The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee will conclude its work this Parliament in March 2026 ahead of the next Scottish Parliament election. So the Committee has time to complete its work, it has agreed not to consider petitions submitted after 10 October.
The Committee will continue to meet but given the volume of petitions and agreed work programme it is unlikely that the Committee would be able to meaningfully progress work on petitions submitted after 10 October ahead of the election. Petitions lodged after this date will not fall when the Parliament is dissolved and will be for the successor committee to consider in the new session.
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Under consideration PE2129: Standardise criteria and consultations for assessing demand for denominational schools
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to require education authorities to adopt a uniform set of criteria and a standard consultation for assessing community demand for denominational schools.
Background information
The Education (Scotland) Act 1918 integrated Catholic schools into the public system, ensuring support for their religious identity. However, the absence of standardised demand assessment and funding support has led to regional inconsistencies in access to Catholic education. Councils like Aberdeen face barriers to establishing Catholic schools despite demand, unlike councils in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dundee. This petition calls consistent and equitable standards that ensure access to Catholic education across Scotland.
A set, standardised criteria would provide standards to objectively assess demand, which would help local authorities avoid arbitrary thresholds or inconsistent measures in their decision making. A standardised consultation process would guarantee that all community voices are given equal representation, thus creating a more inclusive process.
88 signatures
This petition is now under consideration
Click here for further information about the consideration of this petition.