Education

"Education changes lives and changes the world. It is the tool by which our children can live lives that their grandparents couldn’t even dream of.

"Scotland’s greatest asset is the untapped potential of our people. It is the key to our economic future. For Scotland to prosper in tough times, our future workers must be the best educated and trained in the world and investing today in skills, learning and knowledge will be the foundation on which we build a stronger tomorrow. The future of Scotland lies in the hands of our young people and so Scottish Labour will be bold in developing their skills and their talent.

"Scottish Labour is determined to make Scotland’s education system the envy of the world again, restoring pride and conviction in our classrooms. It is unacceptable that 13,000 children leave school functionally illiterate. We will deliver excellence and opportunity for every child, raising standards, prioritising literacy and numeracy and taking tough action on indiscipline. We will invest in the teachers we need to make this vision a reality.

"From the most vulnerable young people as they take their first steps in education, to the probationary teachers struggling to get a job at the other side of the journey, Scottish Labour will ensure nobody is left behind by our education system as we work to get Scotland moving again."

- Iain Gray, Scottish Labour Leader


Our promises to Scotland

• New jobs and specialised training for up to 1000 teachers, to drive up standards in literacy and numeracy across Scotland
• We will consult on an Early Years Bill, to deliver a common package of support measures prior to birth and until the age of three
• Make tackling bullying and indiscipline a priority in every Scottish school
• No up-front or back-end tuition fees for Scottish students
• Invest in early education and targeted early intervention, to reduce the need for spending on more expensive intervention later on

The best possible start for every child

Scottish Labour knows that investment in the early years of a child’s life is fundamental to their future well-being and success. Money spent on supporting a child during the vital early years can also prevent or reduce the need for more expensive intervention later on.

Scottish Labour will consult on an Early Years Bill that will pursue the delivery of a common package of support measures, prior to birth and until the age of 3, including provision for expectant parents during the mum’s pregnancy and additional support for young mums. We are also keen to explore how best to utilise and invest in the skills of our health visitors and early education professionals, to better monitor and support families during the first few years and develop early education and care provision, with the aim of equalling the best international practice.

To minimise the need for more expensive intervention later in life, we also aim to consult on a new package of targeted, evidence-based early intervention programmes, to help identify the barriers to a child’s development at an earlier stage. Improving monitoring will be a first step to enable specialist services, such as language and communication therapy, or psychological and counselling services, to be alerted and to respond more quickly. We will build on the success of parenting support schemes and the nurture initiatives run by some councils and support the voluntary sector to play a key role in assisting those vulnerable children and families that need help.  We also aim to work with local authorities, health boards and the voluntary sector to expand the existing network of family centres, starting with those communities with the highest levels of deprivation.

We believe that good quality nursery education is the first step towards delivering the productive citizens of tomorrow and we know that busy working parents need more support to maintain a healthy work-life balance today. Scottish Labour will therefore look at ways - statutory or otherwise - of improving the flexibility and number of hours of supported early education and care places that parents are offered and increasing the number of free early learning places for vulnerable 2 year olds.



Excellent, innovative schools

In tough economic times, parents and children rightly expect Scotland’s education system to give young people the skills they will need to get ahead in the future. Scottish Labour is determined that our education system rises to these expectation through innovative schools that inspire and equip all children for the vast array  of challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Schools should meet both the individual and collective needs of their pupils, including those who wish to develop practical and vocational skills, as well as those who focus on more academic subjects. To support this aim, we will foster closer co-operation between schools, colleges and employers in providing vocational education. In schools where there is considerable demand, we will invest in on-site provision, so that pupils can choose vocational subjects when they make their subject choices at S1 or S2. We will also encourage schools in adjacent areas to work together to increase pupil choice in Advanced Higher subjects.

We want to support head teachers and their staff by establishing the First Class Fund, to help schools implement these ambitious plans to develop vocational education. The Fund, which builds on the success of Labour’s Schools of Ambition and Determined to Succeed programmes, will channel additional resources, separate from devolved school management budgets, to help schools develop innovative provision or develop a specialism that increases the diversity of vocational provision within the education authority, extending choice and increasing quality.

