Chamber and committees

It is connected. I note the rise in the number of children and young people who are identified as having additional support needs. About a third of our pupils have been identified as such, and we know that there has been a disproportionate effect on them in the context of Covid. I want to drill down into that and ask about the continued underdiagnosis of black and minority ethnic cultural background children and families, which has been brought to my attention through my inbox as a constituency MSP, as well as when I was a teacher.

Can you provide any examples of engagement, support or evidence gathering to get the perspectives of children, families and young people from black and minority ethnic heritage and cultural backgrounds?

I would like Stephen McGhee to come in. I want to focus on support for families. Let us say that a digital device is provided to a household for educational purposes and to improve digital literacy, which Linda O’Neill mentioned. The family has to get involved in order to achieve that, does it not? How can we best support the entire family—in supporting the child—and improve their digital literacy skills in order to gain maximum benefit from digital devices?

That is a fair point. I would not dismiss any of that. I acknowledge the importance of considering the whole child and taking a holistic approach, notwithstanding the fact that my line of questioning focused on digital provision.

I am interested in digital provision. I was a teacher before I got this job. I taught during lockdown, so I am aware of what happened in mainstream education. Schools—certainly upper schools—had digital devices, and councils redeployed devices. It is clear, however, that access to devices was wanting, shall we say. There were not enough digital devices, and I exposed that.

The Scottish Government has committed substantial amounts of money for hardware and software. I am interested in what lessons can be learned and what we could tell the Scottish Government about how best to spend the money to support digital learning, whether that is for online academies or access to syllabuses. I am mindful that there is, however, no replacement for socialisation, especially for children with additional support needs and vulnerable children.

I will go to Bruce Adamson first, then to Linda O’Neill, then to Stephen McGhee, if there is anything that he wants to add. Could you illustrate a couple of areas where access to hardware and software could have been better and more appropriately matched to children with additional support needs? I know that that is a big umbrella and that different things are suited to different children.

I recall the differences between the first and second lockdowns. To begin with, we had to turn on a sixpence, and everybody was adapting to a quite shocking set of circumstances. Thank you for acknowledging that.

I acknowledge that having free tuition in this country is the best way of widening that access and addressing any shortfalls in staffing, which we are making great progress on.

Although certain things have been outwith our control, we can influence the way in which we value our healthcare workers. An immense burden has been placed on their shoulders and, as we brace for winter, we assure Scottish medical students that there will always be a place for them and they will always be fully supported in achieving their goals and reaching their full potential, not least because of free tuition in Scotland.

Standing in the Scottish Parliament, we are fortunate that we get to experience visceral reminders of the rich history of our country. Since the 18th century, Scotland has produced some of the greatest thinkers, writers, scientists and physicians that the world has ever seen—a formidable reputation that defines us to this day.

Such a reputation does not emerge through chance; rather, there is an undeniable relationship between the level of talent that we have and the established focus on education that has shaped the country for hundreds of years. Here in Edinburgh, we have the oldest medical school in the United Kingdom, and in my Glasgow Kelvin constituency, the University of Glasgow’s school of medicine boasts incredible contributions from an impressive history of alumni that dates back to the 17th century.

Medical students face incredible challenges, navigating a notoriously competitive field of study while enduring the additional pressures of the pandemic, so I thank the students who volunteered to help the NHS during this time of crisis. There are now more than 21,500 extra NHS staff since the SNP Government came to office, including more doctors, qualified nurses and midwives, and the number of GPs working in Scotland has increased by nearly 12 per cent since 2006. It is our duty to ensure that those numbers continue to rise and that our NHS workforce is as strong as possible.

Remaining mindful of that goal, I am delighted that the number of medical places in Scottish universities has increased in recent years. The University of Glasgow has spoken positively about the upward trend in Scottish medical students, which was achieved by converting 100 former home-nations places into Scots places over a several-year glide path, in line with Scottish Government policy.

Our Government has shown that it is committed to improving the lives and working experiences of junior doctors up and down the country. That commitment is evidenced by a willingness to engage with external stakeholders about goals to implement a 48-hour working week, the £32 million pledge that will create additional trainee posts and the further £4 million for NHS staff support and wellbeing. Only by investing in the mental and physical health of our workers can we expect to retain our new recruits, build long-term resilience and maintain high standards of care across the NHS.

There is no question but that recent disruptions have created ineluctable vacancies and gaps in the current system.

The predominantly working-class communities of Anderston, Finnieston and Yorkhill, in my constituency of Glasgow Kelvin, were fantastic hosts to COP26. Will the First Minister acknowledge their hospitality and elaborate on what community resources are available to support such communities in transitioning to a greener and more climate-efficient future?

Thank you very much for your introduction. As a teacher of 30 years, previously, I read the report with great interest. It was helpful to have the international and United Kingdom nations comparators as well as the historical context. I note that other countries have reformed their assessment systems and practices. What can Scotland learn from their journeys? You mentioned a number of countries, and you may wish to highlight one or two.

Some of my colleagues might drill down into the issue of student engagement later.

There was a renewed respect for teachers during Covid. You referred in your report to “high trust” in teacher-led assessment. What factors can enable such trust to develop? How might we move forward? There can be resistance to change.