Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the negative impact the pandemic has had on some people’s mental health and wellbeing, including teachers and school staff. This has been evidenced through several UK and Scottish studies.

Since 2020, the Scottish Government has therefore made a package of support available for the education workforce which is designed to help staff look after their own wellbeing, those of colleagues and those they lead. This includes coaching and group sessions focussed on looking after individual mental health and wellbeing and that of any staff managed and also values based-leadership aimed at supporting teachers in the early phase of their career. An evaluation in 2022 found that 93% of participants report an increase in their confidence to manage their own mental health and wellbeing since engaging with this support.

Local Councils employ our teachers and school staff; as such they have a responsibility to ensure workplaces support and promote good mental health benefits for the individuals they employ.

The Scottish Government will consider the final revised EU environmental crime directive, once it is agreed, against our policy as stated in the Policy Statement issued under section 6 of the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 to maintain alignment where appropriate with EU law, taking account of our existing actions to strengthen the legal protection of nature.

The Scottish Government does not routinely collect data on mothballed schools in Scotland. The Scottish Government does collect data from local authorities in order to collate a list of schools regarded as rural for the purposes of the Schools (Consultation)(Scotland) Act 2010. The most recent rural schools list was published on 25 October 2021 - Rural schools in Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . The rural schools list includes those schools the relevant local authority has mothballed. The 2021 rural schools list shows that 21 schools were reported as being mothballed. The following table shows how many rural schools are mothballed by local authority area.

Data on the proportion of school link enrolments at colleges by pupils in rural schools compared with those in urban schools is held by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

Information provided by the SFC shows that for 2021-22 around 20% of enrolments of school pupils at Scottish colleges come from rural areas of Scotland with around 80% from urban areas.

The public consultation on the revised relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) teaching guidance will be published shortly.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16260 on 17 April 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

As set out in the response to S6W-15482 on 16 March 2023, all projects are subject to review by NHS Scotland Assure prior to opening.

The Key Stage Assurance Review (KSAR) process examines projects at key points in their lifecycle. It does not remove any legal or contractual obligations from the NHS Health Board, their designers or contractors. It provides assurance to progress successfully to the next review point and the process will be mandated for projects requiring Scottish Government approval.

As part of the commissioning, completion, and handover part of the process, from February 2023, all building projects going through a KSAR, should not open to patients or the public until they have received a ‘supported status’ from NHS Scotland Assure.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. However the Scottish Social Services Council estimated that in 2021, approximately 10% of social care sector staff are employed on zero hours or equivalent contracts. Their Report on Workforce Data can be reached at the following link; https://data.sssc.uk.com/data-publications/22-workforce-data-report/295-scottish-social-service-sector-report-on-2021-workforce-data

We are committed to supporting the recruitment of more teachers and my predecessor recently set out measures to Parliament making it clear that we will provide £145.5 million in next year's budget to protect increased teacher numbers and support staff.

In addition, in 2022-23 we offered 150 bursaries of £20,000 for career changers wishing to undertake a one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in STEM subjects - Physics, Maths, Technical Education, Computing Science, Home Economics and Chemistry. These are the secondary school subjects with the greatest demand for teachers. Our STEM bursary scheme will continue in this financial year.

With these interventions, STEM teacher numbers are at their highest level since 2011. We are also continuing to work with universities and local authorities to look at innovative and creative ways to encourage more teachers into STEM subjects.

The Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment, led by Professor Louise Hayward, will report to the Scottish Government by the end of May 2023. The Review’s interim report was published on 3 March and includes a model for a new approach to qualifications and assessment which is currently being tested further with stakeholders.

The Scottish Government will need to consider the recommendations in the final report before providing a formal response.