- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 31 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many days have been lost on average because of ill health amongst public sector teachers in each year since 1995, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.The management of teacher absence and the causes of absence are matters for individual local authorities as employers. However, Scottish local authorities provide Audit Scotland with information on sickness absence levels among local government staff, including teachers. Table 6b of its most recent report entitled
Performance Indicators 2000/2001: Benefits, Finance & Corporate Issues, published on 24 January 2002, contains comparative data for 1999-2000 and 2000-01 and can be accessed at:
http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/publications/pdf/02pi04ac.pdf.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 31 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost will be of implementing its Working together for Scotland - A Programme for Government commitment to reduce class si'es in primary 3 to 30 or smaller.
Answer
The Working together for Scotland: A Programme for Government commitment to reduce class sizes in primary 3 was part of a wider commitment to reduce class sizes, in primary 1 to primary 3, to 30 or less. Between April 1999 and March 2002, £48.2 million was allocated to education authorities through the Excellence Fund to meet this commitment. It is not possible to identify the cost of reducing class sizes in primary 3 alone. Funding of £15 million a year is continuing for the current and next financial year.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 31 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many school-based candidates for examinations at SCE higher grade or Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework level 6 obtained a qualification in a language other than English in each year since 1995
Answer
The following table shows the numbers of school-based candidates obtaining at least one qualification at SCQF level 6 in a language other than English (for publicly funded schools only):
| Year | Number of Candidates |
| 1995 | 4,081 |
| 1996 | 3,949 |
| 1997 | 3,966 |
| 1998 | 4,088 |
| 1999 | 3,812 |
| 2000 | 4,317 |
| 2001 | 4,611 |
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 31 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many school-based candidates entered for examination in at least one (a) SCE higher grade or (b) qualification at Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework level 6 in each year since 1995.
Answer
The following table shows the numbers of school-based candidates entered for an examination at SCQF Level 6 (for publicly funded schools only):
| Year | Number of Candidates |
| 1995 | 49,619 |
| 1996 | 51,113 |
| 1997 | 52,704 |
| 1998 | 51,963 |
| 1999 | 50,982 |
| 2000 | 50,343 |
| 2001 | 48,995 |
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 31 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the S4 cohort progressed to S5 and stayed on at school beyond December in each year since 1995.
Answer
The following table shows the proportions of the S4 cohort who voluntarily stayed on at school beyond the minimum school leaving age (for publicly funded schools only):
| Year | Percentage of S4 Cohort |
| 1995-96 | 68% |
| 1996-97 | 68% |
| 1997-98 | 68% |
| 1998-99 | 68% |
| 1999-2000 | 69% |
| 2000-01 | 69% |
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 31 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of students staying on in S5 beyond December obtained at least one (a) SCE higher grade or (b) national qualification at higher level in each year since 1995.
Answer
The following table shows the proportion of students voluntarily staying on in S5 who obtained at least one qualification at Scottish Credit and Qualifications Level 6 which includes SCE Higher and National Qualifications at Higher Level (for publicly funded schools only):
| Year | Percentage of Voluntary S5 Roll |
| 1995 | 56% |
| 1996 | 57% |
| 1997 | 56% |
| 1998 | 57% |
| 1999 | 57% |
| 2000 | 60% |
| 2001 | 57% |
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 31 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive why there are no targets relating to Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework level 6 or above under objective 3 in the education and young people section of Building a Better Scotland - Spending Proposals 2003-06: What the money buys.
Answer
The emphasis is to ensure that as many pupils as possible obtain qualifications, and especially those who are currently leaving school without qualifications. The targets chosen for Building A Better Scotland - Spending Proposals 2003-2006: what the money buys are in line with the National Priorities in Education. The Executive is making significant investment available to raise standards across the education system as a whole, which will impact on attainment at all levels.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 31 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the Social Justice Annual Report: Scotland 2001, when it hopes to achieve the milestone 9 target to bring the poorest-performing 20% of pupils, in terms of standard grade achievement, closer to the performance of all pupils.
Answer
Education authorities are being asked to set for the first time, via the School Improvement Framework, a target for the average tariff score of their lowest attaining 20% of pupils for academic year 2004-05. We will be monitoring progress against these local targets to assess progress in bringing the attainment of this group closer to the attainment of all pupils.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 31 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to milestone 9 of the Social Justice Annual Report: Scotland 2001 and, in particular, the information presented graphically in chart 9, what the average tariff scores in S4 were in figures for (a) all students, (b) the poorest-performing 20% and (c) the remaining 80%.
Answer
The information requested is given on page 39 of the Social Justice Annual Report 2001: Indicators of Progress published by the Scottish Executive in 2001, a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 17777).
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 31 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to section 2.4 of Working Together for Scotland: A Programme for Government, what progress has been made towards achieving the aim to support pilot future school projects, giving details of any such projects currently planned or under way.
Answer
Details of pilot future school projects supported by the Executive will be published shortly, in line with our commitment in Working together for Scotland: A Programme for Government.
