Latest news with #ReformScotland
Times
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Reform Scotland changes name to avoid Nigel Farage connection
A political think tank has 'regretfully' been forced to rebrand after being repeatedly confused with Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. Reform Scotland was founded in 2008 but the growing success of Farage's right-wing party throughout the UK has prompted a name-change to Enlighten. Chris Deerin, the former journalist who heads the think tank, said organisations contacted by Reform Scotland were increasingly mixing up the two. 'Reform UK had a very good general election, ended up with five MPs, and, as we know from the polls, they are going to do quite well next year at the Holyrood election,' Deerin said. 'And we started to find there was confusion arising when we were speaking to people and introducing ourselves. 'As we became aware that their prospects
Daily Record
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Leading Scottish think tank changes name to avoid clash with Nigel Farage's Reform UK
Reform Scotland has rebranded and will now be known as Enlighten. One of Scotland's leading think tanks has changed its name to avoid "confusion" with Nigel Farage's Reform UK. Reform Scotland has rebranded and will now be known as Enlighten. This is despite it having the name since 2008 and the political party only taking the title in 2021. Enlighten's director Chris Deerin told The Herald: ' Reform UK had a very good general election, ended up with five MPs, and as we know from the polls, they are going to do quite well next year at the Holyrood election. 'And we started to find there was confusion arising when we were speaking to people and introducing ourselves. 'As we became aware that their prospects were actually pretty good, the confusion — even though we were here first — was there. 'We are obviously operating in the political world. They are operating in the political world. So, with some regret, we realised we would have to change our name. 'It was only when we had to change it that I realised how good a name Reform Scotland actually was. Because it was a statement of intent. We went to reform Scotland, and also it just worked as a kind of nomenclature.' Deerin said the new name is inspired by the Scottish Enlightenment and "the intellectual flourishing, the pragmatism, the empiricism, the intellectual courage that came then". The think tank focuses on economic growth, improved public services, and social opportunity. Farage's party have risen strongly in the polls over the past year, with recent surveys suggesting it could come second behind the SNP. The Record revealed on Saturday that Scottish Labour figures fear the party could come third behind the SNP and Reform in next month's Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. It comes after Reform won the safe English seat of Runcorn and Helsby from Labour by just six votes earlier this month. UK-wide polls have suggested Farage's party could be the biggest party at the next general election. SNP First Minister John Swinney welcomed Reform Scotland's rebrand: 'Think tanks like Enlighten are a vitally important yet sometimes overlooked component of our democratic system. "Their findings can sometimes prove challenging, and politicians may not always support their conclusions. "But ultimately, this healthy divergence of opinion is a crucial element of a healthy and thriving democracy.' Labour's Scottish Secretary Ian Murray added: 'Enlighten is a great name for one of Scotland's foremost think tanks. The organisation is a key part of Scotland's political life, encouraging thoughtful debate across a range of issues.'
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Teaching was too stressful so I left to become a lorry driver
Stuart Youens says that when he became a secondary school teacher 20 years ago he loved the job. But gradually the effect of budget cuts, the reduction in classroom assistants, the increase in additional support needs, and a rise in bureaucracy took its toll. Two years ago he chose to leave the profession and become a lorry driver – and says he's a lot happier in his new job. Figures seen by BBC Scotland News suggest that the number of days teachers have been absent because of stress has risen dramatically in the past six years. Unions and education experts say many teachers are leaving altogether as a result. The Scottish government says it is taking action to make sure school staff can access the necessary support. Should teacher numbers drop as school rolls fall? Schools could ban mobile phones under new guidance Teachers 'morally blackmailed' over workloads - union Stuart Youens, 47, from central Scotland, says he taught in a good school but had started feeling dread at the thought of going in to work. He added he needed to get out before he "became bitter". He says teachers need to be able to cope with stress in the classroom, but that mobile phones, challenging behaviour and pupil disengagement have become a growing problem. Stuart says the amount of stress outside the classroom has also risen dramatically due to qualifications and increasing amounts of paperwork. "In my view teaching should be quite a simple job and if you add layers and layers of data collecting and bureaucracy it adds stress," he says. "It needs to be stripped back so teachers can get on with the job. It is a really satisfying job but we need to be able to get on with it without all these huge levels of bureaucracy." He says he loves being a lorry driver and does not miss life as a geography teacher, even though it paid better. "It is difficult to compare lorry driving to teaching, they are completely different professions," he says. "What I really like about driving is the simplicity. It's just so much more relaxed. "Don't get me wrong there are stressors in any job and there are stressors in driving a big vehicle, but the folk I work with are great and if there is a problem the mechanics fix it. "I've got that simplicity back that I felt I should have had in teaching." There were about 53,000 teachers in Scotland in 2023/24. Questions about the number of teacher absences due to stress were sent to every Scottish council by Reform Scotland, which describes itself as a