher needs, bombing in front of 600 pupils, the perfect class size, how everyone can succeed in maths, why more teachers should open up about their own mental health, and the false dichotomy between ‘traditional’ and ‘progressive’ education.

Glasgow education director Maureen McKenna tells the Tes Scotland team why she didn’t like school, the best thing that ever happened to teaching in Scotland, why she rejects recent criticism of Scottish education – and the astonishing sexism she faced as a basketball referee.

Join Henry Hepburn and Emma Seith as they talk to Professor Rowena Arshad about growing up in Malaysia, racism in education, why we must cast the net wider for teachers – and what schools can learn from Kung Fu Panda