This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Parents, pupils and teachers to have their say on education proposals
23/06/1999
In an "unprecedented opportunity to express their views", parents, pupils and teachers are to have their say on proposals for one of the first Bills to be considered by the Scottish Parliament.
Outlining details of a full public consultation on proposals for the Education Improvement Bill, Scottish Executive Minister for Children and Education Sam Galbraith said in a Parliamentary Statement today:
"This Bill is about achieving the best. It will be a framework for partnership. Our approach to preparation of this Bill is designed to reflect this."
The Scottish Executive's plans for legislation build on the proposals set out in the UK Government's White Paper "Targeting Excellence" published in January. Education interests and the general public have already had an opportunity to comment on these proposals.
Details of the proposals for legislation will be presented in a consultative paper to be published early in July which will set out and explain the draft provisions and the policy behind them. As well as being sent to a wide range of organisations with an interest in children and schools, the document will also be available on the internet, allowing many more people to have access to it and to comment and see what others have said about it.
The consultation will continue until the end of October, and Ministers intend to meet as many people as possible to hear their views. They will take part in a series of consultation meetings throughout Scotland.
Mr Galbraith stressed that the views of children and young people would be particularly important.
"I do consider that the views of young people about schools should be listened to. This will also give them an early opportunity to learn about the processes and procedures of the new Parliament."
At the end of October the Bill will be revised to take account of the consultation and will then be introduced to Parliament will put it to the Education Committee for detailed scrutiny.
Mr Galbraith went on to set out the Parliamentary stages which the Bill will pass through.
He concluded:
"We will not deliver a world class education system overnight; and we must always remember that it is schools, teachers, pupils and their parents working together who will achieve the highest standards. I believe, however, that establishing a clear framework of duties and responsibilities will allow us to focus more closely on the action needed to achieve such a system. Our Bill, developed with the help and participation of our partners in the education system and the Scottish people, is an opportunity to do that. It will also set a new standard in consultation which I hope this Parliament will welcome."
BACKGROUND
The full text of Mr Galbraith's Statement is attached.
Mr Presiding Officer
I would like to make a statement on the procedures that will be adopted to ensure a full public consultation on our proposals in the forthcoming Education Improvement Bill. I intend to launch the consultation during the first full week of July.
I should make clear first that I will not be giving full details of our proposals at this stage. These will come later. I am making this statement for two reasons: first, the consultation document setting out our proposals can only be launched shortly after this Parliament rises for the summer recess and I felt that I should out of courtesy give Parliament the details of the consultation process which will then follow.
Second, I want to make clear the nature of the general process since this consultation will be the first to launch a Bill to be put before this Parliament. I do not expect that we will follow exactly the same procedure for every Bill put forward by this administration but the approach we take for the Education Bill will serve as a general template.
First, however, let me say briefly why we intend to legislate on education. The Scottish Executive is committed to an agenda of continuous improvement which will progressively raise standards in education. It will build on the groundwork laid by the United Kingdom Government since the 1997 election, with the aim of delivering a world class system with world class standards.
This Parliament should not make the mistake of thinking that legislation on its own can deliver higher standards. Nor should we suggest that continuous improvement will only start once we have legislated. I have in recent weeks met many teachers, parents, pupils and others involved in the school system. Their commitment to excellence stands out and they tell me that it is an exciting time to be in education.
We are already achieving a very great deal through the significant additional resources which are now being made available to schools. These resources are targeted on activities which make a different to children's and teachers' experience and which directly support improvement. Pre-school provision for all three and four year olds, 5,000 additional classroom assistants, smaller class sizes and early intervention to support better literacy and numeracy in the primary school add up to a package which is giving children a much better start at school.
The Excellence Fund is reaching all parts of the school system in other ways for example by supporting alternatives to exclusion, New Community Schools, training and staff development and the delivery of modern information technology to all our schools. It will make a major difference. We are delivering better education in better school buildings.
We also want to support and develop our teachers, strengthening their skills and professionalism. I want to pay tribute to this commitment. I recognise very well the pressures which teachers are under and the sense they have had that they are undervalued. But we all know that a world class education system will not happen without them and that their expertise is already delivering huge improvements. We want that improvement to be continuous and to extend throughout the school system in Scotland through the sharing of best practice, using it to raise standards. HM Inspectors reports show how this is already happening, how school after school is delivering a high and rising quality of education for its pupils.
