Poverty affects the education and life
chances of our children, and delegates
condemned the disgrace of one in five
Scottish children living in poverty and
will campaign for additional resources
to tackle educational inequalities, for
the full implementation of the Scottish
Government’s Child Poverty Strategy
and for better training for teachers and
other school staff on the effects of poverty
on children’s ability to learn.
Seconding the composite from teaching
unions, the EIS and NASUWT, Carol Ball
spoke to UNISON’s amendment and
called for measures to tackle the impact
of poverty on education to begin at the
earliest possible stage in children’s
lives, with investment in early years
and family centres as well as schools.
“It cannot be right that by the
age of 5 the educational attainment gap
between low and high income households
is already between 10-13 months,”
said Carol, adding that by age 12-14,
pupils from better off areas are more
than twice as likely to do well in numeracy
as those from the most deprived communities.
“We all know that poverty and inequality
are behind these appalling figures.”
Carol told delegates that the early years
are crucial. “There is strong evidence
that children who attend nursery do better
at reading and maths at age 10, taking
background factors into account.
“It is a shocking fact that nearly
one in five children in Scotland live
in relative poverty. If families struggle
with the basics they need, children lose
out as parents can’t afford to pay
for school trips, sports clubs, educational
outings etc.
She called for anti-poverty strategies
and training on the impact of poverty
for all relevant staff which must recognise
that whilst education and child care has
an important role, the real key is to
eradicate poverty and inequalities that
exist.
“There is no evidence that children
from deprived backgrounds have fewer aspirations,
hopes and dreams. Let’s continue
to fight for a fairer, just and equal
society so that all children can reach
their potential,” urged Carol.
