Parliamentary questions
Pam Duncan-Glancy
1,119 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
29 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21164 by Jenny Gilruth on 20 September 2023, when the Strategic Board for Teacher Education will report on its study into issues around the recruitment and retention of teachers.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Strategic Board for Teacher Education has developed a workplan which contains a suite of interdependent workstreams, including workforce planning. These workstreams contain a range of proposed actions which are in the process of being further developed a…
29 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Gender Equality Taskforce in Education and Learning has not met since May 2023.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Since May 2023 discussion and work has been ongoing with regards to refining the workplan for and membership of the Gender Equality Taskforce to ensure that it is able to enact the long term systemic change that is needed. The next meeting of the Gender Equal…
29 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it expects the Spring 2024 meeting of the Gender Equality Taskforce in Education and Learning to take place.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The next meeting of the Gender Equality Taskforce in Education and Learning is scheduled for the 18 April 2024.
29 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to provide an update to the Parliament on the guidance it issues to local authorities on the use of the £900,000 allocated on training to support teachers on post-COVID-19 pandemic challenges in schools.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We have announced £900,000 for local councils to aid training of support staff who are responding to the new challenges in our schools, post-Covid. This announcement was made in direct response to the findings of the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research, wh…
29 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish minutes of the June 2023 meeting of the headteacher taskforce.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: A note of the Head Teacher Taskforce meeting held on 27 June 2023 can be accessed here: Head Teacher Taskforce on Exclusion minutes: June 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .
16 Jan 2024 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support people with diabetes.
11 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government by what date it expects to have confirmed a university to lead the Centre of Teaching Excellence.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The identification of a host institution can only take place when the co-design process has concluded. This process is currently being set up with key stakeholders, including teachers and professional bodies, with timelines to be agreed as part of that.
11 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23500 by Jenni Minto on 11 December 2023, how it expects that regional leads for early years speech and language will work with regional improvement collaboratives.
Answer · Natalie Don: The Regional Early Years Speech and Language Leads will work alongside the Regional Improvement Collaboratives and across local services and agencies to encourage the development of a sustainable whole systems approach to improving children’s speech, language…
10 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23874 by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024, whether it plans to uprate, by inflation in future years, the ringfenced funding that it provides to local authorities annually for the provision of additional support assistants.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: As outlined in my previous answer, the Scottish Government has continued to invest an additional £15m per year since 2019-20 to help local authorities respond to the individual needs of children and young people. This investment is monitored via information c…
10 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that an updated additional support for learning code of practice will be published.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government is working with local government partners through the Additional Support for Learning Project Board to deliver the recommendations of the 2020 additional support for learning review by March 2026. As outlined in our updated action pl…
10 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23870 by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024, what analysis it is undertaking of any reasons for probationer teachers reportedly being less likely to opt in to the preference waiver scheme since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: As set out in the answer to question S6W-23870, the Strategic Board for Teacher Education is looking at issues around the recruitment and retention of teachers in Scotland in detail, including how the Teacher Induction Scheme operates. All applications for t…
10 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23872 by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024, how the £11 million of funding that it provided to directly support pupils with complex additional support needs has been distributed, and how the spending of this funding has been monitored and recorded.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Funding of over £11 million is provided each year to directly support pupils with complex additional support needs and to support services to children and families. This includes a total of £10.7 million each year for 7 grant-aided special schools and a comb…
8 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Gender Equality Taskforce in Education and Learning last met, and what was discussed.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Gender Equality Taskforce in Education and Learning last met in May 2023. At that meeting, members continued to consider and refine the Taskforce’s workplan, with a particular focus on ensuring that its three strategic goals are consistent with its more d…
21 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23490 by Graeme Dey on 15 December 2023, for what reason it does not hold specific data on the number of disabled young people supported through Developing the Young Workforce.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The employer-led DYW Regional Groups and School Coordinators work with specialist partners and third sector organisations to support young people who are furthest from the labour market, including disabled young people, into positive destinations. DYW Region…
21 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that it will update local authorities on its expectations regarding the use of the £900,000 allocated for training for staff to tackle post-COVID-19 pandemic challenges in schools.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We are currently in discussions with COSLA regarding the distribution of this funding. We will write out to local authorities in due course to set out our expectations regarding the use of the funding.
