education

People across Scotland will be called on to donate their unwanted and unloved musical instruments to be passed on to children across the country to give them the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of music.

Free school meals will be extended to all children in primary 1 to 3 from 2010 after the Scottish Parliament backed SNP moves to improve the health of Scotland's youngest children.

SNP MSP Aileen Campbell has welcomed today’s vote in the Scottish Parliament’s Education Committee which will allow free school meals to be extended to an estimated 118,000 pupils from 2010.

SNP MSP and Finance Committee member Joe FitzPatrick today welcomed comments from John Swinney that the Scottish Government is actively considering exempting full-time students from paying for Local Income Tax.

All school pupils in primaries 1 - 3 are to be entitled to free school meals following successful pilot schemes, which saw uptake rise to 75%.