Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 29 March 2017
29 Mar 2017 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Education
The debate must be set in the context of our determination to improve performance in Scottish education. We have a good education system, with hard-working and committed teachers and early years practitioners who are working day in, day out to support children to succeed. It serves neither the country nor our children and young people to ignore the many positive achievements that are being made.
More young people are achieving excellent exam results than ever before. The number of advanced higher passes last year reached an all-time high, and the number of higher passes surpassed 150,000 for only the second time. The choices that the Government has made mean that more children and young people from deprived communities now leave school with at least one higher or the equivalent. The proportion of young people who leave school for positive destinations reached a record high in 2015-16.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-04920, in the name of Tavish Scott, on education. I call Tavish Scott to speak to and move the motion. 1...
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
On Monday, I witnessed Whiteness primary school’s senior pupils performing “Henry VIII”. The play has a lot to say about politics at the moment, but I partic...
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills (John Swinney)
SNP
I am grateful to Mr Scott for giving way. As he goes through the information about benchmarks, would he acknowledge that the number of pages that he has cite...
Tavish Scott
LD
Yes. There is much in that argument, although I suspect that it would be inordinately helpful to teachers the length and breadth of the country if the Deputy...
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills (John Swinney)
SNP
The debate must be set in the context of our determination to improve performance in Scottish education. We have a good education system, with hard-working a...
Johann Lamont (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
Does the Deputy First Minister recognise the work of the Institute for Public Policy Research, which has discussed positive destinations and said that we sho...
John Swinney
SNP
The positive destinations analysis has been a reasonably long-term assessment of trends that has spanned many years. In the labour market strategy, we are co...
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
John Swinney made it abundantly clear last week, in responding to a poor inspection report on Argyll and Bute Council, that when it comes to improving standa...
Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
Like Liz Smith, I have carefully studied Mr Swinney’s speech last week, in which he declared that “the status quo is not an option” in our schools. I agre...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Linda Fabiani)
SNP
We move to the open debate. We are extremely tight for time, so there is no leeway at all on the time limit of four minutes. 15:07
Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD)
LD
Last night, when I discussed the topic of the motion with my wife, who is a primary school teacher of 15 years’ experience, she gave me an insight into the m...
Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)
SNP
I hear teachers say, “Leave us alone—let the curriculum bed in,” all the time. Does the member not agree that changing the governance structures of the educa...
Alex Cole-Hamilton
LD
Not when that is exactly the intervention that our teachers are asking for. The most recent example of the Government’s tendency has been the advent of nati...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
You must come to a close, please.
Alex Cole-Hamilton
LD
I will, Presiding Officer. This is symptomatic of the Government’s approach of measurement, meddling and micromanagement, and I am therefore quite happy to s...
Gillian Martin (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)
SNP
In my contribution, I will concentrate on the first part of the Liberal Democrat motion, which refers to inspections. As a member of the Education and Skill...
Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green)
Green
From the evidence that the committee has gathered, there seems to be a disconnect between the value that headteachers place on inspections and the value that...
Gillian Martin
SNP
I have heard that kind of stuff, too, and I think that it is a cultural thing. The previous inspections regime was so onerous—and I will say more about this ...
Jamie Greene (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
Education should serve two functions: it should enrich the minds of students and prepare them for the modern workforce. My colleague Liz Smith said that rece...
Johann Lamont (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome the opportunity to take part in the debate—albeit briefly—and I thank the Liberal Democrats for bringing the issue to the chamber. I hope that the...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
You must close, please.
Johann Lamont
Lab
That is not good enough. We know that people are trying to do their best. I believe that the proposed change in the role of Education Scotland would play a p...
Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green)
Green
Our education agencies play a vital role in ensuring that pupils get a strong education. Their performance has a real impact. As members are aware, the Educa...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
The last contribution in the open debate is from Fulton MacGregor. 15:28
Fulton MacGregor (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP)
SNP
First, I would like to apologise for my hoarse voice. I have had the flu that has been going around—or, as I have been told by my partner several times this ...
Johann Lamont
Lab
Will the member take an intervention?
Fulton MacGregor
SNP
No—there is not a lot of time. My constituency contains some of the most deprived areas in Scotland, according to the Scottish index of multiple deprivation...
Johann Lamont
Lab
Will the member take an intervention?
Fulton MacGregor
SNP
I do not have time. Education Scotland already runs independently of Government, but I would support a review of the processes that are in place—as Ross Gre...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
The member must close.