Call to rethink school experience

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/6957625.stm

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A leading children's charity has called for a major rethink of the way Scottish youngsters receive their education.

The Northern Lights report, produced by Children in Scotland, found more needs to be done to ensure school pupils enjoy learning.

The study contrasted Scottish children with those in Norway, where it judged there to be significantly higher levels of well-being among pupils.

The Scottish Executive said improving pupil well-being was a key objective.

The study also highlighted the difference in childcare costs between the two countries, with Norwegian parents paying just 30% compared with 60% in Scotland.

But the report does not directly criticise Scotland's approach - instead calling for a re-evaluation of the way children are schooled.

In particular, it highlights the Norwegian approach of emphasising the children's own environment as part of the educational experience.

The Scottish Executive described improving the well-being of children as a key objective and said it was working to ensure that childcare, education and social work linked up with each other.