Schools handed £1.7m
Attainment gap targeted
It is unacceptable for children from poorest backgrounds to have their chances limited... Linda Fabiani
Schools across East Kilbride and Strathaven are being handed a £1.7 million cash boost.
Funding will be shared between 34 primary, secondary and Additional Support Needs (ASN) schools in the area.
And the Scottish Government hope the money will improve standards.
The £120m Pupil Equity Fund, created from within the Holyrood government’s budgets, was announced by Deputy First Minister John Swinney.
Distributions are based
on the number of P1 to P3 kids eligible and registered for free school meals.
The amounts available to Sandford, Glassford and Gilmourton primaries have not been disclosed.
Head teachers and school leaders will decide how the additional cash should be spent as part of a national bid to close the poverty-related attainment gap.
East Kilbride MSP Linda Fabiani said: “Every child deserves the best possible start in life.
“It is unacceptable for children from the poorest backgrounds to have their chances limited by circumstances outside their control, and this funding boost will go some way to addressing that issue.
“The SNP in government has made closing the poverty-related attainment gap our No 1 priority.
“And our new £120m Pupil Equity Fund is aimed at doing just that – as demonstrated by the extra support for schools in East Kilbride and Strathaven.
“This announcement will let parents, teachers and school leaders in the town see how much funding they can expect to drive up standards and tackle the intergenerational cycle of deprivation in their school.”