Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-2655 today, which is available on the Parliament’s website,the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

The recent HM Chief Inspectorof Prisons and HM Inspectorate of Education reports are addressed to the Home Office.Home Office ministers are discussing with the Scottish Executive how the recommendationscan be taken forward.

Such matters would be considered,as appropriate, within the context of our discussions with the Home Office aboutthe recommendations in the recent reports by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and HMInspectorate of Education.

We have recently issued in theautumn of last year to all teachers and schools, guidance on the Professional Reviewand Development process. This document, that was prepared in collaboration withlocal authorities and other key stakeholders, describes the types of professionaldevelopment opportunities that teachers should expect to be exposed to throughouttheir career. It provides an exemplar framework in which to place such opportunitieswhich schools and teachers should consider and which reflects on what developmentactivities are appropriate at different stages in a teacher’s career. The ProfessionalReview and Development document is one of the elements that come together to makethe National Framework for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of teachers.In addition to the guidance prepared with our partners, the Executive has distributed£13.45 million in 2002-03 and £14 million in 2003-04 for CPD to local authorities.

None. Probationer teachers havealways required support and mentoring, and this has traditionally been a responsibilityof all teachers. Since the introduction of the teacher induction scheme, with itsmore formalised mentoring regime, the Executive has made additional funding availableto local authorities towards the cost of mentoring. Local authorities receive 10per cent of a probationer teacher’s salary for each probationer they employ specificallyto contribute to mentoring costs.

The job-sizing exercise encompassesall management responsibilities outlined in the agreement A Teaching Professionfor the 21st Century. This includes the management and guidance of colleagues.However, it should be noted that there is no requirement for probationer teachersto be supported by a particular grade of teacher.

Good progress has been madeon making provision for the accreditation of prior learning (APL) as part of the Chartered Teacher programme. The Scottish Executive recently sent to allregistered teachers a leaflet describing the Chartered Teacher programme andthe accreditation of prior learning (APL). All teachers taking a CharteredTeacher programme are required to complete module 1 of the programme. Onsuccessful completion of module 1, the teacher can choose between one of twoAPL routes.

• The first route will be handled by providers as part of their programme designed to meet the standard for Chartered Teacher and will allow a teacher to claim up to a maximum of 50% of the Standard by APL.
• The second route will be handled by the General Teaching Council for Scotland and will allow teachers to make a 100% claim against the standard by APL.

Alternatively the teachercan choose to complete the whole programme.

The agreement A TeachingProfession for the 21st Century included a commitment to introduce approximatelythe equivalent of 3,500 support staff into schools by 31 March 2004. Authorities have been provided with £50 millionannually from March 2001. It is a matter for authorities how the funds arespent but within the overall intention of reducing the administrative burdenson teachers. Some authorities have, for example, invested in capital equipmentsuch as improved management systems. Aworking group of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers has beenestablished to monitor the impact. It has yet to report.

This information is not held centrally. It is a matter for local authorities to determine staffing issues atlocal level.

This is a matter for local authorities.