Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 03 September 2024
03 Sep 2024 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Mobile Phones in Schools
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 occasions, particularly in relation to challenges in her region.
On headteachers’ autonomy, we as a Government have always pursued a policy approach that seeks to empower the teaching profession—in particular, headteachers—in Scotland’s schools. One of the ways in which we have been able to exemplify that is through the funding for the Scottish attainment challenge, which flows directly to headteachers and empowers them to take decisions about additional funding in their schools and where that is best placed. That is evidence of us trusting Scotland’s headteachers in practice.
More broadly, I am amenable to the member’s suggestion about empowering headteachers further. Of course, I need to work with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, recognising its responsibilities, but I am amenable to that because I trust our headteachers. Post-pandemic, we perhaps need to revisit that empowerment agenda, which is one on which we probably agree.
In the same item of business
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.