Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Meeting date: Thursday, February 29, 2024

Official Report 1120KB pdf

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Portfolio Question Time

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Education and Skills

The first item of business this afternoon is portfolio questions, and the portfolio on this occasion is education and skills. Members wishing to ask a supplementary question should press their request-to-speak buttons during the relevant question. There is a lot of interest in asking supplementaries and therefore, as far as possible, the questions and responses will need to be short.

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Disabled Young People (Life Skills)

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to provide access to life skills programmes for disabled young people. (S6O-03134)

Since 2016, the Scottish Government, through the children, young people, families early intervention fund and the adult learning and empowering communities third sector fund, has provided core funding of just over £106 million to 115 organisations to deliver support that tackles inequalities and child and family poverty, improves learning and builds skills. Our transition fund delivers often life-changing support to help young disabled people with the transition after leaving school. Individual institutions support the specific needs of young people to acquire life skills in different ways across school and post-school interventions.

Following a report from disability charity Scope that found that disabled people often face regular extra expenditure of a whopping £975 per month, does the minister agree that further action must be taken to ensure that disabled young people have access to the highest-quality support services in schools to help equip them with essential life skills in their post-education lives?

I am sure that the member will appreciate that the post-16 landscape is more my area of expertise—assuming that I have one—than schools.

As the member knows, life skills is not a specific area of the curriculum and is covered by a range of subjects. It often falls to the individual school to determine what offering it will provide. I recognise that we must do more for disabled young people than simply furnish them with life skills—we need to help them to maximise their full potential. That was one of the topics under discussion when I met a range of disabled young people’s organisations just last month: we were looking at what more we could be doing to support young people into meaningful career opportunities.

In Scotland, we have made investments in and offered programmes to support our disabled young people. That could not be further away from the Tory-led United Kingdom Government approach of austerity, which has, according to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, resulted in gross and systematic violations of disabled people’s rights. Does the minister agree that the best approach to supporting the educational development of disabled young people is one of inclusion and support as opposed to one of exclusion and austerity?

I agree with the member. It is entirely right for inclusion to be at the heart of our education policy and our legislation. That enables children and young people to receive the support that they need in order to reach their full potential, as I touched on earlier.

The Government is committed to improving the experiences and outcomes for people with additional support needs. Spending on additional support for learning reached a record high of £830 million in the most recently published figures. It is not only our approach to education that is different; the Scottish Government is unique in committing to halving the disability employment gap. We focus on reducing the gap in employment rates between disabled and non-disabled people.

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Teaching Bursaries (Unused Funds)

To ask the Scottish Government to where within the education budget it reallocated any unused funds for teaching bursaries in 2023-24. (S6O-03135)

To manage emerging in-year budgetary pressures, transfers are made between various budget lines through budget revisions. The transfers are managed collectively across all budget lines and it is not possible to attribute an individual reduction in one budget line to an increase in another. However, in general, those transfers are used to manage wider pressures across portfolios, including things such as pay. All budget revisions are reported collectively to Parliament through the autumn and spring budget revisions.

I think that we can agree that the current pressure-cooker environment in our classrooms, and in particular the rise in violence and aggression, is driving teachers out of the profession and making those who would have considered entering it think again. What action is the Government taking to challenge such classroom environments? Will the Government commit to redistributing any of the unused bursaries from this year to promote teaching as an attractive profession, particularly for people with skills in computing, modern languages, and science, technology and engineering and mathematics subjects, for which recruitment targets have been missed?

We introduced teaching bursaries back in 2017-18. That scheme provides a £20,000 bursary payment to individual career changers for their initial teacher education. Originally it was to cover teacher training only in STEM subjects, but in the past year we broadened that to include Gaelic.

The budget was reduced in the past year due to reduced demand, but the member raises a general point about how we can make teaching an attractive profession. One of the positives in Scotland is that we have the highest-paid teachers in the United Kingdom, and there are other positives in the Scottish education system.

The member has spoken of some of the current challenges in our classrooms, and I am well-sighted on those specific challenges. However, we need to make teaching an attractive career, which is why we invest in the teaching bursary scheme. It is also why we provide funding around the preferential waiver payment, which allows people to tick a box and go anywhere throughout Scotland to teach and be awarded an additional £8,000. We are also protecting teacher numbers by putting an additional £145 million in this year’s budget to protect the number of teachers and support staff at local level.

