Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21934.

The information requested is not held centrally.

For details of the progress being made on the Science Strategy commitments on school science education, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1O-4498 on 24 January 2002.On post-school education, progress is being made on the commitments in the Science Strategy in consultation with the various bodies involved and as they fit with wider developments. Progress includes: issuing guidance to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council on the importance of encouraging entrepreneurship skills; widening the availability of entrepreneurship courses to all Scottish universities through the Scottish Institute for Enterprise; and participating in the UK-led Roberts Review of the Supply of Scientists and Engineers, the final report of which will be published later this year. The Review of Education for Work and Enterprise, which is currently under way, will also consider the role that financial education and the science and technology curriculum can play in fostering enterprising and entrepreneurial attitudes and activities in later life. The Scottish Science Advisory Committee, which is currently being established, will provide advice on the extent to which we are achieving our cross-cutting objectives for science.

The recommendations made in the draft guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home that relate to the monitoring of home education provision are not connected with any plans in England to collect pupil level school census data for statistical purposes. There were no discussions held with the Department for Education and Skills on the establishment of a UK-wide tracking system for children.

The effectiveness of home education provision should be considered in the context of, but not dictated by, the philosophy behind the National Priorities which have been established for school education. The National Priorities promote the development of core skills, self-discipline, respect for self and others in society, and creativity and ambition in all children. A range of documents provided by Education Otherwise was considered in preparing the draft guidance, including a summary of Educating Children at Home by Alan Thomas and The Next Learning System by Roland Meighan.

The Scottish Executive is not aware of any research which exists to suggest that home educated children are in need of extraordinary measures of care and protection. The Scottish Executive believes that appropriate measures should be in place to ensure the educational welfare of all children and that position is reflected in the draft guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home, issued for consultation until 29 March 2002.

During initial consultation, representatives of home education organisations and local authorities raised a range of issues that have been addressed in the draft guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home. The Scottish Consumer Council Homeworks report was also given full consideration and many of the issues raised in the report have been addressed in the draft guidance which has been issued for consultation until 29 March 2002.

Section 37 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, provides that authorities have a duty to intervene if they are not satisfied that a parent is providing an efficient education that is suited to his or her child. The Scottish Executive believes that authorities cannot fulfil this responsibility without taking reasonable steps to satisfy themselves as to the effectiveness of the education provision being made for a child. Paragraph 2.6 of the draft guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home reflects that position. In fulfilling their duties, authorities must act within the terms of data protection and human rights legislation. The draft guidance, which has been issued for consultation until 29 March 2002, was subject to the normal legal scrutiny.

When the draft guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home was issued for consultation, the Scottish Executive decided to send the document to those parties with a direct interest. This was done on 20 December 2001. The document was posted on the Scottish Executive website on 27 December 2001.The version of the draft guidance originally posted on the website did not indicate to whom responses should be sent and by when; this was an error that was rectified on 8 January 2002.

The Scottish Executive undertook work to prepare the draft guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home between July 2000 and December 2001. The draft was completed on 10 December 2001. Following printing, copies of the draft guidance were issued for consultation to (a) the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, (b) the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland, (c) individual education authorities, and (d) home education organisations on 20 December 2001. A copy of the draft guidance was posted on the Scottish Executive website on 27 December 2001.