The Enlighten Up campaign is an initiative of Humanist Society Scotland (HSS), to promote ‘a fair and inclusive education system where pupils and teachers are not discriminated against because of their religion or belief.’ However, HSS’s head of communications said their ultimate objective is to see religious observance scrapped and replaced with a more inclusive activity, such as philosophy. The campaign is providing parents ‘concerned about religious influence in schools’ with an atheist handbook. Scottish law requires public schools to host at least six religious observance sessions a year. HSS has produced two handbooks to help challenge teachers entitled A Guide for Non-Religious Parents and A Guide for Non-Religious Young People. The books include advice on how to opt out of religious observance and how to make a complaint when someone feels their rights have not been respected. HSS also provides templates for opt-out letters.

National GCSE results have fallen dramatically across the board, with the proportion who gained a C grade or above dropping by an unprecedented 2.1% compared with last year – including a sharp decline in the numbers gaining a C or above in English. The falls are due in large part to new Government policies that force 17-year-olds who got a D or lower in English or maths last year to resit those exams, meaning more students overall were sitting the tests. But some of the fall is unexplained. Of pupils taking their exams in year 11, the normal GCSE year, the proportion gaining A*-C grades was down by 1.3%. The female dominance in the exams continued with the gender gap increasing slightly (by 0.5%) this summer, with 71.3% of girls awarded at least a C grade, compared with 62.4% of boys.

When a child goes into care they may have experienced loss, neglect, abuse or trauma. To befriend such a child, support and encourage them as a reliable positive presence in their life is a significant commitment, but tremendously rewarding. This is the role of an independent visitor or mentor. The 1989 Children’s Act created the role of volunteers to be appointed by the local authority to ‘visit, befriend and advise’ a child and to be a consistent presence in their travels through the care system. Social workers may change, but ideally a mentor remains a constant friend, visiting the child on a regular basis. Sadly, this role hasn’t been given the publicity or esteem it deserves, and consequently many children who would like a mentor simply don’t get one. Barnardo’s is calling upon local authorities to ensure that every child in care knows they have a right to an independent visitor or mentor, and to sign up to a new set of quality standards.

Police have arrested a serving member of the British Armed Forces on suspicion of Northern Ireland-related terrorist activities. The 30-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday during a joint operation involving the Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism squad, Avon and Somerset Constabulary, and Devon and Cornwall police. In a statement, the London Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) said the arrest was ‘pre-planned and intelligence-led’ as part of an investigation into Northern Ireland-related terrorism. The suspect, who has not been identified, has been taken to an unnamed police station in the west of England. The MPS said further searches are being carried out at an address in south Devon and a nearby wooded area by the force’s Counter-Terrorism Command, also known as SO15. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is also conducting searches in relation to the investigation. In June it was reported that Republican dissidents are developing anti-tank weapons. See