I can take a supplementary question from Kenneth Gibson, as long as it is brief and the response is likewise.

A decade and a half of Labour, coalition and Tory UK Government austerity has impacted across the Scottish budget. What impact has that had specifically on education? How is the Government working to support the teaching profession in such a challenging financial climate?

The member is right. Undoubtedly, we have less money in the Scottish Government this financial year because of decisions that are taken elsewhere. Despite that, we have been able to protect the education and skills budget. It will grow to more than £4.8 billion, which includes funding to protect teacher numbers, as I intimated in my response to the previous question. That is a testament to the value that this Government places on education.

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Colleges (Meetings)

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with representatives of the college sector. (S6O-03136)

I met college chairs and principals at a Colleges Scotland event in Stirling on 30 January. More generally, the Scottish Government meets representatives of the college sector frequently, through in-person meetings, visits, online meetings and written communication with individual colleges, the sector as a whole and representative bodies. I will personally be meeting college reps on both Monday and Tuesday of next week.

A recent Fraser of Allander Institute report on the economic contribution of colleges highlights the crucial role they play in our green transition by equipping individuals with essential skills for the energy sector.

Within the energy space, North East Scotland College is working with partners across business, education and technology to deliver learning that will meet our future skilled workforce needs. Recently, the First Minister visited Aberdeen and confirmed the Scottish Government’s commitment to the north-east as a powerhouse for Scotland’s economic development. What action is the Scottish Government taking to ensure that colleges such as NESCol will be supported to deliver on the skills element of national and regional green economic policies, given the challenging funding landscape?

Our education and skills system is playing a crucial role in the transition to net zero, and colleges and universities are key anchors for that transition. In what has been the most challenging budget in the history of devolution, we have provided nearly £2 billion for colleges and universities. Indicative funding allocations for individual colleges are expected to be set out by the Scottish Funding Council this spring, as is the usual practice.

I will visit NESCol on 11 March, and I look forward to hearing more about the good work of the college and any challenges that it is facing.

There are a number of supplementary questions. I want to get them all in, but they will need to be brief.

The last time that I met representatives of the college sector was at an apprenticeship and qualifications round-table meeting last week. What impact assessments have been done of the effect on skills and apprenticeships of the £59 million cut to the net college resource budget?

All such measures are the subject of analysis. I say to Liam Kerr, as I have said to his colleagues, that if the Scottish Government’s budget goes down, our ability to support things such as the college and apprenticeship budget is impacted. That is just a matter of fact, regrettable though it is. If Mr Kerr—as is his right—believes that we should have allocated more money to that budget, he had an opportunity, through the budget process, to bring amendments to the budget. I am struggling to recall that happening.

Unison and the Educational Institute of Scotland are both taking part in strike action today because their members are now 18 months overdue a pay rise. What discussions has the minister had with College Employers Scotland about Unison’s proposals to develop an avoidance of redundancy fund and provide advance payment to staff to alleviate financial hardship, and whether he would be willing to facilitate those proposals?

I raised that issue with College Employers Scotland informally a couple of weeks ago, on the back of a constructive meeting that I had with Unison. I would like to see them both back around the table to discuss the matter on the basis that has been suggested, because the Government is not in a position to put further funds into that process. However, it is a very valid ask from the trade union, and for the employers and the union to find agreement around it would be all to the good.

On Monday, I spoke to furious staff and students from the Elmwood campus in Cupar who are trying to save the animal care unit. Can the minister have a discussion with Scotland’s Rural College management about how he can assist to keep that important unit for staff and students?

I am entirely aware of Mr Rennie’s constituency interest in this, not least because I saw his DIY video on the subject earlier this week—seriously, I entirely understand where he is coming from. It is not for me to engage directly with SRUC on that issue, but I assure the member that I have asked my officials to seek an update on the matter from SRUC.

