5. To ask the Scottish Government how the views of young people will be taken into account in decisions about schools over the next few months. (S5O-04521)

In June, I met a panel of learners to discuss their experiences of school closures and the coming school year. I will continue to take opportunities to listen to the views of young people and to ensure that those views are considered fully in decisions about schools.

Young people will be consulted during the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development review of curriculum for excellence, Professor Priestley’s review of the awarding of the 2020 qualifications and the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s consultation on the 2021 qualifications. We are also working closely with Young Scot on the promotion of essential messages, particularly on school safety and the wearing of face coverings.

The Cabinet secretary will know that a minority of young people feel that their grades are lower than they should be on the basis on their teacher assessments, but do not meet the fairly narrow criteria for appeals, as set out by the SQA. What should young people in those circumstances do?

I encourage young people who have any concerns about the grades that they have received to discuss them with their schools. That is the appropriate channel for taking forward such concerns. I am confident that there is sufficient scope in the appeals criteria that have been set out by the SQA to enable any issues that require to be addressed to be addressed. The starting point for such discussions is dialogue between young people and their schools.

Previously, I have asked the Cabinet secretary why the education recovery group does not include any young voices. Young people have shown time and again to be deserving of a seat at the table, but their voices were not heard before decisions were made on the 2020 exam diet and the return to school. Will the cabinet secretary now invite young people to join such discussions?

As I hope that I set out in my original answer, I am very happy to hear the views of young people as part of that process. We tend to do that through channels in which we can gather the views of a range of young people, rather than taking the view that one young person being represented on, for example, the education recovery group satisfactorily addresses all the different perspectives that we will hear from young people.

I assure Beatrice Wishart that we take particular care to listen to the views of young people in a number of forums. We listen carefully to the survey findings that come from Young Scot, which is very effective in reaching young people in our society, to enable us to reflect constructively on their points of view and the aspirations that they set out.

The Deputy Presiding Officer:

Question 6 was not lodged.