Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-35362

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 11 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the economic impact has been of disruption and cancellations on the Arran ferry route since 2016.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of the provision of safe and reliable lifeline ferry services for the economy of Arran. Transport Scotland has not undertaken what the economic impact has been of disruption and cancellations on the Arran ferry route.

North Ayrshire Council has commissioned economic impact analysis of the value of the ferry route to the community on Arran, shared with the Ardrossan Taskforce, and this analysis demonstrates the high value of services to Arran and reinforces the importance of the redevelopment of Peel Ports owned assets at Ardrossan, the redevelopment of Brodick terminal undertaken by CMAL and investment in the MV Glen Sannox (Hull 801) which we anticipate will be delivered to CalMac Spring 2022.

Question reference: S5W-34800

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to consider unpaid carers as priority recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Question reference: S5W-35428

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 9 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will re-enter Scotland in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study.

We are committed to ensuring that the burden placed on schools by central government is appropriate and proportionate. One way of achieving this is by rationalising Scotland's engagement with international surveys like PISA, PIRLS and TIMSS. Whilst PIRLS is a well-regarded international assessment programme, it is the view of the Scottish Government that PISA provides a more useful international measure to sit alongside our other evidence about the Scottish education system. PISA is the only international survey that includes a consistent set of comparator nations, with all OECD countries involved, as well as a substantial number of other countries. It also goes beyond assessing how well pupils have mastered a curriculum to assessing pupils' knowledge and skills required for participation in society and everyday life.

Question reference: S5W-35427

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 9 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will re-enter Scotland in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study.

We are committed to ensuring that the burden placed on schools by central government is appropriate and proportionate. One way of achieving this is by rationalising Scotland's engagement with international surveys like PISA, PIRLS and TIMSS. Whilst TIMSS is a well-regarded international assessment programme, it is the view of the Scottish Government that PISA provides a more useful international measure to sit alongside our other evidence about the Scottish education system. PISA is the only international survey that includes a consistent set of comparator nations, with all OECD countries involved, as well as a substantial number of other countries. It also goes beyond assessing how well pupils have mastered a curriculum to assessing pupils' knowledge and skills required for participation in society and everyday life.

Question reference: S5F-04882

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 March 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 March 2021

To ask the First Minister what percentage of clinically vulnerable people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Question reference: S5W-35420

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 8 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will make routine asymptomatic COVID-19 testing available in all stand-alone nursery settings.

Question reference: S5W-35426

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that all primary pupils can access STEM education.

Curriculum for Excellence Experiences and Outcomes in the sciences provide a framework to help young people develop a secure knowledge and understanding of the big ideas and concepts of the sciences. Despite restrictions imposed to reduce the spread of COVID-19, schools continue to meet these expectations in the sciences, and in other areas of the curriculum, at all ages and stages.

In line with the Education Scotland National e-learning offer, a range of high quality and practical STEM resources have been developed. These are designed to support education practitioners in order to improve the online learning of children and young people. The Raising Aspirations in Science Education (RAiSE) primary partnership programme has, for example, been able to support more than 300 professional learning and confidence building events between August and December 2020.

In addition, the Scottish Schools Education Research Centre (SSERC) continued to run their Primary Cluster Programme and have reconfigured their support for primary teaching in digital formats through their Home Learning and SSERCTV provision.

Question reference: S5W-35416

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has set a target to improve Scotland’s score on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey and, if so, what (a) this is and (b) date it has set to achieve it.

PISA sits alongside national sources of data and evidence to allow a holistic view of the Scottish education system and the experiences of young people. The Scottish Government has not set a specific target for improving PISA scores, other than to seek to improve Scotland's performance in the assessment relative to previous assessments and compared to other participating countries.

The PISA 2018 results show that Scotland's score for reading had increased between 2015 and 2018, with a statistically significant improvement. This demonstrates that we are on the right track, making progress where it counts - in the classroom. Our performance in science and maths is in line with the OECD average but this needs to improve. To ensure improvement in STEM, we are taking concerted action through our STEM Education and Training Strategy.

Question reference: S5W-35421

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a national tutoring scheme.

The Scottish Government believes that local authorities and schools are best placed to understand local need and develop bespoke education recovery offerings based on specific circumstances.

We continue to support and enable education recovery work at a local level. To allow young people additional learning opportunities we have worked with partners to develop the e-Sgoil Easter senior phase study support programme, which will be available to all local authority areas in April. This offering will include around 30 subjects beginning on 6 April 2021 and running over two weeks until 16 April. A total of 106 sessions in the first week and half of that in second week. This is additional online study support being made available free to all local schools to access and use for their senior phase pupils. Furthermore, we have committed over £375 million as part of a long-term approach towards education recovery. That funding has contributed to additional teachers, support staff, digital devices and connectivity solutions – all of which can support young people to continue to access quality learning and teaching.

Question reference: S5W-35417

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comment by the Commission on School Reform that "a large number of optional subjects have experienced a decline in uptake. There has thus been a distortion of the curriculum as a whole. There may, indeed, now be a case for stipulating a minimum extent of breadth in the S4 curriculum."

It is a matter for each school and local authority in Scotland to plan a Senior Phase curriculum that takes account of local circumstances and meets the needs and aspirations of learners.

The Scottish Government commissioned the OECD to undertake an Independent Review of Scotland’s Curriculum, which would specifically look at depth and breadth of learning in the Senior Phase and local flexibility versus increased prescription – both the issues highlighted in this question. The OECD will be publishing their final report by the end of June 2021 and I will consider their final recommendations at that point.

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