Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22070 on 30 March 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22070 on 30 March 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

North Ayrshire Community Safety Partnership (CSP) has been allocated a total of £106,000 for Safer Streets projects over the last three festive periods, which comprises £40,000 in 2006-07, £40,000 in 2007-08 and £26,000 in 2008-09. The CSP distributed this funding across a range of activities, based on local needs and priorities, for example high visibility policing activities to support the targeting of drink driving, provision of Safe/Night Zones to reduce risks for users of the night-time economy, youth events and taxi marshal schemes.

Taxi marshal schemes received a total of £13,750 out of the Scottish Government''s Safer Streets funding.

The Scottish Government is currently gathering information to gauge the impact of the Safer Streets initiative, including taxi marshals, based on evaluation reports produced by local authorities. Police and local authority reports suggest that these schemes have had a significant positive impact on reducing disorder around taxi-queues and in town centres over the festive period.

The police recorded crime statistics collected centrally are based on an aggregate return, and do not record the occupation of the victim. However, following the introduction of the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act in 2005, a new distinct crime classification of Minor assault of an emergency worker was created. Note that this will also include minor assaults of police officers during any course of their duties.

The following table shows the number of offences of minor assault of an emergency worker recorded by the police in Scotland:

Offences of Minor Assault of an Emergency Worker Recorded by the Police in Scotland, 2005-06 to 2007-08

	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08
Minor assault of an emergency worker	518	723	753

Source: Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services.

All serious assaults are recorded under a separate crime classification. However, the Scottish Government does not hold the number of serious assaults on emergency workers as the occupation of the victim is not held centrally.

We are encouraging the learning of modern languages in primary and secondary schools through Curriculum for Excellence, which aims to raise the bar of modern languages learning and teaching in Scotland. Draft experiences and outcomes for modern languages were published for engagement and trialling in schools in October 2008 with the final version due to be published in April 2009.

In addition, the new Scottish Language Baccalaureate will be an important element within the wider Curriculum for Excellence programme to promote modern languages, particularly in secondary schools. The award aims to encourage more of our young people to continue to study language courses through to the later stages of secondary school. This will raise the status of the final years of Secondary school and assist our young people in making the transition from school to higher and further education and employment. The Scottish Government is working with the Scottish Qualifications Authority and the Scottish Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research on engagement with stakeholders regarding the awards, which will commence in the next school year.

Additionally, we have just completed the launch of eight Confucius Classroom Hubs, involving 13 local authorities across the country, which are promoting the learning of Chinese language and culture.

The number of grades A to C gained in higher exams in modern languages by pupils from publicly funded secondary schools in the last five years is given in the following table.

Higher Grades A to C in Modern Languages

Year	Grades A-C
2004	5,093
2005	5,018
2006	4,563
2007	5,167
2008	5,256

 

The totals include grades A to C in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Urdu.

The European Union published A New Framework Strategy for Multilingualism in November 2005 and an Education Council Resolution on a European Strategy for Multilingualism in November 2008. Both recognise that multilingualism strengthens the life chances of European citizens by building bridges to other people and opening access to other countries and cultures.

The Scottish Government is determined to promote a knowledge and understanding about the world and Scotland''s place in it among our young people through Curriculum for Excellence. For example, we are encouraging lifelong learning of modern languages as a central part of the new curriculum, including the new Scottish Language Baccalaureate being introduced later this year. And we are also investing record levels of funding in local government so that education authorities can respond appropriately to their own needs and priorities, including providing for pupils for whom English is an additional language. As Scotland moves forward as an increasingly multilingual society we will continue to take account of the European Union''s efforts to promote multilingualism through the Open Method of Co-ordination.

The number of higher exam entries in modern languages by pupils from publicly funded secondary schools in the last five years in given in the following table.

Higher Entries in Modern Languages

Year	Entries
2004	6,385
2005	6,212
2006	5,650
2007	6,263
2008	6,374

 

The languages represented in the table are French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Urdu.

Immersion teaching of modern languages is one amongst many ways of teaching languages. Curriculum for Excellence encourages cross-cutting and interdisciplinary approaches to make learning and teaching more interesting, relevant and engaging. Local authorities and schools can use the various models of immersion and partial immersion teaching of modern languages as part of such approaches, building on areas of current good practice.

This information will be included in table P2 in the General Register for Scotland''s 2008 Preliminary Return, which was published on 12 March 2009. Link to latest preliminary return:

http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/preliminary-return/2008-preliminary-return.html.