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WHILE we may not be able to venture far from home in the coming weeks, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the wonders of Scotland – city skylines, beaches, mountains, woodland and rugged wilderness – safely from the comfort of our sofas.

The Conversation

IT’S all too easy to lose track of many of the quirky, moving, interesting films that have been shot in Scotland over the years. Some of the sparkling gems on these pages attracted decent reviews upon release before fading from view; others slipped under most people’s radar. The 10 films here are funny, or dark, or insightful. All have something to say; all are worth tracking down, and watching, whether it’s for the first time, or the first time since they were released.

“THE little island of Todday is a completely isolated community,” declares the voiceover at the start of the 1949 Ealing Studios classic Whisky Galore. “100 miles from the mainland, 100 miles from the nearest cinema or dancehall. Oh, but the islanders know how to enjoy themselves. They have all that they need. But in 1943, disaster overwhelmed this little island. Not famine, nor pestilence, nor Hitler’s bombs, or the hordes of an invading army, but something far, far worse: ‘There is n

What's the story?

FOOTBALLERS are performers, we all know that. But can they tackle a film script? Can they find the head space to turn out a tricky line on a crowded set? And what of football managers? Can they take to acting? We’ve long believed them to have the ego of an oligarch and to make the demands of a dictator. Does any of this suggest those born to kick balls around a park can turn their hand to thespianism?

LIKE many of your readers, I would imagine, I am a fairly enthusiastic armchair football supporter with no real club affiliation.

NEIL Mackay (“Johnson? Sturgeon? When it comes to coronavirus they are both the same”, The Herald, May 5) lambasts Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson for both taking an almost identical approach in their fight against Covid-19, somehow implying that this is in itself a fault.

READING about the Brooks family and their foraging for food (“Family serves a dinner-time treat ... Japanese Knotweed crumble”, The Herald, May 2) provoked very happy memories of another forager-par-excellence; Rosalind Burgess, the Skye weaver, cook, and writer of an excellent book on how to use the things you grow and forage.

IT is good to see that one of your readers, R Russell Smith, has been enjoying our wildlife and fresh air, having “walked over fields and alongside the burn close to home, enjoying the sunshine and company of lambs gambolling” (Herald letters, May 5).

YOU report (HeraldScotland, May 5) that Professor Neil Ferguson, one of the UK government’s key advisers on the current lockdown restrictions, has resigned after breaching the government (and his own) strong advice on the need for social distancing.

LIKE many people with a wee bit of time on their hands at the moment, I enjoy a morning walk along the cycle track between Elderslie and Castlehead, a nice enough stroll, if you like litter that is; and I mean, really like litter.

BEING a full-time, voluntary, unpaid carer, since November 2018, for my wife, who has dementia, I would like to ask a question of the Scottish Government, especially Jeane Freeman, the health secretary.

THE Herald has reported (May 6) on another economically and socially “lost generation” of children and young people due to Covid-19.

New findings on a state initiative in Wisconsin suggest that to make the most out of smaller class sizes in the early grades, teachers should focus on basic skills when they have one-on-one contact with students, ask children to discuss and demonstrate what they know, and have a firm, but nurturing,

Gov. Jeb Bush has warned that Florida won't meet class-size limits without taking such steps as expanding private school vouchers, lifting restrictions on the number of charter schools, and moving to year-round schedules.

The proposed budget from the Trump administration eliminates the Title II grant program, which pays for professional development and class-size reduction efforts.

A majority of states have at least one policy that limits the number of students that may be in a general education classroom, according to the Education Commission of the States. Among states that have changed their class-size policies since 2008, all have opted to relax those constraints.

Renee Moore questions the wisdom of the the idea—raised in recent days by both Bill Gates and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan—of paying effective teachers more for taking on larger class sizes: Giving the most effective teachers larger classes is NOT a way to reward them, but it is a way to

In an opinion piece published by the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peter Smagorinsky, a professor of English education at the University of Georgia, questions the value of recent policy reports showing that increases in class sizes do not have a detrimental effect on student test scores. Most peo

Keeping preschool class sizes at or under 20 children, and keeping child-teacher ratios at 10 to 1, will work for most children in preschool, according to a new study.

In recent years, reducing class size has gained increased prominence as a school-improvement strategy. Some 40 states now have class-size-reduction initiatives in place, and federal money is available for such efforts as well. The teachers' unions, meanwhile, routinely tout class-size reduction as a

Class size does matter for teachers and students, but only if the instruction used in the small class size is different from those instructional practices used in a large one.

Only very large reductions in class size are likely to lead to significant long-term effects on student achievement, a new research synthesis says.

In recent years, reducing class size has gained increased prominence as a school-improvement strategy. Some 40 states now have class-size-reduction initiatives in place, and federal money is available for such efforts as well. The teachers' unions, meanwhile, routinely tout class-size reduction as a

The situation in the Clark County School District is a perfect storm that serves as a reminder of how difficult it is for school officials to plan for changing conditions

Continuing increases in K-12 enrollment, a downturn in higher education enrollment, and a rise in cyberbullying are among the trends illustrated in two new statistical publications from the U.S. Department of Education.

If class sizes aren't going to be addressed because of bottom lines, either because of a lack of teacher resources or school funding, then we are going to have to find a way to function better inside of these undesirable situations.

Smaller classes could help bridge the gap between home and school, writes former teacher Marc Vincenti.

Size matters in nurturing the relationship between teachers and students.

Hundreds of teachers across the Sacramento Unified school district walked out of their classrooms and onto picket lines last week for the first time in 30 years, staging a one-day strike alleging unfair labor practices by the California district.

More than a third of the 30 biggest school districts in the United States are not using any math or English/language arts curricula that are rated highly for alignment to state standards, a new study from the Center for American Progress finds.

Framed prints of Steven Camley's cartoons are available by calling 0141 302 6210.”

Framed prints of Steven Camley's cartoons are available by calling 0141 302 6210

Framed prints of Steven Camley's cartoons are available by calling 0141 302 6210.”

Framed prints of Steven Camley's cartoons are available by calling 0141 302 6210

Framed prints of Steven Camley's cartoons are available by calling 0141 302 6210.

When the ruthless crime boss and Mafia Godfather Sam Giancana was gunned down in Illinois in 1975, he was quickly replaced by yet another murderous protégé from the Chicago Crime Syndicate, Tony Accardo.

Monday 13 January: Royals’ family meeting

This week, our resident cartoonist turned his pen on the Coronavirus outbreak, Bernie Sanders rising popularity in the United States and the battle for an SNP seat at Holyrood.

This week, our resident cartoonist turned his pen on the Coronavirus outbreak, bullying claims surrounding the home secretary and Scotland making in to the world list of top beaches.

Framed prints of Steven Camley's cartoons are available by calling 0141 302 6210

Balls up

Batty idea

Head boy

WHAT’S a little distancing between us? Go on, stick your nose closer to the page or screen. Let’s snuggle in a little closer.