Parents encouraged to apply for £250 Best Start Grant to help with school costs

children are the hardest working in the UK with one in three parents giving household chores to kids as young as five. According to new figures Scotland has the highest number of children doing jobs around the house than anywhere else in the UK, with the national average being one in five.

parents and children under normal circumstances, but post-lockdown can present many new challenges. With Covid-19 restrictions now part of everyday school life, with that comes new anxieties for children  - and new material for playground bullies.

Eilidh MacLeod have told a court of the devastating impact the bombing has had on their lives. Roddy and Marion MacLeod - whose talented daughter was just 14 when she died - said they are living with “anger, fear resentment and heartbreak.” The couple’s heartbreaking statement was read out at the sentencing hearing of jihadi Hashem Abedi at the Old Bailey in London.

mums have been left outraged after discovering popular LOL Dolls are wearing 'secret sexy lingerie' when they're submerged in cold water. Manufacturers of LOL Surprise Dolls have come under fire on social media after numerous parents shared videos and images of the dolls wearing 'sexy' underwear which is only revealed once they are dipped in ice cold water.

house, Scots may not pay much attention to the street name.Research by SellHouseFast has revealed that the first line of your address can actually make a difference on how much your house is worth.In fact, having a ‘rude’ street name can boost the property's value by up to £56,000.Dick, Bush, Cumming and Pratt are the top naughty road names in Scotland that can add a hefty sum to a home's worth.Other rude streets in the UK include Jackass, Hoe, Cock and Thong.Butt, Beaver, Busty and Spank are

new benefit to support 16 to 24-year-olds into work if they have been unemployed for six months has opened for applications. Job Start Payment is a one-off £250 payment to help with the costs of starting a new job.

12 years of a life sentence.Jahche Broughton is making a bid for freedom after being locked up for battering Karen Aim to death with a baseball bat in January 2008 as she visited Taupo on a trip around New Zealand.After he was sentenced, Karen’s family vowed to fight to keep Broughton behind bars for his whole life.Two years ago, her dad Brian said he would campaign against any bid for freedom “for the safety of the public in New Zealand”.He added: “If he’s released, he’ll be 26 and that is just

Scots teachers were left seeing double as NINE sets of twins prepared to start their first day of school. The children, all aged four and five, are set to start at primary schools across Inverclyde - with one school set to welcome three sets of the twins.

Stewarton businessman says a quarter-of-a-million-pound loan was vital for his firm during the coronavirus pandemic.

weather has made Scotland the perfect breeding ground for killer mosquitoes. Experts fear beasties that carry the lethal Zika rictus will mate with our native ones and cause mayhem.These creatures may even be joined by the Asian Tiger mosquito, whose bite can pass on 23 infections.

schools began to reopen yesterday – with many pupils, parents and teachers still expressing anxiety over Covid-19.Only Borders and some Shetland schools reopened to pupils, with the vast majority of Scots children heading back today.All pupils will return by next Tuesday. Fears have been raised about how well-prepared teachers are to deal with mitigating  the spread of the virus.

He said: “I’m really happy to be able to support Scottish Refugee Council and all the work they do helping refugees rebuild their lives in Scotland.“We are hoping the items attract plenty of attention and raise lots of money.”Louise McGovern from Scottish Refugee Council said: “We are delighted to work with Lewis on this fundraiser, his support has been amazing, and we know his huge fan base will be thrilled to be in with a chance to meet him at a UK gig next year.”

Businesses in West Lothian are being encouraged to get their staff walking more.The walking charity Paths for All is inviting organisations of all shapes and sizes to set-up their own bespoke walking challenge to keep their workforce active and connected to their colleagues as Scotland eases out of lockdown.During May, over 4000 furloughed and home workers participated in the charity’s Step Count Challenge, with over 90 per cent of participants saying the motivation of the challenge helped them

TikTok baby prank. More than 14,000 people have liked the viral clip after Stewart McGonigle captured the stunt on camera.

missing Scot in the Highlands. Police made the discovery during searches on Ben Loyal, Sutherland, on the morning of Friday August 7.

SQA a 'fail' for questioning the judgement of teachers after downgrading thousands of pupil results across the country.Rod Grant, headmaster at Clifton Hall School in Edinburgh, has demanded a full-scale independent review after almost a third of his students had their grades lowered by the education body.He blasted the exam quango and said it called into question the integrity of Scots teachers who will be called upon to help mark appeals.The new pupil grading system - brought in after

UK Government schemes to support businesses recovering from coronavirus have paid out £2 billion to around 65,000 firms in Scotland. The Bounce Back Loan scheme, which was introduced in May, offers between £2,000 and 25 per cent of the turnover of small and medium businesses - up to a maximum of £50,000.

Scottish benefits. The Scottish Government is writing to an estimated 22,000 households informing them that they may be eligible for Best Start Foods and the Best Start Grant.