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Working Together for Race Equality - The Scottish Executive's Race Equality Scheme
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
1. Aims and Objectives
Scottish Executive Education Department is responsible for policy development and advice, driving change, securing delivery and quality assurance, in relation to Children and Young People, Schools, Tourism, Culture and Sport.
Its overarching aim is:
- To give every child and young person the best possible start in life, to enhance everyone's quality of life through sport, culture and the built environment and to help make Scotland a must-visit tourism destination.
- In order to achieve this aim, the Department is working to achieve the following:
- To enhance the quality of life of all people of Scotland by ensuring that they have a supported and safe childhood, are well prepared when they leave school for the next steps in their lives, are enriched by a choice of cultural and sporting experiences throughout their lives, and life in an environment which treasures its historical heritage and demonstrates the highest standards of contemporary building.
- To close the gap for those children and young people who are not sharing the general level of attainment and wellbeing by early intervention, providing a continuing and integrated response to their care, education and other needs, helping them play their full part in society, and ensuring full involvement in cultural, social and sporting opportunities.
- To generate jobs and wealth for Scotland by preparing young people to be creative and enterprising, and by promoting and developing the tourism, cultural and sporting sectors of the economy.
- To work effectively with and for the people of Scotland, by responding to their information needs, engaging them in decision-making, and ensuring and reporting openly on the quality of public services.
2. The work of the Department and its impact on race equality
Raising awareness among our young people of race equality issues and promoting equality through education is critical if Scotland is to become a more inclusive and open society. That is why mainstreaming of equality in all school developments is at the top of our policy list.
Supporting that central activity, we aim to ensure that our curriculum development, support for teachers and teacher recruitment fully reflects race equality issues. We support that activity through a programme of research and data collection to ensure that we have the evidence to meet needs accurately.
We also aim to be responsive in our provision of support for young children to the needs of families from all backgrounds and will review our programmes in the light of information on take up and the evidence of evaluations.
Working with the national bodies we fund, we also aim to ensure that access to culture and sport in Scotland is genuinely open to all.
3. Other Education Bodies
Education authorities (and grant aided and self governing schools) are also subject to specific duties to promote race equality and, among other things, are required to produce Race Equality Policies for schools under their management.
The General Teaching Council for Scotland, Learning and Teaching Scotland, and the Scottish Qualifications Authority are subject to the general duty to promote race equality.
Education Department Action Plan
Function or Policy | Impact | Action | When |
Policy on promoting race equality in schools | High | We will continue to work with education authorities (EAs), schools and relevant interest organisations in promoting equality in schools and in working towards an inclusive education system. We fund the Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland (CERES) and the Scottish Traveller Education Project (STEP) to take forward race equality policy with EAs and schools. We are mainstreaming equality into all schools policy developments. In particular, activity to support race equality includes practical seminars for schools and EAs on their new duties under RRAA which we have commissioned CERES to carry out. We have also set up an RRAA Education Delivery Group to ensure smooth implementation of RRAA across school sector; commissioned STEP to produce guidance on inclusive education approaches for Gypsies/Travellers within context of interrupted learning; and commissioned CERES to produce anti-racism support materials for teachers to enable effective anti-racism education - to be launched December 2002. | Ongoing CD rom- Dec 2002 |
Policy on parental involvement, information and communication | High | After the results of the National Debate on Education have been received, we will be undertaking a review of communication with parents and ensuring that this will specifically address effective communication with minority ethnic parents. Further work is likely to be required once the review has been completed. | During 2003/04 |
Implement the Scottish Exchange of Educational Data (ScotXed) project | High | ScotXed project is about standardising the way data are held and exchanged between schools, local authorities, SEED, Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE). The school census will be conducted electronically through ScotXed for the first time in autumn 2002. This will provide pupil-level data covering a range of characteristics. As part of the project, a major data gathering exercise has been undertaken on the ethnicity and national identity of pupils. | Ethnicity Survey carried out by Local Authorities summer 2002. School Census 2002 data received from Local Authorities October/ November 2002. Results published spring 2003 |
Monitor and publish annually data on number of teaching staff in schools using information provided by education authorities and schools | High | As required by the Race Relations Act (Statutory Duties) (Scotland) Order Article 4(3) | Annually |
Produce key series of statistical, research and economic publications | High | Research projects into experience of pupils from minority ethnic communities. | Final report from research project due early 2003. |
Encouraging participation in sporting and cultural activities by widening access to and encouraging people of all ages and levels of ability to take part in such activities | High | Sportscotland recognises barriers to participation for minority ethnic groups, and tries to address these in its programmes. Scottish Arts Council operates a Diversity Strategy and routinely collects evidence to evaluate the impact of its activities with minority ethnic communities. A more systematic and coherent collection of data across cultural functions could assist in future work | Continuing |
Policy on school admissions and placing requests | Medium | The Guidance on inclusive education approaches for Gypsies/ Travellers will impact on this area. | Continuing |
National Teacher Recruitment Campaign | Medium | All material and images used in SEED's national teacher recruitment campaign were agreed with the Executive's Equality Unit. Particular care was taken to ensure that issues of race equality were presented in a positive light. | Continuing |
To review and support the delivery and development of the curriculum and strengthen identified priority areas: literacy; numeracy; science; enterprise in education; citizenship; and foreign languages | Medium | Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) recently published a report "Education for Citizenship in Scotland: A Paper for Discussion and Development". Ministers have endorsed the report as forming the basis for a national framework for education from 3-18 and commended it for adoption and use in ways appropriate to local needs and circumstances. LTS are currently considering the most effective means of taking forward the report's recommendations and to consider the many aspects, including race equality, that come within the education for citizenship agenda. | Continuing |
To manage and monitor and consider future development of Sure Start Scotland | Medium | An evaluation of early years policy is planned over the next 12 months which will take account of race equality issues - for example, in terms of access to services. | During 2003 |
Review/develop Childcare Strategy in the light of recent policy developments | Medium | Considering commissioning evaluation of English research which suggests low take-up of childcare by minority ethnic groups. Also considering ethnic monitoring in annual census of children attending provision. | Continuing |
Supporting key sectors of the economy by seeking to enhance Scotland's creative industries | Medium | Development of action plan for 8-10 year strategy by Arts and Creative Industries Policy Unit and Creative Industries forum will take into account race equality issues. | Spring 2003 |
Registrar of Independent Schools | Low | Although independent schools are not covered by the RRAA, the Registrar will encourage independent schools to adopt the specific duties of the RRAA as a matter of good practice, and when issuing new guidance to independent schools will promote the importance of having racial harassment policies and reporting mechanisms. | 2003 |
To manage the Scottish Education Awards to recognise and reward the good work being done in schools, and help it gain recognition by the business community and people throughout Scotland | Low | The Scottish Executive Awards categories include a "Schools for All" award aimed at recognising good examples of integration and social inclusion a "Making the Links" award rewarding schools where practical ways have been found to promote pupils' appreciation of other cultures and communities; and, a "Closing the Gap" award which seeks examples of effective management of schools to tackle deprivation, raise achievement and increase success for all pupils. | Annual |
Support for parenting | Low | Will take account of different cultures and approaches as we draw together coherent framework. | Start in 2003 |
Develop/expand workforce | Low | SE Workforce survey (published May 2002) and DfES research show under-representation of men and ethnic minorities amongst early years workforce. Examining whether to set targets for Childcare Partnerships. | Continuing |
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