:00:09. > :00:16.Good afternoon. There's a claim that headteachers are refusing to
:00:16. > :00:18.exclude persistently disruptive pupils. That's according to the
:00:18. > :00:21.Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association, who say it's leading
:00:21. > :00:29.to discipline problems in schools. Here's our education correspondent,
:00:29. > :00:37.Seonag MacKinnon. Behaviour like this is rare. Of
:00:37. > :00:44.late, far fewer schools are dealing effectively with challenging
:00:44. > :00:49.youngsters. We are delighted with what has happened so far it now
:00:49. > :00:55.please deal with headteachers who, for a variety of reasons, are
:00:55. > :01:05.unwilling to Cath -- tackled really bad behaviour. Over the last five
:01:05. > :01:11.years, exclusions have plummeted to 27,000. Offering staff training in
:01:11. > :01:15.managing difficult behaviour seems to be having an impact. Also a
:01:15. > :01:19.policy of early intervention rather than letting matters drift but if
:01:19. > :01:24.those strategies do not work, sending a child to a special centre
:01:24. > :01:30.can be difficult. It is expensive and there are limited resources
:01:30. > :01:34.right across the authorities. They still do what they can and the head
:01:34. > :01:41.teachers hands are tied in what they can do. And the Scottish
:01:41. > :01:47.government So take? I think schools know that sometimes it has to
:01:47. > :01:51.happen. I have no evidence that in circumstances where it has to
:01:51. > :01:56.happen, it does not happen. bottom line is that schools try
:01:56. > :02:04.hard to hold on to children as exclusion can mean a whole life on
:02:04. > :02:10.the margins. The export performance of Scottish
:02:10. > :02:15.businesses has plunged. Lloyds TSB Scotland and Strathclyde economists
:02:15. > :02:21.report that in the three months to November, there was a deterioration
:02:21. > :02:24.in results and expectations. They say a muted recovery has stalled.
:02:24. > :02:26.Engineers are confident they'll have restored power to every home
:02:26. > :02:30.affected by yesterday's gales by late tonight. Scottish Hydro said
:02:30. > :02:34.electricity was cut off to up to 12,000 properties at the height of
:02:34. > :02:37.the storm but that's now been reduced to less than 800. Gusts of
:02:37. > :02:47.up to 90mph were recorded in some parts of Scotland, with disruption
:02:47. > :02:50.
:02:50. > :03:00.caused on roads and bridges and One of two men accused of the
:03:00. > :03:02.
:03:02. > :03:08.murder of the Western Isles teenager has been freed on bail.
:03:08. > :03:11.The funeral is due to take place tomorrow.
:03:11. > :03:17.Partygoers attending this year's and Hogmanay events in Edinburgh
:03:17. > :03:27.are being urged to say -- stay warm, sober and stay. Around 80,000
:03:27. > :03:28.
:03:28. > :03:36.people will be hoping to give the It is one of Scotland's biggest
:03:36. > :03:43.annual events. It features live bands, a massive fireworks display
:03:43. > :03:48.and, of course, 80,000 new year revellers. But with so many taking
:03:48. > :03:54.part, it is also a massive public safety challenge. The it will be
:03:54. > :03:59.one of the best ever Hogmanay parties. There will be thousands of
:03:59. > :04:05.people and we want them to beat say. We are asking people to turn up
:04:05. > :04:09.early. Gates close at 11 o'clock. The finishing touches are being
:04:09. > :04:13.made to preparations which began almost a year ago. There will be
:04:13. > :04:21.around 1000 police and students on duty but there is little trouble
:04:21. > :04:26.expected. There are over 350 officers detailed to the party. It
:04:26. > :04:31.is something we have done for many years. We have got to a position in
:04:31. > :04:35.the last few years where the number of arrests have been in sickle --
:04:36. > :04:40.single figures and that is a great credit to the organisers and also
:04:40. > :04:44.to the people who come. I weather has caused issues in the
:04:44. > :04:49.last few years but forecasters predict that no such problems
:04:49. > :04:56.should happen this time and that this year's Holburn they should be
:04:56. > :04:59.relatively warmly welcomed. �9.5 million is to be spent a
:04:59. > :05:05.upgrading five railway stations to make them more accessible to
:05:05. > :05:11.elderly people and other people with impaired mobility and people
:05:11. > :05:19.with prams. The work could see lists installed and more disabled
:05:19. > :05:22.parking spaces. -- lifts. George Wyllie has never had a major
:05:22. > :05:26.exhibition in Scotland despite being one of our best-known artists.
:05:26. > :05:36.His family and friends are hoping to stage a year-long celebration of
:05:36. > :05:38.
:05:38. > :05:43.his work. Charming and eccentric, just like
:05:43. > :05:47.the art works he produced. From paper boats to straw locomotives.
:05:47. > :05:52.George Wyllie's work was popular with people and it paved the way
:05:52. > :06:00.for other artists. He is in a nursing home now and modest about
:06:00. > :06:10.his impact. If I have had in influence, that is quite good. I'm
:06:10. > :06:12.
:06:12. > :06:17.not being stupidly honest. You just do what you think is right.
:06:17. > :06:25.looks like it is hard work. Like you are an engineer as well as an
:06:25. > :06:31.artist? I am more and more leaning towards engineering and industrial
:06:31. > :06:36.processes. Spark is something he had from the start, initially
:06:36. > :06:41.making up -- art as a hobby as he worked as a customs officer. He
:06:41. > :06:45.created works for many campaigns, like this protest at the closure of
:06:45. > :06:49.the Highland sleeper. That and his you met explains why he has been
:06:49. > :06:53.largely snubbed by museums and galleries but a former collaborator
:06:53. > :06:57.believes it is time to put that right. He had a tendency to be
:06:57. > :07:02.treated to lightly by the establishment and that is why, in
:07:02. > :07:09.his later years, a lot of us feel he feels the recognition should
:07:09. > :07:14.still be available. That time has come. To mark his 90th birthday,
:07:14. > :07:19.friends and family are planning a year of special events including a
:07:19. > :07:29.major retrospective of his work and the artist himself made a
:07:29. > :07:39.
:07:39. > :07:42.contribution. Probably the last Eight prehistoric creature was one
:07:42. > :07:46.of 15 way creatures discovered in the waters around Scotland this
:07:46. > :07:52.year. With no specific brain or face it was found in the waters
:07:52. > :08:02.around Orkney. Now the weather forecast. She has a
:08:02. > :08:05.
:08:05. > :08:10.Good evening. Nothing very dramatic. If you are thinking of travelling
:08:10. > :08:19.for Hogmanay, it is not looking too bad. We have a ridge of high
:08:19. > :08:24.pressure starting to come towards us. It will be short lived. This
:08:24. > :08:31.weather front will bring rain and strong winds tomorrow. A few
:08:31. > :08:37.showers around this evening. But they will die away with one or two
:08:37. > :08:43.lingering in western areas. A widespread frost developing and it
:08:43. > :08:51.clear skies. Temperatures will reach around freezing, if not below.
:08:51. > :08:58.Tomorrow will be dry, cold and clear. Some sunshine in the east.
:08:59. > :09:08.Cloud will increase across western Scotland and will turn to snow over
:09:09. > :09:09.
:09:09. > :09:19.the hills. Staying dry across the far north-east. They have wrought
:09:19. > :09:19.