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Further Education (Pay)

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with colleges and trade unions regarding pay in the further education sector. (S6O-03137)

I meet campus unions on a biannual basis, and I meet representatives of the sector on a number of forums regularly. Across all my engagement with the sector, I continue to make it clear that, although the fiscal context remains exceptionally challenging for the Scottish Government and the college sector, my expectation is that management and unions will continue to work together to make every effort to reach a fair and affordable settlement. We seemed to see progress towards that settlement a number of times in the past 18 months, only for that progress, regrettably, to stall.

As the minister will be aware, industrial action is taking place today in colleges across Scotland because of the on-going pay dispute, which impacts on many of my constituents, both staff and students. Does he agree that both sides need to work constructively for a solution in order for the sector to focus on delivering the high-quality education that its students expect? Can he advise what the Scottish Government can do to support that? Will he restate the Government’s commitment to parity of esteem in the different sections of further and higher education?

The member can take our intent on parity of esteem as a given.

Although I absolutely respect the right of trade unions to take industrial action, I remain concerned by the impact that that period of industrial action will have on our students, which is why I encourage both sides to come to a resolution. It is, of course, for the college unions and the employers, not the Scottish Government, to negotiate pay and terms and conditions. It should be recognised that agreement has been reached with Unite, the GMB and employers.

I will continue to engage with management and unions, as and when appropriate, in the hope that they can reach a fair and affordable settlement. To discover, as I did yesterday, that there are no plans for the two sides to get back around the table in the wake of the present action is deeply disappointing, to say the least.

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Nursery-age Childcare Funding

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on nursery-age childcare funding provision. (S6O-03138)

In 2024-25, the Scottish Government will continue to invest around £1 billion to fund local authorities to provide 1,140 hours a year of high-quality funded early learning and childcare to all eligible children.

We are also investing an additional £16 million in-year to deliver our commitment to enable childcare workers delivering funded ELC in private and third sector services to be paid at least £12 per hour from 24 April. Alongside that, we will expand our childminder recruitment and retention pilots and progress work with the six early adopter communities in Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Glasgow, Inverclyde and Shetland to develop local systems of funded childcare for those families who need it most.

During the Scottish National Party leadership race, the First Minister promised to tackle the issue of lower 1,140 hours funding for private, voluntary and independent nurseries compared with funding for council-run nurseries. Experienced staff are leaving to work for better pay elsewhere, threatening the flexible provision that private, voluntary and independent nurseries offer. Budgets are being set and fee rates decided right now. What has the Scottish Government done to close the gap in funding?

I start by saying how much I value the work and efforts of our PVI sector in delivering funded childcare.

The average rate paid by local authorities to providers for delivering ELC has increased by 64.1 per cent since 2017. However, there is still variation across Scotland, and I have been clear that, where improvements can be made to the rate-setting process, I want such improvements to be made. I am committed to working with the sector on that, and will continue to look for opportunities to do so and to strengthen the current system.

In December, the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities published our joint review of the process for setting sustainable rates, which recommends actions to drive improvement. I am wholly positive that we will see exactly such improvement out of that process.

On top of that, we are working with the sector to provide further support for that £12 per hour commitment, and I will continue to work with stakeholders to consider whether wider actions could be taken to further strengthen and improve the rate-setting process.

The minister will be aware of a proposal in Edinburgh to phase out funded childcare in private and independent nurseries for parents who live outside the city. That will have a massively detrimental impact on my constituents in Fife who commute to Edinburgh for work. Furthermore, removing such a choice goes against the Government’s commitment to getting it right for every child.

What discussions, if any, did the Scottish Government have with the City of Edinburgh Council about that proposal? Does the minister still believe that parental choice is key to delivering nursery-age childcare for every child, and that such childcare should be fully funded?

It would not be appropriate for me to intervene directly in the internal decision-making processes of an individual local authority in relation to the delivery of ELC. However, I expect any changes to service delivery in any local authority to be made in line with statutory duties and to take account of the Scottish Government and local government’s shared aims of ELC expansion.

Those shared aims are reflected in the statutory guidance, and our latest funding follows the child operating guidance, which was delivered jointly with COSLA. I encourage neighbouring councils to work together to ensure that publicly funded services meet the needs of families and prioritise children’s wellbeing, including those who need cross-boundary placements. I will continue to monitor the situation.

