£11.5m for secondary schools to close attainment gap - Wick High School In The North

16th October 2016

More than a hundred secondary schools will receive up to £11.5 million for projects to close the attainment gap, Deputy First Minister John Swinney confirmed today.

The funding will enable up to 133 secondary schools with pupils living in areas of deprivation to improve their literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing.

It includes around £1.5m for secondary schools in East Ayrshire and Renfrewshire - the newest of Scotland's nine Attainment Challenge authorities.

During a visit to Coatbridge High School, whose pupils will benefit from North Lanarkshire's £1.6m share of the funding, Mr Swinney said:

"Delivering equity and excellence across Scotland's education system is this government’s defining mission. I am firmly committed to substantially closing the gap in the attainment of pupils from our most and least deprived areas during the lifetime of this parliament.

"The funding we are allocating to secondary schools is part of the additional £750 million we will make available to support schools to close the attainment gap over the same period. It will enable more than a hundred secondary schools to improve literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing through a range of projects devised by the schools themselves.

"This builds on our existing work with hundreds of primary schools to ensure no child or young person in Scotland is held back because of their background."

The Deputy First Minister extended the Scottish Attainment Challenge to include secondary schools earlier this year - http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Expansion-of-Scottish-Attainment-Challenge-2554.aspx

Scotland’s nine challenge authorities were invited to submit proposals to support secondary schools in their area. The challenge authorities are Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire, East Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. Challenge authorities receive an overall sum for distribution to schools in their area.

An additional 28 secondary schools (not in Challenge Authority areas) were invited to submit proposals because they receive children from primary schools currently in receipt of challenge funding, and have more than 20% of children in areas of multiple deprivation (SIMD 1 and 2). They are:

Aberdeen City - Northfield Academy, St Machar Academy, Torry Academy
City of Edinburgh – Castlebrae Community High School, Wester Hailes Education Centre, Holyrood High School, Craigroyston Community High School
Dumfries and Galloway – Sanquhar Academy
Falkirk – Falkirk High School
Fife – Viewforth High School, Glenwood High School, St Columba’s High School
Highland – Alness Academy, Inverness High School, Invergordon Academy, Wick High School
Borders – Hawick High School
South Ayrshire – Ayr Academy
South Lanarkshire – Trinity High School, Calderside High School, Cathkin High School, Larkhall Academy, Stonelaw High School, Hamilton Grammar School, Holy Cross High School, Lanark Grammar
Stirling – Wallace High School
West Lothian – St Kentigern’s High School

In Highland the 4 schools will share £328,874.