John Swinney ‘confident’ schools will return full-time in August

John Swinney has held on to his job after surviving a no-confidence vote over the pupil grades scandal. He was kept in post after securing the support of the pro-independence Scottish Greens.

Jack McConnell has called for “a clear out at the top” of Scottish education to ditch problems that have been around for more than a decade and restore confidence in the exams system. Speaking ahead of John Swinney’s statement to Holyrood on the exams fiasco the former Labour First Minister said the episode highlighted the need for a major shakedown in Scottish education.

Join thousands of others who have signed up for the Daily Record newsletter.Education bosses in Renfrewshire have insisted they will support any staff who have concerns about returning to school after a union survey indicated the majority of teachers fear sufficient safety measures are not yet in place.The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) survey showed out of more than 24,000 members who had so far responded, two-thirds felt either "somewhat unsafe" or "very unsafe" about returning to

John Swinney has signaled a U-turn on the SQA exams scandal. Swinney, who faces a no-confidence vote in the Scottish Parliament, is set to make a statement on Tuesday after pupils and teachers raised concerns about the crisis.Pupils who are unhappy with their exam results will be able to appeal them for free.

John Swinney will announce a move to address the "anger" of Scots pupils over the exam results scandal next week. The Education Secretary is to lay out a series of "steps" he will take on Tuesday over the grade moderation that has seen the marks of pupils in the poorest areas driven down compared to the most affluent.

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

John Swinney after receiving her exam results claiming she has been penalised for the school she goes to. Eva Peteranna, 17, says her dreams of being a medic could be at risk after she was given a disappointing set of results.

school grades system.The Education Secretary argued that the controversial system, which saw the results of pupils downgraded, had seen the attainment gap close.However, his comments were derided by critics on social media.Get all the top Scottish politics news sent straight to your Inbox by signing up to our Politics newsletter.We cover Holyrood, Westminster and local councils, with a current focus on how our governments are handling the coronavirus pandemic.To sign up, simply enter your email

Northern Ireland peace process and hailed as “Ireland’s peacemaker”, has died aged 83. The current SDLP leader Colum Eastwood described him as Ireland’s “most significant and consequential political leader” of the 20th century as tributes poured in.

murders of three mothers by a suspected serial killer.Bible John was the nickname given to man cops believe brutally raped, strangled and killed the women after attending Glasgow's iconic Barrowland Ballroom.Patricia Docker, 25, Jemina McDonald, 32, and Helen Puttock, 29, all died after nights out at the city’s popular nightspot between 1968 and 1969.The shocking murders were so similar that cops suspected a single person was responsible for the killing spree that shook Scotland to its core.One

has confirmed after weeks of planning.When will schools reopen?As previously announced, primary and high schools will reopen from August 11, following scientific evidence and advice that it is safe to do so.Schools will be allowed to reopen on a phased basis during the first week, but all pupils will be back full-time as of August 18.Will pupils need to socially distance when at school?Pupils of primary school will age will not have to socially distance.The scientific advice also makes clear

Renfrewshire youngsters will return to the classroom full time after the summer holidays, it has been confirmed.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the move in a statement to the Scottish Parliament this afternoon.MORE NEWS FROM THE PAISLEY DAILY EXPRESS In her statement she said all pupils should be back in class by Tuesday, August 11.She accepted some schools may phase their return but that all pupils should be back in class full time from Tuesday, August 18 “at the very

Nicola Sturgeon has announced that pupils will be in the classroom full-time when schools return next month.Pupils will begin to return from August 11 and all young people will be back in full-time education by August 18.In a statement to Holyrood this afternoon the First Minister did say that some local authorities may opt for phased return but all pupils will have returned to school by August 18.A Scottish Government report reads: "The expectation is that all schools will reopen by August 11,

August 11th.She said she expected all pupils to be back full time from August 18th at the latest.The decision was made following scientific evidence and advice on safety.Every school will have to carry out a risk assessment and put in place enhanced hygiene and cleaning arrangements.Get all the top Scottish politics news sent straight to your Inbox by signing up to our Politics newsletter.We cover Holyrood, Westminster and local councils, with a current focus on how our governments are handling

Get the stories that interest you straight to your inbox every day with our personalised newsletterNicola Sturgeon has confirmed Scottish schools will reopen from August 11.The First Minister said she expected all pupils to be back in full time education from August 18 at the latest.In a statement to Holyrood this lunchtime, Ms Sturgeon confirmed classrooms would re-open in full rather than adopting a "blended" learning approach, which had once been proposed.Every school will have to carry out a

schooling.Speaking at the Scottish Government’s coronavirus briefing on Wednesday, she said the decision is unlikely to go in the "opposite direction".However, she refused to reveal the cabinet decision before making the formal announcement to the Scottish Parliament tomorrow.Speaking after discussions with ministers, Sturgeon said: "I'm duty-bound to announce these decisions to Parliament and I’m going to do that at the risk of getting into trouble from the Presiding Officer."She added: "I

Jane Park has shared a throwback snap seven years on from scooping one million pounds in 2013. She won the jackpot on her first ever lottery ticket which made her Britain's youngest EuroMillions winner at just 17.

reopen schools on a full-time basis in August. Nicola Sturgeon's Cabinet will hear the latest evidence on virus infection rates across the country and take expert advice before signing-off on a way forward.