Our aim in legislating is to consolidate and build on the momentum already underway. It will be to provide a framework through which Government, local authorities, teachers, parents and children can work in partnership to secure improvement and to achieve and celebrate excellence. This requires an education service guided by shared priorities and responsive to local circumstances and the needs of children. We need to meet the challenge to help those who still need to achieve the standards of the best. I believe we can do that with a few simple measures which will strengthen the culture of improvement and make clear the responsibilities of all those in the education system for taking this forward.
That means that those who support, fund and direct schools must also be encouraged to continue developing the culture of excellence. We often speak of the partnership of schools, local authorities and government as a strength of Scottish education. I believe in that partnership and that each of the partners must pull its weight. That means that we ourselves, the Scottish Ministers and the local authorities should be provided with a clear statement of our responsibilities for delivering improvement.
I believe that the measures which we will bring forward will create a new partnership between central and local government and between authorities and schools to raise standards and to target and celebrate excellence. None of us, schools, parents, authorities or this Parliament, should be prepared to accept second best for our children when we see what the best can achieve. This Bill is about achieving the best. It will be a framework for partnership.
Our approach to the preparation of this Bill is designed to reflect this approach. The first principle adopted by the cross-party consultative steering group was that power should be shared between the Parliament, the Executive and the people of Scotland. We have the chance to make that a reality in the approach that we take to this legislation. The people of Scotland will, therefore, have an unprecedented opportunity to express their views on our proposals before the Bill is presented to Parliament.
Education interests and the general public have already had a substantial opportunity to comment on the basis of these proposals, which were set out in the UK Government's White Paper: Targeting Excellence" which was published in January of this year. The detailed plans for legislation will take into account the many comments which were made on the White Paper.
The next step is to set out the details of the proposals for legislation in a consultative document to be published early in July. This will set out and explain the draft provisions and the policy behind them. I can assure this Parliament that the document will be made widely available: we are all stakeholders in the education system and our approach to consultation will be designed to ensure that our proposals are considered by as many people as possible.
The document will therefore be sent to local authorities, schools, school boards and a wide range of organisations with an interest in children and schools. A summary of the main elements will also be published and be made available on request.
The consultation document will also be made available on the Internet. This will allow many more to have access to it and to comment and see what others have said about the Bill.
I am particularly concerned that the consultation should go beyond the normal range of interests and that many parents and pupils will get involved. Pupils who have access to the Internet through the National Grid for Learning will have an excellent opportunity to get involved in the debate and we shall be ready to take their views into account. I do consider that the views of young people about schools should be listened to. This will also give them an early opportunity to learn about the processes and procedures of the new Parliament.
The consultation will continue until the end of October to give people plenty of time to comment after the schools are back. Peter Peacock and I want to meet as many people as possible to hear their views and we will want to take part in a series of meetings throughout Scotland.
I hope that the outcome of this process will be a Bill which the widest spectrum of people agrees reflects the best way forward for Scottish education. It will take account of the knowledge and experience of those who are directly involved as providers and consumers of school education. Parliament can then be confident that our proposals are soundly based and will make a real difference to the education of our children.
At the end of October the Bill will be revised as necessary to take account of the consultation and to make any technical changes needed to refine the drafting. Once that has happened it will be passed to the Parliament which will, as a first step, put it to the Education Committee. The Committee will comment on the approach taken in the Bill, in particular how good the consultation has been. It will report to Parliament on whether or not the Bill should be approved in principle. If the report is favourable the Bill then goes through three stages; a debate and vote on the key principles, detailed consideration in Committee then a debate and final vote on the Bill with the amendments accepted by the Education Committee.
We will not deliver a world class education system overnight; and we must always remember that it is schools, teachers, pupils and their parents working together who will achieve the highest standards. I believe, however, that establishing a clear framework of duties and responsibilities will allow us to focus more closely on the action needed to achieve such a system. Our Bill, developed with the help and participation of our partners in the education system and the Scottish people, is an opportunity to do that. It will also set a new standard in consultation which I hope this Parliament will welcome. I commend it to the Parliament.
News Release: 1312/99
23 June 1999