Official Report 375KB pdf
Education and Skills
Good afternoon. The next item of business is portfolio question time, and the portfolio this afternoon is education and skills.
Disruption in Classrooms (Social Media Use)
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of any link between social media use and violent disruption in classrooms in Scotland. (S6O-05539)
We recognise concerns about the impact of social media use on children’s behaviour and wellbeing. The behaviour in Scottish schools research highlighted that behaviour is influenced by a range of complex factors, including the impacts of the pandemic, poverty, family circumstances and wider societal influences. That is why our focus is on preventing the development and escalation of unhelpful behaviour, particularly through encouraging positive relationships in schools.
I also welcome the fact that a number of local authorities and schools either have banned mobile phones or are exploring doing so.
Children now spend, on average, around three hours a day online, and 70 per cent of them are being exposed to real-world violence during that time. Teachers across Scotland are telling us that concentration is falling, behaviour is deteriorating and disruption is rising. Given the Government’s acknowledgement that violent disruption in classrooms is increasing, does the cabinet secretary accept that unregulated mobile phone use during the school day is contributing to the problem? If she does—I think that she might—will she move beyond guidance and commit to a clear nationwide ban on mobile phones in Scottish schools?
Mr Kerr and I have discussed these issues at length. I should pay tribute to his colleague Pam Gosal, who led a round table on the matter last week, which I attended, and where we discussed the issue in more detail.
I accept the member’s substantive point in relation to the harmful impacts of mobile phones in our schools and the disruptive impact that they can have on behaviour. The BISS research brought some of those issues to the fore.
There are broader issues in this space in relation to the regulation of the internet and social media in particular, which is what the member’s first question was about. On Monday, I will be in London, meeting United Kingdom Government ministers at the interministerial group on child sexual abuse, which I expect to talk about those issues in more detail.
More broadly, the member is aware of the Government’s position on mobile phone bans in schools. At the current time, we do not have a nationwide ban; the guidance says that that power rests with headteachers. For the Government to introduce a national ban, we would have to legislate, and I will not be able to do that in advance of the election or give confirmation at the current time. I hear the issues that the member has put on the record today, and I am sympathetic to the general points that he has made.
As children and young people encounter new and evolving challenges, can the cabinet secretary outline how the Scottish Government is supporting work such as the digital discourse initiative to equip them with crucial skills to counter negative online content and behaviour?
The programme for government committed us to supporting the digital discourse initiative, which was a joint project by Time for Inclusive Education and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. The initiative supports schools to counter the impacts of disinformation and online hate. During my visit to Cathkin high school last year for the launch of the project, I heard positive feedback from staff and pupils. I am delighted that the initiative continues to receive such positive feedback. It is one of several useful online resources that complement the recently updated statutory guidance that the Government has published on relationships, and sexual health and parenthood, which provide learners with the knowledge to develop safe and healthy relationships.
We know that there is a clear link between social media use and behaviour. I hear what the cabinet secretary says about her position on mobile phones, although I would ask her to furnish Parliament with further information about why she thinks that there has to be a legislative intervention for her to ban mobile phones in Scotland’s schools.
Given that the cabinet secretary has responsibility for child safety and wellbeing, as she referenced in her answer to Stephen Kerr, what is the Scottish Government’s position on the proposals currently under consultation to ban under-16s from social media use, as other countries around the world have done?
What I said about the banning of mobile phones is not something that I think; as a minister, I have commissioned advice on it from my officials. Legislative power does not rest with the Scottish ministers at the current time, which is not to say that it may not do so in the future.
I expect to discuss the issues that Mr O’Kane raises with regard to online behaviour and social media with UK Government ministers on Monday at the interministerial group on child sexual abuse. I am very sympathetic to the proposals that the UK Government has put forward in that regard. However, I recognise that an element of powers here rests in a reserved space, so I will continue to engage with my colleagues in the UK Government. I am happy to give an update on that, following my meeting on Monday.
