Equity and Excellence in Education

As an amendment to motion S4M-13246 in the name of Angela Constance (Equity and Excellence in Education), leave out from "further believes" to end and insert "recognises that the early years of a child’s life are the most influential in shaping an individual’s life chances and that quality early years education is therefore crucial to closing the attainment gap and creating equality in education; believes that targeted funding for school-aged pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds in the form of a 'pupil premium' should be explored in Scotland as a means of giving disadvantaged pupils a better chance of reaching their potential; further believes that targeted funding should be available for students from cradle to college to ensure equality of opportunity regardless of background; views the loss of 130,000 college places, which has hit female, mature and part-time learners hardest, as a regressive step in the drive for educational equality and excellence; notes the Scottish Government’s failure to deliver on its promise to ‘dump’ student debt, with loans having more than doubled while bursaries have been cut; believes that such funding arrangements are disproportionately affecting poorer students, and considers that, if equality and excellence are to be available to all, the Scottish Government must consider its approach to education funding from the early years through to student support."