- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 28 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will recommend the appointment of outdoor education advisors in local authorities.
Answer
Guidance on health and safety on school trips is currently being reviewed. This review will include consideration of the question of the appointment of outdoor education advisers in local authorities.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 28 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will recommend the appointment of educational visit co-ordinators in schools.
Answer
Guidance on health and safety on school trips is currently being reviewed. This review will include consideration of the question of the appointment of educational visit co-ordinators in schools.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 30 June 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 24 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether monies released by end-year flexibility are a sustainable source of funding for teacher training.
Answer
Teacher training is funded through annual grant in aid to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC). This is included within our expenditure plans. End-year flexibility was used recently to increase the number of postgraduate students entering teacher training courses in primary education in 2003-04 in order to help meet our commitment to reduce class sizes in primary one to 25. These funds were additional to the annual grant in aid given to SHEFC.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 23 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all schools will meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in respect of access to buildings by 1 October 2004.
Answer
Part IV of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 places duties on education authorities not to discriminate against a disabled pupil in the education or associated services provided for, or offered to, pupils at the school by that body. Furthermore, education authorities must take reasonable steps to avoid disadvantage to disabled pupils. However, it does not require education authorities to remove or alter a physical feature, or to provide auxiliary aids or services. These duties not to discriminate came into force on 1 September 2002.Ensuring accessibility in respect of access to school buildings is one aspect of the Education (Disability Strategies and Pupils' Educational Records) (Scotland) Act 2002. Initial accessibility strategies, prepared under the act by 1 April 2003, are now being implemented by all providers of school education. These strategies plan improvements to be made, over time, to the physical environment of the school and other places where school education is provided. Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, relating to Rights of Access, Facilities, Services and Premises, will commence from 1 October 2004. This will apply to any service providers using a school for purposes other than education or associated services.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 23 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will allocate to youth cafis.
Answer
Funding for Youth CAFEs (Community Alcohol Free Environments) is provided within resources allocated to local authorities and NHS boards but is not identified specifically by the Executive. The plans of Alcohol Action Teams will allow us to assess the current provision and future plans for such facilities.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 23 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the training of additional teachers will have on the funding allocated to implement the McCrone settlement agreed with local authorities in March 2003.
Answer
We are committed to the full implementation of the agreement A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century. The training of any additional teachers arising from A Partnership for a Better Scotland will not affect the funding of that agreement.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 23 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applicants to the Teacher Induction Scheme have not taken up the place offered to them.
Answer
One thousand, nine hundred and ninety-five students were offered places on the Teacher Induction Scheme at the beginning of June. As at 7 July, 75 have indicated that they will not take up the places they have been offered.The table indicates the reasons why people will not be taking up their places.
| Reason for Not Taking Up Place | Number of Students |
| Withdrawn from or not completed course | 34 |
| Deferral till 2004 scheme | 5 |
| Going outwith Scotland | 9 |
| Joining independent sector | 7 |
| Personal/family reasons | 7 |
| Other/not specified | 13 |
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 23 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, probationer teachers trained in the north east received places in that region under the Teacher Induction Scheme.
Answer
Two hundred and sixty-four Aberdeen University students applied to join the Teacher Induction Scheme in August 2003. One hundred and thirty-two (50%) have been allocated either to Aberdeen City Council or Aberdeenshire Council.Of the other 132, 60 (23% of the total) were allocated to an authority higher on their preference list than either Aberdeen City Council or Aberdeenshire Council and 55 (21% of the total) did not indicate a preference to work with either of those authorities. The remaining 17 (6% of the total) indicated a preference to work in Aberdeen or Aberdeenshire. However, no vacancies existed for these teachers and they were allocated to other authorities on their preference lists.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 23 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive on what basis the Minister for Education and Young People decided which the subjects are where attainment is most important, as referred to in its news release SEED244/2003 of 25 June 2003.
Answer
The Scottish Executive's response to the national debate "Educating for Excellence" emphasised our commitment to better standards of literacy and numeracy and to make the best use of specialist teachers in both primary and secondary. Those commitments are reflected in the Partnership Agreement. We are also committed to increase the number of visiting specialists in primary schools. Discussions will be held with education authorities as to the subjects in which a visiting specialist would be most helpful.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 27 June 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 23 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what form annual progress plans, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland, will take and how such plans will differ from annual reports.
Answer
Work is under way to improve reporting to parents as part of the Assessment Development Programme. The form of annual progress plans is currently under consideration and will draw on a series of consultations with groups of parents planned for autumn 2003. Annual progress plans will be closely linked to Personal Learning Plans to provide parents with a broader range of quality information on their children's learning.
