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Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Record-breaking' exam results for East Renfrewshire high schools
PUPILS in fourth year across East Renfrewshire are celebrating a record-breaking performance in National 5 exams. Figures released today, as around 147,000 students across the country received their grades, revealed 82% of S4 pupils in the local authority area attained five or more passes at National 5 or better – the best ever performance and an increase of six percent from 2024. Barrhead High and St Luke's High achieved their best ever S4 results, with an increase of 32% and 24% respectively from 2024. At St Luke's High, Sofia Jackson, Yasmine Zourdani and Connor MacDonald were all delighted with their achievements. St Luke's High pupils celebrate the school's best ever S4 results (Image: Jeff Holmes) Yasmine, 15, secured seven As and two Bs at National 5. She said: 'I was so worried that I couldn't sleep last night. When I opened my results and saw what I had I ran downstairs and my parents looked at them all – they're so proud of me. 'The support I got from school was brilliant.' Sofia, 16, from Barrhead, who plans to pursue a degree in law and Italian, received eight As at National 5 and an A in Higher Art. She said: 'The school really supported my preparations, and I would go along to the study hubs with my friends, which was helpful and we all supported each other.' (Image: Jeff Holmes) Connor, 16, secured National 5s in Practical Woodwork, Design and Manufacture, PE and Financial Services, as well as Level 5 Numeracy and National 4 Application of Maths and Computing. He said: 'I thought I performed really well and was pleased with what I've achieved. I'm looking forward to doing the Highers I've picked for the year ahead.' At Barrhead High, pupils Ben Murray, Aysha Syed, Jack Morrison, Zoe Bennie, Lana Anderson, Grace Hunter and Abbie Reid all secured excellent results. Jack, who got six As and three Bs in his National 5s, said: 'I was so happy this morning. Some of the exams were really tough, so to have achieved what I'd hoped for is brilliant.' The local authority area's seven high schools also recorded strong performances in Highers and Advanced Highers. READ NEXT: 13 photos which tell story of Glasgow school and its starry ex-pupils Glasgow parents put pressure on council over plans to cut school librarians 'Don't panic': Exam results helpline offers support to Glasgow pupils A total of 68% of S5 pupils attained three or more passes at Higher; 46% of S5 pupils attained five or more passes at Higher; and 48% of S6 pupils achieved one or more passes at Advanced Higher. Mearns Castle had their best results for one or more Highers, with a nine percent increase at 96%, while Williamwood and Woodfarm had their best ever results for the proportion of S6 pupils achieving one or more Advanced Highers, increasing by five percent and 17% respectively. At Eastwood High, 62% of pupils achieved five or more Highers by the end of S6, an increase of 11% since 2019. Mark Ratter, director of education at East Renfrewshire Council, said: 'These successes are a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our pupils, supported by the unwavering encouragement of their families and the tireless commitment of school staff.' At Isobel Mair School, a range of qualifications from National 1 to National 4 were secured by senior pupils. Jason Gray and Yahya Riaz both excelled and achieved National 3 passes in English. Senior phase pupils attending the East [[Renfrew]]shire Communication Support Service have also achieved a range of SQA National Qualifications and Skills for Work courses. East Renfrewshire also continues to offer more than 60 vocational options to S4, S5 and S6 pupils. Each year almost 400 pupils take on these courses, providing the opportunity to study for a vocational qualification alongside other subjects, enabling them to gain skills that will help them enter the workplace or further education in the future.
