Meeting of the Parliament 15 May 2019
If Johann Lamont will forgive me, I will give way to her during my closing remarks.
Those positive destinations are at a record level because of the appropriateness and the value of the curricular approach that is being taken to support young people in Scottish education. I welcome the progress that is being made. At the heart of the Government’s agenda is an unrelenting focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap through the pursuit of excellence and equity for all. That is what founds the Government’s education policy and the consistent direction that we are taking to deliver for education in Scotland.
We aim to do that by empowering the teaching profession and encouraging teachers to operate with a sense of professional agency, supported by professional development. All the mechanisms to allow that to happen are being put in place in Scottish education.
I look forward to a debate that focuses on what we can achieve to transform the lives of young people in Scotland through the power of education.
I move amendment S5M-17280.2, to leave out from “, but believes” to end and insert:
“; welcomes the recent agreement reached by professional associations, local government and the Scottish Government to provide an increase in teacher pay; believes that improved pay is an important element in the attractiveness of the teaching profession, as part of a wider strategy to address recruitment and retention problems; further believes that teachers’ professionalism should be supported through improved career-long professional learning, clear professional ownership of their own curricular role and a shared leadership role within a collegiate approach to Scotland’s schools; recognises the challenge represented by the increasing need for additional support, and agrees that the Scottish Government will review the use of coordinated support plans to ensure that young people with the most significant additional needs are receiving the support that they require.”
16:04Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.
- S5M-17280.2 Education Motion