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Responsibility for school libraries is devolved to local authorities, who already have a statutory duty to ensure there is adequate provision of library services for their residents. There are no plans to impose a specific statutory duty on local authorities in relation to librarian services in schools. It is for local authorities to allocate their resources appropriately and aligned with the needs of the people they represent. Authorities should work in partnership with communities to explore ways of delivering services, based on need.

The requested information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

I will lead the summit on behaviour and relationships in our schools, with the first stage of the taking place on 5 September. The views and experiences of school staff will be central to the summit process, which is focusing on practical support at classroom, school and local level to make a difference on this issue.

A multi-stage approach to the summit is planned to ensure the issues are considered in detail and to allow the later stages of the summit to benefit from the latest data following the publication of the Behaviour in Scottish Schools research. This research will provide a robust national picture in relation to behaviour in Scotland’s schools when it publishes in Autumn this year.

As well as our plans for the summit, I convened a Headteacher taskforce which includes representatives from across the education sector. The taskforce met in June and we considered the issue of school exclusions and consequences. We will use these discussions to inform our approach to the summit.

I will continue to update Cabinet colleagues in the usual manner.

The Scottish Government does not gather this information. It is for local authorities to determine how they deliver the service to suit the needs and circumstances of children and young people in their area. We produced guidance to support local authorities, available at: Access to counselling in secondary schools: guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government collects information on the condition, suitability and capacity of all local authority schools in the annual School Estates Core Facts Survey. Information is also collected on schools that were built or substantially refurbished during the previous year. The latest School Estate Statistics were published on 5 September and are available on the Scottish Government website .

The Scottish Government’s School Estates Core Facts Survey show that we have a record number of schools in “good” or “satisfactory” condition in Scotland. Moreover, the proportion of schools in “good” or “satisfactory” condition has increased from 61% in April 2007 to 90.7% in April 2023.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland’s (GTCS) Standard for Full Registration, which is the benchmark for competence required of all registered teachers, outlines that all teachers are required to demonstrate a depth of knowledge and understanding of pedagogical and learning theories, and draw on these appropriately to inform practice in areas such as dyslexia. Furthermore, the GTCS Guidelines for Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programmes, are clear that programmes should expose all students to national priorities and pedagogies to develop their understanding and practice in areas such as dyslexia.

Over 700 teachers have GTCS registration in additional support needs which is available to those with appropriate qualifications.

The Scottish Government have invested £16m per year in order to ensure that children and young people have quick and effective access to support for their mental health and wellbeing through counsellors in schools. Local authorities provide six-monthly reports to the Scottish Government on this commitment. The reports confirm that the overall picture on improving children and young people’s outcomes is positive.

A summary of the reports can be found here: Access to counsellors in secondary schools and children and young people’s community mental health services – summary reports - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . We will publish a summary of the 2022 reports in the coming weeks, which will include the number of counsellors local authorities reported were in post.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. We have therefore sought information from the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).

GTCS advised that they process applications by country of qualification as opposed to the location of the applicant and have therefore provided information based on the origin of the qualification (Scotland, rest of UK, international) rather than the location of the applicant.

Qualified in Scotland (hold a recognised teaching qualification from an accredited Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme)

Applicants are invited to apply between November and February in the final year of their programme. The application process concludes when the ITE pass lists are received from Higher Education Institutions (through June and the start of July). Individuals are then added to the Register of Teachers once the applicant has paid their annual registration fee. In this cohort, 2,767 applications were concluded for the start of the 2023-24 academic year.

Qualified outside of Scotland (QoS)

GTCS use the same process for all QoS applications no matter where the applicant is currently domiciled, as their assessment process focuses on the qualifications held.

GTCS receive 1,300 applications from individuals who have qualified as teachers outside Scotland on average each year. They carry out individual assessment of these applications to ensure that their qualifications meet their standards.

For applications received where the qualification gained is from a country outside Scotland but within the UK, it is currently taking 10 weeks from the date of submission of the complete application (where all required documents are included) to individual assessment by a Case Officer.

For applications received where the qualification gained is from a country outside Scotland and outside the UK, it is currently taking 5 months from date of submission of the complete application (where all required documents are included) to individual assessment by a Case Officer.

The programme is now in its third year following the initial pilot. In total 279 applications have been received from the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) registered teachers across Scotland. 166 have been successful in gaining a place on the programme since it began.

Pilot programme 2017 85 applications

Cohort 1 (2021-22) 56 applications

Cohort 2 (2022-23) 53 applications

Cohort 3 (2023-24) 85 applications

Our aims and principles make clear that there should be availability of counselling services during school holidays, to ensure continued support to vulnerable young people. However, it is a matter for local authorities to decide how to deliver the service to best suit the needs and circumstances of children and young people in their area.

It is important to highlight that school counselling is just one of a range of services in place to support children and young people’s mental health. Our work on supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing is set within a context of much wider support for children and young people’s mental health within communities and in relation to specific concerns.

Through the children and young people’s Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services Framework, the Scottish Government is providing local authorities with £15 million per annum to fund community-based mental health supports for children and young people aged 5-24 (26 if care-experienced), their family members and their carers. The services are focussed on prevention and early intervention, and include supports for positive mental health and wellbeing as well as for emotional distress.