Chamber and committees

Today in a speech to the Scottish Learning Festival in Glasgow, I will set out the Scottish Government''s Assessment Strategy. A copy of the strategy has been placed in Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 49254). Additionally, we will publish our proposals today on the Curriculum for Excellence website at: http://www.curriculumforexcellencescotland.gov.uk. The overall vision and key principles is being published today. This will be followed later in the year by a Framework for Assessment to provide more detailed guidance.

Assessment is one of three key strands of work in implementing Curriculum for Excellence. The other areas are curriculum guidance, which was published in the spring, and National Qualifications, for which I announced detailed plans in Parliament on 11 June.

The strategy has been developed in conjunction with key stakeholders and practitioners working with children and young people aged 3 to 18.

The strategic vision for Assessment sets out the purposes and principles of assessment that will govern the assessment system for Curriculum for Excellence 3 to 18. The four main changes to assessment in Curriculum for Excellence are:

Assessment practices will follow and support the new curriculum. This will promote higher quality learning and teaching and give more autonomy and professional responsibility to teachers.

Standards and expectations will be defined in a way that reflects the principles of Curriculum for Excellence. This will support greater breadth and depth of learning and a greater focus on skills development including higher order skills.

A national system of quality assurance and moderation for 3 to 18 will be developed to support teachers in achieving greater consistency and confidence in their professional judgements.

A National Assessment Resource will help teachers to achieve greater consistency and understanding in their professional judgements. There will also be a major focus on CPD to help teachers develop the skills required.

There are no current commitments from HM Treasury about the scope for further acceleration of capital expenditure. The Scottish Government is in regular dialogue with the UK Government about a range of financial issues, and we are making representations about the scope for accelerating capital spending into 2010-11. This would allow us to continue to support economic recovery in Scotland in the face of many independent forecasters suggesting lower levels of growth in the UK next financial year compared to the HM Treasury forecast in Budget 2009.

The breakdown of costs to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body of the Calman Commission on Scottish Devolution are as follows: the secondment of a clerk team leader for 14 months - £84,500; official reports of evidence sessions “ £17,181; events team (ushers, catering etc) - £4943; broadcasting “ £3078, Scottish Parliament''s Information Centre - £4891. The costs were met from the respective office budgets.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-25927 on 11 August 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.

The final cost to the SPCB of fulfilling the direction contained in motion S3M-976 to support the Calman Commission on Scottish Devolution are as follows “ £111,161.87 on staff time (seconded Clerk Team Leader for 14 months, broadcasting contractors, SPICe support, provision of Official Report and Events ushers); catering and other costs - £3,432.73. These costs were met from existing budgets.

The SPCB has not yet established any projected costs arising from motion S3M-4490 agreed to by the Parliament on 25 June 2009. As with the support provided to the Calman Commission on Scottish Devolution, regular reports will be made to the SPCB.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24952 on 2 July 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.

Animal welfare legislation would apply to wallabies as it does to other species. The Scottish Government is not taking any other steps to protect the wallaby population in Scotland.

Both the beavers referred to in the answer to question S3W-21047 and the wallabies on Inchconnachan Island are considered to be living outwith their natural range but for different reasons. In the case of the beavers this is because, although the species was formerly present in Scotland, they are a small population introduced deliberately for a trial to locations to which they would not have spread naturally in the foreseeable future. Wallabies are native to Australia.

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority along with the Deer Commission and Scottish Natural Heritage are engaged in advising Luss Estates, who are responsible for the management of Inchconnachan Island and who are working to produce a conservation management plan for Luss Islands whose objectives would include delivering the best approach to conservation of native wildlife and habitats.