Meeting of the Parliament 05 February 2025
My understanding is that we have already looked at increasing the school clothing grant in line with inflation. I am happy to write to Monica Lennon to confirm that.
Presiding Officer, I am mindful of the time. Today, I have deliberately set out a consensual approach to working with colleagues from across the chamber, because I very much recognise the importance of doing so in a Parliament of minorities. We have reflected on the Conservatives’ amendment. We agree that
“every child, no matter their background”
should have
“the best start in life”,
and we agree with the call to improve education standards. That is a main reason why I decided, when I was appointed to my role, that we should rejoin some of the international tables, which the Conservative amendment refers to.
On the Labour amendment, I agree with the belief that our education system needs to
“set young people on”
a
“path to opportunities for their future”,
and I whole-heartedly agree that education
“can help lift people out of poverty”.
I ask members to reflect on our joint objective, which is to eradicate child poverty now and in the future. We cannot achieve that alone or in isolation; it demands collaboration across all political parties. That collaboration will drive improvement in the communities that we all represent, for the benefit of the children of Scotland. To that end, I look forward to listening to views from the parties.
I move,
That the Parliament notes the critical contribution made by education in eradicating child poverty, which is a national mission and the single greatest priority for the Scottish Government; notes recent analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which highlights that Scotland will see a reduction in child poverty levels in the years ahead due to Scotland-specific policies, such as the Scottish Child Payment; further notes that the Scottish Government has committed to making further progress, and agrees that there is a collective responsibility for every local authority, and educational organisation and body in Scotland, to work together with the Scottish Government to address child poverty; commends Scotland’s teachers and schools for their work to close the poverty-related attainment gap, and recognises that progress has been made, and that this programme will require more funding certainty over the longer term; welcomes the further investment in tackling child poverty through education in the draft Scottish Budget for 2025-26, including within schools through the expansion of free school meals, the uprating of the school clothing grant, continued funding for the Scottish Attainment Challenge and investment in Bright Start Breakfasts, as well as the around £1 billion investment in funded early learning and childcare and the £3.5 million investment in new skills pathways for colleges, and agrees that all MSPs across the Parliament have a responsibility to promote the interests of children and young people and to work together to share ideas and innovation to address child poverty through education.