Qualifications Scotland (Learner Interest Committee)
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Education (Scotland) Act 2025, how the new body, Qualifications Scotland, will ensure that the learner interest committee is representative of all of Scotland, including rural and island areas and neurodivergent learners. (S6O-05540)
I am pleased that Qualifications Scotland opened the application process for its new learner interests committee on 2 February this year. It will ensure that a range of perspectives are represented on the committee, including from learners across Scotland’s regions and people with additional support needs or a disability. It is also important to be clear that the Education (Scotland) Act 2025 places a statutory responsibility on Qualifications Scotland to encourage equal opportunities when appointing members of the committee. That sits alongside specifically requiring them to consider the appointment of individuals who are care experienced, who come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and who have additional support needs in education.
We know that many neurodivergent learners struggle with neurotypical processes and structures in school settings, and that can be further compounded by rurality. Equally, I know from young rural voices that they face multiple barriers such as being young carers, being disabled themselves or suffering from mental health issues. Many of those characteristics can cause the others, so how will we take an intersectional approach that recognises the multiple barriers that some learners face?
I thank the member for her question and the issues that she raises. Qualifications Scotland is at arm’s length from ministers, but I should say that it already undertakes a range of activity that is designed to support the needs of disabled and neurodivergent learners. That includes reviewing and updating the content for its designing inclusive assessment academy course for staff and appointees who develop qualifications and assessments.
Qualifications Scotland also engages directly with organisations that represent neurodivergent learners via its equality and inclusion group. The organisation and the Government are very aware of the needs of disabled and neurodivergent learners and any barriers to accessing current qualifications that they may face, and, to Emma Roddick’s point, they are keen to address those needs through improvements to accessibility and inclusion as part of qualifications reform more broadly.
Qualifications Scotland should of course ensure that learners across all Scotland, including those in rural and island communities, have the same assessment experiences, supported by deploying visiting assessors for all assessment centres in Scotland.
Apprenticeships (Care-experienced Young People)
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting apprenticeships for care-experienced young people, particularly in rural and island areas. (S6O-05541)
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that care-experienced young people can access a variety of apprenticeships, including in rural and island areas. Skills Development Scotland, on behalf of the Scottish Government, provides enhanced contribution rates for care-experienced modern apprentices up to the age of 29. Those enhanced contribution rates ensure that training providers can offer the additional support that is needed to help individuals to sustain and complete their apprenticeship. Skills Development Scotland also provides a rural uplift and an enhanced payment for training providers in rural and island areas to incentivise delivery in those locations.
At present, apprenticeships in critically important sectors are off limits for rural and island-based young people who are care experienced, and who could find it destabilising to leave their forever homes. For example, there are no roof-slating apprenticeships north of Arbroath, which in effect prevents many young people in the Highlands and Islands from pursuing that key line of work.
Given the Scottish Government’s on-going commitment to the Promise, what steps will it take to rectify the lack of opportunity for care-experienced young people in my region and across rural and island Scotland?
I thank Ariane Burgess for highlighting those important points about her region, the young people in it and those who are retraining.
The modern apprenticeship demand assessment comprises three phases. The first is establishing a robust evidence base and sourcing and collating strategic and contextual data. The second phase draws on the baseline to support consultation with industry to verify demand. In the final phase, the evidence baseline and consultation insight are analysed and a final assessment is produced to inform the modern apprenticeship contracting strategy. That is all undertaken by Skills Development Scotland.
The member makes important points about making sure that there are opportunities in the area, that the demand is fulfilled and that we build the skills base that is required, not just in the here and now but for the times ahead. If the member would like to follow up on the issue after this question session, we can help her to connect with Skills Development Scotland and, potentially, the Scottish Funding Council.
The initial enrolment in apprenticeships as a post-school destination is a positive step, but the real challenge lies with sustained retention. Nine months after leaving school, the proportion of care-experienced young people in positive destinations drops by 15 percentage points, falling from 86.4 per cent to 71 per cent. In my region, Fife College reports that only 46.5 per cent of care-experienced students successfully complete their course compared to 63 per cent of the general student population. Can the minister outline what mandatory retention measures the Scottish Government is embedding in its new apprenticeship contracts to ensure that care-experienced apprentices are supported to the finish line and not just at the starting blocks?
