Various queries relating to the Education sector in Scotland: FOI release

Information requested

1. How many newly-qualified teaching staff have taken part in the Teacher Induction Scheme in each of the last five years and where they were posted?

2. All feedback received by the Scottish Government from schools and teachers to its Building positive relationships in schools guidance, between September 1 2025 and December 1 2025?

3. All correspondence and minutes/notes from meetings between the Scottish Government and Nicola Killeen, the children's commissioner, from the last three months?

4. All documentation held, including minutes/notes from meetings, correspondence sent and received (including internal), briefings, analysis, about the £12.5m provided to inclusive African education programmes, from the last three months?

5. The full costs incurred so far by Rachel Sandison, International education envoy, and a full breakdown of these costs?

6. All correspondence and minutes/notes from meetings between the Scottish Government and author Tom Bennett, and all briefings mentioning him, from the last three months?

Response

1. How many newly-qualified teaching staff have taken part in the Teacher Induction Scheme in each of the last five years and where they were posted?

The number of probationers taking part in the Teacher Induction scheme in each of the last five years including the local authority the probationers were placed is available on the Teacher census supplementary statistics on the Scottish Government website - Teacher census supplementary statistics - gov.scot

For your convenience, I have included the links below from the census statistics where this information is accessible.

Teacher+Census+supplementary+statistics+2025+December+partial+release.xlsx

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

2. All feedback received by the Scottish Government from schools and teachers to its Building positive relationships in schools guidance, between September 1 2025 and December 1 2025?

I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested in the document entitled 202500497557 Q2 enclosures for release. This information is provided by extraction rather than redaction.

3. All correspondence and minutes/notes from meetings between the Scottish Government and Nicola Killeen, the children's commissioner, from the last three months?

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested in the document entitled 202500497557 Q3 enclosures for release.

An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, including names and contact details of individuals, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

4. All documentation held, including minutes/notes from meetings, correspondence sent and received (including internal), briefings, analysis, about the £12.5m provided to inclusive African education programmes, from the last three months?

In response to question four of your request, while our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. The reasons why we do not have the information are explained below.

Regarding your fourth question, I enclose a copy of most of the information you requested in the document entitled 202500497557 Q4 enclosures for release.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exemptions under sections 30(b)(ii) (substantial inhibition to free and frank exchange of views), 32(1)(b) (financial interests), and 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA apply to that information. The reasons why those exemptions apply are explained below.

Exemptions under sections 30(b) and 32(1) of FOISA apply to some of the information you have requested. This is because the information requested contains deliberation and the exchange of views in order to provide advice and guidance to the First Minister and/or senior officials and financial interests. Release of such information would likely cause substantial inhibition to the provision of advice and cause substantial prejudice to the financial interests of any person/company.

These exemptions are subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption. We recognise that there is some public interest in release because of interest in the Scottish Government international work. However, this is outweighed by the public interest in the effective conduct of public affairs and not prejudice substantially the financial interests of any person/company.

Exemptions under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA apply to some of the information you have requested. This is because the information contains personal data. This exemption is not subject to the 'public interest test', so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

5. The full costs incurred so far by Rachel Sandison, International education envoy, and a full breakdown of these costs?

Professor Rachel Sandison was appointed as Scottish Government Trade and Investment Envoy for International Education on 2 April 2025. Since taking up this post, no expenses or costs have been incurred.

6. All correspondence and minutes/notes from meetings between the Scottish Government and author Tom Bennett, and all briefings mentioning him, from the last three months?

I enclose a copy of some of the information you requested in the document entitled 202500497557 Q6 enclosures for release. Some of this information is provided by extraction rather than redaction.

An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal information) applies to some of the information requested because it is personal data of a third party, including names and contact details of individuals, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

Some of the information you have requested is available from the website of Enlighten Scotland. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

Exemptions under sections 30(b)(i) and 30(b)(ii) of FOISA (free and frank advice and exchange of views) apply to some of the information requested. These exemptions apply because disclosure would, or would be likely to, inhibit substantially the free and frank provision of advice and exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation. The exemptions recognise the need for Ministers to have a private space within which to seek advice and views from officials before reaching the settled public position which will be given in whatever final press lines are used. Disclosing the content of free and frank briefing material on media comments will substantially inhibit such briefing in the future, particularly because these discussions relate to a sensitive issue such as relationships and behaviour in schools.

These exemptions are subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemptions. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemptions. We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosing information as part of open, transparent and accountable government, and to inform public debate. However, there is a greater public interest in allowing a private space within which officials can provide free and frank advice and views to Ministers in press lines. It is clearly in the public interest that Ministers can properly and robustly defend the Government’s policies and decisions. They need full and candid advice from officials to enable them to do so. Premature disclosure of this type of information could lead to a reduction in the comprehensiveness and frankness of such advice and views in the future, which would not be in the public interest.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202500497557 Information released - Annex

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