Meeting of the Parliament 22 September 2015
Like members who have spoken previously, I need no persuading about the many strengths of Scotland’s education system. Daily in my constituency I see evidence of those strengths—evidence that is replicated in schools, colleges, universities and other settings throughout Scotland, so I record again my thanks to our teaching and other staff for the contribution that they make to shaping lives, young and old. Having attended Orkney College UHI’s graduation awards ceremony last week in the spectacular surroundings of St Magnus cathedral, I also pay tribute to the pupils and students for the hard work that they put in.
The debate is not simply a celebration of our education system’s successes; as Iain Gray points out, it asks Parliament to consider how we might build on those successes. That is not an invitation to wallow in self-congratulation or to gloss over the extent of the issues that need to be addressed. Rather, it places an onus on all of us—especially ministers—to be honest about where things are not working as they should work, and where improvement or change is needed. That is the recurring theme in all three amendments. I will focus on the aspects that are identified in my amendment, but I readily acknowledge and share some of the concerns that Iain Gray and Mary Scanlon highlighted, notably those about the significant cuts to college budgets, courses and staff.
It is fair to say that the cuts—which the Liberal Democrats were successful in getting the Government to mitigate to an extent—have had a disproportionate impact on some of the people who are most in need. That illustrates perfectly the mismatch between Government aspiration and action. The cabinet secretary is absolutely right to identify the urgency of closing the gap in attainment between those from poorer backgrounds and their wealthier counterparts, although, after eight years in office, that is surely not a revelation to ministers. Although the rhetoric is faultless—the First Minister has gone as far as to claim that she intends to close the gap completely, which appears to fall into the category, to which the education secretary referred, of “overpromising” with the potential of “underdelivering”—the action to address the problem too often appears to be inadequate. In certain instances, Government policy is exacerbating the problems.
All the evidence shows that the gap begins to open up in the earliest years, even pre-birth. Worryingly, despite the now almost universal acceptance of that fact, the most recent survey of literacy and numeracy shows that the gap is widening. By the age of five, the gap in reading attainment between children from low-income families and those from high-income families is more than a year. Thereafter, it is likely only to widen, and certainly becomes more difficult and costly to close.
That is why the Scottish Liberal Democrats have been so adamant about the need to improve and expand early learning and childcare for two-year-olds from the most deprived backgrounds. I welcome the Scottish Government’s agreement last year to extend provision—a decision that will make a profound difference to the lives of those who now benefit. However, I also firmly believe that we can and should go further, and that we should match what was put in place south of the border thanks to the Liberal Democrats in the last UK coalition Government.