Scottish Education Council meetings: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
Information requested
Information on:
- How many times the Scottish Education Council has met since reconvening after the COVID-19 pandemic?
- Copies of the minutes of any meetings post 2019, including information on who attended them and where they were held.
- Why the above minutes have not been published?
- Whether the Council has considered the appointment of young people to the Council directly?
- Details of options considered by the Council to hear the voices of children and young people in its work, including positives, negatives, and potential media issues if considered.
Response
The SEC has met eight times since it was re-established in October 2021. I attach to this response the minutes from each of these meetings. The minutes detail who was present (both as members and as observers) and all meetings took place remotely over Microsoft Teams. Scottish Government officials are in the process of uploading minutes onto the Scottish Education Council website. It is our intention moving forward to ensure that all minutes are routinely published after a meeting has taken place.
The SEC’s membership includes two members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) to represent the views of children and young people. Two children’s rights experts were also appointed on to the Council during its re-establishment to ensure that Council discussions are informed by a children’s rights perspective. During the first meeting of the Council in October 2021, a paper was considered regarding the participation of children and young people in the SEC and the creation of a new participation mechanism for children and young people. I have attached a supporting paper for this discussion to this response. The Council has also received regular updates on work to consult with children and young people at various stages of the education reform process, as well as updates on the Children and Young People’s Collaborative Project, which is currently exploring options around a new mechanism of participation for children and young people. These discussions are recorded in the minutes included in this response.
I hope that you find this information and the attached documents helpful.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrews House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
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