This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Improving education for kids in care
24/06/2005
Kids in care are to benefit from educational projects
designed to improve their grades.
Education Minister Peter Peacock today announced over £2
million funding for programmes across Scotland that aim to
increase educational attainment amongst looked after
children.
Initially seven projects will receive support. All
councils were invited to apply for cash but only 18 bids
were received.
The successful projects include:
- initiatives to provide IT study programmes and
equipment for looked after children
- pilot tutorial support
- development of support for carers
- new home link workers
- new staff to work in residential units
- out of school study and homework programmes
- alternative curricular opportunities
Mr Peacock said:
"No child should be born to fail and we must ensure all
youngsters get the best possible start in life. But that is
not happening for too many of our looked after children.
Academically, these vulnerable youngsters are just not
doing as well as they could. This is completely
unacceptable.
"Looked after young people need more opportunities to
fulfil their potential. Everyone involved in looking after
these children has a responsibility to address this. We
have invested significant funds to strengthen educational
support and we are always searching for new ways to engage
with youngsters and increase their opportunities.
"These projects will give young people in care an extra
opportunity to find their strengths, excel at them and grow
in to the confident, successful citizens that Scotland
needs.
"It isn't just disappointing that only 18 councils came
forward with ideas but, of those 18, we have only been able
to approve seven at this stage as the remainder didn't
score highly enough in the project evaluation. We plan to
work closely with those councils to improve their
applications and ensure the money that we have available
will really make a difference for this group of young
people."
The successful projects are:
East Ayrshire: To develop computer
assisted learning materials and study approaches jointly
with Spark of Genius (who currently run five independent
schools in the West of Scotland) in order to provide a
supported study package, associated training, staff
development support for carers and allied support
materials. The project will cover all children who are
accommodated - either with carers or in residential units
(approx 120 children). However as children's units are
already equipped with ICT, the main investment will be with
foster carers.
Funding: £360,000 over two years.
Highland: To provide an at home education
link worker; work with the Highland Football Academy to
create a structured environment, work towards re-engagement
with school education and assist in development of positive
patterns of attendance and assist with personal
development; provide an educational achievement facilitator
to work with residential units' staff and establish an
out-of-school study programme, homework clubs and
tutoring.
Funding: £400,000 over two years.
Midlothian: This project will develop a
better corporate partnership approach with Scottish Borders
Council through the development of a distance learning and
teaching tool, develop a pilot tutoring service and provide
better learning opportunities in residential units with all
young people being looked after or receiving through care
and after care support being either in full-time education,
training or work.
Funding: £117,000 over two years
North Ayrshire: This project focuses on
accommodated children with high exclusion rates and those
who have difficulty engaging with education. The aim of
this proposal is to provide home-link support; provide
individual tutoring and behaviour support where
appropriate; and, provide alternative curricular routes
(including vocational) to re-engage the young person.
Funding: £251,000 over two years.
South Lanarkshire: To improve
co-ordination amongst agencies and strengthen the emphasis
on personal and social development. This will be achieved
by recruiting two home-school link workers; an educational
psychological worker; seconding two teaching staff to the
existing link team; and developing further opportunities
for extra-curricular involvement and citizenship.
Funding: £454,486 over two years.
Stirling: To provide individually
tailor-made educational interventions for young people of
secondary school age (predominantly S3 and S4) who have
disengaged from education. The project aims to promote
achievement and attainment at 16 and lay the foundation for
further certification at 18. This will reduce the risk of
these young people entering the NEET group (not in
education, employment or training) and of getting involved
in offending.
Funding: £171,600 over two years.
Glasgow: To provide an out-of-school
support programme which includes tutorial support;
developing a flexible education support scheme and
developing a training pack for parents and carers.
Funding: £496,007 over two years.
The 18 councils which bid for cash were Aberdeen,
Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Lothian,
Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow, Highland, Midlothian, North
Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire,
South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire and West
Lothian.
In 2002, the Executive allocated £10 million to councils
so that they could provide additional educational support
for looked after children.
In 2003 - 2004, 60 per cent of young people leaving care
had not achieved any Standard Grades. This compares to less
than 10 per cent for Scotland as a whole.