Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-37503

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to involve parents in the design and delivery of the national campaign on school attendance, as announced in its Programme for Government 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-37500

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will deliver its commitment to reduce teacher class contact time.

Question reference: S6W-37505

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will clarify the meaning of its aim to "rationalise the qualifications offer in the senior phase", and how it will do this.

Question reference: S6W-37504

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its updated guidance on consequences in schools.

Question reference: S6W-37501

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what specific actions it will take to ease teacher workload, as announced in its Programme for Government 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-36497

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the average expenditure per (a) pre-school education, (b) primary school, (c) secondary school, (d) college and (e) university place has been in each year since 2007-08 in (i) cash and (ii) real terms.

Table 1 provides information on average gross revenue expenditure in Scotland per child attending pre-school, and per primary and secondary pupil alongside allocations (accounting for teaching and tuition fees funding) per college and university place.

2024-25 figures for Pre-School, Primary and Secondary School will be available after the publication of the 2024-25 Scottish local government finance statistics in February – March 2026.

The Scottish Government do not hold data on Pre-School registrations prior to 2010.

Indicative University and College funding allocations for 2025-26 were published by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) earlier this month. These include a cash terms increase in teaching funding for colleges, and a cash terms increase to the Main Teaching Grant (and teaching price) for Universities, compared with last year. These indicative figures have not been included in this table as the underlying calculation requires further details, including the number of controlled and non-controlled funded places, which are not yet available to SFC.

Further detail of College and University Indicative Funding Allocations for 2025-26 can be found at:

College Indicative Funding Allocations 2025-26 - Scottish Funding Council

University Indicative Funding Allocations 2025-26 - Scottish Funding Council

Table 1: Average Expenditure Per Place for each Education Level (Cash Terms)

	Pre-School	Primary	Secondary	College	University
2007-08	-	£4,651	£6,344	£4,046	£6,561
2008-09	-	£4,833	£6,665	£4,219	£6,760
2009-10	-	£4,882	£6,533	£4,293	£6,904
2010-11	£3,456	£5,007	£6,607	£4,289	£6,957
2011-12	£3,193	£4,935	£6,495	£4,138	-
2012-13	£3,194	£4,899	£6,629	£4,012	£7,139
2013-14	£3,102	£4,880	£6,714	£4,043	£7,175
2014-15	£3,411	£4,819	£6,795	£4,029	£7,240
2015-16	£3,957	£4,877	£6,920	£4,024	£7,237
2016-17	£4,344	£4,980	£7,050	£4,092	£7,005
2017-18	£4,592	£5,169	£7,131	£4,196	£7,013
2018-19	£5,190	£5,444	£7,459	£4,539	£7,182
2019-20	£6,916	£5,791	£7,789	£4,665	£7,190
2020-21	£9,366	£6,130	£7,906	£4,878	£7,316
2021-22	£10,435	£6,550	£8,174	£4,952	£7,433
2022-23	£11,282	£7,075	£8,766	£5,054	£7,558
2023-24	£12,000	£7,487	£9,276	£5,506	£7,613
2024-25	-	-	-	£5,506	£7,635

Table 2 provides the same information at 2024-25 price levels. Real terms conversions were produced using use HM Treasury’s March 2025 GDP Deflator series, including forecasts for the 2024-25 financial year.

Table 2: Average Expenditure Per Place for each Education Level (Real Terms)

Education Level	Pre-School	Primary	Secondary	College	University
2007-08	-	£7,170	£9,780	£6,238	£10,115
2008-09	-	£7,191	£9,917	£6,277	£10,058
2009-10	-	£7,167	£9,591	£6,303	£10,136
2010-11	£4,979	£7,214	£9,520	£6,180	£10,024
2011-12	£4,521	£6,987	£9,196	£5,859	-
2012-13	£4,440	£6,810	£9,215	£5,577	£9,924
2013-14	£4,231	£6,657	£9,158	£5,515	£9,788
2014-15	£4,597	£6,494	£9,157	£5,429	£9,756
2015-16	£5,294	£6,525	£9,259	£5,384	£9,683
2016-17	£5,684	£6,516	£9,224	£5,354	£9,166
2017-18	£5,915	£6,659	£9,186	£5,405	£9,034
2018-19	£6,548	£6,868	£9,410	£5,726	£9,060
2019-20	£8,523	£7,137	£9,599	£5,749	£8,860
2020-21	£10,955	£7,170	£9,247	£5,705	£8,556
2021-22	£12,277	£7,706	£9,617	£5,826	£8,744
2022-23	£12,399	£7,775	£9,634	£5,554	£8,306
2023-24	£12,456	£7,771	£9,629	£5,715	£7,902
2024-25	-	-	-	£5,506	£7,635

Sources:

1.Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

2.Pupil Census – published annually - for further details go to: Pupil census: supplementary statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

3.Scottish Funding Council

4.GDP deflators at market prices: GDP deflators at market prices, and money GDP - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Methodology

The methodologies used to determine the average expenditure per place for each education level are provided in more detail below.

Pre-school: average gross revenue expenditure per child in pre-primary education is arrived at by taking the total gross revenue expenditure on pre-primary education, adjusted for inter-authority transfers, as reported by local authorities to the local financial return. These figures are then divided by the number of pupils in funded early learning and childcare as per the statistics reported in the early learning and childcare (ELC) census. The figures for per child expenditure on pre-primary education are likely to be overestimates due to the fact that September (when the figures for the ELC census are collected) is a point in the academic year when ELC registrations are at their lowest. This is because children starting funded ELC (usually when they turn three) start at the beginning of the term which starts after their birthday – so, in the Autumn term only some of the children who will become eligible for funded ELC during that academic year have already taken up their funded place. However, this issue applies every year, meaning that the above time-series comparison is reasonable.

