Schools return across Scotland this week with the end of the summer holidays looming for pupils across the country.  

While it may bring relief to some parents as their struggle for childcare ends, the new term also brings anxiety with threats of strikes on the horizon and staffing issues plaguing some schools.  

And there are also rumblings of the exam system creaking, with the most recent results showing a dip in pass rates, while the atainment gap is as large as ever.  

What can Scotland expect as the new school year gets underway?  

Schools go back this week, although the exact date depends on the local authority. Most have picked Wednesday 16 August – meaning it’s time to get the uniforms irons and bags packed for the middle of the week . 

But what about the strikes? 

Children may not be back in classes for long, as the Unison union, which represents janitors, cleaners, caterers, classroom assistants and administrative staff has balloted for strike action in a dispute over pay. 

The Union is calling for a 12 per cent increase, but has only been offered 5%. Members of two other trade unions have already voted this summer in favour of strike action in schools. 

READ MORE: Herald Poll - Do you agree with proposed school strikes?

Unite has said its members have voted to strike in 10 local authority areas after the summer holidays. 

The councils affected by Unite's action are Glasgow, Fife, Dundee, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Western Isles, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and Orkney. 

The result of the Unite ballot emerged earlier this month just days after school staff who are members of the GMB union voted for strikes in Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, Clackmannanshire, the Western Isles, East Dunbartonshire, Falkirk, Orkney, Renfrewshire and South Ayrshire. 

The Herald:

Will teachers go on strike?  

Memories of the last dispute, which disrupted much of last year, will still be fresh in parent’s minds. However, teachers are not set to strike again after agreeing a deal. 

In March, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) accepted the Scottish Government's 28 month pay deal to teachers which was made up of a 7% rise between April 2022 and March 2023, a 5% uplift between April and December 2023, and a 2% increase between January and July 2024. 

The Scottish Government claimed cumulatively, the deal amounted to an uplift of 12.4% by April 2023 and 14.6% from January 2024. 

What other issues are affecting teachers?  

The EIS has warned that newly-qualified staff are leaving the profession amid concerns over short-contracts. 

The union has written to the Scottish Government urgin increase council funding to pay for more permanent jobs.  

In a letter to First Minister Humza Yousaf, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said high numbers of temporary contracts had "serious implications" for Scotland's schools. 

She said members had contacted the union over the summer months "in desperation" at the prospect of no work when the new term begins. 

What has the union been saying?  

Speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland, Ms Bradley said there was "no hard data" to demonstrate the scale of the problem. 

Although local authorities are responsible for teacher recruitment, Ms Bradley said councils needed ring-fenced funding to allow the more permanent posts. 

She said: "In the short term it's about funding, we shouldn't have teachers sitting at home when we have 34% of children and young people in our schools now with additional support needs. 

"When we have hundreds of thousands of them impacted by poverty and that having a negative impact on their educational experience and their outcomes. 

"And we are still recovering from a pandemic, this is a time where we need to see more teachers employed permanently in our education system, not fewer." 

She added the long-term staffing strategy for schools had "not served them well". 

The Herald:

How has the Scottish Government responded?  

A spokesperson said: "While our teachers are employed by local authorities and not the Scottish government, we are taking strong action to protect increased teacher numbers - supporting councils with an additional £145.5m in this year's budget, which assures funding and removes this as a barrier to permanent contracts. 

READ MORE: Political row builds over Scottish school exam results

"Over the past 10 years the number of teachers in permanent posts has remained stable at over 80%, and since December 2014 the number of school teachers has increased by 8%, from 49,521 to 53,459 in December 2022." 

How did Scotland’s pupils do in their exams?  

Mixed results - the Higher pass rate is down from last year but remains above 2019 levels. 

Figures from the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) this month show attainment of A to C grades was 77.1%. 

It had been 79.8% in 2022, 87.3% in 2021, 89.3% in 2020 and 74.8% in 2019 

And what about the attainment gap?  

A longstanding promise by Nicola Sturgeon to rid Scotland of the attainment gap – the difference between those from the most-affluent backgrounds and those from the least affluent backgrounds – appears to have no sign of being kept, with only three years left to fix it. 

Statistics from the SQA show that the attainment gap between pupils obtaining an A to C grade at National 5 level stood at 15.6% – a widening of the figure seen in 2020, 2021 and 2022. 

For Highers, the attainment gap for A-C has risen from 14.9% in 2022 to 16% this year.