Question reference: S6W-00632
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 14 June 2021
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Current status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 July 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered introducing an equivalent provision in Scotland to paragraph 2.18 of the Department for Education's School Admissions Code, published in December 2014, regarding the allocation of school places for both the children of UK service personnel and crown servants.
Answer
The Scottish Government is wholehearted in its commitment to supporting our Armed Forces, veterans and their families in Scotland. We want Scotland to be the destination of choice for Service Leavers and their families and that includes Scotland being the best place in the world in which children and young people grow up and learn .
In relation to school admissions, in Scotland, local authorities have a legal responsibility to provide education in their area and publish arrangements for admission of pupils to schools they manage. Local authorities can also reserve places in schools in anticipation of children who may move into the area during the school year. Our expectation is that local authorities, especially those with a significant local military presence, make efforts to engage with local armed forces bases to monitor new demand for places and work with them to identify suitable school places. We have no plans to place additional requirements on local authorities in this regard.