Informed Scotland May 2019 – Making sense of learning & skills since 2012

Seven years ago we published the first edition of Informed Scotland. Remember 2012, when the talk was of Scotland’s 23.1% youth unemployment, the merger of 37 further education colleges, and Curriculum for Excellence and the move from Standard Grades to new Nationals? Now youth unemployment is down to 6.6%, there are 26 colleges… and, okay, […]

Informed Scotland April 2019 – Qualifications, assessments & exams

Assessments, qualifications and exams were making the learning & skills headlines last month. The debate about Scottish National Standardised Assessments (SNSAs) continued, with reports published from two out of three separate ‘reviews’ – by the Scottish Parliament Education & Skills Committee and the government’s P1 Practitioner Forum. The annual exam season began for schools, colleges […]

Informed Scotland March 2019 – Additional support for learning & skills

The hottest Scottish learning & skills topic in March was additional support needs. Among a range of items, there was a cluster of Scottish Government reports on additional support for learning in schools; Education Scotland’s new inclusive education module for teachers on The Open University’s OpenLearn Create platform; a new Carers Trust Scotland recognition award […]

Informed Scotland February 2019 – Inclusive, empowered, connected

There was no shortage of learning and skills activity in blink-and-you-missed-it February. A range of hot topics, familiar and new, presented themselves across the landscape. Inclusion was referenced in all sectors: There is a new SCQF Inclusive Recruiter campaign; a new Creative Scotland Create:Inclusion Fund; a new HUB for SUCCESS offering support to care experienced […]

Informed Scotland Dec 18/Jan 19 – Where Brexit’s not the only story

Brexit made its way onto the cover of Informed Scotland for only the second time. There is much evidence of its increasing influence on the economy, business, employment and skills, with words and phrases like ‘gloomy’, ‘uncertainty and confusion’ and ‘threat’ littering forecasts. The further and higher education sector is raising alarms and preparing for […]

Learning & Skills in Scotland – What’s on the horizon for 2019?

In an interview for Radio EDUtalk, Angela took David Noble’s listeners on the third annual whistle-stop tour of some of the items that will be shaping Scotland’s learning & skills landscape this year. You can listen to a podcast of the show, which also reviewed the Hottest Topics in 2018. Below are links to some […]

Informed Scotland Learning & Skills Hottest Topics 2018

We’re delighted to present the sixth annual list of Learning & Skills ‘Hot Topics’ that made it onto the cover of Informed Scotland over the past year. For the first time since we began compiling the list in 2013, two topics share top spot: =1. Diversity, equality, equity & inclusion (new) =1. Teacher education, development, […]