Every school in Dumbarton, Vale of Leven, Helensburgh and Lomond will receive funding to close the gap between the richest and the rest under plans unveiled this week by local MSP Jackie Baillie.

The Scottish Labour MSP has published the estimated allocation each primary school would receive through the Fair Start Fund. Every primary school in the country would receive £1,000 for each pupil from a deprived background. It would be for head teachers to decide how this money is spent to close the gap between the richest and the rest. This would be paid for by increasing the top rate of tax for those earning more than £150,000 to 50p using the new powers coming to Scotland. This money is over and above the Scottish Government’s existing attainment fund.

Primary schools in Dumbarton Constituency will receive over £1 million. A full list of the estimated allocation for each school is provided below. Schools in Dumbarton and the Vale of Leven will each receive a share of £786,000 while Helensburgh and Lomond schools will receive £246,000.

New figures released by Scottish Labour on Friday revealed that at least 1,500 schools in Scotland, and one third of local councils across the country, don’t receive any funding through the SNP Government’s Attainment Challenge Fund.

Jackie said:

“We need to close the gap between the richest and the rest and the best way to do this is through investment in our children’s education. For too many children how much money their parents have determines how far they get on in life, rather than their potential and ambition. That has to change.

“Under the SNP’s plans more than 1,500 schools in Scotland get no extra support to close the gap between the richest and the rest. With half a billion pounds of cuts to local services like our schools coming from the SNP Government’s budget, there is a real risk that pupils already at a disadvantage will get left even further behind.

“A Scottish Labour Government would ask those lucky enough to earn over £150,000 a year to pay a little bit more in tax so we can create a Fair Start Fund to invest in our young people. It will mean over a million pounds of extra funding to be shared among schools in Dumbarton, Vale of Leven and Helensburgh and Lomond. We will also give the money directly to head teachers, who know how to spend the money better than a minister sitting in Edinburgh.

“After nearly a decade in power and a majority in parliament there are no excuses for the SNP not to be using the new powers coming to Scotland to build a fairer future for our young people.”