Scotland’s education secretary is talking up the five-year anniversary of an initiative aimed at closing the attainment gap in schools.
In a speech to headteachers and educators in Edinburgh on Wednesday, John Swinney will praise the work done through the Scottish Attainment Challenge.
Established in 2015, its has funded some ambitious projects but there has also been criticism about a lack of transparency over how the money has been spent - and, at times, whether it has been spent at all. There have also been doubts expressed about the programme’s impact.
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The programme saw the Scottish government identify nine local authorities most in need: Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire, Dundee, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, Clackmannanshire, North Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire and Renfrewshire.
A number of funds were launched to help reduce the gap between the richest and poorest in schools, including the Pupil Equity Fund, which promised to funnel £750 million to headteachers to spend as they saw fit.
Mr Swinney has repeatedly come under attack in recent months over Scotland’s education record, with opponents pointing to concerns over attainment. Yesterday, Labour’s sole MP in Scotland, Ian Murray, repeated an increasingly common line of attack against the Scottish government in recent months, when he said that “day after day we get more evidence of Scotland’s once world-leading education system in freefall”.
Before his speech today, Mr Swinney said: “As we mark the fifth year of the Scottish Attainment Challenge, we must reflect on our journey and look ahead to what we hope to achieve in the coming years.
“Our measures are making a tangible impact and I am proud of the work undertaken by headteachers and others to break down barriers to learning and raise the attainment of children in our schools.
“We have seen 88 per cent of headteachers report improvements in closing the attainment gap directly as a result of our investment, and we are seeing increased cohesion and collaboration across local authorities and schools.
“Pupil Equity Funding is also empowering our headteachers to make the decisions that directly improve the life chances of our young people.”
He added: “We now need a period of consolidation and sustainability to ensure that our reforms have the chance to become properly embedded in our education system.”
Last week, the International Council of Education Advisers convened in Scotland and once again advised the government to “stay the course” with its education policies.
