Question reference: S5W-00595
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 8 June 2016
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Current status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 June 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that its educational attainment strategy reflects the additional challenges that young (a) BME, (b) disabled and (c) LGBTI people can face.
Answer
The Education (additional support for learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 requires education authorities to identify, provide and review the additional support needs of their pupils. An additional support need may arise for any reason and may be of short or long-term duration. The additional support provided is intended to overcome barriers to learning which may arise as a result of learning environment, health or disability, family circumstances and social and emotional factors.
The Scottish attainment challenge was established to close the educational attainment gap between young people from our most and least deprived communities. The attainment Scotland fund, currently provides funding to those primary schools and authorities identified as having the highest concentrations of The Scottish index of multiple deprivation (SIMD) one and two. We will also allocate additional funding to schools on the basis of the number of eligible children that meet the criteria for free school meals. If a BME, disabled or LGBTI child's educational attainment is affected by poverty related disadvantage, they will also benefit from increased support through the Scottish attainment challenge. This is in addition to existing policies aimed at addressing the support required by other groups of young people.