Chamber and committees

The delivery of a reductionin primary 1 to primary 3 class sizes to a maximum of 18 will be dependent onthe rate of progress made by individual local authorities. We expect localauthorities to make year on year progress towards reducing primary 1 to primary3 classes to a maximum of 18 pupils.

The number of studentteachers successfully completing their courses in the next four years willdepend on two factors, the numbers currently on the four year BEd degreecourses and the number entering the one year Professional Graduate Diploma inEducation courses. The intake to courses is a matter for the Scottish FundingCouncil and the Scottish Government offers the Council advice on this issue. Theadvice for 2008-09 is being prepared.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-7215 on 12 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

This information ispublished in the Scottish Household’sBelow Average Income Statistics Publication Notice 2005-06 – Revised (Bib. number 43209).

Sure Start Scotland was intended to deliver four high-level objectives aroundsupport for vulnerable families with very young children rather than an anti-povertymeasure. Under the terms of the concordat between the Scottish Government and localgovernment, resources allocated under the Sure Start formula through the unhypothecatedRevenue Support Grant remain to fund work around improving children’s social andemotional development, health and ability to learn as well as strengthening familiesand communities. The role of Sure Start Scotland will be examined within the Scottish Government’s Early Years Strategy,due to publish in summer/autumn 2008, which will review the full range of earlyyears services.

Resources allocatedto local authorities under the Sure Start Scotland formula through the unhypothecated Revenue Support Grant remain availablefor local authorities to meet the needs of vulnerable families with very young children.

Under the terms of the concordat between the Scottish Government and local government, resources allocatedunder the Sure Start formula through the unhypothecated Revenue Support Grant, remainto fund work around improving children’s social and emotional development, healthand ability to learn as well as strengthening families and communities. Considerationof the best ways of supporting families who are hardest to reach, including therole of Sure Start Scotland, will be examined within the Scottish Government’s EarlyYears Strategy, due to publish in summer/autumn 2008, which will review the fullrange of early years services.

The concordat thatwe have signed with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities is founded on improvingeducational outcomes and providing more choices and more chances for all childrenand young people, including those identified as living in poverty.

We will focus on improvingthe learning experience for children and young people by improving the fabric ofschools and nurseries; developing and delivering the curriculum for excellence,and, as quickly as possible, reducing class sizes to a maximum of 18 in primary1 to primary 3 and improving early years provision with access to a teacher forevery pre-school child. In addition, our skills strategy describes our ambitionsfor developing skills in a lifelong learning context, from cradle to grave.

We are committed toworking with local government and other partners in the education community to buildon the new relationship. Our aim is to develop young people who are successful learners,confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens, and so raiseeducational attainment in Scotland.

The level of teacherinvolvement required in pre-school education will depend on the characteristicsof each individual centre. Different models of teacher involvement, including peripateticteachers, may be appropriate depending on the type of centre and the way it operates.

We will be developingguidance in partnership with local government on the deployment of teachers in pre-schooleducation.

The number of teachersrequired to provide every pre-school child with access to a teacher will dependon the way in which teachers are deployed. The concordat with COSLA includes anagreement to give every pre-school child access to a teacher as soon as possible.We are working with partners in local government to take forward this commitment.We expect to have 20,000 teachers in training between 2007-11 as support to workforcerequirements, class size reductions and teachers for nursery age children.