Latest news with #NationalCentrefor
The Herald Scotland
24-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
New Edinburgh music venues land share of £14m cash pot
The Wolfson Foundation has agreed to support the creation of a new National Centre for Music and concert hall at the former Royal High School, one of the city's most prominent landmarks, on Calton Hill. It will also be funding Edinburgh's first purpose-built concert hall for a century, which is earmarked for a site behind a Royal Bank of Scotland building in the New Town. Read more: The two projects, which have both been in the planning for more than decade, will get a share of £14m worth of grants announced by a UK-wide charity. And it is hoped they will be able to secure further support as the projects progress in the next few years. The Dunard Centre will be Edinburgh's first purpose-built concert hall for more than a century. (Image: David Chipperfield Architects) Both projects are being largely bankrolled by Scotland's biggest arts philanthropist, Carol Colburn Grigor. Her Dunard Fund has committed at least £45m to the £69m National Centre for [[Music]] project. It recently secured a pledge of up to £5m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £2.85m from a separate charitable trust set up by the late British philanthropist Julia Rausing. A new National Centre for Music will be created on Edinburgh's Calton Hill under plans to transform the former Royal High School building. (Image: Supplied) The Dunard Centre, which is expected to cost more than £115m to build, has secured £80m of private support, including £35m from Ms Grigor's charity, as well as £25m from the Scottish and UK governments, and the city council. The Wolfson Foundation plans to spend more than £200m across the UK over the next five years, across arts, science, health and heritage projects. The Dunard Centre concert hall will be created in the heart of Edinburgh's New Town. (Image: Supplied) The National Centre for Music project, which has been awarded an initial £500,000 from the foundation, will see three indoor performance spaces created inside the A-listed building. The grounds of the complex, which is due to open in 2027, will become home to the first public gardens in the city since the creation of Princes Street Gardens more than 200 years ago. The Dunard Centre project, which has been allocated an initial £100,000 by the foundation, will see a 1000-capacity concert hall built off St Andrew Square, next to the new St James Quarter complex, by 2029. The new venue, which is expected to showcase all forms of music, will become a new home for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and will be used by the Edinburgh International Festival each August. A spokesperson for the National Centre for Music said: 'This grant will help protect and save the heritage of one of the most remarkable A listed buildings in Edinburgh. 'Our project will create a home for the National Centre for Music which will offer a range of ways for people who live, work and visit the city to come together to engage with the built and social heritage, and Scottish music heritage. 'The National Centre for Music is a newly created charity which will nurture and celebrate the richness of Scotland's music making – across all genres and all levels. It will become an iconic destination – where artists come to deepen their practice, make new work and connect with others, and where audiences come to expand their passions and have uplifting experiences. 'The former Royal High School will provide an inspiring setting in which to learn, make and share music. With a flexible main hall, a suite of practice rooms and a recording studio, it will provide significant new facilities for Scotland's musicians – from top professionals to those just starting their musical learning. 'The National Centre for Music will be a city centre venue for diverse musical communities, participants and audiences. A public engagement programme is being developed that will include creative learning, heritage interpretation, and community-led activity shaped by ongoing consultation. 'Particular attention is being given to reaching groups who are often underrepresented in culture and heritage, including young people, people living in local communities of socioeconomic deprivation, and people with additional support needs." A spokesperson for the Dunard Centre said: 'This generous funding will be instrumental in supporting our ambitious vision to create a new, world-class concert hall in the heart of Edinburgh, catering for 21st century audiences and artists. 'With a mission to create an inclusive, accessible hub, the venue will be 'a hall for all', offering opportunities for people of all ages and stages to learn, participate, create and engage with the arts, as well as opening up a new, free-to-access public space. 'This inaugural grant marks the first step in our relationship with the Wolfson Foundation. 'With a shared commitment to promoting and supporting excellence, we look forward to developing our relationship as plans for Edinburgh's first concert hall in 100 years progress.' Other projects being funded in Scotland include the Angus arts centre Hospitalfield, which has secured £150,000 for a restoration of its building and a new collections study centre. Earlier this year, Wolfson Foundation chief executive Paul Ramsbottom said the charity was aware of a 'crucial need' for capital infrastructure funding for projects across the UK. He said: 'There are few other similar sources of funding and yet organisations need to keep investing in their physical infrastructure. 'A majority of our funding in the next five years will therefore be allocated for infrastructure: refurbishment, equipment and new build.'
