- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2016
-
Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2016
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on reports that there were 729 teacher vacancies the week before the start of the 2016-17 school term.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2016
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mark McDonald on 26 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many families have been eligible for free childcare in each year since 2010-11, broken down by local authority.
Answer
Between August 2007 and July 2014 all three and four year olds were entitled to 475 hours a year of funded early learning and childcare. This increased to 600 hours a year in August 2014 through the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 (the Act).
In 2012, local authorities were provided with £4.5 million over three years to provide early learning and childcare to looked after two year olds on a non-statutory basis. In 2014 the Act made 600 hours funded early learning and childcare a statutory entitlement for 2 year olds who are looked after, or under a Kinship Care or Guardianship Order, along with two year olds with a parent in receipt of out of work benefits. In 2015 this was extended further to those two year olds who meet the free school lunch criteria.
The following table sets out the estimated number of eligible children (excluding deferrals) by local authority. It is important to note that these figures are not the same as the early learning and childcare census as published in the Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland. This is because the figures below state the number of eligible children over the course of the whole year, i.e. at term 3, whereas the census records those children registered; and, only at term 1.
|
Estimated Eligible children by LA (3 + 4s, 2s from 2012)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010
|
2011
|
2012
|
2013
|
2014
|
2015
|
|
Aberdeen City
|
4,200
|
4,300
|
4,700
|
4,800
|
5,200
|
5,300
|
|
Aberdeenshire
|
5,800
|
6,000
|
6,300
|
6,600
|
6,900
|
6,700
|
|
Angus
|
2,400
|
2,500
|
2,500
|
2,400
|
2,600
|
2,600
|
|
Argyll & Bute
|
1,600
|
1,700
|
1,700
|
1,700
|
1,900
|
1,900
|
|
Clackmannanshire
|
1,100
|
1,200
|
1,200
|
1,100
|
1,300
|
1,400
|
|
Dumfries & Galloway
|
3,100
|
3,100
|
3,100
|
3,100
|
3,400
|
3,300
|
|
Dundee City
|
2,900
|
3,000
|
3,200
|
3,200
|
3,600
|
4,000
|
|
East Ayrshire
|
2,600
|
2,700
|
2,800
|
2,800
|
3,000
|
3,300
|
|
East Dunbartonshire
|
2,100
|
2,100
|
2,200
|
2,100
|
2,400
|
2,500
|
|
East Lothian
|
2,400
|
2,400
|
2,500
|
2,400
|
2,700
|
2,800
|
|
East Renfrewshire
|
2,100
|
2,100
|
2,100
|
2,200
|
2,400
|
2,500
|
|
Edinburgh, City of
|
9,200
|
9,800
|
10,700
|
10,600
|
10,900
|
10,900
|
|
Eilean Siar
|
600
|
600
|
600
|
500
|
1,200
|
1,600
|
|
Falkirk
|
3,600
|
3,700
|
3,800
|
3,900
|
4,100
|
4,200
|
|
Fife
|
8,000
|
8,200
|
8,500
|
8,600
|
9,500
|
9,800
|
|
Glasgow City
|
12,100
|
12,500
|
13,000
|
13,000
|
15,300
|
16,700
|
|
Highland
|
5,000
|
5,200
|
5,300
|
5,100
|
5,300
|
5,500
|
|
Inverclyde
|
1,700
|
1,700
|
1,700
|
1,700
|
1,900
|
1,900
|
|
Midlothian
|
1,900
|
2,000
|
2,100
|
2,100
|
2,400
|
2,500
|
|
Moray
|
2,000
|
2,200
|
2,200
|
2,100
|
2,200
|
2,200
|
|
North Ayrshire
|
3,000
|
3,000
|
3,100
|
3,000
|
3,400
|
3,600
|
|
North Lanarkshire
|
8,100
|
8,300
|
8,400
|
8,300
|
9,000
|
9,300
|
|
Orkney Islands
|
400
|
400
|
500
|
400
|
500
|
500
|
|
Perth & Kinross
|
2,800
|
3,000
|
3,000
|
3,000
|
3,200
|
3,300
|
|
Renfrewshire
|
3,700
|
3,800
|
3,900
|
3,900
|
4,300
|
4,400
|
|
Scottish Borders
|
2,300
|
2,400
|
2,400
|
2,300
|
2,500
|
2,600
|
|
Shetland Islands
|
600
|
500
|
500
|
600
|
600
|
600
|
|
South Ayrshire
|
2,200
|
2,300
|
2,300
|
2,200
|
2,600
|
2,600
|
|
South Lanarkshire
|
6,900
|
7,000
|
7,100
|
7,000
|
7,700
|
8,100
|
|
Stirling
|
1,900
|
1,800
|
1,800
|
1,800
|
1,900
|
2,000
|
|
West Dunbartonshire
|
2,000
|
2,100
|
2,200
|
2,100
|
2,400
|
2,500
|
|
West Lothian
|
4,600
|
4,700
|
4,800
|
4,600
|
5,000
|
5,100
|
|
Scotland
|
112,700
|
116,200
|
120,500
|
119,300
|
131,300
|
136,300
|
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many students in further education institutions have changed their programmes of study from full-time to part-time in each year since 2010-11.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
The Scottish Funding Council publishes annual statistics on colleges in Scotland, however they do not collect information on changes in students’ mode of study during the academic year.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what the average grant awarded by the Student Award Agency for Scotland was for support to students with dyslexia in (a) further and (b) higher education institutions in each year since 2010-11.
