Pam Duncan-Glancy

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

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

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government does not hold this information, because it is statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage and maintain their school estate. This government has a strong record on the school estate, working in collaboration with local auth…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish its evaluation of the four delivery model pilots for school swimming.

Answer · Maree Todd: The four delivery model pilots of school swimming have now been completed and an evaluation is currently being undertaken which will be published in September. We will work with Scottish Swimming and sport scotland to utilise the learning from these pilots to…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the provision of secondary school counselling services across all 32 local authorities.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Local authorities currently provide six monthly reports on school counselling services which include information around number of children accessing the service, improved outcomes, counsellor numbers and the types of issues young people are presenting with. …

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many counsellors have been recruited in each local authority, using the £16 million of funding that it provided, to provide secondary school counselling provision.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government have invested £16m per year in order to ensure that children and young people have quick and effective access to support for their mental health and wellbeing through counsellors in schools. Local authorities provide six-monthly report…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the reported trend in falling college enrolment numbers.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Academic year 2021-22 saw increases in enrolments, student headcount and full-time equivalent (FTE) places on the previous year; as well as increased numbers upskilling and reskilling on short courses, and increased opportunities for those furthest from the w…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains committed to the recommendations made in the 2019 report from the Independent Panel on Career Pathways for Teachers.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Independent Panel on Career Pathways for Teachers was established in August 2018 in response to a request from the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT). The final report of the Panel published on 30 May 2019 set out 10 recommendations aimed…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to update guidance on teacher training to tackle workplace violence.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government has published guidance for teaching staff which focuses on supporting positive behaviour and includes advice on prevention and de-escalation of incidents. The latest iteration of our longitudinal Behaviour in Scottish Schools Resear…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the average processing times for teacher registration are for individuals who are (a) Scotland-domiciled, (b) ordinarily resident in the UK and (c) currently living outwith the UK.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. We have therefore sought information from the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS). GTCS advised that they process applications by country of qualification as opposed to the location of the appl…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what date it expects to publish recommendations following its review of purpose-built student accommodation.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Review of Purpose Built Student Accommodation has now concluded and the Review Steering Group has formulated a number of recommendations and we will receive these shortly. A Ministerial response to the review will follow in the autumn.

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported call of the Scottish Children's Services Coalition for out-of-hours counselling services to be made available for school pupils.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Our aims and principles make clear that there should be availability of counselling services during school holidays, to ensure continued support to vulnerable young people. However, it is a matter for local authorities to decide how to deliver the service to …

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement its officials have had with the college sector since 1 April 2023.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Scottish Government officials have engaged frequently with the college sector since 1 April 2023. This has been done through in-person meetings, visits, online meetings and written communication with individual colleges, the sector as a whole, and representat…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications have been received for a place in the Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice programme.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The programme is now in its third year following the initial pilot. In total 279 applications have been received from the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) registered teachers across Scotland. 166 have been successful in gaining a place on the prog…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the actual number of full-time equivalent (FTE) occupied places in colleges has been in each year since 2007.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Information on the number of enrolments, student headcount and full-time equivalent places (FTE) over the last decade in Scottish colleges is published by the Scottish Funding Council in their annual college statistics release which is published here: Colle…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comments of the Scottish Council of Deans of Education that it is “disappointed and concerned” by the removal of funding for masters-level study for teachers.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We have met with the Scottish Council of Deans of Education to discuss their concerns. The recent teacher pay deal is the largest in twenty years and was made against a challenging financial backdrop. It is in that context that we have had to review funding …

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the number of speech and language therapists.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Over the next three years the Scottish Government will invest in a new programme of work to support early intervention in speech and language for children and their families, helping to build confidence and capacity for staff working in early learning and chi…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many colleges are considered to be wind and water tight, and what percentage of the college estate this represents.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The SFC’s “College Infrastructure Strategy: The Approach to Delivering Scotland’s College Infrastructure”, published in November 2022, recognises that investment in college infrastructure is needed and …

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many teachers act as a young carers champion.