non-partisan independent think tank and is chaired by former Labour first minister Lord Jack McConnell. It received responses to its freedom of information requests from the majority of local authorities, although a number – including Glasgow – did not respond or only provided the average number of teacher days missed. In the 14 councils which provided data for every year, the total number of days missed by teachers due to stress rose from 30,380 in 2017/18 to 41,629 last year. In Edinburgh, the number has more than doubled over the same period, from 3,594 to 8,879. Angus is among the other areas to have reported large increases. Teachers have told the BBC that their jobs are being made more difficult by increasingly difficult classroom behaviour, higher numbers of children with significant support needs, and cuts to classroom assistants, support staff and overall budgets. Education experts say that having so many experienced teachers being off long-term sick or leaving the profession altogether has a hugely detrimental impact on pupils who will then get ad hoc supply teachers or have to share teachers with other classes. Alison Payne, research director at Reform Scotland, said it wanted to get a better idea of the impact on teaching after hearing anecdotal reports of rising stress levels. She said: "While the different recording methods used by the different councils made it difficult to get a Scotland-wide picture, individual council responses were alarming. Ms Payne said the Scottish government should investigate the issue further. "While the growing number of teachers badly affected by stress is obviously deeply worrying on a personal level, the increasing number of days lost also represents more disruption to learning for pupils," she added. "The figures don't give an indication of whether a small number of teachers have been off for long periods, which may be easier to manage in terms of securing cover, or if an increasing number of teachers are of for small amounts of time, which can be more difficult to plan around." Last year the EIS union commissioned research looking at workload and stress. It found that on average, teachers were working more than 11 additional hours a week, unpaid, on top of their contractual hours. A spokeswoman for the EIS said that "soaring" levels of stress and stress-related illness were a very serious concern. "The Scottish government and local authorities, as the employers of teachers, must act in line with their duty of care to ensure that the current crippling workload burden on teachers is lightened." Councillor Joan Griffiths, Edinburgh City Council's education, children and families convener, said she was "saddened" by the absence figures. "The health and wellbeing of the over 3,000 teachers employed by the council is incredibly important to us," she said. She said a range of support and resources were available to help, and that teachers who have concerns about their workload or mental health are encouraged to raise this with their line manager. Angus Council said it recognised the challenges of the teaching profession and had a range of measures in place to support staff affected by stress. A Scottish government spokesperson said it was taking steps to ensure that school staff had access to the necessary support. "In recent years, we have allocated more than £2m to specifically support the wellbeing of the education workforce. "Scotland continues to have the best-paid teachers and the lowest pupil-teacher ratio in the UK. "We are also determined to increase teacher numbers in schools. That is why we are providing local authorities £186.5m this year as part of an agreement with Cosla to restore teacher numbers to 2023 levels, as well as freezing learning hours and making meaningful progress on reducing class contact time."
BBC News
24-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Teaching was too stressful so I left to become a lorry driver
Stuart Youens says that when he became a secondary school teacher 20 years ago he loved the gradually the effect of budget cuts, the reduction in classroom assistants, the increase in additional support needs, and a rise in bureaucracy took its years ago he chose to leave the profession and become a lorry driver – and says he's a lot happier in his new seen by BBC Scotland News suggest that the number of days teachers have been absent because of stress has risen dramatically in the past six and education experts say many teachers are leaving altogether as a Scottish government says it is taking action to make sure school staff can access the necessary support. Stuart Youens, 47, from central Scotland, says he taught in a good school but had started feeling dread at the thought of going in to work. He added he needed to get out before he "became bitter".He says teachers need to be able to cope with stress in the classroom, but that mobile phones, challenging behaviour and pupil disengagement have become a growing says the amount of stress outside the classroom has also risen dramatically due to qualifications and increasing amounts of paperwork."In my view teaching should be quite a simple job and if you add layers and layers of data collecting and bureaucracy it adds stress," he says."It needs to be stripped back so teachers can get on with the job. It is a really satisfying job but we need to be able to get on with it without all these huge levels of bureaucracy." He says he loves being a lorry driver and does not miss life as a geography teacher, even though it paid better."It is difficult to compare lorry driving to teaching, they are completely different professions," he says."What I really like about driving is the simplicity. It's just so much more relaxed."Don't get me wrong there are stressors in any job and there are stressors in driving a big vehicle, but the folk I work with are great and if there is a problem the mechanics fix it."I've got that simplicity back that I felt I should have had in teaching."There were about 53,000 teachers in Scotland in 2023/ about the number of teacher absences due to stress were sent to every Scottish council by Reform Scotland, which describes itself as a non-partisan independent think tank and is chaired by former Labour first minister Lord Jack received responses to its freedom of information