Parents in the South Scotland region have reached out to me because they are struggling with the lack of flexibility in pick-up and drop-off times at nursery. What specific Scottish Government support has been given to local authorities to facilitate genuinely flexible early years provision?

We understand that the needs of parents, families and children in different areas across the country are very distinct. In our six early adopter areas, we are diving into what families need. We are working with families, children and providers to understand what is required in those local areas and to help us to build our future system of childcare. Flexibility is a key part of that.

Question 6 has been withdrawn.

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Schools (Foreign Languages)

To ask the Scottish Government how it will encourage the uptake of foreign languages at primary and secondary schools. (S6O-03140)

The Scottish Government is committed to language learning in our schools, which is why, since 2013, we have provided local authorities and third sector partners with funding of more than £50 million to support and implement our one-plus-two languages approach in Scotland. A 2021 survey of local authorities confirmed that pupils across Scotland are now learning languages from primary 1 and are continuing their broad general education throughout—an important change since the policy was introduced 10 years ago.

We continue to support modern languages through the support that is provided to schools by Education Scotland, and through funding to the University of Strathclyde, which hosts Scotland’s national centre for languages and provides professional learning guidance and advice to schools.

We know that experiences abroad can be of huge benefit to learning a foreign language. However, because of Brexit, many students are losing out on that opportunity because of the loss of the Erasmus programme. How will students be supported to study abroad in lieu of Erasmus?

The member is correct to raise Brexit in that context. The Government remains committed to addressing one of the most damaging consequences of Brexit for schools, universities and colleges—the fact that United Kingdom students can no longer take part in the Erasmus+ programme. The Erasmus+ programme had a major impact on higher and further education in Scotland, with proportionately more students from Scotland taking part in Erasmus than from any other country in the UK, and proportionately more European Union students coming to Scotland on Erasmus than to anywhere else in the UK.

At school level, Erasmus+ was used primarily to support staff mobility and virtual exchanges between schools, as well as some school trips. In 2023-24, the Government is funding a test and learn programme to re-establish some of the opportunities that Erasmus+ provided, but which the UK Government’s Turing scheme does not.

Last Wednesday was international mother language day, which raised awareness of the opportunity to learn foreign languages at school and also of the importance of preserving languages. Will the cabinet secretary provide an update on work to revitalise Gaelic language education in primary and secondary schools?

The Government is taking a number of actions in relation to the Gaelic language, not least of which will be the introduction of a piece of proposed legislation later in the year to strengthen Gaelic provision across the country, including in relation to the teaching of Gaelic. I would be more than happy to write to the member on the details of that bill.

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Flexible Workforce Development Fund

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the open letter sent to MSPs from over 120 colleges, businesses and trade unions, on 5 February, urgently asking for the reinstatement of the flexible workforce development fund for Scotland’s colleges, which has been removed from the draft budget for 2024-25. (S6O-03141)

As a result of decisions made by the United Kingdom Government, this is the most challenging budget to be delivered under devolution. Extremely hard decisions have had to be made to ensure that Scotland’s public finances remain on a sustainable trajectory. In the face of those unprecedented financial challenges, it was not possible to preserve the flexible workforce development fund offering. I am fully aware that colleges and the many businesses that have benefited from it are disappointed by the withdrawal of the funding, and I share that disappointment. I wish that it had been possible to avoid that happening. Our response to the open letter was issued on Monday 26 February.

I thank the minister for that answer, but it was complete nonsense. The fund was cut by this Scottish National Party Government, leading to students and businesses being let down and the skills gap widening. Does the minister accept that his Government’s decision to cut the flexible workforce development fund while receiving a 2.2 per cent real-terms increase in funding from the UK Government was a poor decision?

What I am struck by is Rachael Hamilton raising this issue after passing up an opportunity to seek to restore the fund, if she had wanted to, by lodging an amendment to the budget as recently as this week. Instead of doing that, she joined her Conservative colleagues in simply attacking the draft budget, offering no costed alternatives to its content and trying to vote it down. Of course, had she succeeded in voting it down, colleges and their trade unions would now have a lot more to be concerned about than the loss of the flexible workforce development fund. That is why her raising the issue today rings so hollow.

That concludes portfolio question time on education and skills. There will be a brief pause before we move to the next item of business to allow front-bench speakers to change over.