Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government, along with public, private and third sector partners and the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) issued a joint statement outlining fair work expectations in July to support the transition out of lockdown and a principle of no detriment. The statement still applies now and we remain committed to the principle of no detriment.

It is important that employers are as supportive as possible and that mitigation measures are put in place. We would not expect teachers to be financially penalised, however pay and conditions for teachers are matters for the Scottish Negotiating Committee (SNCT) to determine and discussions on this issue are underway as a matter of urgency. The Scottish Government will play our part in those discussions.

We currently have no evidence regarding any disproportionate effects on women, but will keep this issue under careful review.

Our most recent data on uptake of free school meals is contained within the Schools Healthy Living Survey Statistics Report, which was published on 8 September 2020. This survey was carried in February 2020 therefore the data contained within this report pre-dates the introduction of any COVID-19 related regulations.

We do not hold further information about uptake rates since then, although individual Local Authorities may hold information on uptake of free school meals since schools reopened in August. With regards to alternative provision for families eligible for free school meals whilst the schools were closed, Scottish Government officials monitored returns from local authorities during the summer which showed that up to 175,000 children and young people were receiving alternative provision in lieu of free school meals.

Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, education authorities continue to have a statutory duty, under section 53 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, to promote the availability of school lunches at all schools under their management and to encourage all children and young people in attendance to consume them, and to ensure that all food and drink served their in schools complies with the standards set out in The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2008.

In addition, education authorities continue to have a statutory duty to take all reasonable steps to ensure that any child or young person who is entitled to free school lunches receives them.

The Scottish Government, along with public, private and third sector partners and the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) issued a joint statement outlining fair work expectations in July to support the transition out of lockdown and a principle of no detriment. The statement still applies now and we remain committed to the principle of no detriment.

It is important that employers are as supportive as possible and that mitigation measures are put in place. We would not expect teachers to be financially penalised, however pay and conditions for teachers are matters for the Scottish Negotiating Committee (SNCT) to determine and discussions on this issue are underway as a matter of urgency. The Scottish government will play our part in those discussions.

Schools and local authorities are responsible for supporting children's learning. We have taken a range of steps to support them in this role:

Guidance: Our “Coronavirus (COVID-19): support for continuity in learning guidance” (published July 2020, updated October 2020) provides advice on how to support vulnerable children and young people in relation to mental health, transitions, and blended/remote learning and reinforces the need for multi-agency working. Schools can access further national guidance on promoting and managing school attendance, as well as attainment adviser support on attendance.

Funding and programmes of support: We are investing £182 million via the Attainment Scotland Fund in 2020-21, supporting the attainment and achievement of learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. We are undertaking an Equity Audit to deepen our understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and to set clear areas of focus for accelerating recovery. The national e-learning offer is ensuring that remote learning is supported for those who need it, expanding access to live lessons, recorded lessons and online digital learning. We are tackling digital exclusion amongst disadvantaged children and young people through our £25m investment in devices and connectivity.

Health and Wellbeing: Education Scotland has produced a range of professional learning opportunities as well as a series of wakelets (online resources) focusing on health and wellbeing. Data on the availability of school counselling services are being analysed. We expect a summary analysis to be published early next year. School staff also have access to a wide range of mental health training such as Scottish Mental Health First Aid and LIAM ('Let's Introduce Anxiety Management') for mild anxiety interventions.

All our teachers are entitled to feel safe at work and we expect local authorities to make sure appropriate arrangements are in place for them.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on reducing the risks in schools was developed with input from members of the Covid-19 Education Recovery Group (CERG), including local authorities. The most recent version of the guidance was published on 30 th October 2020. This guidance is intended to help managers have supportive conversations with staff in a non-discriminatory way. The guidance also makes clear local authorities’ responsibilities as employers to comply with the provisions of the Equality Act 2010, in relation to ensuring that any arrangements they put in place, including any requirement for an individual to work from home to ensure their safety, are non-discriminatory.

A full EQIA has also been undertaken in conjunction with the development of the return to schools guidance and published alongside it on the Scottish Government website.

School food services across Scotland are designed to meet the local circumstances of all children and young people in attendance. Local authorities are responsible for staff resourcing requirements within school kitchens. In preparing for the extension of universal provision of free school meals local authorities will consider their current school meals service arrangements and what staffing will be required to accommodate an increase in uptake.

No child should be going hungry and tackling poverty and inequality is a key priority for this government. The policy of extending the universal provision of free school meals, to cover all primary school children, would not provide families with new income although the provision of free school lunches currently saves all eligible families an average of £400 per child per year.

The additional policy of extending provision to cover school breakfast clubs, and during the school holidays, will assist low income families. Breakfast clubs form an important part of the school day for many children and families and regularly eating nutritious breakfasts supports both positive health and learning outcomes.

We also know holiday periods bring extra financial pressures for families on low incomes. Provision of breakfast and lunch to all primary school pupils during holiday periods will ensure children from low income families can access healthy food without stigma, and relieving pressure on household budgets. Holiday meals are often provided alongside activities for children, which bring wider health, wellbeing and social benefits.

The Modern Apprenticeship Quarter 2 statistics, published on 10 November 2020 provided more evidence of the continued impact of COVID-19 restrictions on all parts of the Scottish economy. The latest statistics, covering July-September, showed a slight increase in starts compared to the previous period, but are still lower than in previous years. Many sectors that are active employers of apprentices were necessarily placed into lockdown by COVID-19 and are experiencing the consequences of these restrictions.

The Scottish Government remains committed to our apprenticeship programme and will continue to do all we can to support apprentices and their employers during this time. Apprenticeships are at the heart of our skills system in Scotland and are an important part of Scotland’s Young Person’s Guarantee. They will play a key role in our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting high-quality jobs and enabling employers to gain skilled workers.

The Scottish Government has created a new Apprenticeship Employer Grant to encourage employers to take on Modern and Graduate apprenticeships. Recognising the challenging circumstances for employers as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19), and the impact on opportunities for young people, more businesses will now be able to access financial support to help them take on young people through the new £15 million Apprenticeship Employer Grant.

Supporting the Scottish Government’s aim of maximising apprenticeship opportunities in the coming months, the grant will help increase the number of employers able to take on an apprentice or upskill an existing staff member.

The grant makes available £5,000 for employers taking on a 16 to 24 year old apprentice, and for those aged up to 29 years old who are disabled, care leavers and Minority Ethnic. Any employers who take on an apprentice aged 25 or older will receive a financial incentive of £3,500.

Funding will be available for eligible employers where the apprenticeship start date was on or after 1 December 2020 and funding will be available for apprenticeship starts until 25 March 2021.

In partnership with the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group, we have been working closely with Public Health Scotland and Police Scotland to establish protocols that will provide more timely local data on possible suicides. This approach will enable local services to provide a faster, more effective response to those impacted by possible suicides. We expect these protocols to be ready for implementation early next year.

The Scottish Government takes seriously the need to ensure there are effective school transport arrangements in place during the Covid-19 pandemic. Scottish Ministers issued guidance to local authorities to support the reopening of schools in August. A £50 million education recovery fund has also been established which can be used to supplement existing funding for school transport services. The Covid-19 School Transport Retrofit Fund is providing £1.5m of capital funding to assist local authorities and bus operators to fit infection control and mitigation measures on school transport vehicles.

Local Authorities have a responsibility in law under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to make the arrangements they consider necessary for the transport of school pupils between home and school. The Scottish Government does not hold information regarding the levels of school transport services being provided by individual local authorities.