Pam Duncan-Glancy

10 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it tracks the participation of children aged 10 to 15 in cultural activities, including theatre, drama, music and sport.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Scottish Government tracks the participation of children between 8-10, 11-12 and 13-15 in sport via the Scottish Health Survey. The Scottish Government does not track the participation of children aged between 10 and 15 in cultural activities.

10 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it collects data on any reductions in intergenerational income.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government does not collect this type of data. The Scottish Government regularly publishes data on wealth from the Office for National Statistics Wealth and Assets Survey. The most recent report can be found at Wealth in Scotland 2006-2020 (da…

10 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many children are meeting the early learning goals.

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government in what ways parents and carers have been involved directly and indirectly in the work of the Early Learning and Childcare: Deferral Working Group, since it was established.

Answer · Natalie Don: The Deferral Working Group was established to guide and assist evaluation of the pilot approach and assist preparation and planning for full implementation of the associated legislation in August 2023. Interviews were undertaken with 30 parents as part of th…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided directly, as well as to each local authority, to cover the costs relating to the provision of the new right, from August 2023, to early learning and childcare funding where entry to primary school is deferred.

Answer · Natalie Don: In 2023-24, we will be investing around £1 billion through local government in funding 1140 hours of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC). We have carried out detailed analysis of the cost of delivering 1140 and worked with COSLA and local government through t…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided directly, as well as to each local authority, to cover the costs relating to the promotion of the new right, from August 2023, to early learning and childcare funding where entry to primary school is deferred.

Answer · Natalie Don: In 2023-24, we will be investing around £1 billion through local government in funding 1140 hours of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC). We have carried out detailed analysis of the cost of delivering 1140 and worked with COSLA and local government through t…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it has communicated to (a) parents, (b) carers, (c) health professionals and (d) any other groups the introduction of the new right, from August 2023, to early learning and childcare funding where entry to primary school is deferred.

Answer · Natalie Don: Local authorities are responsible for school enrolments in their area, and this includes providing information to parents and carers regarding their rights on deferring starting primary school. In 2022 and 2023, we wrote to local authorities to encourage the…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out an analysis of any impact of the end of Erasmus+ on the (a) adult education, (b) higher education, (c) schools, (d) vocational and training and (e) youth work sector in (i) general and (ii) relation to any loss of funding.

Answer · Graeme Dey: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18589 on 15 June 2023 where the benefits of the Erasmus+ sector to Scotland, and as such subsequent loss due to the UK Government decision not to associate to Erasmus+ were outlined. All answers to written par…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list the representatives of the education and lifelong learning sectors that it has discussed the Scottish Education Exchange Programme (SEEP) with in the last 12 months.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Scottish Government Officials have been working with representatives from the higher education sector over the summer to develop a Scottish Education Exchange Programme Test and Learn project. This working group includes representatives from individual univer…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which representatives of the education and lifelong learning sectors it is scheduled to engage with on the Scottish Education Exchange Programme (SEEP) in the next six months.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Education Exchange Programme Test and Learn project group, which includes representatives from universities and colleges, is expected to continue to meet regularly over the next six months.  

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what changes have been made to the methodology for calculating the full-time equivalent number of educational psychologists in post since 2007.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: From 2007 to 2016, full-time equivalent was defined as between 35 and 37 hours per week depending on the local authority in which the staff were employed. From 2017 full-time equivalent has been calculated using a standard 35 hours per week across all local a…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current average waiting time is for dyslexia screening.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Public Health Scotland (PHS) does not collect data on the waiting times patient experience for dyslexia screening.

