Timetable
Open petitions with the Education and Skills Committee
The following Petitions are currently open and being considered by the Education and Skills Committee.
- PE01668: Improving literacy standards in schools through research-informed reading instruction
- PE01692: Inquiry into the human rights impact of GIRFEC policy and data processing
- PE1548 National Guidance on Restraint and Seclusion in Schools
- PE1747 Adequate funding to support children with additional support needs in all Scottish Schools
Details of Open Petitions
PE1747 Adequate funding to support children with additional support needs in all Scottish Schools
Petitioner: Alison Thomson
Date Lodged:16 September 2018
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to provide adequate funding to support children with additional support needs in all Scottish Schools (Primary, Secondary and Special).
The petition history and submissions are here.
PE01692: Inquiry into the human rights impact of GIRFEC policy and data processing.
Petitioners: Lesley Scott and Alison Preuss on behalf of the Tymes Trust and Scottish Home Education Forum.
Date Lodged: 13 June 2018
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to initiate an independent public inquiry into the impact on human rights of the routine gathering and sharing of citizens’ personal information on which its Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) policy relies.
The petition history and submissions are here.
The Education and Skills Committee considered this petition at its meeting on the 29th May 2019.
The video of the meeting can be viewed here
The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government and to the Information Commissioner.
The Education and Skills Committee considered this petition again at its meeting on the 27 November 2019
The video of the meeting can be viewed here
The Committee considered the petition and agreed to write to the Scottish Government and other public bodies.
Correspondence
The Convener wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills in respect of petition PE01692 seeking the Government’s perspective as to how the framework for the functioning of independent bodies operates where multiple remits are engaged on a particular issue. The Conveners letter and the Governments response is noted below.
The Convener wrote to the Information Commissioner's Office Scotland regarding petition PE01692 to seek an update on the ICO’s work following the introduction of GDPR. The Conveners letter and the Information Commissioners response is noted below.
The Petitioners Alison Preuss, on behalf of the Scottish Home Education Forum, and Lesley Scott, on behalf of The Young ME Sufferers (Tymes) Trust sent in a response to the correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and the Information Commissioners Office.
After the meeting on 27 November 2019, the Committee agreed that the Convener should write to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills for an update as to when the suite of products referred to in a previous letter on respect of guidance and products to support information sharing practice will be available. The Committee also agreed to write to all the Local Authorities to ascertain that they are using the revised guidance from the Information Commissioners office. Read the Conveners letters and the responses from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and the local authorities.
The Information Commissioner wrote to the Convener regarding the use of guidance relating to information sharing by Local Authorities.
The Petitioners Alison Preuss, on behalf of the Scottish Home Education Forum, sent in an update submission to the Committee.
The Convener wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills to seek an update on Petition PE01692.
PE01668: Improving literacy standards in schools through research-informed reading instruction
Petitioner: Anne Glennie
Date Lodged: 09 August 2017
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to i) provide national guidance, support, and professional learning for teachers in research-informed reading instruction, specifically systematic synthetic phonics; ii) ensure teacher training institutions train new teachers in research-informed reading instruction, specifically systematic synthetic phonics.
The petition history and submissions are here
The Committee has received an additional submission.
30 October 2019
The Education and Skills Committee considered this petition at its meeting on 30 October 2019.
The video of the meeting can be viewed here
18 March 2020
The Education and Skills Committee meeting on 18 March 2020 was cancelled.
PE1548 National Guidance on Restraint and Seclusion in Schools
Petitioner: Beth Morrison
Date Lodged: 17 February 2015
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to
1. Introduce National Guidance on the use of restraint and seclusion in all schools; this guidance should support the principles of:
- Last resort - where it is deemed necessary, restraint should be the minimum required to deal with the agreed risk, for the minimum amount of time
- Appropriate supervision of the child at all times, including during “time out” or seclusion.
- Reducing the use of solitary exclusion and limiting the time it is used for (e.g. maximum time limits)
- No use of restraints that are cruel, humiliating, painful and unnecessary or not in line with trained techniques.
- Accountability of teaching and support staff for their actions; this should include recording every incident leading to the use of seclusion or restraint and monitoring of this by the local authority.
- Regular training for staff in how to avoid the use of restraint
- Where restraint is unavoidable training in appropriate restraint techniques by British Institute of Learning Disability accredited providers and no use of restraint by untrained staff.
2. Appoint a specific agency (either Education Scotland or possibly the Care Inspectorate) to monitor the support and care given in non-educational areas including the evaluation of the use of restraint and seclusion of children with special needs in local authority, voluntary sector or private special schools.
The petition history and submissions are here
The Education and Skills Committee considered the petition at its meeting on the 22 January 2020 and agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills.
The video from the meeting can be viewed here.
Correspondence
The Convener wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills regarding the petition. The letter from the convener to Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and the response and an annexe can be read below.
The Convener wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for education and Skills to seek an update on Petition PE1548.
Submission November 2020
2020
11 November 2020
The Committee considered the following petitions at its meeting on 11 November 2020.
- PE01668: Improving literacy standards in schools through research-informed reading instruction
- PE01692: Inquiry into the human rights impact of GIRFEC policy and data processing
- PE1548 National Guidance on Restraint and Seclusion in Schools
- PE1747 Adequate funding to support children with additional support needs in all Scottish Schools
You can view the video of meeting here
2021
The Convener wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for education and Skills to seek an update on two Petitions:
PE01692: Inquiry into the Human rights impact of Girfec and data processing and
PE1548 National Guidance on Restraint and Seclusion in Schools.
Closed Petitions
PE01694: Free Instrumental Music Services
Date Lodged: 19 June 2018
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to change the law to ensure that musical instrument tuition is available as of right to all children attending state schools in Scotland who wish it, free of charge.
The petition history and submissions are here
The Education and Skills considered the petition at it meeting on 23 January 2019. The Committee decided to keep the petition open until the Committee had responses in respect to its report on Music Tuition in schools.
The Education and Skills Committee considered this petition at its meeting on the 29th May 2019.
The video of the meeting can be viewed here
The Committee considered the petition and although the Committee agreed to close the petition on the basis of the parliamentary work undertaken in relation to the aims of the petition. The Committee also agreed to monitor the progress of a legal challenge on charging for instrumental music tuition and reserves the right to revisit this issue in its future work programme.
Petitions closed by the Public Petitions Committee
The Public Petitions Committee wrote to the Convener in respect of the following Petitions that were closed by the Public Petitions Committee but have a link to the work and remit of the Education and Skills Committee. The details and links to correspondence on these Petitions are detailed below.
PE01673
PE01704
PE01704: Improve targets and outcomes for autistic people in Scotland
The Committee received a letter from the Public Petitions Committee advising that they have closed the following petitions which are linked to the work of the Education and Skills Committee.
Petitions:
PE1813: Reform the national curriculum to include all African Scottish history
PE1814: Compulsory education of Black, Asian, and minority ethnic history in Scottish schools
PE1833: Raise awareness for dyscalculia
PE1835: Criminalise the submission of misleading or false information in child protection