Hansard

The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone) NPA

The next item of business is a statement by Jenny Gilruth on mobile phones and behaviour and relationships in school. The cabinet secretary will take questio...

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills (Jenny Gilruth) SNP

I am pleased to update Parliament on the Scottish Government’s new guidance on mobile phones in schools and on our joint action plan on relationships and beh...

The Presiding Officer NPA

The cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues that were raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes for questions, after which...

Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con) Con

I am grateful for advance sight of the statement, but, like the guidance on mobile phones and the behaviour action plan, the statement is long on words and v...

Jenny Gilruth SNP

Mr Kerr covers a few different areas, and I will try to respond to each in turn. First, I will pick up on a favourite topic for Mr Kerr and others in this c...

The Presiding Officer NPA

Please be brief, cabinet secretary.

Jenny Gilruth SNP

—we have an incoming Labour Government that seems to be mirroring the spending decisions of the outgoing Conservative Government, which will impact on the re...

Pam Duncan-Glancy (Glasgow) (Lab) Lab

The publication of the guidance, although long overdue, is welcome, but I worry that the devil will be in the detail of how it is implemented, because, as we...

Jenny Gilruth SNP

I am glad that the member welcomes the publication of the plan. She is correct in saying that the devil will be in the detail. In developing the guidance,...

Pam Duncan-Glancy Lab

When?

Jenny Gilruth SNP

I hear the member shouting, “When?” from a sedentary position. I do not yet have clarity on the VAT that the Labour Government has told us is going to flow t...

Elena Whitham (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP) SNP

The cabinet secretary will be aware that some pupils have unique personal circumstances that mean that they require their phones. Can she say more about how ...

Jenny Gilruth SNP

The member raises a really important point that relates to the response that I gave to Pam Duncan-Glancy. It is important that we do not have a monolithic na...

Roz McCall (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con) Con

I note that the Scottish Government has given support for whole-school bans by empowering headteachers to take the steps that they consider to be appropriate...

Jenny Gilruth SNP

Roz McCall has raised an important point. I pay tribute to her interest in the issue. We have met to discuss it and she has written to me on a number of occa...

Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP) SNP

Last month, as she referenced in her statement, the cabinet secretary visited Stonelaw high school in my Rutherglen constituency, which developed its new mob...

Jenny Gilruth SNP

I put on record, given that Stonelaw high school is in Clare Haughey’s constituency, that it is an outstanding school, with an outstanding headteacher and so...

Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab) Lab

The Government published the “Education Outcomes for Looked after Children 2022/23” report, which shows that care-experienced pupils face significant challen...

Jenny Gilruth SNP

Martin Whitfield raises a hugely important point. I note that the risk profile would be owned by the local authority, not by the central Government. The auth...

Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP) SNP

Digital technology can provide another platform for bullying, harassment and abuse, and it is vital that we keep working to ensure that staff and pupils are ...

Jenny Gilruth SNP

With regard to developing positive relationships, it is fundamental that we recall that the types of behaviour and relationships approaches that are now used...

Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green) Green

The cabinet secretary knows that I try not to be cynical, but I am struggling to understand the purpose of the mobile phone guidance. It consists of 10 pages...

Jenny Gilruth SNP

I note Mr Greer’s cynicism. He will know that, as a former secondary school teacher, I share it, generally. I note that he received a small clap from Liam Ke...

Sue Webber (Lothian) (Con) Con

It was me.

Jenny Gilruth SNP

Oh. I apologise. To go back to the substance, this is not another example of guidance that is not going to have an impact. It is a three-year plan, and it w...

George Adam (Paisley) (SNP) SNP

I am supportive of these moves. Please correct me if I am oversimplifying, but is it not the case that the most important aspect is that headteachers know th...

Jenny Gilruth SNP

I agree with Mr Adam. I mentioned previously that, fundamentally, the guidance sets out our expectation that, as a Government, we trust Scotland’s headteache...

Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD) LD

I give credit to the cabinet secretary for the focus that she has put on behaviour issues. I think that she gets the problem, and it is good to have a new ac...

Jenny Gilruth SNP

Mr Rennie asked what will be monitored. Of course, the action plan will be monitored over the course of the next year, but let me give an example of some of ...

The Presiding Officer NPA

Briefly, cabinet secretary.