To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the national plan for action announced in November 2023 to tackle violence in schools. (S6O-03537)

As Ms McCall will be aware, since I made the announcement in November, I have been working with members of the Scottish advisory group on relationships and behaviour in schools to develop the national action plan. The plan has been informed by representatives of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Association of Directors of Education in Schools, Education Scotland, the main teaching unions, educational psychologists, and parents and carers organisations. As I confirmed when I met Opposition spokespeople in April, my intention was that the plan be published in late May or early June. However, as the member will be aware, we are currently in a pre-election period, as a result of which I am currently considering officials’ advice on publication timescales.

As the cabinet secretary alluded to, we are now six months on from the announcement of the plan. However, we are no further forward. I accept that there is a general election going on, but I am still receiving emails that highlight rising instances of violence in classrooms across Fife. A constituent who is also a secondary school teacher got in touch with me recently to say:

“Two of my colleagues have been verbally and physically assaulted in the last couple of days. It is clear that there is a significant problem within all Fife schools at the moment ... pupil indiscipline and the abuse faced by staff is the worst I have ever experienced.”

Given the First Minister’s statement earlier this year that we need to focus on

“what can we do, rather than what can we write down”,

what action will the Scottish Government take to address the issue now? Will the cabinet secretary agree to look at this particular case with me?

Roz McCall has taken a keen interest in those issues over a number of months, and I commend her for that. On the specific challenge in Fife, a new director of education has recently been appointed there—I know that as a constituency member for part of Fife. I am more than happy to work with Ms McCall on that issue.

The behaviour action plan is part of the solution, but we are talking about achieving fundamental cultural change in our schools. Action plans in themselves do not drive the change that we need. Although they will help to give impetus at national level, we need to see cultural change in our schools in the form of changed behaviour and relationships following the pandemic. I commit to working with the member and meeting her on that.

Prevention of violence is always preferable to mopping up its consequences. What work is the Scottish Government funding to support schools in the prevention agenda?

The member is right to highlight the role of prevention. That is why, this year alone, we are investing more than £2 million to implement the violence prevention framework to help to divert people from violence. That framework is supporting the Medics Against Violence school education programme to deliver strong anti-violence messages to pupils. It is also supporting mentors in the violence prevention programme to train 1,000 young mentors to provide gender-based violence prevention sessions in schools across Scotland. We will report on the implementation of the framework later this year.