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The OECD did not take formal written submissions for their independent Review of Curriculum for Excellence. This was the OECD’s position from the outset of the review and conforms with their ‘Implementing Policies: Supporting Change in Education Framework’. This was outlined in the Scottish Government’s answers to S5W-35079 on 18 February 2021 and S5W-35292 on 25 February 2021 and made clear in the remit for the OECD’s review which was published on 26 February 2020.

The OECD uses this framework to provide tailored support to individual countries and education systems to analyse and support the development and implementation of education policies. This methodology has been used by the OECD in previous reviews, and set a very clear framework for their work in Scotland.

The OECD were clear that it was not feasible for them to consider more information than they specifically requested, nor was the purpose of the Review to generate new written submissions or replace what would otherwise be a national consultation. They advised that should any additional information be required at a later date, they would request this.

In terms of the OECD’s approach to evidence gathering on this Review, the OECD established a team of core OECD staff and international experts with experience in curriculum and assessment implementation. The process included:

• A comprehensive desk-based analysis of policy documents, evidence and research on CfE implementation, which included, amongst other documents, the initial evidence base provided by the Scottish Government in July 2020, papers published as part of the Education & Skills Committee’s Inquiry on Subject Choice and published academic articles and research.
• Compilation of information from key stakeholders’ websites and think tank publications.
• A series of interviews and virtual school visits plus focus groups to gather primary data. These included discussions with the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Skills Committee, Scottish Government officials, national agencies, local government representatives, college and university bodies, employer groups, academics, teachers and head teachers, parents, young people, Gaelic and subject specific interest groups, and members of Scotland’s education governance groups.

This represented a significant and comprehensive amount of documentation, with many different perspectives informing the review.

The Scottish Government gathers data on pupils and staff who are not in school for COVID-19 related reasons. The Advisory Sub-Group on Education and Children's Issues considered this data alongside the latest evidence on long-COVID when producing its latest advice on the return to school in August. The sub-group will continue to look at the impact of long-COVID on education, and will update its advice if required in the light of any new findings.

We are committed to ensuring that all children and young people get the additional support that they need to reach their full learning potential, and recognise the particular challenges of Covid-19 for them.

Education Scotland, in collaboration with Head Teachers, published a range of information and guidance for learners with complex additional support needs, including autistic learners, to help parents support their child’s learning at home. This includes accessible learning resources for parents to use with their child at home

In June 2020 we published COVID-19 support for continuity in learning guidance , which states that local authorities should look to identify and offer suitable support to families and carers who may be facing additional challenges in regards to home learning. This guidance was further updated, in March 2021.

The Scottish Government also funds Parent Club, who provided advice for parents on their website. This advice includes : supporting children and young people with additional supports needs ; supporting your child’s mental health during coronavirus home learning and helping your child with home and blended learning.

Children and young people with complex additional support needs were prioritised within the phased approach to the return to school. They were able to return to school, first, from 5 January 2021, in recognition of the impact of covid-19 to their learning and wellbeing.

The Scottish Government COVID-19 guidance for schools currently states that at level 0, children and young people can engage in all drama, music, PE and dance activity in schools. For all activity, schools, practitioners, and pupils should be aiming to maintain appropriate mitigations, particularly the higher standards of hygiene and ventilation than were present pre-Covid. This guidance will be updated should this position change prior to schools returning in August.

Scottish Forestry issued new guidance Cultivation for Upland Productive Woodland Creation Sites – an Applicant’s Guide on 27 th July. This guidance ensures that forestry practice is based on the latest research evidence from Forest Research on the impact of forestry ground preparation on soils. The research on which it is based is appended to the guidance.

It is inevitable that an event of the size and complexity of COP26 will have an impact on the communities of the host City, we are working closely with Glasgow City Council to mitigate against impact and where possible create opportunities for communities to engage. For example, we are working with partners to develop and deliver a community engagement programme in the run up, and beyond, COP26 that will empower communities to take action in a way that responds to local circumstances and priorities, with a view to prompting a positive outcome for all involved.

A joint COP26 delivery framework has been agreed between the Government of the United Kingdom, The Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and Scottish agencies. This outlines the plans, organisation, structure, systems and methodology that will be used to manage delivery of COP26 including appropriate mitigation of impact on business as usual.

COP26 has a unique logistical plan to ensure a safe and secure event. A number of potential impacts that COP26 may have on the transport networks, that serve local communities and facilities, have been evaluated. These evaluations consider impacts within Glasgow, Edinburgh and across the strategic transport networks that serve wider parts of the Country.

The recent HMICS review into Police Scotland’s planning for the event offers a high degree of assurance around the service’s ability to balance business as usual policing with delivering a safe and secure COP26.

