By Lucy Ashton
Immediate action must now be taken to tackle the ‘deep inequality’ evident in school leaver destinations that has been exacerbated by the pandemic, Scottish Labour has said.
Statistics have revealed that the percentage point gap in accessing higher education after school, between pupils from the most and the least deprived areas, is at its highest since 2015/2016 (35.6 per cent).
The statistics also show that, despite a rise compared to 2018/2019 in the proportion of pupils from the most deprived backgrounds accessing higher education (2.5 per cent), that increase is dwarfed by the proportionate rise for the least deprived pupils (5.4 per cent) showing how the pandemic has exacerbated inequality when it comes to accessing higher education.
With an 8.3 percentage point gap between the most and least deprived school leavers in positive destinations and, in addition to this, those from the most deprived backgrounds still more likely to be unemployed, Scottish Labour has called for action to tackle the ‘deep inequality’ in education.
Scottish Labour education spokesperson Michael Marra said: “Today’s statistics have underlined the deep inequality in Scottish education that has been made worse by the pandemic.
“With pupils from the most deprived areas still less likely to access higher education, it is clear that much more must be done to tackle the inequality in our education system.
“It is all too clear that the pandemic has exacerbated inequality and it is of paramount importance that the SQA and Scottish Government re-think their unfair appeals process to avoid enshrining inequality further in Scottish education.
“We need action to tackle this inequality and we need it now. We need a radical national education comeback plan with the resources to match.”
Scottish Labour’s deputy leader and shadow spokesperson for Covid Recovery, Jackie Baillie, above right, said: “Now is clearly the time for the Scottish Government to stop talking about closing the attainment gap and to start taking action that will ensure that the children and young people in my constituency and throughout Scotland are not a forgotten generation.
“Although I am aware that all children and young people have had to deal with one of the toughest school years in our lifetime it has been especially hard for those from the most deprived areas whose education has suffered the most due to the pandemic.
“I want to praise the hard work that I have witnessed from our teachers and other frontline school staff to try to ensure that they have kept children motivated and engaged in their learning during this difficult time but the inequality between the wealthiest and most deprived areas in the Dumbarton Constituency has continued.
“I call on the Scottish Government to ensure that there is a national recovery plan in place for education that will be fully funded and has a focus on addressing the inequalities that children and young people are facing so that they are not left behind through no fault of their own.”