Extra nursery teachers will help close gap

Scottish Government funds boost

Extra teachers are to be posted in nurseries across Rutherglen and Cambuslang in a bid to close the attainment gap between children from low income homes and their wealthy counterparts.

Twenty-six teachers will be added to the staff roll in South Lanarkshire as part of a nationwide scheme to give every child an equal start in life.

Funded by the Sc o t t i s h Government, the initiative will see an additional 435 teachers, or teaching graduates, placed in early years outlets across the country at a cost of £1.5million.

Early years is the third strand of education to receive additional funding to close the attainment gap, with primary schools awarded cash in 2015 and secondary schools in 2016.

It is hoped the provision of extra child care professionals will go some way to closing the attainment gap from the moment youngsters start nursery aged three.

Clare Haughey, MSP for Rutherglen and Cambuslang, said: “This new funding is very welcome news for South Lanarkshire, helping to ensure that more children in our most deprived communities are able to benefit from specialised child care and high quality early years learning.

“The Scottish Government is committed to closing the attainment gap, and targeting funding in this way, as well as expanding the guaranteed free child care provision to 1140 hours by 2020, is important in making this happen, and to ensure that every child gets an equal start in life.

“The 26 new graduates or teachers that will be joining our workforce in South Lanarkshire will help improve child care provision in our communities, and I look forward to seeing the Scottish Government continue to invest in our children’s futures.”

South Lanarkshire Council early years manager Morag McDonald said: “We welcome this new investment as it will assist on building on the excellent early years practice we have across the area.

“The council is committed to delivering high quality early learning and child care to close the attainment gap”

South Lanarkshire was awarded the fourth highest number of additional teachers out of all Scotland’s 32 local authorities. Glasgow City Council has received 112 additional teachers, North Lanarkshire 40 and Fife 28.