Here's a look back at key points from today's questions to the first minister.

• Education dominated the agenda, with the Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay bringing up falling teacher numbers and violence in schools. He said there had been a "collapse in discipline" across schools.
• The first minister said that an agreement with local authorities had been reached that would bring staff numbers back to 2023 levels.
• Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also brought up education - he said pupils with additional support needs were being let down by the government.
• John Swinney said that additional funding for ASN needs was proposed in the draft Budget.
• Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater was critical of the first minister for speaking to US President-elect Donald Trump earlier this week.
• Both Slater and Swinney then rounded on the Tories for anti-immigration rhetoric, saying it was "shameful" behaviour.
• Michelle Thomson, the SNP MSP for Falkirk East, asked the first minister to introduce legislation to criminalise non-fatal strangulation, something he said the government would consider iff there was a gap in existing law.
• Further debate on education included discussing Dundee University's financial situation, while the first minister responded to a query regarding the sector being in decline by calling on Labour to "get off the fence" and back the Scottish Budget.

That's all from FMQs this week. Thanks for joining us. The page was edited by Calum Watson and the writers were Jonathan Geddes and Katy Scott.

Image source, Getty Images

Labour MSP for Lothian Foysal Choudhury refers to an whistleblowing investigation which found that mothers and newborn babies came to harm because of staffing shortages and a "toxic" culture at Edinburgh's maternity unit.

He asks the first minister if he will step up to protect patients and staff.

The first minister says it is important to ensure the safety of all services in the NHS, especially maternity services.

He says the issues raised publicly around the climate in Edinburgh maternity services are not acceptable and must be fully resolved.

Swinney says the government has taken forward patient safety improvement programmes as well as steps to increase the number of qualified midwives.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Conservative MSP Maurice Golden brings up financial pressures for Scottish universities, in particular Dundee University which is facing a budget deficit of up to £30m.

He asks what the Scottish government can do to stop this happening in future.

Swinney replies by saying the budget settlement can provide around £1.1bn funding for teaching and research facilities but that he is "concerned" about Dundee.

He says the funding council has been working closely with the university, with the government "very close" to discussions about helping a "magnificent institution".

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Education is brought up again by the Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy.

She asks about reported comments from Scotland's Children and Young People’s Commissioner that children are being "let down."

The first minister responds by again citing data regarding the attainment gap, which the Labour MSP then calls "selective data."

She says education is in decline and that the situation is at a "crisis" point, and that parents, teachers and unions are all in agreement regarding this.

Swinney says that more resources are going into local government funding and that it will be up to Labour to make a choice next year about supporting the Scottish Budget.

He says they need to "get off the fence" and back the Scottish government's policies.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Scottish Conservative MSP for North East Scotland Tess White urges the first minister to meet experts and campaigners and consider whether common assault reflects the gravity of non-fatal strangulation.

Swinney says he takes this issue very seriously and the treatment of non-fatal strangulation is a very serious criminal matter and it carries a very serious criminal penalty.

Labour MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife Claire Baker says the non fatal-strangulation during consensual sex is becoming increasingly common, to the point where it is “normalised”.

She asks the first minister how the government is improving pathways between healthcare and policing concerning non-fatal strangulation.

The first minister says the government is improving messaging to make people aware of the risks of the practice, and he will send over a detailed response to reflect the steps the government is taking.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Michelle Thomson, the SNP MSP for Falkirk East, asks the first minister to introduce legislation to criminalise non-fatal strangulation.

Swinney says he recognises the significant physical and psychological impacts of the assault, and he had met Fiona Drouet who started a petition calling for it to be made an offence.

He says conduct amounting to non-fatal strangulation was already a criminal offence under assault and carries a maximum penalty of up to life imprisonment.

The first minister says the government would need to be confident there was a gap in the law for a standalone offence and it would give the proposal serious consideration.

Ms Thomson says the common law route is not working as it is a growing problem, and each year sees more "violence, strokes and death".

Analysis: Trump criticism pivots to attack on Toriespublished at 12:41 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December

12:41 GMT 12 December

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater had a good go at Donald Trump, telling John Swinney that she was disappointed she would take a call from someone with his values.

The first minister rather understandably responded that he couldn’t exactly refuse a call from the incoming president of the United States, if he is to represent the Scottish government’s interests.

But ultimately Mr Trump was a bit of a sideshow - this was an opportunity for the SNP and Greens to both take aim at the Conservatives.

It’s again rooted in contrasting budget demands; the Greens want free bus travel for asylum seekers to be a priority, while the Tories want it cut and the funding directed to winter fuel payments instead.

Ms Slater said this was a “Trumpification” of Scottish politics, while Mr Swinney said it was “populist rubbish”.

But the Conservatives haven’t landed on this policy by accident, they clearly believe it serves a political purpose in positioning them in clear opposition to the consensus of the more left-leaning SNP, Greens and indeed Labour.

Image source, PA Media

The Scottish Greens co-leader says that the "Trumpication" of Scottish politics is taking place, pointing to Tory rhetoric on asylum seekers as evidence of this.

She describes it as "demonising" them and "shameful" behaviour.

Slater calls on the first minister to stand up to Trump and back human rights, and that a friendly approach "carries risks."

Swinney replies says that he believes he does this every day in his role as the first minister.

He says anti-asylum seeker comments by the Tories are a "worrying departure" from the Scottish Parliament's tradition of tolerance in debate.

He points to a public service award being given to the Linda Norgrove foundation for bringing 19 women from Afghanistan to study medicine in Scotland as an example of "living up" to Scottish values.

The first minister says that following democratic processes is "fundamentally part of my being" but that he must also promote and protect Scotland's interests.

He says he spoke about co-operation with Trump, particularly around the whisky industry and that he has a duty to represent Scotland "on our terms."