Glasgow Times
5 days ago
- General
- Glasgow Times
East Renfrewshire schools celebrate 'record-breaking' exam results
Figures released today, as around 147,000 students across the country received their grades, revealed 82% of S4 pupils in the local authority area attained five or more passes at National 5 or better – the best ever performance and an increase of six percent from 2024. Barrhead High and St Luke's High achieved their best ever S4 results, with an increase of 32% and 24% respectively from 2024. At St Luke's High, Sofia Jackson, Yasmine Zourdani and Connor MacDonald were all delighted with their achievements. St Luke's High pupils celebrate the school's best ever S4 results (Image: Jeff Holmes) Yasmine, 15, secured seven As and two Bs at National 5. She said: 'I was so worried that I couldn't sleep last night. When I opened my results and saw what I had I ran downstairs and my parents looked at them all – they're so proud of me. 'The support I got from school was brilliant.' Sofia, 16, from Barrhead, who plans to pursue a degree in law and Italian, received eight As at National 5 and an A in Higher Art. She said: 'The school really supported my preparations, and I would go along to the study hubs with my friends, which was helpful and we all supported each other.' (Image: Jeff Holmes) Connor, 16, secured National 5s in Practical Woodwork, Design and Manufacture, PE and Financial Services, as well as Level 5 Numeracy and National 4 Application of Maths and Computing. He said: 'I thought I performed really well and was pleased with what I've achieved. I'm looking forward to doing the Highers I've picked for the year ahead.' At Barrhead High, pupils Ben Murray, Aysha Syed, Jack Morrison, Zoe Bennie, Lana Anderson, Grace Hunter and Abbie Reid all secured excellent results. Jack, who got six As and three Bs in his National 5s, said: 'I was so happy this morning. Some of the exams were really tough, so to have achieved what I'd hoped for is brilliant.' The local authority area's seven high schools also recorded strong performances in Highers and Advanced Highers. A total of 68% of S5 pupils attained three or more passes at Higher; 46% of S5 pupils attained five or more passes at Higher; and 48% of S6 pupils achieved one or more passes at Advanced Higher. Mearns Castle had their best results for one or more Highers, with a nine percent increase at 96%, while Williamwood and Woodfarm had their best ever results for the proportion of S6 pupils achieving one or more Advanced Highers, increasing by five percent and 17% respectively. At Eastwood High, 62% of pupils achieved five or more Highers by the end of S6, an increase of 11% since 2019. Mark Ratter, director of education at East Renfrewshire Council, said: 'These successes are a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our pupils, supported by the unwavering encouragement of their families and the tireless commitment of school staff.' At Isobel Mair School, a range of qualifications from National 1 to National 4 were secured by senior pupils. Jason Gray and Yahya Riaz both excelled and achieved National 3 passes in English. Senior phase pupils attending the East [[Renfrew]]shire Communication Support Service have also achieved a range of SQA National Qualifications and Skills for Work courses. East Renfrewshire also continues to offer more than 60 vocational options to S4, S5 and S6 pupils. Each year almost 400 pupils take on these courses, providing the opportunity to study for a vocational qualification alongside other subjects, enabling them to gain skills that will help them enter the workplace or further education in the future.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Speed enforcing cameras helping save lives in Washington County
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/FOX24) — Act 707 was passed in August 2023 by the Arkansas legislature, and now the new law is paying dividends statewide. The act made Arkansas one of 28 states that use speeding cameras to issue citations and warnings in construction zones across the state. However, it's one of three states that has a stipulation stating that a police officer must be present. One of those cameras is located across work zones on Interstate 49 in parts of Washington County. The portable camera system is moved, sometimes daily, to different areas depending on the need. According to the Arkansas Department of Transportation, as of September 2024, there was a decrease of 40% in all automobile accidents across I-49. Additionally, there were 3,628 warnings and 515 citations issued over that span. Chief of Arkansas Highway Police, Jeff Holmes, said their number one priority is safety, not to write people tickets. 'The statistics speak for themselves. You know, just in the 49, work zone, you know, 40% decrease in crashes, and the unique thing about it has been mostly with warnings,' Holmes said. 'So, it's not a lot of take. It's not about making money. It's about just officers being out there educating and slowing traffic down, just being there. Just getting the word out and slowing everybody down.' The idea to pass the law came after Arkansas saw a 109% increase in speeding-related fatalities between 2014-2023. The overall traffic fatality number went from 470 to 596, according the ARDOT. District Four Engineer with ARDOT, Jason Hughey, said that he hopes the state can provide more camera systems in the future, but the best way to cut down on automobile crashes is for people to be aware of the dangers of speeding. 'It would be nice to have it at every construction zone, but practically, that's not feasible. We're going to have a new ad campaign coming up shortly to emphasize to the public, get the word out through TV ads, radio ads, social media ads, just to let people know that please slow down in these construction zones,' Hughey said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Glasgow Times
12-05-2025
- General
- Glasgow Times
