Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is providing a variety of ways for teachers and practitioners to feed into the design process, including working with the following stakeholder groups:

• Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)

• Scottish Council of Deans of Education (SCDE)

• General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS)

• Association of Directors of Education (ADES)

• Professional Associations and Trade Unions; including EIS, SSTA, NASUWT, SLS and AHDS.

• Scottish Government Strategic Board for Teacher Education

• Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS)

• National education bodies

• Early Learning and Childcare representatives

• Community Learning and Development representatives

No individual has been or will be, invited to lead the maths curriculum review by Scottish Government. The appointment of a national maths specialist will be open and transparent, following established Scottish Government recruitment procedures.

As announced in the statement to the Scottish Parliament on 12 December 2023, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education has arranged for HM Inspectors to carry out a national thematic inspection of mathematics in 2024. The report from the thematic inspection will be published in autumn 2024.

HM Inspectors have recently written to local authorities to outline the approach that they will take for this national thematic inspection.

The final thematic report will be developed by HM Inspectors and will be published on the Education Scotland website and shared with schools and local authorities. The document will summarise the findings of HM Inspectors and highlight what is working well, and what needs to improve.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23510 on 19 December 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 announced in the statement to the Scottish Parliament on 12 December 2023, the review of the maths curriculum framework will begin this year (2024), with a revised maths curriculum to be tested with teachers before the end of the year.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-24947 on 19 February 2024. 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 .

I welcome the report from Education Scotland, which was produced in response to my request for a national evidence base to better understand the current barriers and challenges experienced by schools, children and young people and their families which influence school attendance.

Following its publication, I tasked the Interim Chief Executive of Education Scotland to work directly with Directors of Education to take forward improvement on attendance as a matter of priority. The Interim Chief Executive has since written to all Directors of Education setting out current and future support that Education Scotland can provide to schools and local authorities to improve attendance.

We continue to review the findings of Education Scotland’s report, together with the findings of the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research, as part of the development of our relationships and behaviour action plan.

The Scottish Government publishes destination statistics for school leavers three months after the end of the school year and nine months after the end of the school year . Destination statistics are not collected or published by the Scottish Government for school leavers six months after the end of the school year and there are no current plans to do this.

On 6 October 2022, the Scottish Government committed to extending the Day Nursery Rates Relief. The Non-Domestic Rates (Levying and Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 which came into force on 1 April 2023 removed the end date for this relief.

The Advisory Group is expected to offer expert advice and provide assurance on activities being taken forward to progress the implementation of the recommendations of the Allied Health Professions Education and Workforce Policy Review and, although is not expected to exist in perpetuity, will continue until such time as systems, processes and activities are embedded that can demonstrate that progress is adequately assured..

This is likely to mean at least 4 quarterly meetings and meetings are currently scheduled until October 2024.

The group is chaired by Professor Carolyn McDonald, Chief Allied Health Professions Officer, who will report progress towards the implementation of the recommendations to the Chief Nursing Officer and Scottish Ministers as required.