Latest news with #Gilruth
The Herald Scotland
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Gilruth and Ross clash over minister's missed question time
However, she missed the 25-minute session, with junior minister Graeme Dey stepping in. That was despite questions on school violence and the stabbing of an Aberdeen schoolgirl the previous day. READ MORE At the time, the Scottish Government said she was absent because of 'diary commitments'. But on her own social media feeds, Ms Gilruth revealed she had been 'knocking doors' for a local council candidate. The former teacher, who earns £100,575 as a Cabinet Secretary, faced criticism from opposition MSPs during question time on Thursday. Scottish Conservative MSP Douglas Ross highlighted that the session she missed included questions on physical violence and verbal abuse in schools, vaping among pupils, and teachers stuck on temporary contracts. He asked what questions she would have answered had she been present. Mr Ross told the chamber: 'And if this Cabinet Secretary is going to be honest with this chamber, she will say she was on the stump for SNP votes, but she should have been here doing her job. 'So will Jenny Gilruth, not in her usual condescending way, give an apology to this parliament for missing this session, but more importantly, an apology to our pupils, our parents and our teachers for the disrespect she showed?' The minister pointed to the standing orders of the parliament, which set out the rules for answering questions. It states that certain questions have to be answered by the First Minister or the Lord Advocate and that 'other oral questions may be answered by any member of the Scottish Government or a junior Scottish Minister.' She replied: 'Now, Mr Ross had the opportunity today to raise any issue pertinent to the children and young people of Scotland. What a pity, although not surprising, that he chose not to do so.' Mr Ross, who chairs Holyrood's Education Committee, accused Ms Gilruth of dodging his question, which he said had been specifically about what topics she would have addressed had she been in the chamber last month. He said: 'Does the Cabinet Secretary either not know which question she would have answered, or is she deliberately misleading Parliament by not telling us?' Douglas Ross shakes hands with Lionel Messi while officiating Barcelona's game against Olympiacos in 2017Later, SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald asked whether Ms Gilruth believed Mr Ross was guilty of 'hypocrisy', given his own record of missing parliamentary duties to officiate football matches. He referred to occasions when Mr Ross, a part-time referee, skipped a Justice Committee session to referee a match between Sporting Lisbon and Real Madrid, and missed a Universal Credit debate at Westminster to officiate Barcelona v Olympiacos. His intervention was quickly dismissed by the Deputy Presiding Officer, who said the question had 'absolutely nothing' to do with the Cabinet Secretary's portfolio.
Scotsman
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Education minister Jenny Gilruth defends campaigning for SNP instead of answering school violence questions
Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth has refused to apologise for skipping ministerial questions to campaign 'on the stump for SNP votes'. Ms Gilruth has defended her junior minister answering questions at Holyrood last month in her place after Scottish Conservative MSP Douglas Ross questioned whether the Cabinet secretary was 'deliberately misleading' Parliament. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jenny Gilruth and Douglas Ross | PA Responding to Mr Ross's question in Holyrood, Ms Gilruth explained the questions 'were answered by a minister in the education and skills portfolio' - with higher education minister Graeme Dey responding to queries in the chamber. But Mr Ross called on Ms Gilruth to issue an apology for not taking part in the session herself, instead campaigning for the SNP for the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. Mr Ross said: 'There were issues in the Cabinet Secretary alone's portfolio on teachers who were experiencing physical violence and verbal abuse, vaping in schools and teachers stuck on temporary contracts. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'If this Cabinet secretary is going to be honest with this chamber, she will say she was on the stump for SNP votes when she should have been here doing her job. 'So will Jenny Gilruth, not in her usual condescending way, give an apology to this Parliament for missing this session, but more importantly an apology to our pupils, our parents and our teachers for the disrespect she showed by missing it.' Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills Jenny Gilruth | Andrew Milligan/PA Wire In response, Ms Gilruth said: 'Oral questions may be answered by any member of the Scottish Government or a junior minister. Mr Ross had the opportunity today to raise any issue pertinent to the children and young people of Scotland. What a pity, although not surprising, that he chose not to do so.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But Mr Ross suggested Ms Gilruth was either 'deliberately misleading' Parliament or did not know which questions 'she would have answered' if she had turned up. SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald accused the former Scottish Tory leader of 'hypocrisy'.
The Herald Scotland
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
How do you solve a problem like SQA reform?
After spending more than £1 million on independent reviews, surveys and other investigations into education reform, the Scottish Government has changed very little about the structure of the country's education system since 2021. Major recommendations have been set aside, and proposing legislation to institute changes continued to be delayed for a variety of reasons. Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth has at times alternated between advocating for change, calling for caution and more time to consult with teachers, and now more recently warning committee members at Holyrood that further delay could mean derailing the processes underway. This, for the most part, refers to changes to the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). The SQA has been the main focal point of discussions about reform. In some ways, it has become a distraction from bigger questions about what education in Scotland should look like and the values it should reflect. In 2021, the government committed to replacing the SQA. It was not until 2024, however, with the presentation of the Education (Scotland) Bill, that it finally set down a plan for doing so. Questions swirl around the bill, its full implications and particularly whether it has enough teeth to force the qualifications body to bring about the changes teachers, students and politicians want to see. One of the challenges is the overall lack of decision-makers who fully understand the SQA's role and the logistics of the Scottish qualifications system more generally. While the education committee discussed a list of more than 350 amendments – an amount one MSP called 'astonishing', and others said illustrated fundamental problems with the bill – it became clear that the person in the room with the qualifications needed to be involved in this kind of discussion was Ms Gilruth. In fact, MSP Willie Rennie stated openly at one point in the discussion: 'I do not think that we all fully understand how the accreditation function within the SQA currently works.' This is at first concerning because this committee is tasked with debating and pushing key legislative aspects of education reform in Scotland. But it may also suggest that the system itself has been allowed to grow into one so complex that it is hard for outsiders – as in those outside of the SQA, Education Scotland, and the core government ministers – to wrap their heads around. During that same committee meeting, there was a constant tension between the inability to find a compromise and the constant threat of running out of time. Teachers, students and the general public have been given to think of the SQA as an organisation has been dead in the water since 2021. It is set to officially close in December. Given how long it has taken to reach this point, it is understandable that the government is eager not to let another promise go unmet. But spare a thought for the 'cost' in the phrase 'reform at any cost.' Amidst the gridlock, opposition parties continue to argue that 'all options are better than the status quo". That attitude is, in itself dangerous, as The Herald's Education Specialist James McEnaney argues. This leaves would-be reformers with the question: is something better than nothing? Is bad reform better than the status quo? For teachers and education experts who have been grappling with the revolving door of powers-that-be to change a system which has become so entrenched it now feels inevitable, it is not really a question.
