Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill - Consultation

The motion

That the Parliament notes that the Scottish Executive has published the draft Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill with the express purpose of modernising the framework that provides pupils that need additional support for learning with that support and that the bill has been put out to consultation with parents, professionals and other stakeholders for a ten-week period ending on 28 March 2003; further notes that the draft bill proposes that the Record of Needs be discontinued and replaced by a new Co-ordinated Support Plan “for children with complex or multiple barriers to learning who require additional support from outwith the education authority”; believes that this bill represents significant and fundamental changes to the existing service built up over the last 20 years and that for it to be successful it must enjoy the support of those parents whose children already have a Record of Needs; notes that the Executive’s main method of communicating the bill’s proposals to such parents is to send a copy of the document to all schools, asking them to pass it on to these parents and, in addition, is holding a number of seminars that parents can attend; further notes that many parents are expressing ignorance of the draft bill, its contents and the consultation process and that attendance by parents at these seminars is worryingly low and often in single figures, compared to the large number of well-informed professionals, and therefore supports the extension of the consultation period until after the summer recess of the next parliamentary session so that all parents have ample opportunity to consider the merits and demerits of these radical changes and communicate their views to the new Executive which, in turn, will be able to assess its consultation in a more considered manner and with an accurate response from parents.

No recorded vote on this motion. Most motions are never debated, and many that are debated are agreed without a division. Vote records are published from 2011.

Con 9 SNP 3 SSP 1

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

No contribution in the Official Report cites S1M-03945 by reference.