Pupils living in Scotland’s most deprived communities will be among those to benefit from £215 million of targeted funding in 2021-22 to help close the poverty-related attainment gap.
The announcement meets the Government’s commitment to pay the first instalment of the expanded £1 billion Attainment Scotland Fund in the first 100 days of Parliament, and is the largest amount awarded for a single year.
The funding will be distributed through five different programmes, nine local councils with the highest concentrations of deprivation in Scotland, known as “Challenge Authorities”, will share £43 million of investment. A further £7 million from the Schools’ Programme will be shared between 73 additional schools with the highest concentration of pupils from areas of deprivation.
Headteachers will receive £147 million of Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) which they will decide how best to invest to support disadvantaged pupils. This includes a top up payment of £20 million, recognising the new and additional challenges schools face as a result of the pandemic.
Local authority work to help improve the attainment of care experienced young people, including through mentoring programmes, will receive up to £12 million. A further £7 million is being invested in a number of a national programmes, including third-sector organisations, to support their targeted work to raise the attainment of young people.
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Closing the poverty-related attainment gap and ensuring every young person has the chance to fulfil their potential remains central to this Government’s work.
“Our ambition is a long-term one and we know that the challenges presented by the pandemic mean our efforts to deliver equity in education are more vital than ever.
“This first instalment of the expanded Attainment Scotland Fund, with record funding of more than £215 million, will allow headteachers, schools, councils and other partners to provide targeted help for some of our most disadvantaged pupils.
“We are providing investment across a number of diverse programmes which will benefit looked after children, support pupils in our most deprived areas and empower headteachers to invest their funding on initiatives that are right for the children in their schools.”
More than seven out of ten children in Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) are now receiving the full 1,140 funded hours.
The number of children has risen by 10,510 since February – an increase from 65% to 72%.
The latest data from the Improvement Service shows that at the end of April 2021, 118,068 children were accessing funded ELC. Of these, 102,410 children (87%) were accessing more than the statutory entitlement of 600 hours, and 84,606 children (72%) were accessing 1,140 hours.
Children’s Minister Clare Haughey said: “These figures show we are well on the way to offering all eligible children 1,140 hours of funded ELC from August 2021 – a transformational policy that will benefit families across Scotland.
“Despite the pandemic having an impact on the construction of ELC facilities and recruitment plans across the country, local authorities have continued to make good progress in expansion plans.
“At the centre of these plans is the drive to improve children’s outcomes and help close the poverty-related attainment gap, to improve the health and wellbeing of children and parents, and to support parents into work, study or training. I’d like to thank local authorities and all those who are continuing to work at pace to meet our target.”
Councillor Stephen McCabe, COSLA Children and Young People spokesperson, said: “I welcome the progress that has been made towards the implementation of the 1,140 hours ELC expansion by August. This report shows that significant progress has been made by councils despite the continued challenges of the pandemic, including the national lockdown.
“We know that the additional hours will be transformational with children provided with more time to play and learn, while parents and carers will have more opportunities to work, study or volunteer. We are pleased we are on track for delivery later this year”.
Funded early learning and childcare (ELC) is available to all three and four year olds and eligible two year olds. From August 2021, the entitlement will increase to 1,140 hours a year (30 hours a week if taken term time).
The expansion of funded ELC, originally intended for August 2020, was paused in April 2020 to give local authorities the flexibility to focus on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
All adults in Scotland will have been booked in for their first coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine appointment by the end of next week (27 June), five weeks ahead of the target of 31 July.
Letters are currently going out to those 18-29 year olds who didn’t sign up to the self-registration portal and anyone who hasn’t yet received their blue envelope can see the time of their vaccination online through a new appointment checker.
The new system allows people to see their appointment details in the system, and enables them to reschedule if the timing or location is unsuitable.
In addition, from Monday 21 June all NHS boards will be routinely scheduling second doses eight weeks after the first to help combat the emergence of the Delta variant.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “I am delighted that we are on the brink of reaching the major milestone of having scheduled first doses for all adults, five weeks ahead of schedule.
