Exclusive:SNP asked why 3 in 10 special nursery posts for deprived youngsters left unfilled
MSP says creating posts with ‘grandiose titles’ means little if they are vacant
Nearly a third of nursery posts designed to support children from deprived backgrounds in Scotland have been left unfilled, it has emerged.
The Scottish Government committed to rolling out and providing funding for 435 “equity and excellence lead” posts in nurseries to support children growing up in poverty in Scotland, as part of its National Improvement Framework.
However, recent parliamentary questions submitted by the Scottish Liberal Democrats have revealed 29 per cent of these posts were vacant at the last count.
SNP minister Natalie Don said there were 364 equity and excellence leads in the job last year, or 322 full-time equivalents, which equates to 71 per cent of those that are funded.
It comes amid ongoing concerns over the widening poverty-related gap in attainment between pupils from the most and least affluent communities.
Lib Dem education spokesperson Willie Rennie said: “The gap between the poorest and the wealthiest is widening because the SNP are doing nowhere near enough to support children in the most deprived parts of the country.
“Setting up posts with grandiose titles will mean very little if so many of them are going unfilled.
“Through sheer persistence, Scottish Liberal Democrats persuaded the SNP to commit to expand support for free early learning and childcare, but they have not delivered.
“The SNP Government must do more to support local authorities in making sure these posts get filled. To ensure that every child can reach their potential, Scottish Liberal Democrats would also introduce a new Nursery Premium, similar to the successful pupil premium, to give children from the poorest backgrounds the very best start.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government provides funding to local authorities who are responsible for recruiting and managing these posts.”
It is understood the roles are not tied to ratios, so the staff leads can work flexibly to support the children and families that need it most, with local authorities given freedom to shape the role, depending on local needs and priorities.
In response to Holyrood questions, Ms Don, the children’s minister, said: “The majority of the Scottish Government’s funding to local government is provided through the general revenue grant.
“As of 2024/25, and in line with the Verity House Agreement, this covers all funding for statutory ELC [early learning and childcare] provision, including for equity and excellence leads.
“It is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on ELC, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.”
Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon famously described closing the poverty-related attainment gap as the “defining mission” of her government.
This year, the difference in the performance at Higher between pupils from the most deprived and least deprived areas was 17.2 percentage points, up from 16 points last year, and 14.9 points in 2022. It was the largest gulf since the new qualifications were introduced in 2015.
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