Answer
The Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) administer the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) which is a needs led funding based on demand. DSA helps support equality for individual students.
The following table shows the average DSA award granted by SAAS for students who have declared they have dyslexia.
|
|
2010-11
|
2011-12
|
2012-13
|
2013-14
|
2014-15
|
|
All
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amount of support (£ million)
|
3.803
|
3.962
|
3.126
|
3.53
|
3.223
|
|
Average support per student (£ thousand)
|
1,500
|
1,400
|
1,300
|
1,300
|
1,200
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Universities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amount of support (£ million)
|
2.964
|
3.07
|
2.311
|
2.555
|
2.473
|
|
Average support per student (£ thousand)
|
1,400
|
1,400
|
1,200
|
1,300
|
1,200
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Colleges
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amount of support (£ million)
|
0.84
|
0.893
|
0.815
|
0.975
|
0.749
|
|
Average support per student (£ thousand)
|
1,800
|
1,800
|
1,800
|
1,700
|
1,400
|
Notes: DSA funding from SAAS is available to those undertaking a course of higher education at eligible colleges, universities and private institutions. The data provided for colleges includes publicly funded colleges and private institutions.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01955 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 2 September 2016, whether it considers that a 71.3% successful completion rate for students on full-time recognised higher education qualifications is satisfactory, and what it is doing to increase this rate.
Answer
The 71.3% successful completion rate for college students on full-time recognised Higher Education (HE) qualifications in 2014-15 is relatively unchanged from the record high of 71.4% in 2013-14. It represents a 7.4 percentage point increase from 2008-09.
Moreover, 2014-15 saw the highest ever number of full-time HE students successfully complete recognised qualifications: 23,717 compared to 23,121 the previous year. And there has been a 29% increase in the number of students progressing from college to university with advanced standing between 2011-12 and 2014-15 (from 3,099 to 3,999).
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) applications have been received and (b) grants have been awarded by the Student Award Agency for Scotland in respect of support to students with dyslexia in each year since 2010-11, broken down by (i) further and (ii) higher education institutions.
Answer
The Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) administer the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) which is a needs led funding based on demand. DSA helps support equality for individual students.
The following table shows the number of DSA awards provided by the Student Awards Agency Scotland for students who have declared they have dyslexia.
|
|
2010-11
|
2011-12
|
2012-13
|
2013-14
|
2014-15
|
|
All
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of students
|
2,560
|
2,755
|
2,380
|
2,620
|
2,610
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Universities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of students
|
2,095
|
2,255
|
1,920
|
2,030
|
2,065
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Colleges
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of students
|
465
|
500
|
460
|
590
|
545
|
Notes: DSA funding from SAAS is available to those undertaking a course of higher education at eligible colleges, universities and private institutions. The data provided for colleges includes publicly funded colleges and private institutions.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what the completion rate was for students on part-time recognised (a) higher and (b) further education qualifications in each year since 2010-11.
Answer
The information requested is published by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) in its annual publication College Performance Indicators.
Data for 2014-15 is available in the most recent edition of the publication:
http://www.sfc.ac.uk/communications/Statisticalpublications/2016/SFCST012016.aspx (Chart 2 and Chart 5)
Data for all years is reproduced in the following table for reference:
College completion rates for student enrolments on part-time recognised qualifications 2010-11 to 2014-15
|
|
Further Education (FE)
|
Higher Education (HE)
|
|
|
Completions
|
All
|
Completion Rate
|
Completions
|
All
|
Completion Rate
|
|
2010-11
|
115,321
|
129,210
|
89.3%
|
15,546
|
17,243
|
90.2%
|
|
2011-12
|
95,853
|
105,764
|
90.6%
|
12,264
|
13,662
|
89.8%
|
|
2012-13
|
86,743
|
97,073
|
89.4%
|
11,422
|
12,636
|
90.4%
|
|
2013-14
|
94,357
|
103,683
|
91.0%
|
10,907
|
11,906
|
91.6%
|
|
2014-15
|
101,141
|
110,108
|
91.9%
|
11,216
|
12,157
|
92.3%
|
|
Source: Scottish Funding Council (SFC), College Performance Indicators
|
|
|
Note: Completions include Completed Successfully and Partial Success.
|
|
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 September 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many university places the Scottish Funding Council has funded in each year since 2010-11.
