Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 12 January 2016
12 Jan 2016 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Education
The cabinet secretary rightly made a point about teacher professionalism. With regard to her new headteacher qualification, does she accept that it is important to recognise the difference between rural schools and small schools in rural local authority areas and larger schools in other local authority areas, and to recognise the difficulties with recruitment that will arise occasionally in rural areas as a result of the requirement for that qualification?
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-15282, in the name of Angela Constance, on delivering a world-class education system. 14:55
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (Angela Constance)
SNP
It is a pleasure to open the debate, particularly at the start of a new and exciting year for education in Scotland. Just six days ago, at the international ...
Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab)
Lab
Has an analysis been done of the proportion of the one out of 10 who have not ended up in satisfactory destinations who have come from poor or deprived backg...
Angela Constance
SNP
Ms Lamont knows as well as I do that the relationship between young people not being in positive destinations and their having a poor socioeconomic backgroun...
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
The cabinet secretary rightly made a point about teacher professionalism. With regard to her new headteacher qualification, does she accept that it is import...
Angela Constance
SNP
I appreciate that there are particular challenges for rural communities and especially ones with small schools. I discussed that last summer when I attended ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
Thank you for finishing on time. We are very tight for time today. I remind members who wish to speak in the debate to press their request-to-speak buttons. ...
Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
We all want Scotland to have a world-class education system. The Labour amendment is designed to strengthen the Government motion, in which there is little t...
The Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland’s Languages (Dr Alasdair Allan)
SNP
Iain Gray mentioned the challenging time for local authority budgets. Has he yet reached a view as to where in the budget he would seek the money and what he...
Iain Gray
Lab
I simply say that to come here and say that one is supporting school education while taking £0.5 billion from local government cannot be an honest approach e...
Dr Allan
SNP
Will Iain Gray give way?
Iain Gray
Lab
I have given way to the minister once already. Dr Scott is very clear on who is suffering. He said that “less able and middle ranking learners appear to ha...
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD)
LD
Aspiring to a world-class education system is absolutely where our sights should be set. That is not to denigrate the work of those who work in our schools, ...
Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
This is unusual: the Conservatives are supporting the Government’s motion today. The reason is that the Government has accepted the OECD’s recommendations, a...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
Thank you. We are extraordinarily tight for time today, so in order to protect the closing speakers in this debate, less would be more. You have up to six mi...
George Adam (Paisley) (SNP)
SNP
Is it me? Thank you, Presiding Officer.
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
Sorry. I call George Adam, to be followed by John Pentland.
George Adam
SNP
You have already bitten into my time, Presiding Officer. Like many of my colleagues and fellow MSPs, I became involved in politics—as I have said in previo...
John Pentland (Motherwell and Wishaw) (Lab)
Lab
I believe that we are having this debate today not through the Scottish Government’s choice but as a reaction to criticisms of its education policy. It is ea...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
I call Gordon MacDonald, to be followed by Cara Hilton—up to six minutes, please. 15:45
Gordon MacDonald (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP)
SNP
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I apologise for my voice, which I hope will last for six minutes. Scotland has a fine history of achievement in education, sta...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
Will you draw to a close, please?
Gordon MacDonald
SNP
As the OECD recognised, curriculum for excellence has the ability to deliver a world-class education system for all, putting Scotland once again at the foref...
Cara Hilton (Dunfermline) (Lab)
Lab
We all want Scotland to have an education system to be proud of. We want a Scotland in which every child in every community can achieve their true potential ...
Willie Coffey (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)
SNP
For those of us who are not experts, the OECD report can be a challenging read at times. It is positive about Scotland’s achievements to date and the potenti...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
We will continue to be challenged as individuals and as an educational system by the youngsters of today. Most youngsters do not carry a pen or a pencil. Tha...
Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab)
Lab
I declare an interest as a member of the EIS. I was a teacher for 20 years, and I probably still am at heart. I always welcome the opportunity to be involved...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
I regret that I now have to reduce the speaking time of the remaining open debate speakers to five minutes. 16:16
Stuart McMillan (West Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
Listening to Stewart Stevenson’s speech, two things struck me. The first was the issue of children’s questions. I have two daughters and some of the question...
Johann Lamont
Lab
Will the member give way?