Pam Duncan-Glancy

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils have accessed school counselling services in each of the last five years, also broken down by local authority.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government has collected six-monthly reports from local authorities on school counselling services since January 2021. The number of young people that accessed the service in each period, broken down by local authority can be found below. It is …

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to offering further support to local authorities for (a) data collection and (b) reporting on the (i) No One Left Behind and (ii) Young Person's Guarantee programme.

Answer · Neil Gray: Data collection and reporting for devolved employability services delivered under the No One Left Behind approach occurs quarterly, with provision in all 32 Local Authority areas aligning with the Employability Shared Measurement Framework. To support this, w…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of contracts offered to newly qualified teachers (NQTs) for the 2023-24 academic year in each local authority area were temporary contracts.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The number of post probationers in each local authority on temporary contracts will be published in the Summary Statistics for Schools publication in December. The Scottish Government does not hold information on the proportion of temporary contracts offered…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-20527 by Graeme Dey on 28 August 2023, who it has met, and on what dates it has engaged with representatives of the college sector, since 1 April 2021.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Ministers and Scottish Government officials have met representatives of the college sector frequently since 1 April 2021 through in-person meetings, visits and online meetings.

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the attainment gap for Higher A grades reportedly reaching its highest level since 2017.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Given the different approaches to assessment the pandemic has necessitated since 2020, it is difficult to directly compare this year’s exam results with any other year. However, in 2023, 20% of Higher entries by candidates from the most deprived areas (SIMD q…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-20525 by Graeme Dey on 28 August 2023, whether it anticipates that the review of purpose-built student accommodation will publish its recommendations ahead of the Scottish Parliament's October 2023 recess.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Review of Purpose Built Student Accommodation has now concluded. The recommendations formulated by the Review Steering Group have been submitted to Ministers for consideration. A Ministerial response to the recommendations will follow in due course.

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what margin the pass threshold for each of the grades A to C at (a) National 5, (b) Higher and (c) Advanced Higher has been adjusted in each of the last 10 years in (i) English, (ii) Maths, (iii) Chemistry, (iv) History, (v) PE, (vi) Modern Studies, (vii) Physics, (viii) Business Mana…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The information requested relates to Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) data and is not held by the Scottish Government. SQA has advised that this information is available on their website, including historical data for all courses including those speci…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional training opportunities have been created through the Young Person's Guarantee since it was launched.

Answer · Neil Gray: Data collected is recorded as a collective for 16–24-year-olds and not broken down by funding stream. Therefore, we are not able to provide a breakdown of training opportunities that are funded through Young Person’s Guarantee. Our Devolved Employment Service…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with (a) the Scottish Qualifications Authority and (b) Education Scotland regarding preparing its workforce ahead of the proposed replacement of the organisation.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: As Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills I engage with the SQA and Education Scotland regularly on a range of business, including on education reform. This involves meetings with the SQA Chair and Chief Executive and with Education Scotland’s Interim Chi…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the third sector in reaching people who are not engaging with employability services, particularly in relation to the Young Person's Guarantee and No One Left Behind programme.

Answer · Neil Gray: We recognise the important role the third sector can play in supporting people to access support they are entitled to and are committed to working in partnership to develop our devolved approach to employability. Both Scottish and Local Government have been …

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what evaluation it has carried out of the provision of employability services in rural areas, compared with urban areas.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government has an ongoing programme of evaluation on the employability services it provides. A programme of evaluation has been in place for Fair Start Scotland (FSS) since its inception and all evaluation reports are publicly available on www…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent engagement it has had with universities regarding cybersecurity.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government recently convened a Multi-Agency Co-ordination Group in July 2023, in response to a cybersecurity incident at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). The group was comprised of officials from the Scottish Government, UWS, NCC Gro…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to support the third sector in making employability services more accessible for disabled people.

Answer · Neil Gray: Design and delivery of employability services that meet the needs of users and local labour markets is the responsibility of the local employability partnership. To support this, and ensure national coherence, we co-designed employability service standards wi…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has a long-term staffing strategy for education.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The aim of our long-term staffing strategy for education is to ensure there continues to be a high-quality education workforce that is empowered to deliver improved learning and societal outcomes for all children and young people, and has access to a wide ran…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it gathers data on the number of students accessing mental health services at colleges and universities.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Although the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) collates data on students who declare a Mental Health condition, neither it or the Scottish Government gather information on the number of students accessing mental health services in colleges and universities.

