Chamber
Plenary, 22 Mar 2007
22 Mar 2007 · S2 · Plenary
Item of business
Education
The Executive has delivered on its commitment to bring in more teachers. Indeed, by August, we will have met our target of 53,000 teachers in Scotland. As the bald statistics will make clear to Tricia Marwick and others, class sizes in primary and secondary school have been falling year on year. That is the reality of Scottish education, and that is the reason why our teachers have been responding so well.
We should shout it from the rooftops: we have a good education system that is already delivering for our children. However, the Executive has further ambitions. We want to be the best in the world, which means building on the system's strengths while continuing to adapt, modernise and innovate to meet the challenges ahead.
As Tricia Marwick has demonstrated, there is a tendency to dwell on the negative and to talk ourselves down. The Scottish National Party's glass is always half empty, never half full. It moans, it groans, it is full of despair and it never has anything positive to say. It does not sing about our achievements or highlight the positive things that are happening. It looks for failure, it seeks to criticise and it tries at every turn to be negative.
Just for once, the nationalists should try to be a bit more positive, because there is much to celebrate in Scottish education. Indeed, as I said earlier, Robert Brown and I have seen those achievements at first hand. Susan Ward from Juniper Green primary school, who won the United Kingdom teaching award for outstanding new teacher, exemplifies the excellence in our teaching profession. She is one of the new young teachers who are making teaching their profession, making a difference for our children and inspiring others to achieve. I want to do everything that I can to promote such excellence in the profession.
We should shout it from the rooftops: we have a good education system that is already delivering for our children. However, the Executive has further ambitions. We want to be the best in the world, which means building on the system's strengths while continuing to adapt, modernise and innovate to meet the challenges ahead.
As Tricia Marwick has demonstrated, there is a tendency to dwell on the negative and to talk ourselves down. The Scottish National Party's glass is always half empty, never half full. It moans, it groans, it is full of despair and it never has anything positive to say. It does not sing about our achievements or highlight the positive things that are happening. It looks for failure, it seeks to criticise and it tries at every turn to be negative.
Just for once, the nationalists should try to be a bit more positive, because there is much to celebrate in Scottish education. Indeed, as I said earlier, Robert Brown and I have seen those achievements at first hand. Susan Ward from Juniper Green primary school, who won the United Kingdom teaching award for outstanding new teacher, exemplifies the excellence in our teaching profession. She is one of the new young teachers who are making teaching their profession, making a difference for our children and inspiring others to achieve. I want to do everything that I can to promote such excellence in the profession.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Trish Godman):
Lab
The next item of business is a debate on motion S2M-5775, in the name of Hugh Henry, on celebrating success in Scottish education.
The Minister for Education and Young People (Hugh Henry):
Lab
I am delighted to open a debate that gives us an opportunity to put on record all the significant developments that are taking place in Scottish education.As...
Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP):
SNP
If such substantial progress has been made since the Labour-Liberal Executive came to power, can the minister explain why in 1997 there were 1,707 teachers i...
Hugh Henry:
Lab
The Executive has delivered on its commitment to bring in more teachers. Indeed, by August, we will have met our target of 53,000 teachers in Scotland. As th...
Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con):
Con
The minister is not the only one who visits schools in Scotland; as he would expect, we all do. Secondary schools have been telling us that a quarter of prim...
Hugh Henry:
Lab
We can address some of the issues that still have to be tackled. The fact is that Scotland's performance ranks in the top third of Organisation for Economic ...
Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP):
SNP
Does the minister agree that it is unfortunate that many of the rural schools in Moray that have received excellent inspection reports in recent years have b...
Hugh Henry:
Lab
Any such decision—and, indeed, the quality of education in the area—is a matter for the local authority in Moray. However, we are determined to raise standar...
Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP):
SNP
I greatly appreciated the minister's list of visits to schools in marginal constituencies with Labour members who are in their final days in office.The SNP i...
Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind):
Ind
Does the member have any information on the geographical location and sociological demographics of the classes that she describes as being too big?
Fiona Hyslop:
SNP
Margo MacDonald makes a good point. Indeed, in the debate on the Crichton campus at lunch time, the issue was raised in relation to Dumfries and Galloway. Pe...
Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD):
LD
Will the member give way?
Fiona Hyslop:
SNP
I want to move on.We should be introducing a baccalaureate as a group award in highers for top performance, first in languages and then in science, to encour...
Mr Davidson:
Con
Will Ms Hyslop enlighten us on the science baccalaureate? What plans does the SNP have to fill the current shortages in science teachers at the top end of sc...
Fiona Hyslop:
SNP
The SNP plans to maintain teacher numbers in the face of falling school rolls. We will encourage people to become teachers, particularly early years, science...
Hugh Henry:
Lab
Will the member take an intervention?
Fiona Hyslop:
SNP
I am in my last minute.The extra cost of PPP finance means that schools will lose at least £900,000 that could be spent on more books, better equipment and m...
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con):
Con
Like Fiona Hyslop, we all believe strongly in the pursuit of educational excellence. I thank her for her kind words about the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. I...
Hugh Henry:
Lab
I pay tribute to Lord James for the contribution that he has made to public life in Scotland over many years. He has played a distinguished role not only in ...
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
Con
There have been substantial improvements to Scottish education since before that time. Those improvements have been steady and we must learn from them. Howev...
Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD):
LD
Will the member take an intervention?
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
Con
I will take a brief intervention, but I have quite a lot to say.
Margaret Smith:
LD
Does the member agree that it is important that Scottish history be taught in our schools, if for no other reason than to remind children of the important ro...
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
Con
I thank Margaret Smith and Hugh Henry very much for their kind words.I support the teaching of history in schools, although not for the reason that Margaret ...
Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD):
LD
I am pleased to follow Lord James Douglas-Hamilton in the debate, because that gives me an opportunity to pay tribute to him after his final speech in this p...
Margo MacDonald:
Ind
Will the Treasury have an interest in whether the PPP-style mechanism can be replaced with another one, or will it be something that is just for the Scottish...
Iain Smith:
LD
My understanding is that the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to create the bonds that the SNP proposes to have, which means that the policy would...
Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
We are going to abolish the council tax, not cap it.
Iain Smith:
LD
Whether it is the council tax or the local income tax that is capped, it will starve local authorities of resources. Worse than that, the SNP will put all th...
Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab):
Lab
I start by adding to the tributes to Lord James Douglas-Hamilton. Some 30 or so years ago, Lord James was my MP, although I am afraid that I did not vote for...