Jack McConnell calls for 'clear out' at top of Scottish education to restore confidence in exams

Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our personalised newsletter.Two young singers didn’t let lockdown stand in the way of their fundraising efforts.The pair have been entertaining the local community by busking to help raise hundreds of pounds for Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS).The duo took to the streets belting out hits from Lewis Capaldi and classic tracks by Johnny Cash and Elton John as well as performing via Facebook Live.Both boys play guitar

Get the stories that interest you straight to your inbox every day with our personalised newsletterA top union official has called for a fair pay deal after NHS Ayrshire & Arran staff “put everything in” during the pandemic.Kevin McGregor reckons NHS employees have been “fobbed off” over wage requests.The Unison trade union representative has been calling on the Scottish Government to reopen NHS wage talks this year as part of national campaign Pay Up Now.Health secretary Jeane Freeman had a

The UK government is facing calls to review its guidance on students wearing face coverings as schools prepare to reopen to all pupils.It comes after the Scottish education secretary said all pupils in Scotland will be required to wear a face covering when moving around schools.From August 31, pupils in Scotland should be wearing masks in areas where physical distancing is not possible, according to the latest government guidance.The latest guidance from the World Health Organisation suggests

North Sea has been called off. Emergency services were first called to the scene at Bullers of Buchan, near Peterhead, shortly after 7pm on Friday.

Biffy Clyro have topped the UK album chart with A Celebration Of Endings.

local schools. Despite best intentions, a situation was created where an unacceptable number of our young people felt trapped and that education was not a route out of poverty.The Scottish Government listened to the exemplary campaigning of pupils, their parents and teachers, and are now putting it right.

Scots mum was left shocked after discovering the face of Jesus in an Aldi supermarket potato. Nikki Halkerston, 44, was unloading her shopping onto the kitchen counter when she saw the face of Christ in a pack of £1.15 Aldi tatties.She immediately called her husband over to take a look and he agreed it looked like the son of God.

last week when the Scottish Government were forced to perform a U-turn over the Nat 5 and Higher exam results the UK Government has also now caved into the pressure from outraged parents, pupils and teachers.

Covid-19 were knowingly discharged from hospitals to care homes. Monica Lennon, the party's health spokeswoman, has written to the Lord Advocate to request confirmation a Crown Office unit tasked with investigating care home deaths will examine the impact of hospital discharges.

boozer. Police were alerted to an assault in Templehill, Troon, at around 8.45pm on Thursday August 13.

school results scandal.The First Minister praised Professor Mark Priestley, who came out for the SNP at the general election, for his skills and experience and said he is the right person for the job.Education Secretary John Swinney this week made a u-turn after confirming that around 120,000 downgraded results would be reversed following a backlash by pupils and parents.Get all the top Scottish politics news sent straight to your Inbox by signing up to our Politics newsletter.We cover Holyrood,

“FUCK EVERYBODY /  FUCK EVERYBODY / WOO!” – no, not a leaked Dominic Cummings memo, but the closing screams of Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil on the epic ‘Cop Syrup’, the six-minute finale and highlight of the Scottish trio’s ninth album ‘A Celebration Of Endings’. If there was ever a band to have lived by that mantra and done things their way, it’s affectionately monicker-ed ‘The Biff’.

Scottish Government’s dramatic exam results U-turn.Erin Bleakley tearfully told of her joy after Education Secretary John Swinney announced all downgraded results would be reverted back to those predicted by teachers.The 17-year-old organised a rally in George Square last week after the SQA exam board used a system to 'normalise' the results which left thousands of young people with grades lower than those predicted by their teachers.Erin, from Shettleston in Glasgow, had held a banner in George

Bearsden suburb, incorporated a new company, DP HR International Limited, on March 2 this year, the same day the ICO announced its fine.Paul resigned as a director of CRDNN in December last year, but Companies House shows he has further active directorships with Selfie Nails Ltd, based in London, and Letsgetfishing Ltd, at Clydebank Business Park.However, Paul made an application in April this year to strike Selfie Nails Ltd – involved in “hairdressing and other beauty treatment” – from the

Get the latest politics news sent straight to your inbox every FridayLabour are demanding Education Secretary John Swinney quits for his role in an exam results "shambles".The party said the senior SNP Government minister has "lost control" as anger grows at the way results were downgraded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority.Results this week showed pupils from poorer communities were more likely to have grades "moderated" down from teachers' estimates, sparking protests from young people

Test and Protect amid allegations some are failing to take any personal information at all. Some rogue landlords are allowing punters to drink in the east end of Glasgow without bothering to ask for details needed for contract tracing.

Biffy Clyro but Scottish rock star Simon Neil recently revealed a new ambition - to win the Eurovision Song Contest. Neil, who founded the band with twin brothers Ben and James Johnston, pointed out that he regularly watches the competition and is a huge fan, revealing it led to one of the best nights of his life.He said: "Eighteen years ago a friend and I took some acid and watched Eurovision, and it was one of the greatest nights of my life.

large-scale marches despite the country still being in a state of lockdown. Kenny MacAskill, a former justice secretary, said more mass rallies were required as the coronavirus pandemic meant traditional forms of political campaigning such as door knocking were no longer possible.