Excellent, innovative schools need excellent, innovative buildings. Scottish Labour will scrap the Scottish Futures Trust – which has stalled Scotland’s ambitious school building programme – and deliver improved funding mechanisms to enhance the school estate. We will explore all options to replace, rebuild or demolish  those schools rated as ‘unsuitable’ and will ensure that education gets its fair share of available capital resources to improve facilities where most needed.


Better basics

An estimated 13,000 pupils in Scotland leave school each year still experiencing difficulty with reading, writing or numeracy. This is a waste of human and economic potential. Scottish Labour will therefore take a zero tolerance approach to illiteracy and innumeracy, ensuring that our future workforce is able to meet the needs of employers and that higher literacy levels are a central objective of the Curriculum for Excellence.

Scottish Labour will implement the key recommendations of the Literacy Commission, driving up standards in literacy and numeracy by offering specialised jobs and training to up to 1000 recently qualified teachers who are struggling to find employment. These teachers will deliver additional targeted support in small groups in English and Maths for those who need it.

We will develop a strategy to encourage school pupils who have an interest in the skills that will drive future innovation and economic prosperity – science, technology, engineering and maths. To tackle gendered career segregation later on, it is particularly important to encourage girls and young women to choose these pathways.


Trusting teachers and support staff

Scotland’s teachers are well-placed to know the needs of their pupils and the best way to ensure that each child succeeds. We recognise that delivering good quality education would not be possible without the vital contribution made by classroom assistants and other support staff to the school community. We will give heads more responsibility for decisions around the curriculum and more flexibility over the deployment of staff and resources. We will ensure that the Curriculum for Excellence is brought back on track, so that teachers – and parents and pupils – can have confidence in the examination system and the curriculum into which it fits.

If we are to successfully nurture the potential of all of Scotland’s young people, we need to attract the best talent to teaching. Scottish Labour welcomes the recommendations of the Donaldson report and we believe the time is now right for reviewing all aspects of leadership, management and training in education. We will work with teachers to raise professional standards and develop leadership potential, encouraging local authorities to support and prioritise continuing professional development for teachers during the transition to the Curriculum for Excellence.


Better behaviour

Scottish Labour will make tackling bullying and indiscipline a priority. We will require a discipline code to be developed in every school in Scotland, ensuring each school has positive policies in place for improving indiscipline and tackling bullying – particularly for those areas of bullying that are on the rise, such as cyber and homophobic bullying. We will compel schools to monitor and record incidences of bullying and share this information transparently with parents.

We will ensure that there are more options and powers for teachers to deal with pupils who persistently misbehave, including adopting a restorative practice approach, which ensures children take responsibility for their actions. We will also ensure that citizenship is an integral part of the curriculum, promoting respect, tolerance and civility within schools and beyond.


Involving parents

We will do more to recognise and develop the role of parents and carers, highlighting their crucial contribution to raising attainment and achievement levels. We will expect schools and nurseries to do more to engage with, listen to and work with parents. But we also expect every parent to support their child’s learning. To do this effectively, parents must have easy access to information and advice about the opportunities that schools can offer, together with feedback on their child’s development and progress.  We want parents to take responsibility for ensuring that their children attend school and will ensure that good models of achieving school attendance are spread widely to help them do so.  We will build on the various successful models of Home-School Link Workers, ensuring that no child slips through the net.


Healthy, active kids

Challenging young people outside of the classroom is vital if we want to foster positive long-term attitudes towards wellbeing, confidence and towards communities. The importance of play in developing young minds has now been recognised and Scottish Labour will introduce a National Play Strategy to ensure it gets the priority it deserves. We want to expand the provision of wrap-around care and activities for all of Scotland’s young people and will start by ensuring that transport, leisure and children’s policies are joined-up, promote traffic-free zones and improved play facilities in public parks, as well as pitches for organised sport. We will also sustain and improve on existing provisions for breakfast and lunch clubs and the eco schools programme.

