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.”