Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17940 on 30 May 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

We are currently developing detailed proposals for the Anti-Racism Observatory for Scotland (AROS). A formal remit will be drawn up (and published) in due course.

A key part of the work being done is to develop governance and oversight of the work being done to tackle racism in Scotland, as per the recommendation of the Expert Group on Ethnicity and Covid-19 (ERG). This will include consideration of how to measure, track and evaluate progress made in eradicating racism in Scotland.

Funding for energy efficiency and renewable schemes is not allocated on this basis. Local schemes to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency are delivered by councils and funded through our Area Based Schemes programme.

Details of the annual grant allocations and outturns for each council as part of our Area Based Schemes programme since 2013 are published on the Scottish Government website:  Area-based schemes - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme includes a rural uplift of £1,500 for both the zero emission heating and energy efficiency grants for rural and island homes, meaning rural households can claim up to £18,000 in grant funding.

The Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme was launched in December 2022 as an update to the Home Energy Scotland Loan and Cashback scheme.

Across these schemes, since May 2017 to August 2023, a total of £32,506,654.69 has been allocated in funding for energy efficiency measures.

Prior to the launch of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Landlord Loan in May 2021, PRS landlords could access funding through the HES Loan and Cashback scheme. This means that the total funding allocated may include funding for PRS landlords as well as owner-occupiers.

The Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme was launched in December 2022 as an update to the HES Loan and Cashback Scheme. Since the scheme was launched, no applications submitted have been unsuccessful due to the unavailability of funding.

Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) “Achievement of a Level” (ACEL) data shows that attainment at CfE Third Level or better by S3 pupils has been over 85 per cent for both literacy and numeracy since 2016-17. In 2021-22, 86 per cent of S3 pupils achieved this level in literacy, with 89 per cent in numeracy which is slightly less than in 2018-19, demonstrating the ongoing recovery from the pandemic.

ACEL data is one of a range of measures captured in the National Improvement Framework. It is important to be able to measure the impact of the education system as a whole, rather than looking at individual measures. That is why the National Improvement Framework includes the ACEL data for P1, P4, P7 and S3 as part of a broader basket of key measures of attainment. This avoids, as far as possible, a situation where looking at a single measure generates perverse behaviours by becoming the single focus of activity in schools.

Local education authorities have the statutory responsibility to provide school education. To support continuous improvement in literacy and numeracy nationally in our schools, the Scottish Government is:

• Focusing on literacy and numeracy within the Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC) which has allocated over £550m in Pupil Equity Funding directly to primary schools up until 2022-23 and is investing a total of £1bn over this parliamentary term, including direct funding for all 32 local authorities.
• Has agreed clear stretch aims within each local authority as part of the SAC which, if achieved, would narrow the poverty related attainment gap by over 7 percentage points in both primary school literacy and numeracy by 2022-23 compared to 2020-21.
• Rejoining the “PIRLS” and “TIMSS” surveys, thereby further improving the evidence base on literacy and numeracy performance.
• Taking forward the National Response to Improving Literacy (NRIL) and the National Response to Improving Mathematics (NRIM) alongside Education Scotland and ADES, drawing on the available evidence to develop focused, “teacher-relevant” packages of professional learning, guidance and support.
• Ensuring that Education Scotland provides a tailored local and school-level support offer via attainment advisers and Regional Improvement Collaboratives.
• Funding and promoting Maths Week Scotland every year since 2017, transforming public attitudes to maths and promoting the value of maths as an essential skill for every career.
• Funding additional national programmes which support high quality learning and teaching, including “Read Write Count with the First Minister”, Reading Schools and the School Library Improvement Fund.

Statistics on school attendance and absences can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/school-attendance-and-absence-statistics/

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21029 on 13 September 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21029 on‎ 13 September 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

Public Health Scotland (PHS) routinely monitors and publishes vaccination uptake rates for those within education settings. The Scottish Government is working closely with territorial Health Boards and PHS to understand and promote uptake of the MenACWY vaccine in our student population. Regular communication between Health Boards and PHS provides intelligence on uptake levels in specific groups, allowing for targeted responses to improve uptake.

For additional information, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21082 on 19 September 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

Uptake of vaccinations among young people in Scotland remains high and is delivering lifesaving benefits.