Meeting of the Parliament 24 May 2023
I completely agree with that. We need to look at the big picture and consider the issue into the future, too.
We need to do all that we can to ensure that our schools are safe and secure learning environments and workplaces. It is high time that the Government took responsibility for fixing the issue. Therefore, although I welcome the cabinet secretary’s announcement that there will be a summit, I would appreciate her recognition in closing that that alone will not be enough. I have heard some commitments today in that regard that I am really heartened by, but they have come quite late, so actions must follow swiftly.
Trade unions, teachers, parents and pupils themselves have been pleading for action for years, and they really are desperate. They need more than just a talking shop or a photo op. I am quietly confident that we can push in that direction, but it must be a space for teachers, parents and pupils to participate meaningfully, to lead to a real plan to keep the classroom safe, and to require a comprehensive national strategy to combat violence in schools, to deal with the longer-term approach that we have just heard about.
The strategy must take account of the wider circumstances, such as the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, but also evaluate the impact of continued cuts to local authority budgets on those circumstances. It will have to address concerns around hesitancy in reporting incidents, as we have heard, for fear of damaging school reputation, by establishing a national framework for reporting. To do that, we must also be able to understand the true scale of the problem.
I urge the Government to do everything that it can. I welcome the cabinet secretary’s request to bring forward the research from the end of the year, but we can and should do something with the data that we have now. Trade unions have made that quite clear.
The battle against the problem needs leadership from the Government, which must come alongside transparent and open communication that will allow the widest possible engagement. It must also ensure that any outcomes are effectively implemented with the support of schools, pupils and parents.
I and Scottish Labour will always have high aspirations for our education system in Scotland, as we do for all the people of Scotland. That is why we must all unite today in our determination to make sure that our schools are safe, pupils are thriving, and teachers have the resources to ensure both. Together, we can create an education system that uplifts and empowers every child to have a better future.
I move amendment S6M-09126.2, to leave out from “establish” to end and insert:
“urgently develop and bring forward a national strategy for tackling violence in schools that will empower teachers and schools, ensure pupil support assistants are available, develop material that will inform parents and schools, tackle the growth in accessibility and circulation of harmful online content and produce a national framework for reporting instances of violence and disruption within schools; recognises that trade unions have been raising concerns about violence and risks to teachers’ safety in Scotland for a number of years; understands that the recent escalation in violence has not started overnight and that there are various factors that contribute to the circumstances where violent incidents may occur, including class sizes, a lack of mental health support for pupils, harmful online content, inequality and cuts to youth services, and calls on the Scottish Government to deliver on the promises that have been made to Scotland’s young people and ensure that any assessment of the current situation takes into account the wider circumstances facing pupils, teachers and parents, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis and the underfunding of local services.”
15:22Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.