Bureaucracy thwarts bid to close gap in schools

Schools attempting to spend money to cut the attainment gap between rich and poor pupils are being held back by local authority rules, MSPS have heard.

Holyrood’s education committee was warned that the issues facing some head teachers were “bonkers” as they attempted to spend a Scottish Government fund to raise standards in poor areas.

MSPS were told head teachers were facing a “bureaucratic nightmare” in spending their allocation of pupil equity funding (PEF).

The committee also heard concerns the initiative was “cart before the horse” because it had failed to provide head teachers and schools with enough advice on what was likely to work.

The government scheme hands funding directly to schools and head teachers to spend on initiatives aimed at closing the poverty-related attainment gap, with £120 million distributed in 2017-18.

Eileen Prior, chief executive of the charity Connect, which encourages parental engagement in education, gave the example of a head teacher who had wanted to install a kitchen to help pupils learn about nutrition.

She said: “A year later they are still waiting because of procurement. It’s mad, absolutely bonkers.”

Stella Gibson, chief executive of counselling service The Spark, agreed that some schools were being held back by rules and regulations.