Details of more than £20 million of funding to help reduce the poverty-related attainment gap in schools across Dundee will be outlined to the children and families services committee.
An update on the use of Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) will explain that sums from the Scottish Government will now be fixed for four years from 2022-23, following adjustments that have been made due to COVID in the last two annual allocations.
The committee will hear that a number of the interventions planned during the lockdown period have continued through this last year of recovery.
PEF was used by schools to support many children, young people and families in need with issues including learning resources, digital technology, connectivity and food poverty.
The committee, on Monday June 27, will hear that a range of additional measures has been put in place, including help for health & wellbeing, digital learning and to engage with families.
A case study at Ancrum Road Primary showcases The Daily Write programme, which allows teachers to track improvement using run charts to demonstrate how each child has progressed.
Meanwhile, at Harris Academy, actions to tackle the cost of the school day are highlighted. These include the purchase of PE kits and the distribution of fruit to all pupils who want it at the start of the school day, ensuring that there is no stigma attached to accepting support.
Committee convener Councillor Stewart Hunter said: “Schools have been targeting considerable resources from the Scottish Government into a range of additional imaginative and innovative interventions which are really making a difference to our children and young people’s learning.
“PEF remains an important resource as our schools continue to tackle the impact of poverty on attainment, and head teachers are empowered to take decisions that best meet the needs of their schools and individual circumstances.
“Staff are committed to helping children have better life chances to grow and prosper and through their time in our schools, learn new skills and experience new opportunities.
“I would like to praise our teachers and everyone who works in our schools for their efforts in this task.”
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