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to evaluate the decision to return to full exam coursework following the release of 2022-23 student exam results.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: As a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), SQA operates at arm’s length to ministers and is responsible for its own operational decisions, including decisions relating to course assessments. SQA’s decision to return to full course assessments for the National…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates its student mental health plan will be published by the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, published earlier in the summer, sets out the shared vision of the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) to improve mental health and wellbeing. It will be supported by an acco…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many teachers are currently trained in identifying dyslexia.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The General Teaching Council for Scotland’s (GTCS) Standard for Full Registration, which is the benchmark for competence required of all registered teachers, outlines that all teachers are required to demonstrate a depth of knowledge and understanding of peda…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what data it provided to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) annual Education at a Glance publication during the most recent cycle.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Each year the Scottish Government provides the previous year’s teacher salary data to the OECD, as collected via the Staff FTE Pay Data Collection . This salary data covers main grade and head teachers, and consists of the minimum, maximum and average salar…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the minutes of any of its meetings with Welsh Government officials where an educational exchange programme was discussed.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government has working relationships with the Welsh Government on a number of issues but does not currently publish minutes of its meetings. This is to preserve a safe space for officials to discuss a range of matters. While there are no plans t…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that it will be 2028 before an evaluation of the Scottish education system returns its data, whether it will consider any interim data to make comparisons with the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Progress in International Reading Lit…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government has committed to rejoining the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) with the next cycles, PIRLS 2026 and TIMSS 2027, reporting in 2027 and 2028 r…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to discuss violence in schools at cabinet level.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I will lead the summit on behaviour and relationships in our schools, with the first stage of the taking place on 5 September. The views and experiences of school staff will be central to the summit process, which is focusing on practical support at classroom…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates it will cost to make all colleges in the estate wind and water tight.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20534 on 6 September 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be …

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported claims by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) that violence in schools is a result of ministers not listening to demands for extra support to be given to children.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government is not aware of these reported comments from the EIS. The up to date national picture on Behaviour in Scotland’s Schools will publish later this year.

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish its statistical report specifically examining Scotland's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results, including internationally comparable data on maths, science and reading performance.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government will publish a statistical report on the results of the PISA 2022 assessments on 5 December 2023, which will include internationally comparable results on maths, science and reading. The publication is timed to coincide with the releas…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many local authorities provide (a) in-house school counselling services on location in secondary schools and (b) external access to counselling services for secondary school pupils.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government does not gather this information. It is for local authorities to determine how they deliver the service to suit the needs and circumstances of children and young people in their area. We produced guidance to support local authorities, …

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent data that reportedly shows that college drop-out rates have increased significantly.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The increase in college withdrawal rates from 2020-21 to 2021-22 highlights the challenges faced by our colleges and their learners with the ongoing disruption to delivery caused by COVID, and the emergence of the cost-of-living crisis. College learners face…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take to ensure that the reason for students dropping out of college is recorded.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has recently begun collecting students’ reasons for withdrawal (RfW) from colleges. SFC will be working with Colleges Scotland and College Development Network (CDN) to improve the capture of student withdrawal data in future…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent data that reportedly shows that the number of full-time students in Scotland has fallen from 52,000 to 43,000 over the last decade.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Official Statistics published by the Scottish Funding Council in their annual College Statistics release show that in 2021-22 there were 69,036 full-time Higher (HE) and Further Education (FE) college enrolments in total. Although this is a decrease of around…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported claims by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) that it implied teachers were being "greedy" during pay talks.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government does not recognise these reported claims. The Scottish Government worked closely with the teaching unions, including the EIS, and local government partners to reach a historic 28-month pay deal that has a cumulative value of 14.6%, wh…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18501 by Jenny Gilruth on 16 June 2023, who the "key stakeholders" referenced are that it engaged with on the learning together action plan.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government engaged with a wide range of stakeholders in the development of the Learning together: national action plan on parental involvement, engagement, family learning and learning at home 2018–2021. In late 2021 a steering group was formed b…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18501 by Jenny Gilruth on 16 June 2023, on exactly what date it plans to publish the Learning Together Action Plan.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government is currently considering next steps and will update the Scottish Parliament later this year.

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish its next summary report of local authority reports on the impact and effectiveness of school counsellors.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The summary of 2022 reports will be published in the coming weeks at: Access to counsellors in secondary schools and children and young people’s community mental health services – summary reports - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)