Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 07 November 2023
07 Nov 2023 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Education and Skills Reform
I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of her statement. When we got the Withers and Hayward reviews about six months ago, the cabinet secretary said that she needed time to consider them and many other reports, some of which she has listed, before concluding on a way forward. I think that the Parliament understood that, given that the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland had said:
“confusion and frustration exist in the system due to the large number of external reports followed by the number of recommendations making progress unmanageable, swiftly followed by inactivity.”
I fear that there will be huge disappointment that today’s statement seems to promise more working groups, more discussion forums and probably exactly the sort of confusion and frustration that has been referred to. What might allay some concerns are precise and detailed answers.
With that in mind, can the cabinet secretary tell us who will sit on the ministerial group advising the cabinet secretary on education and skills reform and when precisely the group will report? Who precisely will sit on the education and skills reform chief executive forum, what are the forum’s remits and how much will it cost? Does the cabinet secretary believe that any current secondary pupils will sit assessments under the new qualifications and assessment system?
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
The next item of business is a statement by Jenny Gilruth on an update on education and skills reform. The cabinet secretary will take questions at the end o...
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills (Jenny Gilruth)
SNP
I am grateful for the opportunity to update Parliament on next steps for education and skills reform. Members will recall that, in June, I paused the legisla...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
The cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues that have been raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes, after which we will ...
Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of her statement. When we got the Withers and Hayward reviews about six months ago, the cabinet secretary sai...
Jenny Gilruth
SNP
Liam Kerr touched on a number of different areas. I will start with the current context because that is really important. He spoke about the update that I pr...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
I echo the reminder from the Presiding Officer that we do not have any time in hand over the course of the afternoon, so we will have to have tight questions...
Pam Duncan-Glancy (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
I will do my best, Presiding Officer. I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of her statement. Reform has been on-going for some time, but all tha...
Jenny Gilruth
SNP
Pam Duncan-Glancy has raised a number of important points. Today’s statement about the consultation that was launched today to look at legislation is an impo...
Ruth Maguire (Cunninghame South) (SNP)
SNP
We currently have inequality between outcomes for the children from our richest areas and those for children from the poorest areas. With that in mind, what ...
Jenny Gilruth
SNP
Ruth Maguire has raised a hugely important point. Excellent learning and teaching are fundamental to closing the poverty-related attainment gap. We know from...
Roz McCall (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I thank the cabinet secretary for advance sight of her statement, which I note says that “teachers and educators must be directly involved in governance”, ...
Jenny Gilruth
SNP
I must confess that I am not familiar with Roz McCall’s proposal for a new deal for teachers, nor with the one about headteachers. However, I am perfectly pr...
Michelle Thomson (Falkirk East) (SNP)
SNP
Professor Ken Muir describes Scottish education as “complex and interconnected”. Will the cabinet secretary ensure that the consultation document gives confi...
Jenny Gilruth
SNP
Michelle Thomson has made a hugely important point, and the link that she makes in relation to the “interconnected” and “complex” system that was cited by Pr...
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
The cabinet secretary talked about the launch today of the education reform bill. She will be aware of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Chi...
Jenny Gilruth
SNP
Martin Whitfield has made a really important point. I will just confirm that the bill is not being published today; it is the consultation document. However...
Fulton MacGregor (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP)
SNP
The cabinet secretary highlighted the impact of the cost of living crisis. Does she share my concern that, as we undertake the reforms and do everything that...
Jenny Gilruth
SNP
Fulton MacGregor has made a really important point. We cannot divorce decisions that are taken at Westminster from the impact that they have in our classroom...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
Willie Rennie joins us remotely.
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
Today’s Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report states: “The need for change is clear and expectations are high”. I am afraid that th...
Jenny Gilruth
SNP
I thank Mr Rennie for his question, which went round the houses a wee bit. Nonetheless, on the question how we can move things forward, the legislative agen...
Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green)
Green
I welcome the decision on regional improvement collaboratives, in particular. For six years now, there has been a frustrating diversion of resources away fro...
Jenny Gilruth
SNP
Some of the challenges that Ross Greer mentioned and alluded to in relation to the RICs are ones that I have heard being played back to me by the profession ...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
Following on from the points that were made in that last question, as well as discussing the involvement of pupils, the cabinet secretary spoke in her statem...
Jenny Gilruth
SNP
I have done quite a bit of engagement in relation to additional support needs—in particular, in our schools. We know that more than a third of children and y...
Sue Webber (Lothian) (Con)
Con
In your statement, cabinet secretary, you talk about more committees and more working groups being set up, but I contend that everyone is now looking for act...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
Please speak through the chair.
Sue Webber
Con
That circumvents the committee process, rather than waiting for the outcomes and the evidence that will be taken. What were you thinking, cabinet secretary?
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
Please speak through the chair.
Jenny Gilruth
SNP
I am sorry, but I fail to understand Sue Webber’s question. I would be more than happy to attend her committee tomorrow, although I have not received an invi...