THE Scottish Greens Party have urged the government to “copy their homework” on education policies to close the attainment gap. Education spokesman Ross Greer issued a “report card” to Ministers claiming the Scottish Government’s education policy is to blame for reductions in teacher pay and the size of the workforce.
It also highlights a 16% gap in attainment between the poorest and richest pupils and says the government’s performance “needs improvement”.
The “report card” says: “The Scottish Government is performing poorly in education and would benefit from a change in attitude. It is having trouble working well with others and needs to focus more on co-operation and teamwork.”
The party also published a policy paper outlining their proposals for education entitled Level the Playing Field: High Quality Education for All. Pledges include restoring teachers’ pay and addressing poverty to tackle the attainment gap, such as giving all pupils access to breakfast and lunch, topping up child benefit by £5 a week and free bus travel for young people.
Greer said: “The SNP’s education report card could be defined by one line, ‘needs improvement’. The core issue facing Scottish education is not governance structures or lack of tests but a decade of budget cuts. Tackling poverty at source will do just as much, if not more, to help pupils from deprived backgrounds as any measures taken in schools If the Scottish Government really wants to close the attainment gap, it should copy our homework.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel