Questions and answers

Question reference: S6T-01686

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to appeal the decision of the Court of Session that the UK Government acted lawfully when enacting a section 35 order in relation to the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S6W-22951

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many hours teachers that are employed on temporary contracts have worked during the last full school term in (a) North Lanarkshire, (b) South Lanarkshire and (c) Falkirk.

Question reference: S6W-22854

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether training will be provided to (a) NHS and (b) school staff to become fluent in BSL, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

(a) The NHSScotland Staff Governance Standard includes the requirement for Health Boards to demonstrate that staff are appropriately trained and developed. There is an expectation that employers will ensure that resources are appropriately allocated to meet local training and development needs taking into account the current priorities of both the service and service users.

There are examples of Health Boards delivering on these expectations in relation to BSL. For example, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde offer a suite of BSL professional learning opportunities including courses for staff to learn basic BSL. Public Health Scotland also offer professional learning to support NHS staff to increase their awareness of BSL and to reflect on their own practice.

(b) Under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004, local authorities have duties to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils, including those who are deaf. Local authorities are supported in implementing their duties under the 2004 Act through the statutory code of practice on additional support for learning. Where a teacher wholly or mainly teaches a pupil who is deaf, local authorities have a duty to ensure they are appropriately qualified.

The Scottish Government funds the Scottish Sensory Centre to provide advice and training to school staff on support for children and young people with specific communication and sensory needs. Education Scotland has also developed a professional learning resource which seeks to support staff to engage more effectively with BSL users.

Question reference: S6W-22855

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis has been undertaken to support the presumption of mainstream education for deaf pupils.

The Guidance on the presumption to provide education in a mainstream setting , published in 2019, was informed by a wide range of information and evidence taking into account all children and young people with additional support needs, including those pupils who are deaf or deafblind.

The presumption of mainstreaming policy and the guidance which supports it enshrines the right of all children and young people with additional support needs to learn in mainstream schools and early learning and childcare settings.

Question reference: S6W-22857

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available for BSL lessons for entire classes in schools in which there is a deaf pupil or pupils.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the experiences and outcomes for young people with additional support needs, which we have outlined in our Programme for Government 2023-24.

The legislative framework is clear about the responsibilities for the provision of additional support for children and young people. Education authorities are under a statutory duty to identify, provide for, and to review the support that they provide for pupils with additional support needs including those who are deaf or deafblind. In our most recently published figures, spending on additional support for learning by authorities reached a record high of £830m.

Modern Languages is one of the eight core curricular areas within Curriculum for Excellence, and British Sign Language (BSL) is one of the languages that can be provided within a school’s language offer to their pupils. While it is the responsibility of local authorities and schools to choose the specific languages covered within their language curriculum, the Scottish Government is taking a range of steps to promote and support BSL learning.

Since 2013, Scottish Government has provided more than £50 million in funding to local authorities and partners to support the teaching of additional languages in schools.

Question reference: S6W-22867

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what work will be conducted with the General Teaching Council for Scotland to facilitate pathways for BSL users to obtain qualified teacher status.

The Scottish Government and the General Teaching Council for Scotland are supportive of pathways that will allow BSL users to obtain qualified teacher status. We have held discussions with the University of Edinburgh about the programme they are currently developing, which aims to include pathways for both hearing and non-hearing students. This is currently undergoing internal university validation.

Question reference: S6W-22852

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the BSL National Plan Implementation Advisory Group will be formed, and how often it will meet.

Question reference: S6W-22850

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to make BSL a core subject in primary schools.

Modern Languages is one of the eight core curricular areas within Curriculum for Excellence, and British Sign Language (BSL) is one of the languages that can be provided within a school’s language offer to their pupils. While it is the responsibility of local authorities and schools to choose the specific languages covered within their language curriculum, the Scottish Government is taking a range of steps to promote and support BSL learning.

Since 2013, Scottish Government has provided more than £50 million in funding to local authorities and partners to support the teaching of additional languages in schools. For example, in relation to BSL specifically, a digital resource pack to support the delivery of BSL learning inschools was developed by Highland Council and was adopted by many local authorities. In addition, the Scottish Government funding to the University of Strathclyde and the Scottish National Centre for Languages supported a programme of online BSL lessons for primary pupils.

Surveys of local authorities asking which languages are offered by their schools showed that the number of primary schools offering BSL has more than tripled between 2019 and 2021.

Question reference: S6W-22851

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total number is of BSL teachers currently working in primary schools.

This information is not held centrally.

The 2022 pupil census records 3740 pupils in Scotland in receipt of additional support as a result of hearing impairments and a further 69 recorded as deafblind. The level of support from a qualified Teacher of the Deaf depends upon the individual needs of each pupil. Under the Additional Support for Learning Act all teachers have a role in meeting the additional support needs of pupils with hearing impairments and those who are deafblind.

Question reference: S6W-22853

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government who will sit on the BSL National Plan Implementation Advisory Group.

Chamber and committees