The Herald Scotland
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Government promises 'exclusion does remain an option' for schools
When pressed by opposition members on concerns that teachers feel they are not fully supported in removing violent pupils from classrooms, Ms Gilruth said that "exclusion does remain an option" for staff. Read more: In her statement, Ms Gilruth focused on steps taken to update and implement guidance for staff on dealing with various behaviours, including inappropriate mobile phone use and filming and sharing fights on social media. She said that she is "particularly concerned" about the influence of online content, gender-based violence and the role that the education system plays in countering "the harms of the far-right". 'Our classrooms, in my view, can act to hold up a mirror to who we are as a society. We should not divorce wider societal shifts from behaviour in Scotland's schools, therefore. 'Gender-based violence should not be tolerated in our society. Important conversations are needed about how to address the attitudes that are influencing this." Members raised concerns about delays in the publication of additional guidance and agreed-upon definitions of the various types of behaviour described. Conservative MSP Miles Briggs expressed "deep concerns" about the progress of the action plan, stating that some teachers and parents he has spoken to are unaware that it exists. Scottish Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy said the action plan has been "too little, too late". The Scottish Government and Ms Gilruth have been committed to tackling the growing problem of disruptive behaviour in schools. In 2023, the government announced it would be putting together a multi-year plan to address behaviours including verbal and physical abuse and violence in schools. This came directly off the back of Behaviour In Scottish Schools Research (BISSR), in which a third of teachers reported experiencing verbal abuse in the past week, 16% reported facing physical aggression, and 11% experienced physical violence directed towards themselves or colleagues. The research went further to show that there were also high rates of verbal abuse, physical aggression and violence between pupils. In August 2024, the government released its three-year national action plan on relationships and behaviour in schools. Since then, concerns about the impact of disruptive and violent behaviour have continued to filter out of Scottish schools. In March, a NASUWT union survey found that female teachers are more likely to face physical abuse or violence, with 49% reporting attacks in the past year. NASUWT president David Anderson told the union's annual conference that far-right influences from social media are helping fuel concerning behaviours in Scotland's schools. Teachers in East Dunbartonshire took industrial action over concerns that pupils were not being held accountable for incidents of alleged violence and verbal abuse. In March, a whistleblower highlighted concerns about physical and verbal abuse taking place in Glasgow primary schools, saying that teachers 'face violence on a daily basis". The government's action plan is not only about addressing violence and abuse. There is also a commitment to finding solutions for other forms of disruption, including mobile phone use during class time, vaping, in-school truancy and the rise of misogyny and 'explicitly sexualised language' amongst boys and young men. SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson said that pupils act as if there are "few if any tangible consequences" for their behaviour, and earned a promise from Ms Gilruth that the updated guidance on consequences and reporting incidents will be in place by the Autumn term.
STV News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- STV News
Scottish Government to update guidance for teachers facing violence 'in weeks'
The Scottish Government is to update guidance for teachers facing violence in classrooms 'in weeks'. Education secretary Jenny Gilruth was responding to questions about what action she and the Government are taking to address rising aggressive and disruptive behaviour in schools across Scotland. 'I'm very clear consequences are an essential part of a supportive learning environment, and I'll provide more information on our approach when we publish that guidance in June,' she said. 'Teachers must be supported in our schools. I take this issue very seriously, having come from the classroom myself.' The announcement comes around eight months after the Scottish Government published its national action plan to address violence in schools. Now this will be updated with further guidance on options available to schools to deal with disruptive pupils. 'Teachers in Scotland can already take range of different actions in responding to disruptive behaviour,' Gilruth said. 'At its furthest extreme, exclusion does remain an option to Scotland's teachers.' Gilruth said the updated guidance on classroom consequences – including exclusion – will be published before Parliament's summer recess in June. Although Gilruth would not be baited into 'prejudging' the guidance, she said staff 'need to be empowered' about exclusion as 'an option for them to use'. The education minister also said the rise of extremism and far-right ideology in wider society 'is having a detrimental effect' on Scottish young people – and on behaviour in schools. The statement from Jenny Gilruth on Thursday echoed recent warnings from a teacher's union leader that the influence of far-right movements is turning some Scottish schools into a 'battleground of blame and violence'. Gilruth specifically named increasing reports of gender based violence against female teachers and staff as an area of concern for the government and COSLA. 'Research from [the NASUWT and EIS teacher's unions] about violence on female staff echoes our own research,' Gilruth said. 'And I have to say, as a female politician, it is sadly also reflective of the types of experiences encountered by women in politics in 2025.' She added: 'Gender-based violence should not be tolerated in our society and an important conversation is needed about this.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
