The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 1196 contributions
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 18 January 2023
Michael Marra
That is okay.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 18 January 2023
Michael Marra
Tes magazine reported this week that you are budgeting £150 million of additional expenditure for the educational institutions that are being reformed at a time when there are front-line cuts. What value do you think we will get for that money?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 18 January 2023
Michael Marra
I am asking what you think we will get for the money. It is for you to justify the spend.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 18 January 2023
Michael Marra
I asked a question about the numbers and how many there will be this year.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 18 January 2023
Michael Marra
It is £150 million of additional expenditure over the coming years.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 18 January 2023
Michael Marra
It is Government policy, though. It was your commitment.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 18 January 2023
Michael Marra
My first questions are on the same theme of teacher numbers. There has been a large drop in the percentage of teacher induction scheme teachers who have a contract in the year following their probation. In the past year, that has dropped from 80 per cent to 70 per cent. Why do you think that is?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 18 January 2023
Michael Marra
It is additional money, though.
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 18 January 2023
Michael Marra
My last point is about your other commitment, which was on class contact time. I have always seen those promises as being very contingent on one another. As is identified in the report of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, without more teachers, reducing class contact time will be incredibly difficult. Would you update us on the negotiations about that? What progress is being made on reducing class contact time?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 18 January 2023
Michael Marra
Thirty per cent is a very large proportion to lose. There are teacher jobs that have been advertised time and again across the country, and there are particular skills gaps. Perhaps it would be useful to hear from you how those things map over in terms of the skills gap and where there are particular problems with the supply that we have.
I have pushed you before, in the chamber and in this committee, on meeting the target of getting back to the figures of 2007—getting those 3,500 additional staff in the door to fill the gap. How many should we expect to see this year under this budget?