Scottish Labour wants to see every child in Scotland given the opportunity to succeed, no matter their background or circumstances. We recognise that Scotland’s future economic, social and cultural success will be built on its children leaving school as confident citizens, supported and equipped to realise their full potential. Scottish Labour’s vision for education and young people will:
- Raise standards of educational attainment and achievement in schools, especially in the core skills of literacy and numeracy
- Create a national attendance register to help improve attendance and ensure no child falls through the gaps
- Take a zero-tolerance approach to violence in schools and address violence against women and girls, ensuring that classrooms are safe places for pupils to learn and safe workplaces for teachers and staff to teach
- Ensure that every child can experience cultural and sporting opportunities, including creating an online platform to support music tuition and expanding access to swimming
- Prepare young people for jobs of the future by reform the skills system, improving access to apprenticeships and embedding digital literacy in the curriculum to end Scotland’s digital skills shortage
- Support families amid the cost of living crisis – ensuring local authorities have the resources to scrap school meal debt, reduce the costs of public transport and provide advice services for problem debt
- Deliver a dedicated mental health worker in every GP surgery so that young people can access the help they need before it becomes a crisis.