Projects /
Attainment Challenge
The Scottish Attainment Challenge is about achieving equity in educational outcomes, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Equity can be achieved by ensuring every child has the same opportunity to succeed.
The First Minister launched the Scottish Attainment Challenge in February 2015 to bring a greater sense of urgency and priority to this issue. It is underpinned by the Framework Curriculum for Excellence, National Improvement and Getting It Right for Every Child.
The Scottish Government’s ambition is for Scotland to be the best place to grow up.
The Scottish Attainment Challenge will focus and accelerate targeted improvement activity in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing in specific areas of Scotland. It will also support and complement the broader range of initiatives and programmes to ensure that all of Scotland’s children and young people reach their full potential.
The Scottish Government’s ambition is for Scotland to be the best place to grow up. To achieve that we need to raise attainment and reduce educational inequity for all of Scotland’s children and young people. Attainment is the measurable progress which children and young people make as they advance through and beyond school, and the development of the range of skills, knowledge and attributes needed to success in learning life and work.
Attainment Challenge in South Ayrshire
As part of the Scottish Government initiative to close the attainment gap South Ayrshire Council chose three schools which they felt would benefit most from this initiative. The three schools chosen were Braehead Primary, Dalmilling Primary and Newton Primary. As part of this funding all three schools have an Active Schools Assistant who work solely in the school to assist the Active Schools Coordinator in providing more sporting opportunities for children.
Active Schools Assistants are in place to:
Increase participation in sport within school. We organise a number of breakfast, lunchtime and after school clubs to encourage children to take part in sport and physical activity.
Create more pathways for the school and links to local clubs and opportunities. We engage closely with the local communities to provide more opportunities for children in these areas to participate in activities out with school such as CLD, community builders and local community centres. By providing these opportunities for the children to participate in the local community it will lead to more participation in clubs in the wider area.
Inspire children to engage in sport and physical activity. Active Schools Assistants also look for ways to enable to children to spectate sporting events at both local and national levels. Children from our Attainment Challenge schools have had the opportunity to attend The Open at Troon, Scotland football games, the Davis Cup and The Glasgow Rocks basketball games. It is hoped that attending these events will inspire children to participate in sport and give them a great experience!