requests from the majority of local authorities, although a number – including Glasgow – did not respond or only provided the average number of teacher days the 14 councils which provided data for every year, the total number of days missed by teachers due to stress rose from 30,380 in 2017/18 to 41,629 last Edinburgh, the number has more than doubled over the same period, from 3,594 to 8,879. Angus is among the other areas to have reported large increases. Teachers have told the BBC that their jobs are being made more difficult by increasingly difficult classroom behaviour, higher numbers of children with significant support needs, and cuts to classroom assistants, support staff and overall experts say that having so many experienced teachers being off long-term sick or leaving the profession altogether has a hugely detrimental impact on pupils who will then get ad hoc supply teachers or have to share teachers with other Payne, research director at Reform Scotland, said it wanted to get a better idea of the impact on teaching after hearing anecdotal reports of rising stress said: "While the different recording methods used by the different councils made it difficult to get a Scotland-wide picture, individual council responses were Payne said the Scottish government should investigate the issue further."While the growing number of teachers badly affected by stress is obviously deeply worrying on a personal level, the increasing number of days lost also represents more disruption to learning for pupils," she added."The figures don't give an indication of whether a small number of teachers have been off for long periods, which may be easier to manage in terms of securing cover, or if an increasing number of teachers are of for small amounts of time, which can be more difficult to plan around." 'Making meaningful progress' Last year the EIS union commissioned research looking at workload and stress. It found that on average, teachers were working more than 11 additional hours a week, unpaid, on top of their contractual hours.A spokeswoman for the EIS said that "soaring" levels of stress and stress-related illness were a very serious concern."The Scottish government and local authorities, as the employers of teachers, must act in line with their duty of care to ensure that the current crippling workload burden on teachers is lightened."Councillor Joan Griffiths, Edinburgh City Council's education, children and families convener, said she was "saddened" by the absence figures."The health and wellbeing of the over 3,000 teachers employed by the council is incredibly important to us," she said a range of support and resources were available to help, and that teachers who have concerns about their workload or mental health are encouraged to raise this with their line Council said it recognised the challenges of the teaching profession and had a range of measures in place to support staff affected by stress.A Scottish government spokesperson said it was taking steps to ensure that school staff had access to the necessary support."In recent years, we have allocated more than £2m to specifically support the wellbeing of the education workforce."Scotland continues to have the best-paid teachers and the lowest pupil-teacher ratio in the UK."We are also determined to increase teacher numbers in schools. That is why we are providing local authorities £186.5m this year as part of an agreement with Cosla to restore teacher numbers to 2023 levels, as well as freezing learning hours and making meaningful progress on reducing class contact time."
Telegraph
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
School leaving age should be cut to 14, Scottish Tory leader suggests
Children should have the choice of leaving school at 14 if they are not suited to academia, the Scottish Tory leader is to argue. Russell Findlay is to call for the school leaving age to be cut from 16 to prevent pupils being 'trapped in a system that isn't working for them'. In a speech to a think tank in Edinburgh, Mr Findlay will insist that allowing children to quit school earlier was 'not about writing off these young people'. Instead he will argue they could benefit from being 'in a form of hybrid education that is better suited to their talents', such as a fast-tracked apprenticeship or college. One in seven quit after S4 Official figures published last week showed that around one in seven school leavers quit after S4, the highest number since 2010. The proportion of pupils who left school last year with one or more passes at National 5s, or equivalent and one or more pass at Higher level or equivalent also dropped. Last year 83.5 per cent of school leavers had one pass or more at National 5 level, while 57.4 per cent had one pass or more at Higher level. Both were lower than in 2022/23. 'Trapped' Mr Findlay is expected to tell the Reform Scotland think tank: 'For decades, Scotland's minimum school leaving age has been 16. 'Too many young people become trapped in a system that isn't working for them. Even worse, far too many exit from it altogether. 'This is not about writing off these young people. It is the very opposite of that. It is about guiding each individual onto the path best suited to their aspirations.' He will add: 'Upon leaving school at 15, maybe even 14, they would still be required to stay in education. But it would be a form of education that works for them – a fast track to opportunity, whether college or an apprenticeship.' The plan is 'Victorian' The Scottish Tory leader will argue the move would boost Scotland's workforce by reducing skills gaps but the Liberal Democrats said the plan was 'Victorian'. Willie Rennie, the Scottish Liberal Democrats' education spokesman, said: 'I'm all for increasing apprenticeships and expanding opportunities for young people but Russell Findlay seems like he is about six months away from sending kids back up chimneys.' Jenny Gilruth, the SNP education secretary, said: 'These reckless plans were proposed by the Scottish Tories in 2011 – and were soundly rejected by the Scottish people. 'The Tories should say what they mean – they want to see working class children leave school at 14 and leave academic pursuits to the middle and upper class. That is not an approach this government will agree with.'
