Chamber and committees

The full-time equivalent staffed posts within the Agricultural Wages Enforcement Team to ensure compliance with the Agricultural Wages (Scotland) Order, over the last five years, is:

The Lord Advocate has not provided the statement of prosecution policy regarding the safer drug consumption in Glasgow as of yet. It is anticipated that this will be provided in the coming weeks, ahead of the planned opening of the facility. The decision as to whether or not the statement of prosecution policy is published is one for the Lord Advocate.

There is a range of investment and resources available to support teachers to promote equality and address racism and other forms of discrimination within their school communities.

For example, Education Scotland, our national education improvement body, in partnership with Interfaith Scotland, has developed an Inclusion, Wellbeing and Equalities Professional Learning framework: Inclusion, Wellbeing and Equalities Professional Learning Framework | Leading professional learning | Professional Learning | Education Scotland which includes resources on religious literacy, aimed at supporting teachers’ understanding of the diverse needs, issues and discrimination experienced by different religious communities in the UK, including Jewish communities. Education Scotland also provides guidance on preventing radicalisation and extremism in schools; Prevent radicalisation and extremism | Resources | Education Scotland.

In relation to antisemitism specifically, the Scottish Government provides funding for the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Holocaust Educational Trust - LFA Project (het.org.uk) and Vision Schools Scotland’s Holocaust education programme: Vision Schools Scotland (uws.ac.uk) which aims to promote excellence in Holocaust teaching. While both programmes focus on the Holocaust, they also promote awareness of Jewish people, culture and their contribution to society and address antisemitism in the world today, including through professional learning and resources for teachers.

Ofqual regulates qualifications, examinations and assessments in England. It’s findings relate to the SQA Level 1 Health and Safety in a Construction Environment qualification delivered in England which was withdrawn by SQA in April 2019.

We expect all public bodies to comply with their obligations and the Ofqual findings must be fully addressed.

SQA is an executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), established under the Education (Scotland) Act 1996. As a NDPB, SQA is responsible for making its own operational decisions. SQA has taken forward an action plan to address the concerns raised by Ofqual and the plan will be independently audited.

The Scottish Government will be monitoring progress closely.

The attendance of children and young people in schools is a priority for the Scottish Government. Our published guidance Ministerial foreword - Included, engaged and involved part 1: promoting and managing school attendance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) for local authorities and schools is clear on the need to follow-up absence and provide appropriate support to address the underlying causes of absence.

Under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004, local authorities are under a statutory duty to identify, provide for, and review the additional support needs of their pupils. An additional support need can arise for any reason and be of short or long-term duration. Support needs arising from a young person’s individual family circumstances, such as having an alcohol dependent parent, are covered by the 2004 Act.

There is a package of national and local support available to assist schools in planning how to use their Pupil Equity Funding (PEF). Local authorities issue specific complementary guidance and headteachers can use their professional judgement to identify children in their school who may benefit from targeted interventions. Headteachers must develop a clear rationale for their use of PEF and plans must be grounded in evidence of what is known to be effective at raising attainment.

The Scottish Government is committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable educational environment. Engaging with key partners such as Education Scotland to gather feedback on professional learning, training and the information provided about antisemitism takes place in various ways, including during meetings of the Education Learning and Professional Leadership workstream of the Scottish Government’s Anti-Racism in Education programme.

Education Scotland supports a range of organisations who create resources for or deliver teaching about antisemitism. It is crucial that any approach to antisemitism within educational materials also considers the broader context of how race and racism operate in society. This includes understanding the role of structural racism, institutional discrimination, and the persistence of stereotypes.

Ofqual regulates qualifications, examinations and assessments in England. It’s findings relate to the SQA Level 1 Health and Safety in a Construction Environment qualification delivered in England which was withdrawn by SQA in April 2019.

SQA have regularly updated the Scottish Government on the Ofqual review from its inception.

The investigation of the non-compliance is a matter for Ofqual. Ofqual has published its findings: Undertaking given by Scottish Qualifications Authority to Ofqual in accordance with B8 of the Conditions of Recognition - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland is of paramount importance. That is why we continue to support our local authority partners with £16 million in funding to ensure that all school pupils aged 10 and above and all secondary schools in Scotland have access to school counselling services. Children impacted by parental alcohol or substance misuse can access these services and can also be referred to the school nurse service in order to receive appropriate support.

We are also providing local authorities with £15 million per annum to deliver community-based mental health and wellbeing support and services for children and young people, with many of these delivered through primary and secondary schools. It is for local authorities and schools to determine what support is put in place to best meet the needs of children and young people in their area.

The Building Racial Literacy (BRL) Programme is funded by the Scottish Government as part of the work of the Anti-Racism in Education Programme. An interim review Building Racial Literacy (education.gov.scot) was undertaken in 2022 and the programme underwent an external review in 2023 by The Collective, which can be viewed here. BRL External Evaluation (education.gov.scot).

While the programme does not focus on one single experience or type of racism, feedback from participants evidences the wide range of racialised experiences, including antisemitism, which are incorporated into the programme’s learning, as well as the ongoing commitment to spotlighting the social evolution of systemic racism.