Scottish Parliament – May 18, 2022 – 5

S6M-04445.2: As an amendment to motion S6M-04445 in the name of Michael Marra (Protecting Attainment Funding), leave out from "calls on" to end and insert "notes the Scottish Government’s commitment to invest a record £1 billion through the Scottish Attainment Challenge to recover from COVID-19 and accelerate progress in closing the poverty-related attainment gap through the refreshed Scottish Attainment Challenge, an increase from the £750 million invested over the course of the last parliamentary session;

recognises that poverty exists in every community in Scotland;

welcomes the clear, funded role in tackling the poverty-related attainment gap;

notes that the refreshed Scottish Attainment Challenge model was developed in partnership with, and agreed and welcomed by, COSLA;

welcomes that headteachers will continue to be empowered to reduce the poverty-related attainment gap in their school communities;

notes the refreshed mission of the Challenge, which focuses on improving outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty, contributing to the Scottish Government’s ambitions to tackle child poverty, and supports complementary action being taken forward by the Scottish Government to tackle child poverty, including the delivery of five family benefits, including the Scottish Child Payment, increasing the school clothing grant, and through services to support income maximisation."

Original motion(S6M-04445): That the Parliament calls on the Scottish Government to revise plans for the Scottish Attainment Challenge to reinstate full funding to the nine original Attainment Challenge Authorities.