Chamber and committees

There were in September 2004, (a) 4,131 pupils with a Record of Needs and/or an Individualised Educational Programme in primary, secondary and special schools who had social, emotional and behavioural difficulties identified as their main difficulty in learning. Of these pupils, (b) 733 were placed in special schools.

A Climate for Learning was published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education in March 2005. This report provides the findings of inspectors on implementation of Better Behaviour – Better Learning in education authorities and schools and the quality of work being undertaken to promote positive behaviour in schools. This task is continuing and a further report will be made in future years.

The Scottish Executive is preparing to repeat the 2004 Survey of Teachers’ Perceptions on Indiscipline in Schools during 2006. In the new survey we will seek further information from teachers and headteachers about what they believe to be effective in tackling indiscipline in their schools. The findings of the 2004 survey suggested that teachers deployed a range of strategies to maintain positive discipline in their classroom.

The approaches that the Scottish Executive is developing to promote positive behaviour have all been trialled within the local authorities leading these projects, with small scale evaluations, before they are disseminated further. For example, the Solution Oriented Schools approach was evaluated by Moray Council during its development and piloting of this approach; which is now being made available nationally through a series of “training for trainers” events. Similar approaches are being taken with Restorative Practices and Motivated Schools.

East Ayrshire Council has worked closely with the Scottish Executive to evaluate the benefits of Staged Intervention (FFI) in schools and education authorities using this approach throughout Scotland. The findings will be available early in 2006.

In addition to evaluation and research, the Scottish Executive consults closely with education authorities and teacher unions to ensure constant feedback on effective practice and implementation of Better Behaviour – Better Learning.

All Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses provide training to student teachers on how to promote positive behaviour in the classroom.

For example, the four-year BEd course at Dundee University includes a core module on managing pupil behaviour involving 200 hours of student effort. Topics that are afforded similar priority include Education Studies and Teaching Science which also require 200 hours of student effort.

The one-year Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) includes periods of study at which students are trained how to manage pupil behaviour fairly, sensitively and consistently and learn when to seek advice from colleagues.

The curriculum is non-statutory. Responsibility for effective teaching rests with authorities and schools. A Curriculum for Excellence will provide a framework for young people’s learning which will enable them to develop as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens, effective contributors. The curriculum review acknowledges that history has an important contribution to make to the purposes of education and it is an explicit aspiration that every young person is able to develop knowledge and understanding of the world and Scotland’s place in it.

Small groups began the review of communication and language, maths and numeracy and social subjects in May 2005. They have been meeting since then to consider the future shape of guidance for the three to 15 curriculum, with an eye to the implications for 15 to 18. We expect to publish an overall rationale for change across the curriculum as a whole in February. This will form the basis for initial versions of revised draft guidance which will be issued later in the year.

We are engaging with the teaching profession and teacher education institutions on the nature and extent of change across all curricular areas. We will begin the process of engaging more deeply in a sequenced and managed way from late January 2006. There will be opportunities for discussion, trial and iteration throughout calendar year 2006 initially on the rationale for change and later on draft guidance. All stakeholders including universities will be kept fully informed of this process and will be invited to engage fully in the debate.

Processing and disposal of sewage sludge is an operational matter for those producing it. Relative costs between different options for treatment and disposal of sewage sludge are matters for them to consider.

Exact information is not held centrally but it is estimated to be about 130,000 tonnes annually in Scotland. Whether landfill capacity would be available for sewage sludge, and how much, is a matter for the individual operators of landfill sites.

Processing and disposal of sewage sludge is an operational matter for those producing it. Investment costs of different treatment and disposal options are matters for them to consider.

The Executive has issued Supporting Children’s Learning, the Code of Practice on the application of the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004, and separate guidance on the application of Section 15 (the presumption of mainstream education) of the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000. These provide guidance in respect of provision for pupils with additional support needs, including those with social emotional and behavioural difficulties, and on the criteria for referring such pupils for placement in special schools outwith mainstream education.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-20593 on 21 November 2005. 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/webapp/wa.search.