“I want to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in the vaccination programme and all those wo have taken up their offer of a vaccine for their part in this remarkable achievement which has been accomplished in just over six months since the roll-out began.
“Anyone who hasn’t received a letter by next week can visit the appointment checker at NHS Inform. The system lets you rebook if the timing or location is not suitable which will be a useful tool for students and anyone who has recently moved house.
“Additional capacity has been secured by NHS Boards to bring forward of all second doses from 12 to 8 weeks which is important given the emergence of the Delta strain as we know greater protection is provided after the second dose.
“Again, I want to stress how important it is that everyone takes up their offer of a vaccine when they get it. The emergence of the Delta variant shows we cannot be complacent, and the vaccination programme – along with restrictions and testing – offers protection to you, your loved ones and your community.”
Trade unions GMB Scotland and Unite Scotland, who jointly represent the vast majority of McVitie’s workers based at Tollcross, have reacted furiously to the company formally issuing redundancy notices yesterday.
The McVitie’s biscuit factory, which manufactures a range of notable products including Hobnobs and Rich Tea Biscuits, has through its parent owners Pladis also ‘disgracefully’ refused to engage with the newly established Action Group set up to prevent the factory’s closure.
The group is chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy, Kate Forbes MSP, and involves the trade unions, Glasgow City Council, Scottish Enterprise, Clyde Gateway and Skills Development Scotland.
Following two meetings of the Action Group, Kate Forbes, wrote to McVitie’s requesting direct engagement with the parent company, Pladis, ahead of the next scheduled meeting on 23 June. The meeting is set to discuss a series of proposals which could maintain a presence of McVitie’s in the local area.
However, Unite Scotland and GMB Scotland can confirm that the company has formally issued redundancy notices to its workforce and refused to engage with the Action Group.
In 2014, the Turkish owned Pladis acquired the McVitie’s business after its takeover of United Biscuits, which made it the third largest biscuit manufacturer in the world. In that same year, United Biscuits also cut its then 680-strong workforce at Tollcross by almost a quarter.
The Tollcross factory, which first opened in 1925 as part of the Macfarlane and Lang’s Victoria Biscuit Works, is a major employer in an area with higher levels of social deprivation and unemployment. The McVitie’s presence in Scotland goes back to the original Scottish biscuit maker, McVitie & Price Ltd, which was established in 1830 in Edinburgh.
GMB Scotland Organiser David Hume said: “It’s an act of extreme bad faith on the part of the Pladis Managing Director David Murray, and a gross insult to hundreds of workers and their families who are fighting for their livelihoods and community.
“The rules of the game have now been changed by Pladis – the clock is now officially ticking on nearly 470 jobs and generations of food manufacturing that has endured austerity and prosperity, war and pandemic.”
“David Murray needs to be hauled by the Cabinet Secretary before the members of the Action Group because this is a profitable business with an innovative workforce that can and should have a future in the East End of Glasgow.”
Pat McIlvogue, Unite industrial officer, said:“It’s an absolute disgrace and slap in the face to the workforce that not only has McVitie’s formally issued redundancy notices but they are also refusing to engage with the Action Group established by the Scottish Government.
“Everyone except the company is working together in order to bring forward options, which could save hundreds of jobs in the local area. Unite is again calling on Pladis to directly engage with the trade unions, the workforce and the Scottish Government to look at credible alternatives to closure.
“Pladis have a duty of care to hundreds of workers to jointly discuss with us what could be done to save jobs instead of this belligerent and arrogant approach which they have adopted.”
Minister welcomes figures but pledges further action
Overall alcohol consumption in Scotland fell to a 26-year low during 2020, according to a comprehensive report published today by Public Health Scotland.
The annual Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy (MESAS) report brings together data on alcohol consumption, price and related harms into a single publication. It shows that total alcohol sales fell 5% on the previous year, to the lowest level recorded since 1994.
Last year, COVID-19 restrictions affected alcohol sales from premises such as pubs, clubs, and restaurants. Nine in every ten units of alcohol sold in Scotland in 2020 were sold via off-trade outlets including supermarkets and other off-licences – an increase from seven in every ten units in 2019.
