This conference examines progress made to date and discusses where we can find and share good practice and innovation. It focuses on how schools, the wider community and partnerships between schools and communities can take practical steps to close the attainment gap.
The 2016 Programme for Government pledged to substantially eliminate the poverty and attainment gap within a decade. A tough enough challenge to achieve. Since then, COVID has impacted massively on education, childhood development, the economy, incomes, benefits and curriculum delivery. So where do we now stand in attempting to eradicate by 2026 what may be the biggest driver of long term inequality in Scotland?
This Mackay Hannah conference examines progress made to date and discusses where we can find and share good practice and innovation. It focuses on how schools, the wider community and partnerships between schools and communities can take practical steps to close the attainment gap.
The Scottish Government has for some time made narrowing the poverty and attainment gap one of its core priorities. In February 2016, the amount of spending aimed at boosting educational attainment in Scotland was doubled to £160 million for the following three years. However, by 2021, that figure had risen dramqatically, with spending of £1 billion announced for the current parliamentary term. The Scottish Attainment Challenge – aiming to improve outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty – was to transform how we tackled poverty and attainment.
The questions then are – what works, how do we replicate and share success and what can we learn from the successes and failures so far?
Against this backdrop, the conference will focus on four broad themes:
Speakers include Marielle Bruce, YouthLink Scotland’s Youth Work and Schools Manager, who is responsible for facilitating the development of strengthened partnerships between youth work and schools to close the poverty-related attainment gap.