Scottish government gives 2,513 schools attainment fund money

The Scottish government reveals that most of the country's schools will be handed money from the attainment fund.

Ministers are giving head teachers across the country direct access to the £120m.

The money is being divided according to how many children in primary classes and the first three years of secondary school are entitled to free meals.

The list reveals that 2,513 primary, secondary and special schools will benefit from the new scheme.

The money is in addition to the funding schools receive from their local council.

• How much is your school getting from the fund?

The Scottish government will give the money directly to head teachers who will be able to spend it on whatever they think will help them raise attainment.

The cash was originally going to come from changes to council tax bands, but will now come from the government's own resources.

After publishing the details, Education Secretary John Swinney said: "I want every child in Scotland to have the best possible start in life, and it is unacceptable for children from the poorest backgrounds to have their chances limited by circumstances outside their control.

"This government has made clear our priority is to close the poverty-related attainment gap and our new £120m Pupil Equity Funding is aimed at doing just that."

Dalmarnock Primary in Glasgow will receive £278,400 from the fund.

Its head teacher Nancy Clunie said the money would make a "huge difference" to children at the school.

She added: "We already do a lot of work with our partners to put on activities involving parents to improve the health and wellbeing of the whole family, as less stressed children make better learners.

"For example, we have a weekly family meal and homework group and a summer club during the school holidays. The Pupil Equity Funding will enable us to expand these activities".

What are opposition parties saying?

Following publication of the attainment fund details, Labour's education spokesman Daniel Johnson said that the SNP's "sums simply don't add up on schools funding".

He added: "Ministers cannot cut the gap between the richest and the rest while they slash £327m from local education budgets across Scotland.

"Head teachers will see this new funding alongside shrinking budgets, so it's simply SNP spin after £1.4bn of cuts since 2011."

The Scottish Green Party's education spokesman Ross Greer said it was "just not true" that the £120m pot of money was additional when they are "proposing deep cuts to council budgets".

He added: "If we're really going to close the gap between the most and least privileged children we won't do it through education alone.

"We need to eradicate child poverty through better paying jobs, warmer and more affordable homes and strong public services, which Greens are fighting for in parliament and in councils across Scotland."

Liz Smith from the Scottish Conservatives welcomed the government's bid to reduce the gap, but she was worried children in smaller schools had missed out.

Of 2,500 primary and secondaries, 114 mostly smaller schools would be getting no money this year.

Ms Smith said: "It's essential no pupils who need it miss out on this cash.

"There does appear to be a higher number of schools in Scotland being left out than in England.

"Now the Scottish government needs to provide assurances that this is because the money there is not needed, rather than a fault in methodology."

Which schools are getting the most?

• Source: Scottish government - School Level Allocations