What’s not changing at the moment?  The world seems to be in a state of flux.  Zoom right in on Scottish education and it is a similar picture.  Teacher workloads and salaries are often in the spotlight, the introduction of primary testing is a hot topic and the challenges around increasing attainment are never far from the headlines either.  It can be quite hard to keep up with it all.

Importantly for teachers, pupils, parents (and publishers), relatively new National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications are also changing as unit assessments are removed.  We are all pushing to revise and update resources as swiftly as possible.  Teachers need up to date books for reference and support, pupils to study confidently and parents to guide surely.  From an educational and commercial perspective, it is crucial that published content matches the revised courses and exams.

In the face of all of the changes in education (not to mention technology), solid, reliable and up to date study guides and course books are now more important than ever.  They zoom in on core content and knowledge required to help teachers deliver courses effectively.  They also help students achieve the grades they work hard for and aspire to achieve.  With so much changing, a dependable resource in any given subject can make all of the difference.  So much so that the Department for Education in England (no strangers to curriculum reform themselves) is currently consulting on kitemarking curriculum materials that might impose governmental quality assurance standards on educational resources.

Bright Red Publishing produces a blend of print and digital materials for National Qualifications in Scotland.  A lot has changed in Scottish education since Bright Red arrived on the scene ten years ago. Standard Grades are no more; Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 have gone too.  New National 4 and 5 qualifications have arrived, while the latest Highers and Advanced Highers have been roundly revamped once already (some twice).  Publishing and reading habits have changed too. The blazing dawn of a digital era saw eBook sales boom. E-readers, tablets and ever smarter phones are now ubiquitous and invaluable.  We have operated through quite an upheaval.

Yet one million Bright Red books have been purchased during the last ten years – a mixture of SQA past paper collections, study guides and course books.  Our free online Digital Zone, integrated with our guides and books since 2013, has 96,000 registered users and is growing every month.

We work hard with many committed and focussed Scottish teachers to develop resources for our changing qualifications, from National 5 Accounting to Advanced Higher Physics, which are custom designed to help pupils to succeed.  We are currently working on course books to meet the new benchmarks for the broad general education phase from S1 to S3.

Despite all changes facing Scottish education at the moment, we should be confident that we have the creativity, determination and talent to make a real success of the challenges ahead of us.

Unsure what the SQA changes mean for students? The SQA has published some helpful documents that highlight the changes at National 5 and Higher level.

Read about the National 5 changes here.

Read about the Higher changes here.

Not sure if our Study Guides are up-to-date with the latest changes? Simply look for the blue or purple tick on the front cover of our books, which indicate that they are up-to-date with the latest SQA course and assessment changes.