The member is right to highlight those issues. We have increased access in both college and university enrolment for those from a care-experienced background. However, I appreciate the point about retention and the wider responsibility that we, collectively as a Parliament and a country, have to care-experienced people through the Promise. If the member has the forbearance, I will take that away and engage with Skills Development Scotland, working with my colleague who leads on the Promise. I will provide reassurance and look into any further action that can be taken to make a positive impact for the people who she rightly highlights need our help, and as much assistance as we can give them, to ensure that we fulfil the Promise.
The lack of provision in traditional building skills training in local colleges for young people in rural and island areas of Scotland creates an obstacle for those who are interested in a career in the sector. I have met industry representatives who have highlighted a delivery model in Canada and Ireland, where a mobile training facility was developed to allow for local training provision in key trades. Will the Scottish Government consider the development of such a mobile training facility to allow all young people in Scotland to have the same opportunities for careers in the traditional building sector?
I met relevant stakeholders recently to discuss traditional building skills. The member is right to highlight the need to retain the skills that we have now and pass them on to the next generation, as well as the need to meet the demand for those skills across the country. I will take away the member’s suggestion and will be happy to pick it up with Skills Development Scotland.
Access to Childcare (Western Isles)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its engagement with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Care Inspectorate and the Scottish Childminding Association regarding the improvement of access to childcare across the Western Isles, both for children under three and three to five-year-olds. (S6O-05542)
The Scottish Government continues to work closely with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Care Inspectorate and the Scottish Childminding Association to support improved access to childcare across the Western Isles. We recognise the distinct challenges and the vital role of childminders in rural and island communities and have funded the SCMA to deliver a national three-year programme of childminder recruitment and retention. More broadly, we are supporting childcare access through national programmes, including investment in early adopter communities, and we have made commitments in the national islands plan to develop practical, place-based solutions for children and families.
I thank the minister for her on-going engagement on the issue. As she is aware, there has been a huge reduction in the number of childminders who are operating across my constituency in recent years, with no childminders at all left in Barra, Uist or Harris. In order to support parents back into work, can the minister say anything further about the Scottish Government’s work to increase access to childcare in rural and island settings, for example, through exploring the option of permitting childminders to operate in a non-domestic setting?
That specific example has been raised with me before by other members across the chamber and I feel that it should be explored further. However, amending legislation to allow the delivery of childminding services in non-domestic premises would be a lengthy process and we would need to carefully consider any consequences of doing so. Safeguarding would be key. In the shorter term, I understand the importance of those issues, which is why I requested that Highlands and Islands Enterprise provide a report on rural and island childcare access. Building on that report, work is under way to arrange a rural and island childcare round table, which will bring together partners across policy, regulation and the childcare sector to focus on identifying realistic and effective action that we could take to improve childcare access to support families in those communities.
Racism in Schools
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle racism in secondary schools. (S6O-05543)
There is no place for racism in our schools and we are committed to addressing it across all education settings. The anti-racism in education programme strengthens professional learning to build racial literacy, and interim guidance on responding to racism was published last June.
A new whole-school approach will be issued shortly, offering guidance on responding to and supporting pupils, staff and families who have experienced racism. This work is supported by anti-racism curriculum principles and calls to action developed with children and young people, alongside resources to embed anti-racism in classroom practice.
I have heard reports of pupils moving schools due to persistent racist bullying. That can be especially difficult for families in rural areas, where alternatives are limited. In addition, the rise in anti-immigration rhetoric from some political parties might be emboldening parental attitudes that, in turn, influence young people and shape behaviour within school communities. Can the cabinet secretary outline how the Scottish Government is supporting both urban and rural secondary schools to embed effective anti-racism practice and to ensure that staff are equipped to respond swiftly and protect pupils who might be at risk?
I am very shocked to hear that pupils have been encouraged to move schools, in some instances, because they have been on the receiving end of persistent racist bullying. That should not be happening in our schools, and I reiterate that there is no place for that type of hatred in them.
