To ask the First Minister what plans the Executive has to improve discipline in primary schools. (S3F-32)

Skelp them.

That is something that I was reserving for the Parliament.

The Scottish Government is committed to helping schools create and maintain a peaceful and positive learning environment, including through reducing class sizes and maximising teacher-pupil contact. We will also produce new guidelines to support schools in dealing with serious disciplinary matters.

I thank the First Minister for his answer and Mrs MacDonald for her excellent aside.

In light of the SNP's manifesto commitment to produce new guidelines to help schools establish much more peaceful working and learning environments, does the First Minister agree that Scottish headteachers should be given the power to search pupils who are suspected of carrying knives and other dangerous weapons, as is already the case in England?

That is a matter that we will discuss with the headteachers and their representatives, because there is not unanimity on that proposal, as Elizabeth Smith well knows. If we were to propose such a measure we would have to have the assent and support of the people we were asking to carry it forward. Elizabeth Smith expressed concern this week about the provision of statistics on the number of violent incidents in Scottish schools. We will look at that matter closely, because there is an area of dissatisfaction with the quality of current statistics. For what we do in policy terms to be statistically led and led by facts and arguments, there must be statistics that confirm that our policies are commensurate with and appropriate to the situation that we face.

As the First Minister mentioned, class sizes are an important aspect of school discipline. Will he make an announcement on whether the new Administration will rigidly enforce the guaranteed maximum of 25 pupils in early primary classes or whether he will allow headteachers flexibility where that suits the needs of pupils and parents in a school?

Unfortunately, the slippage of the previous Administration's promises on class sizes was one of the reasons for the more general disillusionment with its education policies. We will work to fulfil our manifesto commitment to deliver a reduction in class sizes in primary 1 to 3.

That brings us to the end of First Minister's question time.