FURTHER action is needed to reduce the impact of poverty on Scotland’s children, the outgoing president of the country’s biggest teaching union has told its members.
Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) president Margaret Smith used her final speech at the union’s AGM in Perth to highlight inequalities among pupils.
The Scottish Government is seeking to reduce the attainment gap between the richest and poorest children. Measures include the attainment fund, set up to target cash to schools in the most deprived parts of the country.
However, Smith said that while the money was welcomed, increased investment in other areas was also necessary.
She also stressed the education system alone could not end child poverty.
“Teaching is a caring profession – we care about the quality of our education system,” Smith said.
“We care about the families we work with and the communities in which we work.
“We care about wee Johnny or Mary coming into school late, hungry and tired, without a pencil, no homework done.
“We care about the attainment gap. We care about poverty and the inequalities of opportunity.
“Some of these are societal issues which we as a profession are unable to fix but which we as a profession are blamed for.”
Smith outlined a series of measures which she believes would make a difference in improving the educational attainment of children from poorer backgrounds.
She also stressed that it was important for politicians to listen to what teachers have to say.
Smith said: “If the teaching profession were listened to – really listened to and our ideas put into action – investment in nursery teachers in all nursery classes, smaller class sizes throughout the school, more teachers and more support for learning assistants would certainly go a long way to help close the attainment gap.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We fully agree tackling child poverty is a challenge and a responsibility across society, and that we all have a part to play, not just schools and teachers, in closing the attainment gap and reducing inequalities.
“A wide range of actions are being taken, including free school meals, increasing childcare, the £750 million attainment challenge fund, steps to address child neglect and enhance wellbeing – and £100m in welfare mitigation measures.
“We know more needs to be done, which is why we have introduced the Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill, to ensure action to eradicate child poverty.”
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