Where that type of behaviour does occur, it needs to be robustly addressed. That is why the forthcoming whole-school approach guidance, which I mentioned in my previous response, will offer a further response to our councils and schools on the handling of racist incidents. That guidance has been developed with the racism and racist incidents sub-groups, the work of which is being taken forward as part of the national action plan on relationships and behaviour.
Education Scotland’s building racial literacy programme is open to teachers across the country and, as I understand it, it has been a worthwhile initiative that has helped support teachers in our schools. The programme provides access to online learning, which allows teachers from all local authorities to take part. More than 1,000 teachers have completed the programme so far, and 24 anti-racist mentors now support schools across the country, including in rural areas such as Highland and Orkney.
There are a couple of supplementary questions, which will need to be brief.
What specific funding allocations will be made to support participative curriculum resourcing with regard to anti-racist materials? How will schools be supported in accessing high-quality materials to ensure that racist incidents are handled effectively so as to prevent far-right narratives from filling the gaps?
Mr Choudhury raises a very important point, and a number of different funding streams are related to the issues raised in his question. The building racial literacy programme, which I mentioned in my previous response, has £78,000 of funding, and there is funding of just over £80,000 for the cohort of the leadership and mentoring programme. From the AREP curriculum budget that I mentioned earlier—that is, the anti-racism education programme—there has been an extension of the partnership with Scotdec, in collaboration with educators.
The focus for 2025-26 is on creating an anti-racism and maths resource, for which the Scottish Government has provided £150,000. Funding to the value of £67,000 has also been agreed to support the second year of Education Scotland’s anti-racist mentors programme.
There are two other funding streams, but I am conscious of the time. If the member will allow me, I will write to him with a bit more detail on those topics. I appreciate that there is a range of different issues here, and I would like to give him a substantive response.
From the data that the cabinet secretary has available to her, can she say what proportion of incidents result in meaningful disciplinary action? How would the cabinet secretary define a consequence that acts as a real deterrent to that behaviour?
Mr Kerr will be aware that the Government published updated guidance on consequences prior to the summer recess last year. As for data on meaningful disciplinary action itself, those are not data sets that the Government would itself gather.
I should say that there are broader issues in relation to our education data at the current time. I am sure that this will be a matter that the incoming Government, following dissolution and the election, will want to consider in due course, as there are certain issues to look at in relation to data sharing and data being more readily available to ministers who sit at national level.
Grooming Gangs (Public Inquiry)
To ask the Scottish Government what the education secretary’s position is on concerns that, in light of the national review timeline, victims of grooming gangs may have to wait up to 18 months before ministers decide whether to establish a full public inquiry. (S6O-05544)
It will not take 18 months. The first phase of assessment is already under way, with local authorities having 12 weeks to respond. The inspectorates have committed to reporting to ministers by the summer of this year once they have assessed the findings.
The findings will be scrutinised by the national child sexual abuse and exploitation strategic group, which is chaired by Professor Alexis Jay. Professor Jay has provided advice throughout the development of the national review and will advise ministers on the progress being made.
I will be providing a fuller, more substantial update to Parliament in my statement on these issues next week.
I am sure that the survivors, along with me, will be delighted to know that they will not have to wait 18 months for the review.
According to their testimonies, victims say that they were brought over the border from England to Edinburgh to be exploited and raped. Will you confirm that the national review will explicitly cover historical cross-border grooming networks, including cases in Edinburgh involving offenders operating from England?
Always speak through the chair.
I thank the member for her question. She is absolutely correct to put on record the importance of listening to survivors’ voices. That is why, yesterday evening, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs and I joined a meeting of the cross-party group on adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. I was very grateful to the group’s members for sharing time with Ms Constance and me to talk about their experiences to ensure that the national review listens to their voices and that we get this right for them. That is imperative.
Ms Webber raises a substantive point in relation to historical cross-border cases, and some of the issues that she has alluded to relate to historical cases, too. She will be aware of the work of the child abuse inquiry, which is looking at some of the historical cases in the round. If Ms Webber will allow me, I would like to write to her in more detail about the role of the inspectorate.
