BETTER SCHOOLS FOR SCOTLAND’S CHILDREN

BETTER SCHOOLS FOR SCOTLAND’S CHILDREN

FIGURES SHOW SCHOOL ESTATE IMPROVING UNDER SNP

More of Scotland’s children are in better quality schools after two years of an SNP Government.

New figures released today show school quality improving across Scotland with new school building and refurbishment continuing to lift more children out of poor quality buildings.

The figures, do not include the announcement yesterday of new school building plans that will ensure good quality school buildings for a further 100,000 pupils.

Welcoming the improvements to Scotland’s school estate SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson highlighted key results showing;

· 75% of schools are now good or satisfactory – compared to only 68% last year
· The number of pupils in poor schools has fallen by over 50,000 pupils.
· 92 schools were rebuilt or substantially refurbished last year
· Capital spending on schools rose to £429 million last year – an increase of £43 million on 2006-07

Under Labour there was no information about the school estate - leading Audit Scotland to condemn their school estate strategy saying: the strategy does not set out exactly what needs to be done or how it will be achieved’.

‘It is very difficult to say exactly how many schools have been improved as a result of the investments by the (then) Scottish Executive and councils because of a lack of clear definitions and targets’

Mr Gibson, Deputy Convener of the Parliament’s Education Committee also pointed to Labour’s failure to develop a proper schools estate strategy;

“Labour bequeathed Scotland a crumbling school estate that is finally improving under the SNP.

“Audit Scotland condemned the Labour / Lib Dem school building programme for failing to meet any aims – in fact for not even knowing which schools needed rebuilt.

“That’s why schools like Garnock Academy in my constituency, or others like Wick High, Lasswade and James Gillespies were untouched by the previous administration with no funding and no new plans.

“And that is why the SNP announced yesterday that our new school building programme will lift 100,000 children out of poor quality schools.

“Today’s figures show real progress is finally being made. After 8 years of Labour - Lib Dem control Scotland’s school estate is finally improving under the SNP with more children being taught in good quality schools.

“Added to yesterday’s announcement of 14 new secondary schools with more to come the SNP is turning around Scotland’s school estate and giving our young children the new, good schools they deserve."