Delivering Additional Support for Learning
A national review into the provision of Additional Support for Learning (ASL) will be led by former Chief Inspector of Education in Scotland Janie McManus. Announcing the appointment to Parliament, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said Ms McManus will lead an expert group to examine how to strengthen delivery, including provision in schools and how policy […]
A Budget to Tackle Child Poverty
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has said the draft Scottish Budget 2026-27 is a “landmark intervention” in the Scottish Government’s drive to tackle the root causes of child poverty and increase living standards. Around £8 billion has been earmarked for the social justice portfolio, boosting support for vulnerable people and low-income families. This includes plans to: Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville met parents in receipt of any of the Five […]
Expansion of Breakfast Clubs
New funding will allow every primary pupil in Scotland to access a breakfast club, the First Minister has said. The Scottish Budget will provide an additional £15 million in 2026-27 to expand breakfast club provision and help schools, councils and third sector partners prepare for the introduction of universal breakfast club services by August 2027. […]
Words Matter: How to Communicate with Children so they Thrive
What we say to children matters – sometimes more than we realise. That’s why Words Matter, the UK charity founded to end childhood verbal abuse by adults, has created a new free, first-of-its-kind online course launching this January. Called Words Matter: How to Communicate with Children so they Thrive, the evidence-based programme is designed for parents, carers, […]
Recovery Effort Begins while Schools Remain Shut
Around 440 schools remain closed across Scotland while action continues to return services to normal in affected areas. Every effort is being made to ensure affected schools can reopen as soon as possible with remote learning being provided where possible. A further meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGORR) has been held to continue […]
£10m Emergency Support for Families
More support will be available to families and households to help cover the cost of life’s essentials and to deal with emergencies. First Minister John Swinney has confirmed that £10 million originally earmarked in 2025-26 to support the two-child limit mitigation payment in Scotland will be reallocated to tackling child poverty. The majority of the […]
How Can Mindfulness Help School Staff
Article by Kamalagita Hughes Three-quarters of teachers experience work-related stress, with nearly half reporting depression, anxiety or panic attacks at work. At any one time, more than half are considering leaving the profession due to poor health and figures reported are higher for senior leaders. You don’t need me to tell you this because I […]
Hundreds of Schools to Stay Shut
Schools across Scotland are to stay closed on Monday (5 January) as a new amber alert for heavy snow comes into place. According to The Met Office, another 5-10cm (2-4ins) could fall fairly widely in the north east, Highlands and Northern Isles while a few places on the mainland could possibly see 20-30cm (8-12ins). These […]
CAMHS Waiting Times Standard Met for a Year
Progress on waiting times for children and young people waiting for specialist mental health care has been maintained for a year, according to the latest statistics. New figures from Public Health Scotland show that between July and September, 91.5% of children and young people started treatment within 18 weeks of referral to Child and Adolescent […]
Helping Children’s Early Speech and Language Skills
Children and families will benefit from better joined‑up speech, language and communication support from the earliest stages of life under a newly launched national Action Plan. The Early Years Speech, Language and Communication Action Plan aims to strengthen collaborative support across health, education, and family support services. Clear, practical advice on speech, language and communication will be […]
Teachers could work a “flexible” four-day teaching week under new proposals announced by the Scottish government
New proposals announced by the Scottish government reveal teachers could work a flexible four-day teaching week. It would leave a fifth day for “professional learning” activities outside of the classroom, including lesson preparation, marking and training. Reduced classroom contact time with pupils and agreed national minimum standards for pupil learning hours are also included in […]
Supporting families through separation: Expert guidance from Gibson Kerr
When couples make the difficult decision to separate, especially with children involved, they’re faced with a huge number of questions. What happens next? How do we make arrangements that work for everyone? At Gibson Kerr, our friendly and understanding Family Law Solicitors know that every family is unique, and clear, compassionate guidance can make all […]