Answer · Maree Todd: This information is not held by the Scottish Government, and this would be a matter for Local Authorities. However, not every Local Authority has a Young Carer Champion, and if they do, they are not necessarily a teaching member of staff.

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many accreditations have been issued to individuals following their completion of the Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice programme, in each year since the launch of the programme.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Pilot programme (2017-19) 10 teachers were supported to achieve the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) Professional Recognition in Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice. Cohort 1 (2021-22) 16 teachers achieved GTCS Professional Recognition. Cohort 2…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comments of the Educational Institute of Scotland that the lack of financial support for teachers’ professional development is damaging Scottish education, in light of the announcement that funding for masters-level professional development is to be w…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The recent teacher pay deal is the largest in twenty years and was made against a challenging financial backdrop. It is in that context that we have had to review funding commitments across the programme. We continue to value the importance of professional d…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported call of the Scottish Children's Services Coalition for more investment in counselling for school pupils.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We continue to support our local authority partners with £16 million per year to ensure all secondary schools have access to school counselling services. It is for local authorities to determine how they deliver the counselling service in their area. In Dece…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last undertook a review of the school estate, and what the conclusions were.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government collects information on the condition, suitability and capacity of all local authority schools in the annual School Estates Core Facts Survey. Information is also collected on schools that were built or substantially refurbished during…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many schools are currently considered wind and water tight, and what percentage of the school estate this represents.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. It is statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage and maintain their school estate. However, the proportion of schools in “good” or “satisfactory” condition has increased from 61% in April 2…

9 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last undertook a review of the college estate, and what the conclusions were.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The SFC last undertook a review of the college estate in late 2017 through the College Sector Estate Conditions Survey. This identified that approximately one-third of the college estate required significant backlog maintenance, either through major repair or…

21 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recommendations it has made for Access for All funding regarding accessibility improvements at Glasgow railway stations, in each of the last five years.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Rail accessibility remains a matter reserved to the UK Government. For the current Rail Regulatory Control Period 6 (2019-2024) the Scottish Government nominated the following stations for the Department for Transport’s Access for All Programme:- Anderston, …

21 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address waiting times for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) assessments.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting all Boards to achieve the standard that 90% of patients start treatment within 18 weeks of referral. We allocated nearly £40m additional funding in 2021-22 to NHS Boards to improve CAMHS, which included …

13 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many student teachers have accessed bursaries in each year since 2008.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Since the STEM bursary scheme (now known as the Teaching Bursary Scheme) was introduced in 2018, the number of bursaries awarded in each year is as follows: Number of bursaries awarded Year 107 2018-19 111 2019-20 150 2020-21 137 2021-22 84 2022-2…

13 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on student teacher bursaries in each year since 2008.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Since the STEM bursary scheme (now known as the Teaching Bursary Scheme) was introduced in 2018, the costs the Scottish Government has provided is as follows: Year Costs 2018-19 £2,140,000 2019-20 £2,220,000 2020-21 £3,000,000 2021-22 £2,740,000 20…

5 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support LGBT+ asylum seekers and refugees.

Answer · Emma Roddick: Scotland has a long history of welcoming people of all nationalities and faiths, including those seeking refuge and asylum from war and persecution. The New Scots refugee integration strategy was informed by engagement across Scotland, including refugees and …

5 Jul 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to LGBT Health and Wellbeing's LGBT Refugee Project report, Experiences of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and refugees in Scotland: Housing, houselessness, hotel detention and impact.

Answer · Emma Roddick: The Scottish Government has noted the LGBT Health and Wellbeing’s report and continues to listen to the lived experience of refugees and people seeking asylum in a variety of ways. The New Scots refugee integration strategy was informed by engagement across …

19 Jun 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place for disabled children and young people navigating the justice system.