Equity plan cash raid bid is ‘abhorrent’
The council have been blasted for plans to‘snatch’pupil equity funding from head teachers to plug the gaps caused by council cuts to education.
Motherwell and Wishaw MSP Clare Adamson slammed the move after there were reports that head teachers were told to hand back some of the Pupil Equity Funding to the council to maintain classroom assistants and breakfast clubs, both of which are facing the axe due to council cuts.
Mrs Adamson said:“This is an abhorrent proposal from the council.
“The Pupil Equity Fund was set up to go directly to head teachers in the most deprived areas in Scotland to close the attainment gap.
“It is not for the council to use it to mask their own poor decision-making and cuts ahead of an election.
“That the council would threaten to appropriate this important funding to mask their own cuts is completely unacceptable.
“The council have an appalling record on education that is demonstrated by ridiculous decisions such as closing Craigneuk Library, cutting specialist staff in our additional needs schools and their complete incompetence on teacher numbers, resulting in them having to hand £750,000 back to the Scottish Government, rather than using it to educate our young people.”
Mrs Adamson said schools in North Lanarkshire are set to benefit from an additional £8.8m in funding from the Pupil Equity Fund.
She added: “I’ll be watching closely to ensure that this money is used as intended and I know that pupils, parents, guardians and teachers will be watching closely too.”
But council leader Jim Logue hit back at Clare Adamson’s claims.
He said:“I would advise that the approach adopted by the council in relation to the PEF has been shaped in discussions with all of our headteachers.
“In addition, the proposals have been discussed with and supported by UNISON who represent the majority of school support staff and by the EIS who represent the majority of teaching staff.
“As such I find it utterly bizarre that Clare Adamson MSP claims the proposals are”absolutely abhorrent and unacceptable”and that the council is incapable of making decisions to improve our childrens’futures.
“Prior to making such outrageous and baseless comments,it would have made sense for Clare to have taken time and to have contacted any of the headteachers in her area and discuss the proposals.
“What she would have ascertained was that the proposals place the headteachers at the centre of the decision-making process with support from the Education Service in relation to commissioning and auditing.
“This is entirely consistent with the views of John Swinney, cabinet secretary, who repeatedly has claimed that headteachers are in the best position to ascertain the priorities of individual schools.
“I am confident the proposals - which also include upgrading the skills of our support staff - will help to improve educational attainment which over the last three years has significantly improved.”