Swinney pledges to ‘tear down’ financial barriers facing poorest pupils
A pledge by John Swinney to “tear down” financial barriers faced by Scotland’s poorest pupils, should the SNP be re-elected, has been dismissed by opposition politicians who claim the education secretary “is the problem” in Scottish education.
Mrs win ney is today expected to unveil a package of measures designed to reduce the cost of the school day, including ending the practice of pupils being expected to pay for materials in practical subjects, and an increase in the school uniform grant.
He will also say the Scottish Government should pay for pupils from poorer families to take party in school trips, including primary 7 residential camps and at least one trip in high school. The new pledges come just a week after ni cola Sturgeon announced a laptop or device for every pupil and free school breakfast and lunch for all primary school pupils.
However, his election “giveaway” was criticised by opposition politicians, who said Mr Swinney, who has faced two votes of no confidence in the last year, was “the problem not the solution”. As the election
campaign restarts after a brief hiatus in the wake of the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, Mr Swinney is expected to lay out plans to end the practice that is common in subjects such as art and design, music, home economics, hospitality and technology, of pupils being expected to pay fees for materials or provide their own.
He will also say every pupil should be able to take part fully in school trips and an SNP government would exempt lesswell off families from the costs of trips and activities.
Further, he will announce an increase in grants towards school uniform costs for poorer families from the £100 minimum to £120 in primary school and £150 in high school, with the grant being linked to inflation and the use of exclusive branded retailers banned.
“Our goal is to make Scotland the best place in the world to grow up for every child,” Mr Swinney will say. “That’s why th es np has invested enormously in early years–from the baby box to the transformational increase in childcare provision seen in recent years.
“It’s why we’re extending free school meals to ensure that no child is forced to try and learn while hungry. And it’s why we are going to give every pupil the device they need – so they can learn in the modern world.
“But we know that some families are sacrificing essentials like heating, food and rent paymentsso that their children can participate fully at school. This is simply unacceptable."
He will add: “If re-elected, charges for practical subjects in school will be abolished, poorer families will be exempt from the cost of school trips and the value of uniform grants will be increased.
“The pandemic has been tough for everyone, but particularly so for the younger generations–and by reducing cost of the school day, we will make a real difference in the lives of children from-low-income-families.”
“In a country as wealthy as Scotland, no pupil should struggle to learn because of poverty – and by giving both votes to the SNP on May 6th, people can elect a government which is absolutely committed to tearing down the barriers to education that still exist, and ensuring all children can get the best start in life.”
However, Scottish Conservative education spokesman Jamie Greene said the SNP had made “limited progress” in reducing the attainment gap between the poorest and wealthiest pupils and sn pmsps had previously voted against his motion to introduce free school meals for primary pupils.
He said: “The SNP have had 14 years in charge of education to bring in policies to support pupils from our most deprived areas. With the election fast approaching, it appears as though John Swinney has suddenly found the money to offer giveaways to tempt voters.
“John Swinney and his SNP colleagues have been more focused on another independence referendum than supporting our disadvantaged young people.
“The Scottish Conservatives have long been committed to guaranteeing free breakfast and lunches for our youngest pupils and will implement a pupil catch-up premium so those from deprived communities don’t fall behind.” Only a vote for us can ensure there will be a laser sharp focus on reducing poverty in our schools rather than another divisive referendum.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson and candidate for shetland, beat rice Wish art, said :" anyone who has watched Scottish education in the past five years will have concluded that John Swinney and the sn pa re part of the problem, not part of the solution.
"From the abandoned promise to close the attainment gap to the disastrous handling of exams two years in a row, teachers, parents and pupils can have no faith that the SNP will get scottish education back on course.
"This is how education was treated when it was supposed to be the SNP'S number one priority. Just imagine how far down the agenda it will be shoved if they get a majority.
"Scottish Liberal Democrats spent the first week of our campaign setting out proposals to help education bounce back including a job guarantee for every teacher to cut class sizes to expanding in-class support for children who need it to help them reach their full potential. That's how to put the education recovery first."
The measures announced by Mr Swinney had been “rehashed again and again” but “failed to tackle the vast inequalities in Scottish education the S np has presided over ”, scottish Labour’ s education spokesman Michael Marra said.
He added: “For over a decade the SNP has been cutting local government funding and placing the burden of education costs onto families and onto teachers.
“The policy of providing free materials to allow students to participate in practical education would be more meaningful if the SNP had not cut council funding to the bone over the past 14 years, leaving teachers to pay for materials for pupils out of their own pocket.”
He describe the SNP’S record on education as an “unmitigated failure” and called for “real funding increases”.
"From the attainment gap to academic rankings, the SNP has failed to deliver for the pupils of Scotland. Only a vote for Scottish Labour is a vote to put the pupils of Scotland at the heart of our national recovery from the pandemic,” he said.