We want to support active, healthy kids and expect schools to develop and support outdoor learning, making the most of the opportunities offered under the new Curriculum for Excellence. We will work towards 2 hours of quality PE in every school, adopting creative ways to engage both boys and girls in sports activities. This will be supported by a reinvigorated Active Schools Coordinator programme and free swimming lessons for primary school pupils.  We will improve access to both school and community sports facilities and other clubs outwith the school day, with local sports clubs providing opportunities for pupils of all ages to try new activities. To mark the 2014 Commonwealth Games, we will support the Champions in Schools programme, so that all young people have access to sport and positive role models, encouraging sports clubs and businesses to ensure that our best sportsmen and women can inspire the next generation of Scots to sporting success. We will also introduce Commonwealth Legacy Schools, to ensure the legacy of the Games is an investment in Scotland’s future talent.

Scottish Labour wants to make musical education accessible to all, widening access to music tuition and musical instruments for Scotland’s young people.  We also recognise the importance of youth work and the benefits it can bring, helping young people to gain skills and experience outwith the classroom setting.


Staying on to get ahead

To ensure we have the best trained future workforce in the world and to encourage greater social mobility, Scottish Labour will give every young person in Scotland the right to quality training, or to stay in school or to go into further education until they are 18 by 2015. This will be achieved via a range of measures, including a new right to an apprenticeship for every suitably qualified school leaver and funding to restart ProjectScotland. We will also do all we can to encourage those youngsters who want to further their studies and develop expertise in skills are vital to our economy - science, technology, engineering and maths.

We want those who choose to invest in their skills and remain in further education to feel properly supported. That is why Scottish Labour will protect the current EMA system and replace the broken college bursary system with a new College Maintenance Allowance. We will also take steps to ensure that all students – including those undertaking articulation courses – are exempt from paying council tax for the full period of their studies.

With Scottish Labour, there will be no up-front or back-end tuition fees for Scottish university students.  We will ensure Scottish students are not disadvantaged against fee-paying students from other regions and countries when applying for courses and that the number of graduates is maintained. Scottish Labour will undertake an immediate root and branch review of Scottish higher education, with the aim of extending access, overhauling the transition between school and university and focusing attention on improving the student experience and supporting students’ needs. The review will also look at ways of developing the competitiveness of Scottish universities and their economic contribution, as well as improving governance and efficiency. We will undertake a simultaneous review of the further education sector, looking at funding and governance arrangements, with the aim of improving cohesion and matching provision to need and demand.

Scottish Labour has a longstanding commitment to trade union led learning. We initiated the Scottish Union Learning Fund and the Trade Union Working Party on Lifelong Learning. We recognise the importance of this activity in improving workplace productivity and we will work with trade unions and employers in supporting action to improve the way skills are used in the workplace. We will continue to work with the STUC to expand the availability of everyday skills training in the workplace and we will maintain support and funding for the Scottish Union Learning Fund.


Protecting the most vulnerable youngsters

Living in a family on a low income, having additional learning support needs, having a disability and being in care all remain strongly linked to poorer outcomes and lower educational attainment. Scottish Labour will therefore  prioritise the direction of education resources towards schools in the most disadvantaged areas and monitor the outcomes of the most socially excluded children in education through the inspectorate system. We also recognise that young people with caring responsibilities face particular challenges as they work to complete their education and we will ensure that our skills and learning strategies consider their specific needs.

We want all children to prosper, but for a small group of vulnerable young people, challenging family circumstances make this ambition more difficult. Scottish Labour is committed to taking consistent, swift and effective action to ensure vulnerable youngsters receive the care and protection they deserve.  In certain circumstances, to prevent long-term damage to a child, we need to intervene at an earlier stage.

We recognise the success of the early intervention project in New Orleans, which sets out a strict timetable ensuring swift action is taken to protect children, including the use of permanent fostering where no improvement has taken place. This approach is being piloted in Glasgow and a similar initiative is being developed in London. We will monitor the results closely and, if this approach is found to be successful in reducing harm to children, we will roll it out in other parts of the country.

Looked-after children are amongst Scotland’s most vulnerable and it is not good enough that innocent lives have been harmed by the tragic cases of abuse and neglect that have recently scarred Scotland. The Scottish Government has a responsibility to act and Scottish Labour will work with the recently established centre of excellence for looked-after children to develop new standards and roll out a programme of measures intended to support these youngsters and improve their outcomes. As a first step, we will ensure that the responsibility for child protection is brought under one cabinet secretary. We will continue to keep up the pressure to ensure that Child Trust Funds are reinstated for Scotland’s looked-after children.