Scotland programme: Education
In Scotland we want education that delivers for the poorest and most vulnerable children in Scotland.
Although the Scottish education system caters well for the majority, it fails to deliver for the most vulnerable children in our society.
- 26 per cent of all school absences take place in the 15 per cent most deprived areas
- pupils registered for free school meals, on average, have significantly lower educational outcomes than those who are not
- less than 20 per cent of young Gypsy/ Travellers regularly attend secondary school in Scotland
We want all children to have access to a quality education and learning opportunities that support them in reaching their full potential.
To achieve this, we believe it is crucial that children should shape their own education and the life of their school and community. This is happening in some Scottish schools through partnerships involving children, parents, teachers and professionals from other areas of children's services.
Influencing policy
Save the Children work to influence key decision makers to ensure that education delivers for the poorest and most vulnerable young people.
We are calling for:
- dramatically improved educational outcomes for the most marginalised children and young people
- a more flexible education system that meets the needs of all children regardless of their social or cultural background
- children, young people and their parents to be actively involved in decision making within schools
Work with partners
We are currently producing a resource for teachers in partnership with Learning and Teaching Scotland, to build citizenship and learning through all aspects of school life. This will be delivered to all schools in Scotland in summer 2007.
We're also setting up an internet based Award Scheme that will give young people credit for being active citizens in school and in their local community.
We help young people to learn about global child rights issues - like the need to provide access to education for the 43 million children out of school due to conflict.