Primary and Secondary schools: average gross revenue expenditure per pupil in primary and secondary education respectively is arrived at by taking the total gross revenue expenditure adjusted for inter-authority transfers, reported by local authorities on primary and secondary education to the local financial return, divided by the number of pupils in primary and secondary education as per the statistics reported in the pupil census.

Colleges: The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) have supplied detail of the average cost of a College place (expenditure per full-time equivalent (FTE)). This is calculated by taking funding provided to Colleges for core teaching and assumed tuition fee income (see supplementary note 3) and dividing this by the number of student places.

Universities: The cost of an average University place, also provided by the SFC, is estimated by taking the total teaching grant awarded to Universities (excluding teaching grant associated with rUK students studying expensive strategically important subjects, who are not eligible for funding) and assumed tuition fee income associated with those places (see supplementary note 3) and dividing this by the total number of SFC funded places for Scottish and EU domiciled FTEs. Expenditure figures exclude funding for student support, and SFC’s research and strategic funds. Total FTE figures are SFC/SG funded places and do not include fees only and international places.

Supplementary notes:

1.“-“ indicates that there is no available data for this year.

2.Assumed tuition fees include income from SAAS, SDS, employers and students paying their own tuition fees for SFC funded programmes.

3.For college and university figures, the funded places/weighted SUMS/credits figures used are taken from the final published main grant letters or outcome agreements, and do not take account of any subsequent adjustments.

4.No fee assumption was made in AY 2011-12. In response to a reduction in grant in aid each university's teaching grant was reduced pro-rata, rather than being calculated based on our funding formula. As a result, no figure was provided by SFC for this year.

5.Further detail on College and University funding figures each year can be found in the supplementary notes of the answer to question S6W-15187 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 March 2023

Question reference: S6W-36987

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when ministers last spoke to businesses about their expectations regarding opportunities through the funding provided through the Skills and Growth Levy and when they would be able to access such opportunities.

Employers are key to the delivery of our ambitions for a skilled workforce to meet the demands of an ever-changing economy and society. The Scottish Government is committed to working with them and listening to them as we take forward our programme of post-school education reform.

I host an employer roundtable several times a year to engage on the Scottish Government’s programme of post-school education reform. The most recent roundtable took place in February 2025. The roundtable includes a range of employers from across Scotland, including small to large businesses.

In addition, a national employer network to engage employers on post-school education reform is being set up. This will include members of the DYW Employer Network, with which Ministers will also continue to engage. This new network will serve as a platform for sharing updates, seeking input on policy reforms, acting as a sounding board and facilitating workshops and discussions. The first meeting of the Reform Employer Network will focus on the Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Bill which was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on 6 February 2025 and will take place in May 2025.

The Growth and Skills levy remains a reserved tax for the UK Government. The changes, as we understand them, will impact on what funding can be spent in England. We do not expect this to have an impact on Scotland. Officials will continue to engage with the UK Government to understand any impacts that changes to the Levy may have for businesses in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-36986

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in developing a replacement vehicle for the Flexible Workforce Development Fund, in light of the findings of the report that it commissioned EKOS Ltd to prepare, Evaluation: Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF), which was published in January 2023.

Our programme of reform of post-school education will see us develop a streamlined funding system more focussed on the needs of employers and the economy through improved national skills planning and reformed apprenticeships.

As we take this work forward, we will learn from the experience of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund to develop a skills system that is simple, straightforward, agile, and responsive to the needs of Scotland’s learners and employers.

Employers have a key role to play in workforce development. We will continue to encourage employers to build strong partnerships and work with their local colleges and universities to ensure training offers align to labour market needs.

Question reference: S6W-36985

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to bring back the Flexible Workforce Development Fund through the Skills and Growth Levy.

The Scottish Government is committed to offering flexible training pathways for learners and employers. That is why in 2025/26, Scottish Government investment will support 25,500 new Modern Apprenticeships, 5,000 new Foundation Apprenticeships and over 1,200 Graduate Apprenticeships. We will also continue to support around 38,500 apprentices already in training.

We are also taking responsibility for skills planning at the national level, while strengthening regional approaches. The SG led skills planning approach will help develop a better understanding of skills needs at the national level, and how we can better address them, particularly where solutions lie within the education and skills system.

As we take forward our programme pf post-school education reform, we will learn from the Flexible Workforce Development Fund to develop a skills system that is simple, straightforward, agile and responsive to Scotland's learners and employers.

The UK Government announced they will reform the Apprenticeship Levy into the Skills and Growth Levy. This remains a reserved tax. The changes, as we understand them, will impact on what funding can be spent on in England. We do not expect this to have an impact on Scotland. Officials will continue to engage with the UK Government to understand any impacts that changes to the Levy may have for Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-36804

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report in The Herald on 4 April 2025 that critical materials have failed to be kept secure before the date of the assessment, what its response is to reported concerns that marking for the National 5 History paper has been compromised.

Operational responsibility for the qualifications, such as the marking of assignments and associated quality assurance processes, is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

The Scottish Government has received reassurance that the annotated materials shared were associated with the assignment component of the qualifications and that learners’ assignments had already been submitted to SQA. It is important to provide this reassurance to learners and also important to stress that the materials shared did not relate to the National 5 History exam in any way.

SQA has advised that it is taking actions forward to enhance and strengthen their quality assurance measures for markers for National 5 History and ensure that the integrity and standards of their qualifications are being maintained.

Chamber and committees