Image source, Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater is next up.

She says she was "disappointed to hear the first minister had a phone conversation with the US President elect Donald Trump earlier this week, given that Trump is "endangering people and planet".

She adds that Scotland welcomes refuges and follows the rule of law, so how can Scotland benefit from having any links with the controversial Republican?

Analysis: Education exchanges end with familiar mantraspublished at 12:31 Greenwich Mean Time 12 December

12:31 GMT 12 December

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

The debate about education rather mirrors last week’s debate about the budget – on inputs and outputs.

It was Russell Findlay who raised the input – the falling number of teachers in Scotland’s schools.

The former justice spokesman put his own slant on it, saying the government needs to crack down on “toxic behaviour” by a minority of disruptive pupils.

Anas Sarwar meanwhile raised the issue of additional support needs teachers, accusing the government of “failing Scotland’s children”.

John Swinney responded to both by talking about the output of schools – record levels of attainment in literacy and numeracy.

And the budget was lurking behind the issue of education too.

Mr Swinney said the government was increasing its grant to councils to give them the tools to boost schools, and had struck a deal over teacher numbers.

So somehow it all ended on very familiar ground – the opposition repeating their weekly mantra that it’s time for a “new direction” after almost two decades of SNP rule, and the first minister challenging them to back his budget to invest in services.

Sarwar presses the first minister again on ASN levels, pupil absences, as well as children unable to access mental health resources.

"On every measure, this government has lost its way and it's Scots paying the price," he adds.

He asks why the first minister can't see that it is time for a new direction.

Swinney says he addressed the issues Sarwar raised previously, and says the government is reducing waiting times for child and adolescent mental health services very significantly despite challenges in the NHS.

He says the education secretary plans to invest substantial resources in education - but this will only happen if the parliament passes the draft Budget in February.

The Scottish Labour leader says Swinney has been passing budgets for 17 years and “things keep getting worse”.

Educators, families and charities say the government is failing Scotland’s children, he tells the first minister.

Sarwar says Scotland’s young people aren't being given the chances they need and asks Swinney why the SNP government is failing Scotland’s children.

The first minister says he does not accept what the Scottish Labour leader has set out and says the measures the government is taking are having a positive impact on attainment.

He points to recent figures suggesting “record levels” of attainment, literacy and numeracy in Scottish schools, as well as new government resources to improve attendance in schools.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar is up next and he leads on students with additional support needs (ASN) in schools.

He says 40% of Scottish pupils have ASN, but ASN teacher numbers have fallen under the SNP government.

The Glasgow MSP asks the first minister if he accepts that Scotland needs a change of direction from the education secretary and this SNP government.

Swinney says it is important to listen to the views of educators and families to ensure needs are being met, which he says the education secretary has done with an extra £29m investment for ASN needs in the draft Budget and extra money to maintain teacher numbers.

Teaching unions previously expressed concern regarding escalating violence towards staff.

Earlier this year BBC Scotland News spoke to a number of teachers based in Aberdeen, where a survey by the EIS union found nearly half of around 800 members reported violent pupil behaviour every day.

More than a third said they had been physically assaulted.

One secondary school teacher said the situation at her school was the worst she had seen in a 20-year career.

She added: "There are pupils that just refuse point blank to do what you're asking. They'll swear at you, often they will square up to you."

Staff expressed concerns that incidents could escalate even further in the future.

In Renfrewshire figures this week revealed that in the 2023/2024 academic year there had been 90 incidents of abuse, external directed at teachers from pupils aged between 11 and 18.

Findlay shifts to the issue of violence in schools.

He says there has been a "collapse in discipline", with almost 45,000 recorded incidents.

He says girls are now too scared to use bathrooms at school in case they are photographed while there, and that parents are furious.

The first minister replies by saying that it is "crystal-clear" that behaviours like that these are unacceptable, but that Findlay's comments demean the work of educators in schools.

Image source, PA Media

Earlier this year, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth threatened to withhold £145.5m from councils unless they maintained the number of teachers. Despite this, teaching numbers have still dropped across Scotland.

On Tuesday, the Scottish government, external figures showed that the full time equivalent of 621 teachers had been lost throughout the country in the past year.

On the same day, the Scottish government and local council body Cosla announced a deal to release the £145.5m - also increasing it by a further £41m next year - to improve teacher retention.

The joint statement, external says the money over the next two years will be used to boost teacher numbers back to 2023 levels and also to freeze teacher hours to reduce the workload when they are not in the classroom.

Swinney responds by saying that Scottish education is not just about teacher numbers, but also about positive outcomes for pupils.

He says that government investment has helped "record levels" of attainment in literacy, while the attainment gap in positive destinations for school leavers has dropped by 60% since 2009, a claim that provokes audible mutterings from the opposition.

He cites the previous Conservative government at Westminster making poverty worse as having hindered the Scottish government' attempts to close the gap between poor and wealthy pupils.

Findlay points the finger of blame at the first minister for the falling numbers due to his time as education secretary.

He says that as Swinney won't "ever accept responsibility", for the decline.

He asks if he will accept that falling numbers are having a negative impact on schools.

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier this week a Scottish government report, external showed that the total number of school teachers in Scotland had decreased by 621 between 2023 and 2024.

This was the third consecutive decrease in teacher numbers following rises in each year from 2016 to 2021.

Teachers numbers went down in 26 out of Scotland's 32 local authorities.

The largest proportional decreases were in West Dunbartonshire, Aberdeenshire and Angus.

Across Scotland as a whole the figures were:

• 53,412 Teachers – down 621 from 2023
• 24,468 Primary – down 629 from 2023
• 24,988 Secondary – down 61 from 2023
• 2,138 Special – up 62 from 2023