New Petitions

PE1953, on education support staff roles, was lodged by Roisin Taylor-Young. The petition calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review education support staff roles to consider: urgently raising wages for ESS across primary and secondary sectors to £26,000 per annum; increasing the hours of the working day for ESS from 27.5 to 35 hours; allowing ESS to work on personal learning plans with teachers and take part in multi-agency meetings; requiring ESS to register with the Scottish Social Services Council; and paying ESS staff monthly.

Roisin emphasises the importance of support staff, stating that they are absolutely essential to children’s education, support, care and wellbeing. She tells us that support staff are

“bitterly overworked and chronically underpaid”

and that there have been a number of equal pay claims for Scottish councils.

The Scottish Parliament information centre briefing states that classroom assistants are not required to have a professional registration currently. However, SPICe goes on to say that the Scottish Government is committed to exploring options for the development of an accredited qualification and registration programme for additional support needs assistants in collaboration with trade unions and other key stakeholders. That will result in final proposals, which are due to be brought forward by autumn next year.

The Scottish Government highlights that a pupil support staff working group has been established to consider how pupil support staff can be empowered and supported. The group is currently engaged with and seeking the views of pupil support staff on its work.

Do members have any comments or suggestions on the petition? Mr Stewart, you are stepping forward again. Thank you.

I suggest that we write to the Scottish Government to ask how it intends to engage with stakeholders in its delivery of the commitment to explore options for the development of an accredited qualification and registration programme for additional support needs assistants, and how the petitioner can engage with the pupil support staff working group.

We could also write to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, seeking a view on the issues that are raised in the petition and requesting information on the frequency and cost of equal pay claims that have been lodged in relation to education support staff roles. In addition, we could write to the Scottish Social Services Council, seeking a view on the issues that are raised in the petition and requesting information on the requirements for and processes of registration.

As there are no other suggestions, are members content to progress as recommended?

Members indicated agreement.

I highlight to those petitioners whose petition we have considered for the first time today that, as a matter of practice, in the first instance, we invite the Scottish Government to comment. Therefore, before we make recommendations, we have its response and any further submissions that have been received.

Thank you all for your new petitions. That brings us to the end of the public part of our meeting.

11:10 Meeting continued in private until 11:12.