We want COP26 to be a platform for engagement that all of Scotland can be involved in and one that delivers a lasting legacy, maximising opportunities before, during and after the conference, and delivers economic benefits. We are committed to ensuring COP26 delivers a lasting legacy, with a particular emphasis on ensuring a just transition, and to encourage the behaviour change needed to reach our ambitious net zero target.

COP26 presents a unique platform for communities across Scotland to showcase the innovative climate action being undertaken at a local level and to drive forward further collective action towards our net zero target. Our programme for COP26 will be underpinned around our two themes of Just Transition and People. We are committed to using our links through our communities work, civil society partners and local authorities to ensure that voices across Scotland are represented at COP.

We are working with partners to develop and deliver a community engagement programme in the run up to, and beyond, COP26 that will empower communities to take action in a way that responds to local circumstances and priorities. We will support them to host events relevant to their local areas that extend the climate conversation far and wide. We have also funded the Glasgow Science Centre ‘Our World, Our Impact’ climate change engagement programme as part of Scotland’s pre-COP26 activity. Communities targeted in Glasgow include Maryhill, Yoker, Govan and Glasgow Disability Alliance.

Climate Week 2021 will take place between 13 to 19 September and, coming 6 weeks before COP, will engage individuals, communities, businesses and organisations to build public understanding of how everyone across Scotland can play their part in tackling the global climate emergency.

We are also working with partners to design and deliver a youth engagement programme. This includes the COP26 Scottish Youth Climate Programme, delivered by Young Scot, YouthLink Scotland and Keep Scotland Beautiful, that will deliver youth engagement activities ahead of, during, and after COP26, with a focus on engaging young people in decision making in response to the global climate emergency. Education Scotland are also working with Local Authorities and third sector partners to develop and deliver a programme of learning and activity around the themes of COP26.

Glasgow City Council have Memorandum of Understanding with UK Government related COP26 and to recover costs incurred in relation to the direct spending associated with hosting COP26 in Glasgow. Scottish Minister have made clear their expectation that all costs arising from the decision to hold COP26 in Glasgow will be borne by the UK Government, this includes funding to Glasgow City Council for hosting COP26.

The primary aim of the Scottish Government throughout the pandemic has been to protect people in Scotland against the direct and tragic harm to health which the virus causes, including against long-COVID as we know that the virus affects people’s health in different ways.

Every phase of easing COVID-19 restrictions is considered on a “Four Harms” basis – namely (1) the direct harm caused by the virus; (2) the impact of the virus on broader health and wellbeing; (3) social harms arising from measures necessary to suppress the virus; and (4) damage to the economy. A consideration of the impact of lifting restrictions on the number of people developing long-COVID is at the core of “Harm 1”.

Throughout the pandemic, we have published evidence in support of our decision-making. Impact assessments have been published to accompany regulations since the Strategic Framework was first introduced. They will continue to be a key publication where appropriate whenever regulatory changes are made.

Our initial plan for moving of all of Scotland to Level 0 was delayed in order to allow more people to be fully vaccinated and also to assess the impact of the Delta variant on case numbers and hospital admissions. We have now moved to Level 0 but with an added degree of caution. These decisions have prioritised a careful and gradual approach and taken into account the high prevalence of long-COVID especially amongst young people. This is a concerning trend which we are closely monitoring and, therefore, justifies the cautious easing of restrictions we are pursuing.

The Scottish Government’s Primary care Directorate meets weekly with the Scottish General Practitioners Committee of the BMA to discuss a range of issues including Covid related issues such as long Covid.

NHS Boards are developing pathways according to local services and the needs of their respective populations, to support people with long COVID. We continue to invest in and expand multidisciplinary teams in primary care consisting of health and care professionals that play a key role in the provision of rehabilitation services.

Since the publication of the rehabilitation framework in August 2020, we have established a National Advisory Board to oversee its implementation.

The rehabilitation programme is currently undertaking a significant scoping exercise through a self-assessment process to understand the current status of rehabilitation services in Scotland, from the perspective of the staff working in them.

The self-assessment tool has been circulated to all NHS Boards, Health & Social Care Partnerships, third sector organisations, and Leisure Trusts as part of Local Authorities.

The outputs from the self-assessment tool along with demand and capacity data will help us shape priorities, understand challenges and opportunities and inform funding decisions.

The project was chosen for funding through engagement with regional partners including the Oil and Gas and Energy Transition Strategic Leadership Group and the North East Regional Economic Strategy Group as part of the wider Energy Transition Fund support package to help deliver net zero and help the energy sector recover from the dual economic impacts of Coronavirus and the oil and gas price crash.

The location of the ETZ is primarily a matter for local partners, and the planning authority, in the first instance, not the Scottish Government.

Recognising the value of green space to local communities, a critical success factor of the project is that the ETZ must offer communities societal benefits including coastal access, open space, landscape and biodiversity enhancements and that project owners are able to demonstrate meaningful engagement with local communities as the project develops.