Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government regularly meets with the teaching unions to discuss a wide range of issues including teacher workload.

In addition, the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), the tripartite body comprising the Scottish Government, COSLA and Teacher Unions, has a process for monitoring teacher workload. The SNCT has provided guidance to local negotiating committees on managing teacher workload and working time arrangements. The Scottish Government plays its full part in all SNCT discussions.

The Scottish Government does not collect information on local authority supply lists. Recruitment and deployment of teachers are matters for the local authorities, as the employers of teachers, to determine.

Recruitment and deployment of teachers are matters for local authorities, as employers, to determine. The Scottish Government does not provide specific advice to local authority employers. However, all local authorities are legally required to employ adequate numbers of teachers who are registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland and all schools will have locally agreed cover arrangements.

We have made clear to the college sector the value we place on non-recognised qualifications where they provide an access route to employment, and we have made equally clear that we expect such provision to be protected.

Colleges exist to help people towards employment and we believe this should be the case regardless of age, gender, disability or financial circumstances.

No post-16 education equality and diversity working group has been established as part of the Post-16 Reform process. Issues relating to equality and diversity are currently being considered on a continual basis as we develop our policy in this area.

The Scottish Government takes its responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 and the public sector equality duty very seriously and we continue to work to ensure that the policy and spending decisions we take pay due regard to their impact on equality and diversity.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W–05108 on 3 February 2012 and S4W-04212 on 8 December 2011. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Details of the membership of the Scottish Funding Council’s Access and Inclusion Committee can be found on the Scottish Funding Council’s website at:

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/about_the_council/council_board_committees/council_committees/access_inclusion_committee/council_committees_access.aspx

In 2010, the Scottish Funding Council reviewed all of its access and inclusion programmes and funding related to retention, articulation, schools/college programmes and community programmes in response to the implementation of Horizon funding and the emergence of new policy contexts, particularly Curriculum for Excellence. The Scottish Funding Council’s priority is to better target resources to where there is greatest need and to align resources to deliver maximum return on the Government’s investment.

In relation to the Post-16 Reform process, issues relating equality, access and inclusion are currently being considered and the Scottish Government will work with the Scottish Funding Council on a continual basis to develop policy in these areas.