Seòmar agus comataidhean

Is the committee content with the instrument?

Members indicated agreement.

Does the committee wish to note that the Scottish Government has laid a revised policy note in respect of the instrument?

Members indicated agreement.

Welcome to the fourth meeting in 2024 of the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee. We have received apologies from our convener, Stuart McMillan MSP. In his place, I welcome Rona Mackay MSP—thank you, Rona. I remind everyone to switch off, or put to silent, mobile phones and other electronic devices.

The first item of business is to decide whether to take items 5, 6 and 7 in private. Is the committee content to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Under agenda item 2, we are considering three instruments, on which no points have been raised.

Under agenda item 3, we are considering three instruments. Issues have been raised on two of the instruments.

Thank you very much for that.

I have a final question. Do you believe that the direction in which we are heading shows genuine and measurable signs that delivery of educational services is improving?

As you say, it is important to remember the overall picture, which is that we want to improve Scottish education to as great a degree as possible. How does that all relate to what is best for the individual pupils who attend school and how their aims and aspirations can be improved on?

When I was at school, the cabinet secretary was a senior teacher. [Laughter.]

How should the performance of schools be measured? In many places, there is a culture of performativity in which how the school performs is what matters most. Could that be removed so that decisions about pupils’ learning and certification are focused on what is best for the pupil rather than on how successful the school registers as being? It more important that schools provide the very best for the community and the pupils who attend than that they are marked up as being the place to go.

Good morning, cabinet secretary and team. You have already spoken to us about the necessity of moving money from one budget area to another because of the tightness of the budget at certain levels. However, we are told that the budget has set a cut of £23.5 million for the overall lifelong learning and skills budget, £13.7 million of which is coming from the skills budget line, including through cuts to grant funding for supporting young people into employment, education and training. The Scottish Government has been very happy to push developing the skills and abilities of people who are not in universities but who might be using colleges to boost their skills training and so on. What impact do you believe that those cuts will have on achieving the ambitions of the skills system reform?

I understand. Thank you.