2. To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with North Lanarkshire Council to improve the school estate. (S6O-03207)

In Scotland, the school estate is owned and managed by local authorities. However, we have supported North Lanarkshire Council, through the previous Scotland’s schools for the future programme, by awarding it significant funding of £55 million towards three new schools.

We will further support North Lanarkshire Council’s Chryston high school extension through phase 3 of the £2 billion learning estate investment programme.

The £2 billion learning estate investment programme is a joint programme with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and follows on from the successful £1.8 billion investment in Scotland’s schools for the future programme, which delivered 117 new or refurbished learning facilities across Scotland from 2009 to 2021.

The Scottish Government has cut capital funding for projects such as schools in North Lanarkshire by 31 per cent this year—which is far higher than the cut that was received by the Government.

The last new school project to receive money from the Scottish Government was back in 2014. Over the three phases of the funding programme that the Cabinet secretary talked about, North Lanarkshire received funding for only one existing secondary extension, despite presenting a number of excellent bids for much-needed new schools.

When can pupils in North Lanarkshire expect to receive Government funding for new-build schools that are fit for modern education?

As I alluded to in my initial response, North Lanarkshire Council has been awarded significant funding through the schools for the future programme and the learning estate investment programme. That has been a result of the direct request from North Lanarkshire Council to prioritise that school in North Lanarkshire.

However, the capital challenges that the Government faces at the current time are well known to Mark Griffin. He alluded to the cut that is coming from the UK Government, which is undoubtedly impacting on the funding from this Government. We are protecting local government funding within that context. I look forward to continuing to work with the Scottish Futures Trust on improving the remainder of Scotland’s school estate.

It is worth my while to point out that, since 2007, the quality of Scotland’s school estate has improved from around 60 per cent of Scotland’s schools being in good or satisfactory condition to more than 90 per cent, thanks to investment from this Scottish National Party Government.

The SNP’s record of investment in our school estate speaks for itself, but how much is Labour’s legacy from the private finance initiative costing in North Lanarkshire?

North Lanarkshire Council’s PFI schools contract was signed back in 2005. The associated estimated payments total about £764 million, with £430 million of that still to be paid out. That means that, 17 years after it was last in Government in Scotland, Labour’s PFI legacy is still holding Scotland back, as we have less money to spend on front-line services for Scotland’s children. That is a shameful record, and Labour members in the chamber should be embarrassed.

Parents of additional support needs pupils protested outside North Lanarkshire Council last year. They said that teachers and pupils are being failed by an education system that does not recognise the specialised skills that are needed for children with additional support needs. Many school-age children end up, due to the lack of ASN schools available, being placed in mainstream education schools, despite meeting the criteria for an ASN school.

What is the Cabinet secretary’s response to the many families in North Lanarkshire who are being failed by the education system due to the lack of specialised schools and facilities for ASN pupils?

It is worth my while to put on the record that we are seeing record levels of investment in additional support needs pupils through pupil support assistance, which is because of ring-fenced funding coming directly from the Scottish Government. The Government also ring fences £15 million-worth of funding to protect ASN support in our schools.

However, as I alluded to in response to the original question, the school estate in general is the responsibility of local authorities. We work with local authorities where we are able to do so, including to prioritise the needs of additional support needs pupils.

It is worth my while to say that some of the funding that we announced at the end of last year is going towards improving the school estate for additional support needs pupils.

The Presiding Officer:

Question 3 was not lodged.