Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 25 June 2019
25 Jun 2019 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Education Reforms
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I also thank the cabinet secretary for early sight of his statement.
We have known for a year what the statement would say. Everyone knows that the education bill was dropped because no one would have supported it, and everyone knew that Mr Swinney would be back in Parliament claiming great progress, so that he could finally put his flagship legislation out of its misery.
However, the reforms still do not address the real issues in our schools—squeezed budgets, teacher shortages, a narrowing curriculum, a lack of rigorous data on literacy and numeracy, standardised tests that parents do not want and which teachers do not rate, an explosion in multilevel teaching, and a crisis in support for pupils who have additional support needs.
Having spent a year developing and delivering an empowered schools diagram, will the cabinet secretary now turn his attention to those real problems that are faced daily by real teachers, pupils and parents in real schools?
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Christine Grahame)
SNP
The next item of business is a statement by John Swinney that provides an update on Scotland’s education reforms. The Deputy First Minister will take questio...
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills (John Swinney)
SNP
Presiding Officer, the relentless focus of this Government is to deliver an education system in Scotland that raises attainment for all, closes the attainmen...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
The cabinet secretary will now take questions on his statement. As usual, we have about 20 minutes.
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I thank the cabinet secretary for prior sight of his statement. On the programme for government, the First Minister told us in 2017 that “A new Education B...
John Swinney
SNP
That question covered quite a lot of topics, Presiding Officer, so you will forgive me as I try to address them. In my statement to Parliament, I have recor...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
I understand that there were a lot of questions, so that was a long answer. I also appreciate that front-bench members should get the chance to ask their que...
Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I also thank the cabinet secretary for early sight of his statement. We have known for a year what the statement would say. Ev...
John Swinney
SNP
I spend all my time focused on the real issues that face Scottish education, which is why I follow the international evidence that says that a successful edu...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
There are 13 questioners and 10 minutes. You are being told.
Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Green)
Green
The intention behind devolving powers to schools is to empower headteachers as education leaders, but it is not clear what accountability mechanisms are in p...
John Swinney
SNP
Headteachers are senior employees of local authorities and will remain so under the reforms, which means that there is a direct line of accountability in rel...
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
Is not the reality for parents and teachers unspent pupil equity fund money, unfilled headteacher vacancies and more bureaucracy in classrooms through yet mo...
John Swinney
SNP
I listened to the independent review that I commissioned on that question, which found that there was significant value in primary 1 standardised assessments...
Clare Adamson (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)
SNP
The cabinet secretary has previously said—I quote—that “the best decisions about children’s education are taken by people who know them best—their teachers,...
John Swinney
SNP
The quotation that Clare Adamson read out reflects my reading of the international evidence, which argues for more and more decisions to be taken in the clas...
Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Con)
Con
In his statement this time last year, the Deputy First Minister spoke of consensus building being at the heart of his approach following the shelving of the ...
John Swinney
SNP
The reform is being managed through the democratic process of this Parliament, and it is being managed in collaboration with our local authority partners, wh...
Jenny Gilruth (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP)
SNP
The cabinet secretary will be aware of the reduction in subject-specific principal teacher roles coupled with a movement to faculty heads in recent years, pa...
John Swinney
SNP
I encourage members to look at the report that has been produced by the working group on career pathways, led by Moyra Boland of the University of Glasgow. I...
Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Provision of services for those with additional support needs is fragmented across local authorities and, similarly, we know that local authorities use a var...
John Swinney
SNP
Home link staff play a valuable role in our education system. I see increasing numbers of schools opting to use pupil equity funding to establish much greate...
Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
SNP
Will the cabinet secretary expand on how his reforms will help to raise standards and close the poverty-related attainment gap?
John Swinney
SNP
One of the very clear outcomes of the implementation of the Scottish attainment challenge and pupil equity funding has been an ever-sharper focus within the ...
Jamie Halcro Johnston (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
The Scottish Government statistics for 2017-18 show that the gap between the most and least affluent people going to university has increased in the last yea...
John Swinney
SNP
On the measures that we have published, the attainment gap is clearly closing and has closed over time. On the point about access to university education, th...
Tom Arthur (Renfrewshire South) (SNP)
SNP
How has the Scottish Government ensured that the voices of parents and pupils have been heard throughout the reform process, and will continue to be heard, g...
John Swinney
SNP
The National Parent Forum of Scotland is a key partner in all our reform activity. We listen closely to the content of its thinking on all aspects of the edu...
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Lab
The one hard figure in the statement is the £5 million for regional improvement collaboratives. Can the cabinet secretary confirm that that will be recurring...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
That is more than one question.
John Swinney
SNP
I cannot give Mr Johnson the head count number on new roles created through the funding for regional improvement collaboratives, but I will happily write to ...