CLACKMANNANSHIRE Council has outlined a new programme which aims to bring together a renewed focus on raising attainment in local schools.

The plans were set out in a report to the Education Sport and Leisure Committee.

The Scottish Attainment Challenge will focus on primary schools and target improvements in literacy, numeracy and health and well-being.

It will build on, and complement, existing activity to address the gap in educational attainment between our most and least advantaged communities.

Committee convener Councillor Ellen Forson said: “We have already started work in Clackmannanshire to raise the performance and learning outcomes of our young people, giving extra support to schools as part of improvement partnerships and focusing on improving attainment, and this extra support from the Scottish Government’s Raising Attainment Fund is very welcome.

“Building on the foundation of Curriculum for Excellence, our education service has already submitted an improvement plan to the Scottish Government who will meet with them to discuss plans, resources and ongoing monitoring.

“Teams from our education service are drawing up detailed action plans to guide key interventions in the first year of the programme, and schools are identifying how they will work together to take forward the challenge.

“I am confident that this extra support and focus will help us to ensure that we support our young people to help the very best of their talents and be ready for the challenges that face them in the years ahead.” Seven local authority areas, which includes Clackmannanshire, are the first beneficiaries of the Attainment Fund.

These areas were selected as authorities with the highest concentrations of primary pupils in SIMD (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation) deciles 1 and 2.

Once funding has been finalised, further steps will be taken to implement the Attainment Challenge in the county.

Scottish Government and Education Scotland will take a key role in supporting the Attainment Challenge and a team of attainment advisors is being appointed to work collaboratively alongside local authority staff.

In Clackmannanshire the challenge seeks to: -Raise attainment for each child to enable them to make excellent progress in their learning and develop the skills and ambitions to improve their life chances. It aims to promote a breadth of attainment and achievement, consistently for all of our children and young people.

-Close the gap in attainment and achievement between children from the most and least advantaged backgrounds. The Attainment Challenge in Clackmannanshire will target support to pupils and schools in deprived communities.

It will: -Encourage collaboration where our schools work in partnerships to drive forward improvement and where Clackmannanshire works with other local authorities to share information and ideas and develop best practice.

-Build and strengthen effective partnership working between teachers, schools, pupils, parents, communities, employers and a range of other partners within Clackmannanshire and further afield.

-Support innovation with a clear focus on raising attainment, drawing on national and international research, literature and practice and utilising specialist advisors and wide professional expertise.

-Build more capacity in Wee County schools to ensure that improvements are sustainable for the future.