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has given to management staff in employability services on the promotion of the Young Person's Guarantee to frontline staff, work and career coaches, employer engagement leads and training providers since it was launched.

Answer · Neil Gray: Support available through the Young Person’s Guarantee was delivered through Local Employability Partnerships, with Local Authorities acting as lead accountable body. Employability support for young people is now delivered through No One Left Behind, which c…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many Employer Recruitment Incentives have been created as part of the Young Person's Guarantee since it was launched.

Answer · Neil Gray: Support available through the Young Person’s Guarantee was delivered through Local Employability Partnerships, with Local Authorities acting as lead accountable body. Specific details on Employer Recruitment Incentives are not held by the Scottish Government…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many young people have received support through the Young Person's Guarantee since it was launched.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government announced the launch of the Young Person’s Guarantee in November 2020, with the aim to protect young people against the immediate economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between November 2020 and March 2023, 1019 employers have si…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many children have met the expected level of (a) literacy and (b) numeracy in each of the past 10 years at each stage of assessment. 

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Information on the proportion of P1, P4, P7 and S3 children achieving the expected Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels in literacy and numeracy is available from 2016-17 from Table 1 of the Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL) publication…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported claims from charities that there has been a spike in families that are not eligible for school clothing grants turning to their back to school bank services.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We are committed to reducing the cost of school uniform and supporting families so that every child in Scotland can attend school feeling comfortable, confident, and ready to learn. It is for local authorities to determine the eligibility criteria for school…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to Employer Recruitment Incentives as part of the Young Person's Guarantee since it was launched.

Answer · Neil Gray: Our employability services are designed and delivered at a local level by Local Employability Partnerships who determine the level of funding allocated to Employer Recruitment Incentives within their areas. Specific details on funding Employer Recruitment In…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recommendations of the Implementation Evaluation of No One Left Behind and the Young Person's Guarantee.

Answer · Neil Gray: Learning and evaluation continue to be a key aspect of our approach to employability services in Scotland. The Implementation evaluation of the development and early delivery of No One Left Behind and the Young Person’s Guarantee was commissioned by the Scot…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish a delivery plan for the replacement of (a) the Scottish Qualifications Authority and (b) Education Scotland.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: As outlined in the Programme for Government, the Scottish Government is committed to implementing reform of our national education bodies as part of a holistic approach to education and skills reform, building on the recommendations of recent independent repo…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on how the Scottish Qualifications Authority's appeals process aligns with the principle of fairness to all learners.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Decisions by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) on the 2023 appeals service were informed by extensive feedback on the 2022 services from the wider education community - including over 3,500 learners, parents, carers, and practitioners, as well as sc…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-20608 by Christina McKelvie on 30 August 2023, what percentage of children aged between 11 and 15 have taken part in a sport activity in each of the last five years.

Answer · Maree Todd: The most recent data from the Scottish Health Survey on sports participation by children aged between 11 and 15 in each of the last five years is detailed in the following table. Percentage of children (aged 11-15) participating in any sport in the last week…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with (a) trade unions and (b) further education management teams, regarding settlements to resolve industrial action, and (i) on what date and (ii) with whom any such discussions took place.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government has regular meetings with both College Employers Scotland and the representative campus trade unions, where a number of broad workforce issues are discussed. Given there is no timeframe set out in your question, I have provided a note…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is undertaking any work to address mental health and wellbeing issues in the context of employment support.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government works in partnership with Local Government and Local Employability Partners to offer key worker led, person-centred holistic support. At a local level they work in communities and with partners to deliver employability services to thos…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review guidance on home schooling, particularly in relation to placing a duty on home schoolers to notify local authorities.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government home education guidance sets out the legal position on home education and provides advice on the roles and responsibilities of local authorities and parents in relation to children who are home educated. This guidance is currently in …

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with unions representing staff at (a) the Scottish Qualifications Authority and (b) Education Scotland regarding preparing its workforce ahead of the proposed replacement of the organisation.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I have met with all the trade unions representing staff at both the SQA and Education Scotland. Most recently, I met with SQA unions on 13 September, and with Education Scotland unions on 14 September. In addition, my officials are in regular contact with sta…

26 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its understanding is of how the Scottish Qualifications Authority's "sensitive approach" to grading in 2023 mitigated any effects of COVID-19 disruption.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: SQA’s approach to grading the exams in 2023 was based on its established awarding processes. Using ‘grade boundaries’ – the marks needed to achieve an A, B or C grade in each course – SQA checked that each assessment was set at the right standard or level of …