
The 9 best affordable backpacks for students under £100

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Evening Standard
6 hours ago
- Evening Standard
The 9 best affordable backpacks for students under £100
My credentials, you ask? Four years of an English Literature MA at The University of Edinburgh, lugging around huge stacks of books, an outdated laptop with the weight and bulk of an anvil, extensive Tupperware and flasks full of hot water for surviving the Scottish elements. Plus, a year abroad. Trust me when I say I know exactly what you need to get you through to your degree, and then some.


Scotsman
19 hours ago
- Scotsman
Scottish senior teachers report working 80 hour weeks to cope with increasing classroom pressures
Jenny Gilruth has met teachers to discuss workloads | PA Scottish senior teachers say they are at breaking point over classroom violence and heavy workloads in schools Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Senior teachers claim they are working more than 80 hours a week to cope with rising pressures in Scotland's classrooms. Survey results show 61 per cent of management level staff say they plan to leave the profession earlier than planned due to increased workload and rising stress. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Detailing an 'unsustainable' picture of under-resource and overwork, the latest School Leaders Survey also shows major concerns about classroom violence. Scottish Labour Education spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy said is it clear teachers are 'at breaking point'. 'Teachers and school leaders are going above and beyond to paper over the cracks of SNP failure, but pupils and staff deserve better,' she said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The SNP has failed to act as pressures mount on our schools – from rising violence to overstretched ASN services.' Respondents to the survey, organised by School Leaders Scotland (SLS), showed head and senior teachers are working an average of 53 hours a week but some report working more than 80 hours. Jenny Gilruth has met teachers to discuss workloads | PA The report calls the number of teaching staff looking to quit early a 'depressing statistic', adding it is 'not surprising to learn that many school leaders are contemplating early retirement or leaving the profession due to unsustainable workload, reduced resources, and mounting stress'. The School Leaders Survey found that only 35 per cent of respondents were positive about wanting to become a Head Teacher or recommending the role while nearly 45 per cent had a negative view. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Growing disenchantment' Miles Briggs MSP, Scottish Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, said the report 'lays bare the growing disenchantment among Scotland's school leaders - overworked, under-resourced, and increasingly considering walking away'. Mr Briggs pointed to the SNP's pledges to reduce workloads and increase teacher numbers. 'Violent and abusive behaviour in schools is rising, yet ministers have shown no urgency in tackling it,' he added. 'These findings are a damning indictment of the SNP's mismanagement of our education system. 'These are not isolated concerns, they are systemic.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Senior teachers cited a lack of sufficient ASN (Additional Support Needs) specialist provision as an issue adding to unsustainable workloads. The report says the under-resourcing of ASN is helping to leave 'school leaders overwhelmed and struggling to balance pupil needs with the demands from above'. Aggressive behaviour, they added, is also on the rise from both pupils and parents. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad One deputy head teacher is quoted as saying: 'Parents believe they have the right to shout and swear at us if they are unhappy about the message being delivered. 'We are not supported in these situations.' Another school leader added: 'The abusive and aggressive behaviour of a small but difficult core of young people, and the lack of available sanctions to use or support from the authority, makes the job seem not worthwhile at times.' A spokesman said the Scottish Government recognises and appreciates the 'hard work of our teachers'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said that recognition is reflected in Scottish teachers being the best paid in the UK and added: 'We are clear that reducing class contact time will help address critical concerns around teacher workload, thereby creating the space to drive improvement and reform in our schools and improve outcomes for pupils. 'We are working with unions and COSLA to agree our approach to reducing class contact time.' Jenny Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, met school leaders Scotland in June to discuss the finding of their workload survey. The government said again that Ms Gilruth has 'committed to holding a workforce round table with trade unions, local government, GTCS and other key partners to consider ways the teaching profession can be better supported'.


Scotsman
19 hours ago
- Scotsman
Scottish senior teachers report working 80 hour weeks to cope with increasing classroom pressures
Jenny Gilruth has met teachers to discuss workloads | PA Scottish senior teachers say they are at breaking point over classroom violence and heavy workloads in schools Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Senior teachers claim they are working more than 80 hours a week to cope with rising pressures in Scotland's classrooms. Survey results show 61 per cent of management level staff say they plan to leave the profession earlier than planned due to increased workload and rising stress. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Detailing an 'unsustainable' picture of under-resource and overwork, the latest School Leaders Survey also shows major concerns about classroom violence. Scottish Labour Education spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy said is it clear teachers are 'at breaking point'. 'Teachers and school leaders are going above and beyond to paper over the cracks of SNP failure, but pupils and staff deserve better,' she said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The SNP has failed to act as pressures mount on our schools – from rising violence to overstretched ASN services.' Respondents to the survey, organised by School Leaders Scotland (SLS), showed head and senior teachers are working an average of 53 hours a week but some report working more than 80 hours. Jenny Gilruth has met teachers to discuss workloads | PA The report calls the number of teaching staff looking to quit early a 'depressing statistic', adding it is 'not surprising to learn that many school leaders are contemplating early retirement or leaving the profession due to unsustainable workload, reduced resources, and mounting stress'. The School Leaders Survey found that only 35 per cent of respondents were positive about wanting to become a Head Teacher or recommending the role while nearly 45 per cent had a negative view. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Growing disenchantment' Miles Briggs MSP, Scottish Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, said the report 'lays bare the growing disenchantment among Scotland's school leaders - overworked, under-resourced, and increasingly considering walking away'. Mr Briggs pointed to the SNP's pledges to reduce workloads and increase teacher numbers. 'Violent and abusive behaviour in schools is rising, yet ministers have shown no urgency in tackling it,' he added. 'These findings are a damning indictment of the SNP's mismanagement of our education system. 'These are not isolated concerns, they are systemic.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Senior teachers cited a lack of sufficient ASN (Additional Support Needs) specialist provision as an issue adding to unsustainable workloads. The report says the under-resourcing of ASN is helping to leave 'school leaders overwhelmed and struggling to balance pupil needs with the demands from above'. Aggressive behaviour, they added, is also on the rise from both pupils and parents. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad One deputy head teacher is quoted as saying: 'Parents believe they have the right to shout and swear at us if they are unhappy about the message being delivered. 'We are not supported in these situations.' Another school leader added: 'The abusive and aggressive behaviour of a small but difficult core of young people, and the lack of available sanctions to use or support from the authority, makes the job seem not worthwhile at times.' A spokesman said the Scottish Government recognises and appreciates the 'hard work of our teachers'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said that recognition is reflected in Scottish teachers being the best paid in the UK and added: 'We are clear that reducing class contact time will help address critical concerns around teacher workload, thereby creating the space to drive improvement and reform in our schools and improve outcomes for pupils. 'We are working with unions and COSLA to agree our approach to reducing class contact time.' Jenny Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, met school leaders Scotland in June to discuss the finding of their workload survey. The government said again that Ms Gilruth has 'committed to holding a workforce round table with trade unions, local government, GTCS and other key partners to consider ways the teaching profession can be better supported'.