Chamber and committees

It is essential that we hear directly from children and young people as part of this work. The recent series of summits held with a wide range of stakeholders to discuss concerns around relationships and behaviour included representatives from a range of children and young people organisations.

We are currently in discussions with many of these organisations on how we can best engage children and young people directly in a safe and meaningful way going forward.

In my statement to Parliament on 29 November, I confirmed that we will develop a multi-year plan to tackle instances of challenging behaviour, working with local authorities, trade unions and others.

We are committed to working with trade union partners on developing this national action plan. I hosted a productive roundtable meeting with trade unions on 6 December 2023, with a focus on behaviour. The national action plan will be developed in collaboration with the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools (SAGRABIS), which includes representatives from all the main teaching unions. My aim is to publish the plan as soon as possible in the new year.

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

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 received a response from UK Government on 27 November to the previous correspondence sent by myself.

Despite our earlier requests seeking clarification on support available for remediation, the letter made no reference to additional funding.

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 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.

I was clear in my statement to Parliament on 29 November that I encourage, in the strongest possible terms, more accurate recording of all incidents of inappropriate, abusive or violent behaviour in our schools. Recording and monitoring plays an essential role in helping schools identify recurring patterns of behaviour and ensuring early intervention and appropriate support.

Our national guidance on monitoring and recording incidents of bullying in schools makes clear that all schools and local authorities are expected to record all incidents of abusive or violent behaviour. The Scottish Government is currently considering this guidance as part of the review into the national anti-bullying guidance, ‘Respect for All’. In particular, updates to this guidance will be informed by the forthcoming second phase of Education Scotland’s thematic inspection looking at good practice in responding to bullying. Updated Respect for All Guidance will be published in 2024.

We are currently in discussions with COSLA regarding the distribution of this funding. We will write out to local authorities in due course to set out our expectations regarding the use of the funding.

I set out in my statement my expectations for how this funding should be used, which reflected key themes from the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research. We are currently in discussions with COSLA regarding the distribution of this funding and we will write out to local authorities in due course.