Chamber and committees

The new Glow solution will include a managed authentication service which will allow registered users to access an integrated applications suite comprising of tools, services and content.

The procurement of the new Glow authentication service was announced on 24 February and is currently being advertised to suppliers under the Lot 2 of the Scottish Government IT Managed Services Framework.

The development of Glow is based on wide ranging engagement with the education community including teachers, learners, parents and IT experts. I have listened to their advice and agree that Glow must evolve to become more dynamic and flexible, taking advantage of readily available tools and service that already exist on the web.

The development of Glow is more than just the tools, it is about changing culture, practice and behaviours. That is why it is set in the wider context of delivering against five ICT in Education objectives, governed by an ICT in Education Programme Board. The membership of the Programme Board includes Scottish Government officials, representatives from Education Scotland and the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland. Minutes of the board’s meetings are taken.

The new Glow solution will connect users to existing national resources and they will continue to be able to access nationally procured content. There will also be a data migration solution available to users to transfer user generated content.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-05796 on 1 March 2012. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The user base will be part of the scope for new authentication service for Glow, which is currently being procured. The contract will set out management responsibilities.

The development of Glow is based on engagement with the education community to establish a joint future vision for Glow.

The decision to stop the procured solution for the next Glow was based on ensuring best value for money and educational outcomes from our spending on ICT in education. Investing in the glue to bind together tools and resources that are readily available on the web will ensure that Glow becomes more dynamic and flexible and keeps pace with rapidly evolving developments in ICT.

Our plans for Glow and our objectives for ICT in Education will enable us to focus our approach and invest in a way that delivers outcomes that matter for Scotland’s children and young people.

Scottish Government and Historic Scotland officials have met recently to discuss recent media coverage of bullying at the Agency. Historic Scotland takes allegations of bullying very seriously. Its policy on bullying and harassment in the workplace reflects that of the Scottish Government and provides a number of ways for staff to raise concerns or complaints.

Where cases of alleged bullying of Historic Scotland staff are raised formally, including through the trade unions, these are investigated fully. There are currently no active cases under investigation.

The trade unions and Historic Scotland’s management are fully committed to their partnership agreement. This provides regular opportunities for both sides to discuss the health and welfare of staff.

Yesterday I also spoke at the Historic Scotland Conference when the Agency launched its corporate plan for 2012-15. Central to the plan is the Agency working with stakeholders to fulfil the wide-ranging statutory responsibilities of Scottish ministers in relation to the historic environment.

Curriculum for Excellence was successfully implemented in every secondary school in Scotland from August 2010. Education Scotland has gathered information on ongoing delivery through its inspections evidence which has been included in the CfE progress report for the Management Board. SQA’s CfE liaison team has also been working closely with all local authorities and their schools and will continue to do so to support schools in delivering the new National Qualifications.

Through the Cabinet Secretary's CfE Action Plan 2011-12 we are committed to providing further materials for parents, where and when needs are identified, to explain what's new and different about the new curriculum, plus the benefits it is bringing to learning and teaching. To this end we have just published some new short films, in conjunction with the National Parent Forum of Scotland, which illustrate in learners', parents' and teachers' own words the kinds of impact and benefits that Curriculum for Excellence is currently having around the country. The films can be viewed at www.engageforeducation.org/cfefilms.

<>The Educational Institute of Scotland (http://www.eis.org.uk/) has called for some form of delay to the introduction of the new qualifications and met the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning on 9 February 2012 to discuss this. The Cabinet Secretary also met with the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association (SSTA) on 14 February 2012 who supported the EIS position.

A local authority chief executive, director of education and Head of Children's Services were all on the original Curriculum Review Group who published A Curriculum for Excellence on 1 November 2004. COSLA is a member of the CfE Management Board. The Association of Directors of Education (ADES) has been fully involved in the implementation of CfE, which also includes the unprecedented involvement of teachers. It sits on the CfE Management Board and the newly formed CfE Implementation Group. Education Scotland has engaged with local authorities through its inspection programmes across all sectors. It has provided a wide range of support and CPD activities focused on key aspects of curriculum, learning, teaching and assessment to assist authorities, schools and practitioners. SQA’s CfE Liaison team has been making regular visits to schools and local authorities to ensure they have the most up to date information on the new qualifications. The CfE Implementation Group meets every two months.