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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 25 November 2024
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Displaying 1551 contributions

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Social Justice and Social Security Committee

Child Poverty and Parental Employment Inquiry

Meeting date: 7 September 2023

Bob Doris

That was a really interesting question from Mr Balfour. I am a Glasgow MSP, Mr White, and on the Cathcart circle or the Maryhill line, in the north of the city, there is competition between the suburban rail network and buses. I am not clear whether regional transport authorities, bus companies and ScotRail complement each other or whether they try to be strategic in how they work in partnership in relation to that. Is that issue systemic, or are there examples of where the rail network and bus companies work properly in strategic partnerships?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Additional Support for Learning

Meeting date: 28 June 2023

Bob Doris

Is there resistance from parents? I have a kid in primary 2. I do not think that they have additional support needs, but I would want to keep that additional support if they were getting it, because that is my child. Is there a resistance—

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Additional Support for Learning

Meeting date: 28 June 2023

Bob Doris

One six.

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Additional Support for Learning

Meeting date: 28 June 2023

Bob Doris

That is really helpful. I think that the committee would benefit from a structured approach to looking at the data. Mr Mulholland seemed to be talking about plotting the peaks in demand for additional support and the reasons for those.

A few months ago, a nursery in my constituency contacted me to say that one in three of their young people have some form of developmental delay, such as with speech or language. When young people make the transition into primary school, that figure goes up to 50 per cent, which suggests that need will become even more profound, from one in three to one in two. Do you recognise those figures? I wrote to Glasgow City Council and was told that that situation is not unusual.

I am keen to know whether those young people will have additional support needs throughout their school career. Some of them will go to primary school and will start to catch up and to meet developmental targets. Does the badge of having additional support needs stay with them throughout their school career, or does that badge or label get taken away, so that they have support needs but not additional support needs? Is that mapped out?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Additional Support for Learning

Meeting date: 28 June 2023

Bob Doris

We have heard a lot, rightly, about teachers. Teachers co-ordinate and lead the planning and delivery of teaching and learning in the classroom, but they are not the only individuals in the classroom. We spoke a bit about pupil support assistance, and I had an exchange earlier with Mr Greer about what the board might or might not have done to support the continuous professional development of pupil support teachers. I have a couple of questions on that, but do witnesses have any comments at this stage about what they feel the board has done to promote continuous professional development to date?

10:45  

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Additional Support for Learning

Meeting date: 28 June 2023

Bob Doris

Okay, convener. I am just trying to get as much benefit out of the session as I can.

Do any of the witnesses have a view on how the 16,606 PSAs are deployed in each local authority? We heard earlier about the different parts of the transitions to primary school, and S2 and S3 in secondary school and about tracking additional support needs. Are PSAs deployed consistently within each local authority and across local authorities? If so, could you say a little bit more about that? If not, do we have to do more about that?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Additional Support for Learning

Meeting date: 28 June 2023

Bob Doris

This is important. Is there cultural resistance from parents who do not wish to forgo the additional support once it has been put in place?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Additional Support for Learning

Meeting date: 28 June 2023

Bob Doris

That is really helpful, Fran. I do not want to put words in your mouth, but it appears that you are saying that that should be tracked and that there should be more and more consistent opportunities for continuous professional development for pupil support staff or assistants. I do not want to misrepresent what you said, but it would be helpful if you let the committee know if that is what you are saying, and whether the project board would be involved in that.

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Additional Support for Learning

Meeting date: 28 June 2023

Bob Doris

My final question is a general one about culture, so it is moving away from the previous topic. How will the work of the board deliver the culture change that we are hearing about more generally, which was envisioned in the Morgan review? Laura Caven, quite rightly, chastised me earlier in relation to terminology and language, which are quite important when trying to deliver a culture change.

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Additional Support for Learning

Meeting date: 28 June 2023

Bob Doris

I think that you are saying that the data for pre-school children is pretty consistent with what you are seeing elsewhere. There is some confusion about whether that is anecdotal for that nursery or for Glasgow, or whether you are seeing that across the country. It would be really helpful if someone could address that.

I will sneak in a second question while the convener is looking away.