RTÉ News
16-05-2025
- Science
- RTÉ News
'Unintended' impacts of bonus points for Higher Level Maths
The awarding of bonus points to students who achieve a pass or more in Higher Level Maths has had unintended negative consequences and should be re-assessed, a new study has found. The study was carried out by the National Centre for STEM Education with academics from Mary Immaculate College, UCC and UL. Their findings are based on an analysis of data from the State Examinations Commission as well as perspectives gathered from almost 2,000 students and teachers. 'Bonus Territory: The Shifting Landscape of Higher Level Senior Cycle Mathematics' finds that while the introduction of bonus points in 2012 led to a 130% increase in students opting to complete the Higher Level Leaving Certificate course, the move has led to a reduction in Mathematical standards and a slowing of the pace of learning in classes. Since 2012, students who achieve a score of 40% or more in Higher Level Leaving Certificate Maths gain an additional 25 points. Prior to their introduction in 2011, 15.6% of Maths students opted for the Higher Level paper, but by 2017 that had risen to 30%, and it stood at 36.3% in 2024. Bonus points are cited by most students in the research as the key reason for choosing Higher Level Mathematics, so the potential 25 point CAO boost on offer is the appeal as opposed to the love or challenge of Mathematics. The research finds that teachers of Higher Level Senior Cycle Mathematics are experiencing significant challenges in relation to catering for widening ranges of achievement in their classrooms, with an increasing number of students requiring extra support. This in turn has led to a reduction in the pace of learning and greater demands on teachers' time and energy. "Teachers have also expressed concerns that opportunities to engage in more challenging material are limited and, as a result, worry that their higher attaining students may not be challenged sufficiently," it states. The report finds that standards linked to grades awarded upon completion of Senior Cycle Higher Level Mathematics appear to have declined in the past 15 years. Marks awarded in the Leaving Certificate are benchmarked against previous years and this tends to maintain the proportion of students achieving a given grade level in a subject from year to year. The practice is known as "attainment referencing". "It has become less of a challenge to achieve these higher grades and, thus, standards in Mathematics appear to have declined as a result," the report concludes. "With the significant growth and transformation in a typical Higher Level Senior Cycle Mathematics cohort, maintaining relatively similar grade attainment levels led to a greater number of students achieving grades at the upper end when compared to previous cohorts." "These findings indicate that while measures such as [bonus points] appear to work well on the surface, they need to be adopted with care and consideration for the broad range of consequences, intended and unintended, that they may have on a variety of stakeholders," the report finds. Top among a number of recommendations the report calls on policy makers to re-assess the nature of bonus points to reduce the incentive to aim for a low passing grade. It proposes linking the number of bonus points awarded to the grade achieved, which would result in a greater number of bonus points for those with higher grades. Expressing concern at the "extrinsic" nature bonus points in motivating students to study the subject at Higher Level, the report states: "More focus should be placed on interventions which enhance students' attitudes towards Mathematics, thereby boosting intrinsic motivation to study the subject at Higher Level." The report authors, Drs Paraic Treacy of MIC, Mark Prendergast of UCC, and Niamh O'Meara of UL, say it is the culmination of six years of research examining the impact of bonus points, as well as the wider implications for the education system in Ireland. "This report gives us a clearer picture of the totality of the impact of bonus points and outlines evidence-informed action which should be taken in light of these findings", they say. Prof Geraldine Mooney Simmie, Director of EPISTEM, the National Centre for STEM Education in UL, called the report "detailed and timely". She said: "The insights and evidence from this study will be of great interest to a wide number of policymakers and will help to shape a futures-oriented view of the important role of Mathematics Education and STEM Education in a fast-changing world".
