Chamber and committees

Following a competitive invitation to tender process, a contract for the Education Workforce Modelling and Research work was awarded to WPI Economics on 13 October 2023.

A summary of discussions at the summits can be found at: Health and wellbeing in schools - Schools - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . The findings from the summit will inform the national action plan which we expect to be published early in the new year.

The Scottish Government collects and publishes a range of data on school leaver achievement.

Summary statistics for attainment and initial leaver destinations’ reports annually on the percentage of school leavers in positive destinations and other destinations three months after the end of the school year. The report also provides information on school leaver total attainment in terms of numbers of National Qualifications gained at SCQF Level 3 or above and the highest levels achieved in literacy and numeracy.

The latest report, published this year, showed that the total percentage of 2021-22 school leavers in a positive initial destination, such as work, training or further study, was 95.7% - the highest figure on record.

The 2023 Annual Participation Measure, published by Skills Development Scotland (SDS), shows that 94.3% of 16-19 year olds were participating in employment, education or training over the past year. This is also the highest rate recorded since this measure was introduced in 2016.

The estates of independent schools are for those building owners to manage, however, the Registrar for Independent Schools wrote to all independent schools on 15 September 2023 to receive assurances that managers were aware if and where RAAC was present in their schools and, where present, to confirm that the appropriate mitigations were in place. The Scottish Government continues to monitor the numbers of independent schools who have completed surveys of their estates via engagement with the Registrar.

The work to map existing breakfast provision is expected to be completed in Spring 2024.

The Scottish Government has published guidance for local authorities and schools – Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1: Promoting and Managing School Attendance – as well as guidance for parents, which reinforces the message that they should support children to attend schools. The guidance sets out how to promote engagement and motivation, including among those who may be at risk of poor attendance.

The Scottish Government conducts a biennial collection of attendance data from local authorities for the purposes of producing accredited official statistics. Management information on attendance is collected from local authorities more frequently, currently fortnightly, and reported on the school attendance dashboard.

From 2023-24 to 2025-26 all 32 Local Authorities have set stretch aims for improving attendance and/or engagement. These aims are built into local authority improvement plans and their progress will be monitored locally using local processes. As with all efforts to support improved outcomes and tackle the poverty related attainment gaps, local authorities will be supported and challenged by Education Scotland Attainment Advisors as they implement their local plans.

Earlier this year I asked Education Scotland to undertake work to better understand the current barriers and challenges experienced by schools, children and young people and their families which influence school attendance. Education Scotland published this report on 28 November.

We are currently reviewing the findings of this report, together with the findings of the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research, and will consider the recommendations for any future work on addressing attendance in schools.

The Headteacher Taskforce met on 27 June with a focus on school exclusions. Discussions from this meeting informed the development of the approach to the relationships and behaviour summits. Headteachers from the Taskforce also attended the summits where their views have been captured as part of the process and will subsequently inform the national action plan.

The Scottish Government COVID-19 guidance for schools supported schools and local authorities in the delivery of education to support outcomes for children and young people, in a proportionate and responsible manner. This included setting out the importance of ensuring children and young people receive support when they are involved in making transitions at critical stages in their lives. The implementation of the guidance was led by local authorities in a way that capitalised on the good practice developed over the pandemic period, and which took full account of practical considerations at a local level.

The Scottish Government recognises the impact which the Covid-19 pandemic has had on children and young people in Scotland, particularly the closing of schools and learning lost as a result. This is in common with children and young people across the world and the pandemic continues to impact on educational outcomes for children and young people, here and elsewhere.

The Scottish Government and Education Scotland published the Equity Audit in January 2021 which involved an evidence review of local, national and international literature, along with a representative sample of 54 schools in Scotland. This helped our understanding of the impact that COVID-19 and school building closures had on children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and set clear areas of focus for accelerating recovery, including the refresh of the Scottish Attainment Challenge programme.

Plans to help Scotland’s education system recover from the COVID-19 pandemic were published by the Scottish Government in October 2021. The Education Recovery Strategy set out the significant additional investment of almost £500 million being provided, as part of education recovery . This additional investment supported the recruitment of additional teachers and support staff across Local Authorities to provide enhanced support for children and young people and £25m was provided to local authorities for the purchase of 72,000 digital devices and 14,000 internet connections - helping support children, young people and staff across the country.

The pandemic and current cost of living crisis has undoubtedly deepened inequity; but this further necessitates our relentless focus on closing the poverty related attainment gap. That’s why we continue to empower schools and local authorities to improve the attainment and wellbeing of children and young people through our £1billion investment in the Scottish Attainment Challenge. This is alongside a range of other investments to mitigate the impact of poverty on our young people’s education, such as the school clothing grant, and the most comprehensive free school meal offer in the UK, saving families taking those meals around £400 per child, each year. We are also working with Local Authorities to extend our current offer of free school meals to those in P6 and P7 who are in receipt of Scottish Child Payment, which will benefit around 26,000 children.

The 2021 Programme for Government included a commitment to review Allied Health Professions (AHP) Education in 2022. To deliver on this, the Scottish Government worked in collaboration with a wide range of partners including the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, the professional body for Speech and Language Therapists in the UK. The Review has now been completed and recommendations were published reporting a number of short, medium and long terms actions needed to address workforce and education challenges, including the development of ‘earn and learn’ routes to become an AHP in Scotland.

An advisory group has been established to oversee the effective implementation of the recommendations and the first meeting was held on 9 October 2023. The group will be chaired by Carolyn McDonald, Chief Allied Health Professions Officer who will report progress towards the implementation of the recommendations to the Chief Nursing Officer and Scottish Ministers as required.