New £30 million learning campus in Neilston officially opens
The Neilston Learning Campus brings together St Thomas' and Neilston primaries and Madras Family Centre onto a single campus. It opened its doors to pupils in March 2024 and the official opening ceremony was held on Friday, May 9. The campus was built to replace the outdated former buildings and was designed to ensure both schools and the family centre retain their unique identities and teaching spaces. (Image: Jeff Holmes)It features shared facilities including a large sports hall, Digi-Zone, a dedicated space for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEAM), an art room, a green screen video editing area, and drama and music space. The ceremony was attended by Jenny Gilruth MSP, cabinet secretary for education and skills, and councillor Andrew Anderson, convener for education, equalities, culture and leisure. They unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion. Councillor Anderson said: "Today's official opening ceremony was a wonderful way to mark this new chapter for learning in Neilston. (Image: Jeff Holmes) "This fantastic campus, combined with the staff, pupils, parents and wider community, will become the beating heart of the village and contribute to an environment where our children and young people will flourish." Ms Gilruth said: "I welcome the opening of this state-of-the-art campus – we now have a record number of pupils in Scotland being taught in schools that are in 'good' or 'satisfactory' condition. "The Scottish Government is providing £10.6 million for the Neilston Learning Campus through the £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme which by the end of 2027-28, will have delivered 47 modern, state of the art schools." Gerard Curley, headteacher of Neilston Primary and Madras Family Centre, said: "It's an absolute privilege to lead our school and family centre every day. "This outstanding facility will give us a springboard to strive for even greater achievements in future years." Marie Kane, headteacher of St Thomas' Primary, said: "Since moving to our new home, the whole community has embraced the change and we are very appreciative of this remarkable facility and the high-quality learning experiences we are able to deliver."
The Herald Scotland
01-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Hamilton relegation confirmed after appeal dismissed
The club earlier announced they are set to relocate to Broadwood and make plans to build a new stadium in Hamilton after rejecting a proposal to continue leasing New Douglas Park from the club's former owner. An appeal against sanctions imposed by the Scottish Professional Football League last month was dismissed by an appeal panel convened by the Scottish Football Association. Hamilton fans suffered a double whammy (Jeff Holmes/PA) They received the bulk of the punishment – a 12-point deduction – over a failure to notify the league of wage defaults to six players and 'failure to act with the utmost good faith' in representations to the SPFL board over the lifting of a transfer embargo following previous tax and wage defaults. They were deducted a further three points over the downgrading of their SFA club licence and received a £9,000 immediate fine after being charged with giving incorrect information on stadium ownership and the late provision of their membership criteria submission for next season. Accies chairman Jock Brown declared the club were 'obviously very disappointed' at the outcome and added: 'The board is prevented from making any further comment on the matter by SPFL regulations, but will communicate further with supporters in early course.' Supporters now face a 28-mile round trip to Cumbernauld for home games in League One next season. 🏟 We are pleased to confirm that we will continue to play home matches in Hamilton for the 2025/26 season. — Clyde FC (@ClydeFC) April 30, 2025 Accies announced their impending move 24 hours after Clyde, former tenants at Broadwood, confirmed that they would continue playing at New Douglas Park next season. Former Accies owner Colin McGowan last week issued a public offer to the club for a one-year rent-free use of the stadium as the two parties negotiate a purchase. Reports last week claimed that the club owed £260,000 for using it in the two seasons since Seref Zengin's takeover. However, Brown declared that they cannot accept the deal. Hamilton are set to leave New Douglas Park (Jane Barlow/PA) Brown wrote in a statement: 'In the first instance the balance in respect of the funds accruing between the parties over the past 22 months is substantially in favour of the club, so any postponement of settlement of the appropriate balance is inappropriate. The club is not indebted to the owner. 'Second, the terms of the only new draft lease provided so far are unacceptable. 'Third, the club's experience of being tenants over the past 22 months has been thoroughly unsatisfactory.' Brown claimed funds were available to purchase the company that owns the stadium but accused the seller of failing to provide routine due diligence or 'necessary warranties'. 'In such circumstances any purchase would be irresponsible and has thus been rendered unachievable,' he added. Hamilton are set to play at Broadwood (Jeff Holmes/PA) The statement added: 'Arrangements are now being made to relocate the club from the start of next season to Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld, with the long-term aim of building a new stadium in Hamilton. Discussions with South Lanarkshire Council have started in order to identify a suitable location. 'The board is now carefully considering several innovative options around fan engagement and season ticket support relating to the relocation.' Accies previously played outside of Hamilton – at Firhill and Cliftonhill – for seven years after selling former ground Douglas Park to a supermarket. They moved into New Douglas Park, which is adjacent to their old home, in 2001.