Answer
The following table shows the breakdown of full-time equivalent (FTE) funded places supported by the Scottish Funding Council on behalf of the Scottish Government since 2010-11.
|
Academic Year
|
FTE Places
|
|
2010-11
|
129,733.3
|
|
2011-12
|
120,018.3
|
|
2012-13
|
125,736.8
|
|
2013-14
|
125,346.3
|
|
2014-15
|
124,937.6
|
|
2015-16
|
124,315.0
|
|
2016-17
|
126,537.1
|
The reduction in FTE funded places in the period since 2010-11 is due primarily to the removal of funded places for students from the rest of the UK (rUK). Funding for these places was removed following the Scottish Government decision to allow Scottish universities to charge rUK students equivalent fees up to the level which they would have been required to pay to attend rUK universities.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2016
-
Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that there will be a legacy arising from the success of the Scottish competitors at the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2016
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mark McDonald on 21 September 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many workers who provide early childcare there have been in each year since 2010-11, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The following table sets out the number of workers who provided Early Childcare in each year since 2010-11, broken down by local authority.
This information covers those registered with the Scottish Social Services Council, including Childminders. Not all of those registered as working in childcare are actually providing care to the service user. Therefore, the data in the following table excludes those working in Early Learning and Childcare settings who are administrative/support workers or in ancillary roles.
|
Local Authority Area
|
|
Headcount of Day Care of Children staff (excluding admin/ancillary staff) plus Childminders
|
|
2010
|
2011
|
2012
|
2013
|
2014
|
2015
|
|
|
Aberdeen City
|
1573
|
1512
|
1533
|
1517
|
1530
|
1633
|
|
Aberdeenshire
|
1669
|
1642
|
1696
|
1780
|
1836
|
2003
|
|
Angus
|
770
|
779
|
762
|
735
|
790
|
842
|
|
Argyll & Bute
|
491
|
476
|
458
|
470
|
481
|
502
|
|
Clackmannanshire
|
309
|
293
|
312
|
296
|
322
|
332
|
|
Dumfries & Galloway
|
689
|
686
|
687
|
684
|
749
|
769
|
|
Dundee City
|
1016
|
1018
|
1044
|
1002
|
1108
|
1171
|
|
East Ayrshire
|
663
|
656
|
674
|
712
|
750
|
770
|
|
East Dunbartonshire
|
701
|
705
|
751
|
729
|
793
|
878
|
|
East Lothian
|
642
|
655
|
628
|
625
|
690
|
730
|
|
East Renfrewshire
|
647
|
654
|
658
|
645
|
720
|
770
|
|
Edinburgh, City of
|
3599
|
3638
|
3631
|
3670
|
3987
|
4128
|
|
Falkirk
|
902
|
905
|
933
|
900
|
931
|
965
|
|
Fife
|
2141
|
2168
|
2221
|
2127
|
2256
|
2354
|
|
Glasgow City
|
4149
|
4101
|
4182
|
4161
|
4264
|
4285
|
|
Highland
|
1522
|
1425
|
1411
|
1479
|
1577
|
1570
|
|
Inverclyde
|
431
|
431
|
428
|
428
|
472
|
490
|
|
Midlothian
|
608
|
629
|
621
|
643
|
667
|
747
|
|
Moray
|
525
|
515
|
531
|
518
|
549
|
590
|
|
Na h-Eileanan Siar
|
161
|
156
|
194
|
151
|
154
|
165
|
|
North Ayrshire
|
772
|
760
|
751
|
711
|
742
|
723
|
|
North Lanarkshire
|
1862
|
1882
|
1730
|
1706
|
1840
|
1876
|
|
Orkney Islands
|
104
|
100
|
127
|
121
|
124
|
124
|
|
Perth & Kinross
|
1001
|
977
|
982
|
951
|
1026
|
1077
|
|
Renfrewshire
|
1252
|
1227
|
1233
|
1222
|
1288
|
1345
|
|
Scottish Borders
|
644
|
635
|
648
|
650
|
676
|
677
|
|
Shetland Islands
|
161
|
161
|
162
|
143
|
159
|
170
|
|
South Ayrshire
|
627
|
628
|
609
|
613
|
667
|
668
|
|
South Lanarkshire
|
1913
|
1908
|
1866
|
1835
|
1975
|
2033
|
|
Stirling
|
679
|
653
|
652
|
648
|
647
|
671
|
|
West Dunbartonshire
|
576
|
581
|
576
|
573
|
616
|
602
|
|
West Lothian
|
1225
|
1212
|
1228
|
1271
|
1346
|
1440
|
