Analysis of data on school leavers in Scotland points towards considerable inequality in access to higher education. This is highlighted in terms of participation in higher education by young people from lower-income households or identifying as first in their families to consider going to university. The situation is more acute in terms of access…

The introduction of Universal Credit and the effects of the economic crisis precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, compounded by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have all contributed to a rise in the levels of poverty and child poverty in Scotland and the wider United Kingdom. The rise in child poverty will have an impact on an increasing number…

Within the social sciences, the term equity has a helpful and precise meaning -- referring to a differentiated response to an individual's distinct needs or circumstances. However, since the 2000s 'equity' has been recontextualised within national and international education policymaking as a generic term. This recontextualisation has led to…

This article follows on from the previous bulletin (Redford 2020), which covered the education remit of the Parliament's Education and Skills Committee between August 2019 and January 2020. The following bulletin covers the Education remit of the Education and Skills Committee from February 2020 to August 2020. [For the previous bulletin (v52 n1…

Some prominent theorists and philosophers of education recently offered their reflections on the ongoing crisis. In this article, the authors want to address structural inequality in the Scottish context: the oft-decried attainment gap. Promises to deliver educational equity in Scotland by closing the attainment gap have seldom looked as hollow as…

This article discusses how the pandemic offers an opportunity to reflect and re-think how education, planning, and teaching can be inclusive of all children and young people. The SERA Inclusive Education Network aims to provide a forum to support the development of inclusive practice by informing and influencing debates on current issues including…

The achievement of equal access to educational opportunity is an international policy imperative that remains as elusive as it is desirable. Despite a plethora of inclusive policies and initiatives in Scotland such as "Getting it Right for Every Child" (2008 & 2012), "Curriculum for Excellence"(2009) and the "Scottish…

This paper follows on from the previous bulletin (Redford 2018), which covered the education remit of the Parliament's Education and Skills Committee between August 2017 to January 2018. This bulletin covers the Education remit of the Education and Skills Committee from February to July 2018. [For the previous bulletin (v50 n1 2018), see…

Leadership has been identified in contemporary policy as a critical factor in taking forward school improvement and enhancing outcomes for pupils (Pontz, Nusche and Moorman, 2008) in many educational systems including Scottish education. A second policy driver in Scottish education currently is focused on "closing the gap" (Scottish…

The "gender gap" in attainment is an issue in Scotland but is also an international phenomenon. In Scotland, this gap continues to be apparent as girls outperform boys in national examinations. This raises challenges for those working in schools and for policymakers in responding to this phenomenon. This article focuses on appraising…

The majority of teachers are aware that inequalities impact on the lives of individual pupils. For others, there is also deeper awareness of how inequalities impact at community and societal levels. For those who work in areas of multiple deprivation, many are reminded on a daily basis of the "everydayness" of coping or survival for…

This paper examines the 2016 manifestos of the main political parties seeking election to the Scottish Parliament, with particular reference to their educational commitments on issues of equality and inclusion. The policy context is described and related to academic accounts of the policy-making process. Use is made of discourse analysis as a…

Comparisons with other parts of the United Kingdom have played an important role in justifying decisions made in relation to student funding in Scotland since devolution. This article considers first what comparative claims have been made for the content of student funding policy in four areas: fees, debt, total living cost support and…

Free tuition in Scotland is frequently linked to principles of equal access and fairness. But just how "fair" do young people think access to higher education is? And what concepts of fairness are their views based on? This article reports the findings of semi-structured interviews with 121 young people aged 15-18 in Scotland. The paper…

This paper considers the extent to which higher education in Scotland may be seen as a socially just system. The paper begins with a discussion of recent literature on the nature of social justice, drawing on the writing of Fraser (2005), Phillips (2004) and Sen (1992). Phillips' argument that social justice must be understood in terms of equality…