Seòmar agus comataidhean

It is not the practice of this or any previous Scottish Government to reveal either whether it has received legal advice on a particular matter or, if it has, the content of any such advice.

The information requested is contained in the following table.

Scottish-Domiciled Entrants Studying for a Combined Degree in Education and a Modern Language at the Scottish Higher Education Institutions, 2007-08 to 2009-10^1,2

Source: Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

Notes:

1. For this table, modern languages excludes the following subject areas: English studies, ancient language studies, Celtic studies, Latin studies, Classical Greek studies, classical studies and others subject areas covered by linguistics, classics and related subjects.

2. Students might be studying for a combined degree in education and a modern language and another subject. Each student is counted against the modern language(s) that he or she is studying for the combined degree in. If a student is studying for a combined degree in education and two modern languages then he or she is counted as 0.5 against both modern languages.

Figures are derived from individual student returns collected by the Higher Education Statistics agency (HESA).

The Scottish Funding Council uses a different standard population to that used by HESA and these figures might differ from any published by HESA.

Figures in this table have been rounded to the nearest five. Values of 0, 1, 2 have been suppressed “-”.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-453 on 24 June 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Measures regarding widening access to universities will be brought forward in a wider package of reforms on post-16 education, as mentioned in my response to S4W-696 on 23 June 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The information requested is not held centrally. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publishes non-continuation rates for higher education institutions in the UK as part of their performance indicators. These performance indicators examine non-continuation after the first year of degree courses for all entrants to Scottish institutions. The HESA performance indicators can be found at:

http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2064&Itemid=141.

Proposals regarding student support will be brought forward in a wider package of reforms on post-16 education, as mentioned in my response to S4W-696 on 23 June 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

This is a matter for the Scottish Funding Council. I have asked Mark Batho, the Chief Executive to respond.

As outlined in the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning’s statement to the Parliament on 16 June 2011 and in my own speech to the colleges at their annual conference on the same date, a wider package of reforms on post-16 education will be set out later this year.

The issues for inclusion are currently being developed, but will be framed around the key criterion of improving outcomes for learning, and will take into account commitments and the resources available in the context of cabinet decisions about the Spending Review.

We will bring forward legislation about tuition fees for students from the rest of the UK in due course.

The Scottish Funding Council is in the process of mapping provision across further and higher education, at local, regional and national levels, and will be presenting their findings to the Scottish Government in due course.