21 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it expects the updated Respect for All guidance to be published, and whether it will be published in the current academic year.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: As agreed by the Respect for All Working Group, we expect the updated guidance to be published in late 2024.
21 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it expects to publish the minutes of the meeting of the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools that took place on 12 December 2023.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The minutes will be published on the Scottish Government website following their approval at the next meeting of the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools which is currently scheduled to take place on 31 January 2024.
20 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last evaluated the Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: A Positive Approach to Preventing and Managing School Exclusions guidance, and what its conclusions were.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I refer the member to question S6W-24236 answered on 8 January 2024. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusine…
20 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it next plans to review its guidance on school exclusions.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We published guidance in June 2017 - ‘Included, Engaged and Involved – Part 2 – preventing and managing school exclusions’ - for teachers. The guidance gives a stronger focus on supporting positive behaviour and approaches that can be used to prevent the need…
20 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last consulted with local authorities on the effectiveness of the Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: A Positive Approach to Preventing and Managing School Exclusions guidance.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The ‘Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: Preventing and Managing School Exclusions’ guidance was published in 2017. In June last year, I convened the first meeting of a Headteacher taskforce which focused on school exclusions. The topic of school exclusio…
15 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the potential impact of reallocating funding from the regional improvement collaboratives on the newly-appointed speech and language leads in carrying out their objectives.
Answer · Natalie Don: Over the next two years, the Scottish Government is investing in a programme of early intervention in speech and language for children and their families through the appointment of six full-time equivalent Regional Early Speech and Language Leads based within…
12 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has evaluated whether the £15 million that it has ring-fenced each year for additional support assistants is sufficient to achieve its outcomes; whether it plans to uprate this amount in line with inflation each year, and whether it has assessed whether this figure will need t…
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: All children and young people should receive the support that they need to reach their full potential. Local authorities are under a statutory duty to identify, provide for, and review the support that they provide for pupils with additional support needs. T…
12 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which university it plans to lead the Centre of Teaching Excellence.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: On 6 November 2023 I updated Parliament that it is anticipated the Centre for Teaching Excellence will be hosted by a university, learning from the successful model of the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection better known as CELCIS. The S…
12 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether it is providing local authorities with the necessary resources to support the presumption of mainstreaming in schools.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Children and young people should learn in the environment which best suits their needs. Most children and young people’s need are met through a universal level of support in mainstream provision, however, there are clear exceptions to enable children and youn…
12 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many current vacant teaching posts have been filled by a probationer teacher for more than one year.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The assignment of probationer teachers to individual schools is a matter for each local authority.
12 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what structures and support it plans to put in place to allow stakeholders to engage with the Centre of Teaching Excellence.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23878 on? 8 January 2024. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committ…
12 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it collects data on how many vacant teaching posts are filled by probationer teachers annually.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The assignment of probationer teachers to individual schools is a matter for each local authority.
12 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has approached any universities to lead the Centre of Teaching Excellence.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23878 on ? 8 January 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commit…
12 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the ministerial statement on literacy and numeracy on 12 December 2023, what assessment it has made of the impact of the £830 million that it set aside for additional learning support assistants in 2021-22.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: As I set out in my statement, we have a record number of additional support assistants in our schools, and this has been supported by the £830m spent on additional support for learning in 2021-22. This level of spend on additional support for learning is a re…
12 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many probationer teachers are currently supernumerary.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The total number of Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS) probationers allocated to local authorities in May 2023 on a supernumerary basis was 626. This is the number for which local authorities have declared there are no specific probation places for. Probation nu…