Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 03 February 2021
I have supported the move to a legal right to funded deferrals throughout the “Give them time” campaign, but I have great concerns about what the Government has brought forward today. People who are working on the campaign are disappointed by the proposals that are set out in the SSI. It says that there will be a full right to deferral, but that right will not exist across Scotland until 2023. The five local authority areas where full funding will now be piloted were already accepting 100 per cent of applications.
This year, children have missed out on so much because of the virus. Some will barely remember socialising with anyone outside their bubble, and we know how critical the early years are to life chances and attainment.
More families than ever before will be wondering whether their four-year-old is ready to start school this August. Those children will turn up to school for the first time having missed out on 18 months of normal play. Playgroups and social events have not been an option and nurseries have been stop-start. The plan for 2023 fails to recognise how difficult the next group of school starts might find the adjustment. The Scottish Government speaks about getting it right for every child, but this August there will be a £4,500 price tag hanging over families who want to give their children more time.
The Education and Skills Committee took evidence from the minister, but I have yet to hear a convincing justification for why 2023 is the best that we can do. Why should deferral not be available to every family that thinks that it is right for them? Parents should be given the legal right both to defer primary 1 and to have it replaced with funded early learning and childcare.
Parents should be allowed to concentrate solely on what is best for the child, not on the family’s financial situation. That should be an important part of the education system’s response to the pandemic and the plan to help children to catch up. Children start school only once. The Government could remove the extra financial barrier, guarantee full funding for all parents who need it and empower families to do what they feel is right.
On that basis, the Scottish Liberal Democrats cannot support the regulations today.