Setting our young people up to succeed

No teacher or pupil should feel unsafe in the classroom, but there have been widespread reports of rising violence and aggression in Scottish schools. Children’s education is disrupted by poor behaviour and stark rises in school absence. Scottish Labour will protect the wellbeing of those in our schools and restore order to Scotland’s classrooms by:

• Banning mobile phones in classrooms so that schools are safe and calm places for learning once again. We would also back a UK-wide ban on social media for under-16s to better protect young people from cyberbullying and harmful online content.
  
• Recruiting 1,500 more classroom assistants to help teachers manage behaviour and give pupils more 1:1 support.
  
• Backing teachers on discipline, with an enforceable National Behaviour Charter to define pupils’ rights and responsibilities and set out clear escalating consequences, including exclusion, to prevent disruption in classrooms.
  
• Expanding the number of campus cops. Crime prevention officers will build relationships with local schools and intervene early with young people known to engage in anti-social and aggressive behaviour.
  
• Improving attendance with Family Network Coordinators, as part of our plans to create family support hubs in primary schools. Coordinators will connect directly with families with non-attendance to support children back into the classroom where they should be.
  
• Creating a national attendance register, gathering better data on absence and attendance so targeted interventions can support young people to re-engage with school.

Every young person should leave school equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for life and the modern economy. Raising standards and broadening opportunities are inseparable goals but the fragmented and often confusing curriculum is letting down young people. To tackle inequality, Scottish Labour will bring back a focus on knowledge and improve attainment by:

• Implementing an education recovery programme, with up to 2,000 specialist reading and numeracy teachers working directly with the children who have fallen the furthest behind.
  
• Finally delivering excellence through the curriculum, with new national standards for numeracy and literacy setting out what pupils should know at each stage and preparing them for whatever future they choose.
  
• Embedding digital skills and literacy across the curriculum, so that pupils can utilise new technology ethically and can navigate the risks associated with AI and social media.
  
• Scrapping the SNP’s discredited primary school testing, replacing it with standardised, sample-based testing and international benchmarking to gather better data on attainment.
  
• Transforming Education Scotland into a true education department so it is properly accountable to Ministers and tasked with creating a coherent national curriculum with better resources in core subjects for classroom teachers.
  
• Retaining exams as a key method of assessment within a mix of methods that are robust and have the confidence of pupils, employers and education institutions.
  
• Boosting numbers of STEM teachers, creating career switching pathways for people interested in training as teachers and creating a teaching Graduate Apprenticeship for graduates in STEM subjects.

Too often children with the highest needs are left to fall through the cracks. Young people with additional support needs should have an education and health system that is set up to help them, not exclude them. Scottish Labour will address this with:

• Increased staff capacity in ASN classrooms, with 300 of our new pupil support assistants based in specialist ASN units or schools to support the children with the highest needs.
  
• Supporting transitions to adulthood, ensuring that young people with additional needs have the support they require.
  
• New widespread training on neurodiversity and additional needs for school and healthcare staff.
  
• A new national neurodevelopmental pathway so that neurodivergent people can get the right support instead of being stuck on inappropriate mental health waiting lists.
  
• Implementation of the Restraint and Seclusion Bill, providing proper training to education staff and ensuring parents are kept informed about the use of restraint on their child.

Regardless of what path young people choose after school, Scottish Labour believes that they all deserve

the same support, guidance and championing. Schools should inspire our young people about their future and prepare them for the opportunities that exist in Scotland’s businesses and industries. Scottish Labour will ensure our young people are ready for the world of work with:

• A new Skills for Schools programme which demonstrates the range of career possibilities in industry. Instead of the current patchwork provision, this new programme will ensure every school builds links with local workplaces and delivers classroom visits from industry role models, workshops related to the world of work, enterprise projects and visits to workplaces.
  
• Revamped skills and careers advice, with timetabled access for every pupil to get guidance and advice on local opportunities and growing sectors.
  
• Industry work placements for every secondary school pupil and certified work experience with local employers, public services and innovative sectors which young people can record on their Digital Skills Passport.
  
• Scottish Industry Standards for growth sectors, helping young people to link their school subjects to career pathways by outlining the subjects and qualifications that match employers’ skills needs.
  
• Entrepreneurialism taught in schools, expanding the reach of Young Enterprise Scotland and including teaching on business skills and experience throughout the curriculum.

High quality teaching and support makes the biggest difference in education. Scotland does not lack talented teachers or education staff, but they are increasingly under pressure and at risk of burnout. Scottish Labour will end the retention crisis and ensure teachers and staff can give pupils the support they need by:

• Reducing teacher workloads, removing unnecessary bureaucracy or form filling, boosting numbers of support staff, and providing teachers with clear teaching resources through our curriculum and assessment reforms.
  
• Establishing a proper education workforce plan, so that teacher training places are linked to future jobs and based on projections of pupil needs and numbers.
  
• Providing jobs for teachers, recruiting underemployed teachers to deliver our education recovery programme in schools, gathering better data on the number of qualified teachers and providing greater certainty with permanent contracts and jobs.
  
• Making PEF money permanent, so that schools have stability to plan their workforces to tackle poverty and improve attainment.
  
• Develop career pathways for support staff, working with trade unions to develop workforce plans and accreditation processes for pupil support and behaviour assistants so their crucial role is properly recognised and valued.
  
• Creating a national supply register, to reduce the barriers for supply teachers working in multiple local authorities and help them find work near where they live.

Closing the opportunity gap for Scotland’s young people is about more than mere attainment in core school subjects.

All children, regardless of their background, should get the chance to succeed and to experience the arts, culture, sport and creative activities. Scottish Labour will break down barriers holding back our young people by:

• Giving every child the chance to learn to swim, guaranteeing every P5 pupil the opportunity to learn basic swimming and water safety skills.
  
• Establishing access to music tuition for all primary school pupils, expanding existing provision with a National Online Music Platform to help classroom teachers introduce all children to music earlier.
  
• Expanding after school clubs, helping more young people to access sport and cultural activities outside of school while helping parents to maintain more working hours.
  
• Supporting mentoring programmes that help care-experienced and disadvantaged young Scots to build their confidence and achieve their potential.
  
• Funding summer holiday clubs, with two weeks of summer activities for primary aged children to spend time with friends and help parents with childcare.
  
• Creating a new preventative model for youth work, engaging with young people and helping them to make healthy choices.
  
• Continuing work to deliver the Promise to children in care, aiming to end the role of profit in care for children.