Chamber and committees

That is helpful.

I was at that event, as were other MSPs. A record number of children—upwards of 10,360—are now in temporary accommodation in Scotland. Thirty-five per cent of those—more than 3,600—are in the City of Edinburgh Council area. The negative educational impacts are clear, but we have not seen policy in that area—for example, on children moving between schools. Has there been any engagement between you and the Government on the clear recommendation that that should not be happening?

Is it right that the figures that were presented to Parliament in the budget were inflation proofed in order to deliver on the commitments that they support? I think that the Liberal Democrats and the Greens supported that.

The issue is not new—it has been raised with the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, and other committees have raised it, too. The Government has been very slow to make progress on the issue. Am I right in saying that there are 90,000 children who are entitled to free school meals, but there are 25,000 young people who are not receiving free school meals who should be, or is that the number of children who will receive free school meals?

Thank you for that clarification.

I absolutely agree with Alex Cole-Hamilton on that. The recent NASUWT survey points to the evidence that he has put on record. The levels of violence in our classrooms and schools are totally unacceptable. There has been a surge in the number of assaults involving dangerous weapons on school campuses. We need to see action from ministers. The cabinet secretary acknowledged that only yesterday. Many incidents are also going unreported—

I speak in support of my amendment, which seeks to change the business programme motion by replacing the debate on the first Tuesday back on the international situation with a debate on addressing violence in schools.

I make no apology for again highlighting my concerns about the breakdown in discipline in our classrooms and the need for leadership from ministers to turn the situation around. Survey after survey by unions has revealed that teachers are being punched, kicked and spat at by pupils, being set upon by yobs wielding hockey sticks and broken glass, and having their cars vandalised.

I absolutely agree. This is an area in which the Government needs to lead. The Government is not aware of the fact that many teachers and schools are not even aware of its national action plan. There are still no standards in place for the reporting and recording of incidents. That must be addressed with urgency.

The First Minister has said that gender-based violence in our society must be addressed. I agree. That is why we are calling on ministers and the Government to lead from the front and to make the issue a priority. Ministers must acknowledge that, in schools across our country, the Government’s policies are failing and have led to the concerning situation that we see in schools today.

Ministers must act urgently. That should start with ministers holding a debate on the subject in Parliament, which will enable us to look at the policies that are failing to address the situation. The Scottish Conservatives requested a ministerial statement on violence in schools over the weekend, ahead of the Parliamentary Bureau meeting, but the minister has committed only to providing one further down the line. That is not acceptable. Teachers cannot wait for ministers to do something further down the line. They need action now. Pupils, teachers, parents and unions are calling for visible and strong leadership from ministers on the issue, and I agree with them. We have not seen that to date.

The Scottish Parliament is here to debate the most pressing issues facing the people of Scotland. I do not think that anything is more pressing than violence in our schools—that is an issue that this Parliament has responsibility over and it is something that we must address. That is why it is of critical importance that we debate the issue of school violence and that ministers are held to account.

I move amendment S6M-17059.1, to leave out “The International Situation” and insert:

“Addressing Violence in Schools”.

We should thank the NASUWT for the survey, which should act as a wake-up call for ministers. One of my greatest concerns relates to violence that was reported to the police, where 100 per cent of female teachers and 57 per cent of male teachers said that no action was taken against the pupil or parents. The quote says:

“‘The police told me it would not be worth taking it further as nothing would happen due to their age. They also said ... it could make things worse for me in school once the individual knows there are no consequences. So I decided against making an official complaint to the police’”.

What is the Scottish Government doing in relation to that policy? The police must be involved when extreme acts of violence happen in our schools. What is the Scottish Government’s position on what should happen?

Will the member give way?