Chamber and committees

Microsoft announced global changes to their licences in August 2023. At that time, Education Scotland took lead responsibility for communicating this change to all local authorities via their nominated Glow Key Contact, given that the statutory responsibility for the delivery of education rests with local authorities in Scotland. Education Scotland has undertaken a survey and engaged directly with each local authority throughout the past year as appropriate. All local authorities have confirmed their position, and all have either already implemented their plans for mitigations or are in the process of doing so.

The A1 licence in Glow remains in place and will continue to provide access to the web-based version of Microsoft Office until our contract end-date in September 2027. The Scottish Government has commissioned Education Scotland to undertake a review of needs for any national digital provision in the future.

An equality impact assessment for Glow is published on the Education Scotland website - Equality Impact Assessment - GLOW (education.gov.scot).

This global change implemented by Microsoft change only pertains to Microsoft Office desktop apps. Schools, learners and teachers can continue to access web-versions of Microsoft Office products through Glow. Ultimately, local authorities are responsible for the provision of education, including any digital provision they consider appropriate for their schools and particularly where it is required for specific courses or individual needs.

The 2023-24 Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels statistics will be published in December 2024. In line with the Code of Practice for Statistics an exact date will be announced on the Scottish Government website at least four weeks before publication.

Microsoft tools remain available through the web-based versions in Glow to all learners and teachers. These are available on any internet-connected device and at any time.

Scottish Government was made aware of the proposed changes when Microsoft announced them in August 2023. Local authorities were made aware by the Scottish Government in August 2023.

The withdrawal of Office 365 A1 Plus by Microsoft will not impact storage. This withdrawal relates only to the offer to download Office desktop applications for personal use.

Fracture liaison services across Scotland are managed and evaluated by territorial NHS Boards.

The forthcoming national audit of Fracture Liaison Services will assist in that evaluation.

Clinical data collection, including around fracture liaison services, is carried out locally by territorial NHS Boards. Public Health Scotland will additionally carry out national data collection or collation in some areas, including its forthcoming audit of Fracture Liaison Services.