Swinney under fire over school funding

A £50 million cash pot aimed at helping efforts to reduce the educational attainment gap could end up instead paying to “simply maintain basic services” in Scotland’s schools, Labour has claimed.

Education Secretary John Swinney came under fire from opposition MSPs after he said reducing the gap in performance between youngsters from deprived communities and their betteroff counterparts is the “defining mission” of the Scottish Government.

Labour education spokesman Iain Gray said “swingeing” cuts to council budgets imposed by SNP ministers meant local authorities could be forced to use the £50m for basic services.

Scottish Greens accused the Scottish Government of “announcing the same pot of money over and over again”.

The claims were made after Mr Swinney confirmed nine local authority areas – as well as 74 schools in a further 12 councils – will share £50m in funding in 2018-19.

The move is part of the Scottish Government’s efforts to tackle the attainment gap using its £750m Attainment Scotland Fund.

The latest funding round will see more than £8m go to schools in the Glasgow City Council area while North Lanarkshire will get almost £7.5m, with over £6m to help pupils in Dundee.

Mr Swinney said: “Improving the education and life chances of our children and young people is the defining mission of this government.

“Central to this is the Scottish Attainment Challenge, which is supporting hundreds of schools to develop approaches to improve literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing that raise attainment and help close the poverty-related gap.”

Picture: PA. Education Secretary John Swinney announced Scottish Attainment Challenge funding.