Education, Children and Young People Committee 19 November 2025
I welcome the amendments in this group and thank Pam Duncan-Glancy for lodging them and explaining their intent. The amendments, which concern the impacts of the bill on staffing, look to address some important and tangible considerations.
Before considering the detail of amendment 28, which seeks to protect the voluntary nature of teacher participation in residential outdoor education provision, I put on record the Scottish Government’s recognition of and appreciation for the amazing efforts of so many teachers and other education professionals and staff, who currently give freely of their time to provide residential outdoor education for their pupils, enriching their educational experience.
I also appreciate that there are teachers and education professionals and staff who, due to their personal circumstances, may not be able or wish to attend or support a course of residential outdoor education. It is important that the bill does not interfere with teachers’ ability to make such decisions for themselves.
Liz Smith and I have met teaching unions throughout the bill process to better understand their concerns, including those related to teacher contracts. For assurance, the Government will continue to consult with teaching unions throughout the legislative process and, should the bill become law, the implementation phase. I hope that the member in charge of the bill will also be keen to make such a commitment.
Although I appreciate what Pam Duncan-Glancy is trying to achieve with amendment 28, careful consideration must be given to the approach that it presents.
I absolutely support the position that the involvement of teachers and associated education professionals, in giving their time and energy to support residential outdoor education, should remain voluntary. However, it would not be appropriate to provide for that in the bill.
As we have already alluded to, the terms and conditions of teachers and associated education professionals are governed by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, which is a non-statutory tripartite negotiating arrangement that is entrusted with agreeing the terms and conditions of employment for our teachers and certain other education professionals. The national terms and conditions are set out in the SNCT handbook of conditions of service. I suggest that the best way to change those terms and conditions is by negotiation and agreement via the SNCT, and not by the imposition of legislation in relation to one area of those conditions alone. I therefore cannot, and do not, support amendments that cut across that long-standing arrangement between the teaching unions, local government and the Scottish Government.