Finally, it might give the member some comfort to know that I will be meeting Alexis Jay later this evening. Following that meeting, I would like to write to Ms Webber in more detail on those points.
Question 7 was not lodged.
Budget 2026-27 (College Sector)
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential impact of its draft budget 2026-27 on the college sector. (S6O-05546)
The draft budget increases core capital and resource funding for Scotland’s colleges by £70 million—a 10 per cent uplift on last year. That provides a strong platform for the sector to support learners, deliver the skills that our economy needs and ensure that our colleges are equipped for the challenges and opportunities of the next quarter of the 21st century.
I meet college stakeholders regularly. This morning, the First Minister chaired a constructive meeting with Colleges Scotland, and the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government and I attended, too. Colleges Scotland welcomed the draft budget and recognised the significance of the additional funding for the sector. I hope that members across the chamber will share our commitment to Scotland’s colleges and support the draft budget.
Audit Scotland has reported that New College Lanarkshire’s modelling demonstrated that supported learning requires the most staff per academic credit achieved. How can the uplift that the minister speaks of sustain supported learning at New College Lanarkshire and across the further education sector, and support the social good that it can deliver?
I had an excellent visit to New College Lanarkshire’s Motherwell campus in recent months, and I was struck by what a remarkable institution it is, by the good that it is doing in the community and by the skills that it is providing to the public and private sectors.
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all our students, including those with a disability, with a long-term medical condition or with additional support needs, are able to access further and higher education and are fully supported throughout their studies. I am confident that the uplift in funding that the draft budget will deliver will enhance colleges’ ability to make strategic decisions that strengthen student support and further embed inclusivity at the heart of their provision. The tripartite group of Colleges Scotland, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council is also driving forward a fundamental review of the current credit-based college funding model to improve flexibility and responsiveness, which will help in that regard.
In 2018, a comprehensive job evaluation exercise for college staff was initiated, and it has still not concluded. I know that the SFC is going through a lessons-learned process at the moment, but it is estimated that backdating this to 1 September 2018, which the Government has committed to, will cost £100 million. Is that £100 million ring fenced in this year’s budget? Does the minister agree with the suggestion that the exercise will cost £100 million? Given the length of time that it has taken to get to this stage, what has the Government done to look at the implications of that for people’s tax in the years that have passed since this review, which has still not been completed, was initiated?
I thank Mr Ross for raising the important point about how our college staff are paid and the funding that is provided by the Government to facilitate that through our valued stakeholders.
Of course, a period of work on industrial relations was undertaken prior to my appointment. Thankfully, we have reached a position of settlement with good outcomes for all parties, including, in recent months, support staff in colleges. The staff who work in our colleges are the most important stakeholders, as they deliver for the learners whom we are all sent here to serve and represent.
I am happy to take away Mr Ross’s specific question on resourcing, both historically and going forward. I would like to give the member a substantial, detailed response, and do so in writing, if he is understanding of that.
I am sure that the minister will recognise the role that the Liberal Democrats played in securing the uplift in college funding and in persuading the finance secretary to give that 10 per cent—or £70 million—increase. However, staff, trade unions and college leaders want to know whether this will just be a one-hit wonder or whether it will result in an increase year on year. We need to have certainty for the college sector so that it can plan for the future. Is the minister confident that the finance secretary understands that, and will increases be forthcoming in future years?
I thank the member for both his fair criticism, on occasion, and the constructive approach that he and his party have taken to the budget process. Through that positive and constructive engagement, along with working together on the collective need of, and our responsibility for, learners and the economy, this settlement—if the budget is agreed to fully, as we expect to happen—will have a real, positive impact on communities across Scotland and, crucially, will help our colleges. That is what we discussed in the meeting this morning that I referred to earlier. All of us now have the opportunity to look ahead to what our college sector can provide to ensure that we tackle poverty and realise our economic potential.
The member is right to emphasise that there is a process beyond this financial year, and we are working with the college sector and the SFC on how we start to think about how we, on a shared basis, can invest in people and the economy in the round.
That concludes portfolio question time. There will be a brief pause before we move on to the next item of business to allow members on the front benches to change over.