Education, Children and Young People Committee 19 November 2025
I do not think that my amendment 28 would destroy the purpose of the bill; it is certainly not my intention for that to be the case. The principle of voluntarism is inherent in the bill, which is about the ability to access outdoor education. Evidence that the committee took suggests that despite concerns about growing workloads in the classroom and despite how difficult it can be to be a teacher or a member of staff in a school right now, teachers and staff have still been really positive about the experience that outdoor education could create for young people. I was encouraged to hear that they were still prepared to engage in it on that basis.
My amendment 28 is not intended to do what Mr Mason suggests it might; what it does do, and what other amendments in my name in this group seek to do, is monitor the situation. In recent weeks we have seen some concerns about teacher workload, so it is important that we at least consider what the impact of the bill could be. Teachers, staff in schools, parents, pupils and members across the Parliament have been clear that giving young people a right to access outdoor education is crucial, and there is a willingness to make it work. Amendment 28 seeks to recognise the on-going commitment of the teaching and education workforce and—coupled with the other amendments in the group—to address any potential impact that the bill could have on staff, so that it can be considered in the long term whether or not their engagement in outdoor education was having an impact on their terms and conditions. That is the intention behind amendment 28. I do not think that introducing a legislative duty on education authorities to provide for delivery of a course of residential outdoor education interferes with that principle. That is what teachers have told us. They were rightly raising issues of workload, however, and I have therefore lodged my amendments to draw that to the attention of Parliament, so that we are alive to those issues as the bill progresses.
We know that teachers are struggling with workload. My proposals would protect established collective bargaining structures and would ensure that the principle of voluntarism, which has long governed the participation of teachers and associated professionals in such trips, is protected and will continue.
Amendment 6, in my name, seeks to ensure that data on the impact on staff is collected so that it can be monitored. That speaks to my colleague John Mason’s intervention about the scenario of residential outdoor education being a statutory requirement but nobody deciding to volunteer for it any more. What would that mean? We would effectively come to a question of how to continue to keep the activity going. Amendment 6 and the other amendments in the group seek to monitor that while making it clear that there is a long-established process for considering the terms and conditions of teachers and staff in schools, and that the bill would not overwrite or undermine that in any way.
Amendment 6 leaves the matter of data and how often to collect it to regulations, which I think is important, but it is important to collect it nonetheless, so that we can monitor the experience in classrooms. The amendment requires a report every three years, which is also important, so that we can continue to understand the experience of learners and those working in the learning environment.
Amendments 1, 2 and 7 are consequential to amendment 6.
Amendment 29 provides that, before preparing or revising guidance under proposed new section 6B of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, which the bill inserts, Scottish ministers must consult trade unions of school staff. The process of drafting and revising guidance must be genuinely and democratically representative of the voices of the teaching profession and of staff in schools. Professional associations have a long-standing approach to that, and amendment 29 seeks to ensure that consultation on the guidance will take place with the relevant trade unions.
Amendment 30 defines “trade union” in the bill and, one could argue, it is consequential to amendment 29.
Taken together, the suite of amendments in this group consider the important impact that any change in schools can have on staff, while recognising the will that is there and the benefit of outdoor education for all. Together, this suite of amendments will create an environment in which staff can be protected and pupils have the right to access outdoor education.
I move amendment 1.