Chamber and committees

Full assessment of the implementation of the Administration of Medicines in Schools Guidance was last carried out in 2004. Whilst the Scottish Government takes the issue of child health and welfare extremely seriously, statutory responsibility for the Administration of Medicine in Schools lies with NHS boards, supported by local education authorities. We understand that with the exception of one area of Lanarkshire, joint agreements between all other NHS boards and education authorities covering the arrangements for the administration of medicines are in place. I have asked my officials to liaise with Lanarkshire NHS board to ensure that this matter is addressed quickly, for the benefit of all children in schools with health care needs.

The Scottish Government has recently established a new working relationship with local government which will help support the education of pupils with additional support needs, including those with long-term conditions. The Scottish Government is providing local government with £34.9 billion over the next three years, an increase of 13.1% across the period. Significant controls and flexibilities have been devolved to better enable local authorities to respond to local needs and priorities.

The Scottish Government is also undertaking a number of other initiatives to help support schools to provide support and services for pupils with long-term conditions including:

Funding a National Development Officer to focus on transitions for all young people at risk of missing out on education and training opportunities.

The Scottish Teacher Education Committee Action Plan “ Framework for Inclusion, a two year action plan to take forward inclusive education in initial teacher education and continuous professional development.

Following talks with the Scottish Government, the General Teaching Council for Scotland has now added five new additional support needs areas to their professional recognition framework. These cover autism, dyslexia, hearing impairment, visual impairment and dual sensory impairment.

Additionally, the Scottish Government will soon publish The Autism Toolbox, an autism resource for Scottish local authorities and schools. The toolbox will draw on a range of practice experience, literature and research to support education authorities and schools in the delivery of services and planning for children and young people with autism spectrum disorders.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17714 on 20 November 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century is the agreement reached between the Scottish Government, the teaching unions and Convention of Scottish Local Authorities following the McCrone report. It delineates the central role teachers play in the quality and effectiveness of learning in schools. The outline of teachers duties presented in annex B includes teaching assigned classes together with associated preparation and correction and developing the curriculum. Teachers currently produce, use and interpret a wide range of materials to support learning and teaching as part of their normal duties. That will not change within Curriculum for Excellence.

Building the Curriculum 3: A framework for learning and teaching sets out the parameters for those involved in planning a child or young person''s experiences of learning. It provides a curriculum framework to be used for all young people. It describes an overall outcome-based approach and is therefore not prescriptive on detail or content. It emphasises the principles for curriculum design and provides the flexibility, breadth and depth that people asked for in the national debate on education. The experiences and outcomes that describe the broad content of the curriculum are designed to enable teachers to adopt learning and teaching approaches that meet the needs of all pupils. Emerging guidance, including exemplification of the curriculum, will assist teachers produce relevant Curriculum for Excellence materials.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17714 on 20 November 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17714 on 20 November 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17714 on 20 November 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17714 on 20 November 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

As of 4 November, 84 of the 2,794 teachers who have retired in 2008 have still to receive their lump sum. All of these applications were either received after the prescribed notification date or contained erroneous information. All are being processed urgently.

The agency''s target, where it receives correct information from employing authorities and teachers within the prescribed notification period, is to ensure that 98% of teachers receive their lump sum within one week of their retrial date. That target has been exceeded in 2008.