News

Call for ‘radical change’ on attainment gap

Government policy
Legislation to help close the attainment gap between richer and poorer children in Scotland will only make a difference if it is part of “more radical change” because efforts in this direction have already been under way for so long, MSPs have told the government.

First minister Nicola Sturgeon has made tackling the gap a key part of the Education Scotland Bill, now before Holyrood, but MSPs on the Education Committee said new laws would be most effective by identifying good and bad practices and establishing a more strategic and co-ordinated approach.

In its report on the Bill, the committee also said there was currently no comprehensive definition or measurement of “attainment” across all ages.

Stewart Maxwell, convener of the Education and Culture Committee, said: “That the attainment gap in Scotland persists is a source of concern for us all.

“Over the past 50 years there has been a great deal of work focused on narrowing this gap and improving the opportunities for some of the most deprived children in our society.

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