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This information is not held centrally. The Scottish Funding Council are the Public Body responsible for this information. They can be contacted at:

Scottish Funding Council, Apex 2, 97 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh EH12 5HD.

We are committed to ensuring that an appropriately skilled workforce is in place to deliver the expanded entitlement to early learning and childcare. We will continue to build capacity in the workforce up to 2020 through a variety of pathways including apprenticeships and further and higher education courses to ensure that adequate training and education provision is in place to meet the demands of the expansion.

The Scottish Government is engaging with stakeholders and users extensively around the Learner Journey Review including representatives drawn from public bodies and agencies, the third sector and private organisations with expertise of the learning system, as well as organisations representing the interests of parents, young people and employers. In addition, we have run a series of engagement events with colleges and their partners across Scotland to gather perspectives at a regional level.

The Review will consider what improvements can be made to the learner journey from the perspective of young people, and we are engaging with young people directly to enable this. We have commissioned research, undertaken by SQW Consultancy in partnership with Young Scot, into young people’s experience of the education and training system in Scotland. Stage 1 of the Learner Journey Review will report in the autumn, and will set out proposals for improvements. The Scottish Government will continue to engage closely with stakeholders and delivery partners on the implementation of the Review, and will undertake formal consultation on outputs from Stage 1 should that be appropriate.

To protect those on the lowest incomes from cost of living increases, the Scottish Government will ensure that from 2021 the first of £12,750 of the non-saving and non-dividend income of a Scottish taxpayer is tax free. If necessary, in 2021 the Scottish Government will create a zero rate band above the Personal Allowance to ensure that this protection for low income taxpayers is delivered. Detailed income tax proposals for the financial year ahead, including the financial implications will be set out each year by the Scottish Government at the Draft Budget.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) published its Equality Action Plan (EAP) Year 1 update on Tuesday 18 July 2017. The update can be viewed at: http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/43416/sds-equalities-action-plan-update-2017.pdf.

In future SDS aim to publish annual EAP reports alongside the publication of their Annual Operating Plan and year-end statistics in June of each year.

We have no current plans to make this a legal requirement. We will publish guidance towards the end of this year setting out the importance of employing the appropriate professional expertise and the factors to be considered in assessing what constitutes appropriate.

Information on completed projects within the hub programme between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2017 is as follows:

Further information on the projects included in the table is available from the following link www.scottishfuturestrust.org.uk/publications/vital-signs-march-2017/

I wrote to all local authorities on 24 June 2017 to seek assurances about external cladding systems used in school buildings. As we are still awaiting response, I will respond in full after recess.

Statistics on pupils being excluded multiple times for the period since 2009-10 are published in Table 7 of the exclusion statistics supplementary data, available on the Scottish Government website here:

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/exclusiondatasets

statistics on pupils being excluded multiple times for the period 2008-09 are published on the Scottish Government website here:

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2010/11/03094708/9

statistics on pupils being excluded multiple times for the period 2007-08 are published on the Scottish Government website here:

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2010/11/03095204/11

statistics on pupils being excluded multiple times for the period 2006-07 are published on the Scottish Government website here:

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2010/11/03092252/10

Since 2010-11 the Scottish Government has collected data on exclusions biennially. Statistics on exclusions covering academic year 2016-17 will be published as part of the 2017 edition of the Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland bulletin.

Improving the life chances of all our children and young people is vitally important.

That is why the Scottish Government recognises the important role of our education system and the need to provide a positive and inclusive learning experience for all school pupils.

The Scottish Government has taken a number of steps to reduce the incidences of school exclusions and close the attainment gap to improve the health and wellbeing of our children and young people, and maximise their future opportunities. Our most recent statistics on exclusions show that in 2014-15, the rate is less than half the comparable figure from 2006-07. Statistics on school exclusions is available on the Scottish Government website through the following link: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/exclusiondatasets/exclusionsdataset2015.

We know that we can improve further, so on 19 June 2017 we published our refreshed guidance on preventing and managing school exclusions. This focuses on the importance of early intervention measures to prevent the need for exclusion and it promotes the importance of positive relationships in schools, recognising that exclusion should only be used as a last resort. The guidance also highlights the importance of schools and education authorities recognising the impact that exclusion can have, particularly on disadvantaged children.

We recognise that excluded and disengaged learners need additional support which is why Education Scotland provides support and advice through a range of national networks and working parties for third sector groups who are working to improve educational outcomes for learners at risk of being excluded.