In addition to the evidence from 2020 – the year of the pandemic – today’s MESAS report also details a 10% year-on-year reduction in the number of deaths wholly caused by alcohol in 2019.
Commenting on the results of the studies, Public Health Minister Maree Todd said: “I welcome this report showing that total alcohol sales in 2020 fell to their lowest level for 26 years.
“The study provides valuable insight allowing us to gauge the impact of alcohol sales and consumption during the period of the pandemic. Clearly COVID-19 and the associated restrictions have had a dramatic impact on the hospitality trade, but these figures demonstrate that the restrictions in place did not simply translate into an increase in the total amount of alcohol being consumed. In fact, the opposite is the case.
“We have already seen that alcohol sales were falling since the introduction of our world-leading Minimum Unit Pricing policy in 2018. We know that it will take longer for the full impact of reduced consumption to feed through into health related statistics, but I am more convinced than ever that MUP is one of the main drivers in reducing alcohol harms.
“Although this is the largest recorded year-on-year reduction in alcohol sales – and also the narrowest recorded gap between sales north and south of the border – it is important to bear in mind that the average number of units drunk during this period was still nearly 30% per cent more than the UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines of drinking no more than 14 units a week.
“In addition to these 2020 figures, the report also details a 10% reduction in the number of deaths caused wholly by alcohol in 2019. While we are on the right trajectory, this still equates tragically to nearly 20 deaths every week across Scotland – each one preventable.
“We continue to make progress in reducing inequalities across a number of public health areas – remaining focussed on addressing the underlying causes that drive health inequalities and doing more to address harms from alcohol. I am determined to build on this progress including consulting on potential restrictions to alcohol advertising and promotion.”
LOST SUMMER?
Scottish licensed trade operators are braced for “potentially another lost summer” after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said this week that it is “unlikely” that any part of Scotland will move down a level from June 28.
Responding to the First Minister’s suggestion that current restrictions will remain in place for a further three weeks, and national clinical director Jason Leitch’s widely-reported comments that Scotland’s lockdown exit plans could be pushed back by up to 10 weeks due to the more infectious Delta strain of coronavirus, the SLTA said: “Another summer season, essential for business survival, will be lost.”
The trade association’s managing director Colin Wilkinson pulled no punches, stating: “The hospitality sector is at breaking point with Tuesday’s announcement that the brakes are on for further easing of restrictions.”
Calling for further financial aid to ensure the survival of the licensed hospitality industry as it plays its part in rebuilding the economy, Mr Wilkinson said: There needs to be an extension to the current support schemes available such as furlough, VAT reduction, deferral of loan repayments and so on.
“Our pubs and bars have already invested millions to provide a safe environment as we all learn to live with this virus and we need to be able to open without restrictions as soon as we can.
“Currently, we can only operate at around 30% of our capacity, but with increased staff costs to provide table service and fewer tables because of social distancing rules, most business continue to operate at a loss, racking up further debt every time they open the doors.
“For those still unable to open because of their size or the entertainment they provide, such as late opening premises and night clubs, it is another devastating blow for an abandoned sector crippled by restrictions and with no route map out of the pandemic.
“Tuesday’s announcement created further uncertainty for the industry and the people it employs. We understand the need for caution but the Scottish Government must also understand that this delay will cost an already beleaguered industry millions of pounds and puts in jeopardy the future survival of many of the pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels and late night operations that form part of Scotland’s social fibre.
“Our big fear is that the Glasgow fan zone could lead to further Covid outbreaks followed by a fresh lockdown, forcing licensed premises to close again when they have only just managed to start reopening.”
The online lessons are available to everyone, and will build a wide range of skills, from improving confidence online to developing a website for your business, managing your money and staying connected with friends and family. The academy also provides access to online events for small businesses and charities to network virtually and hear from expert speakers.
Bank of Scotland’s latest research revealed that 67% of people said they would improve their digital skills if they knew support was available.
The new data also found that almost two-thirds (63%) of people across Scotland are spending more time online. People are not only spending more time online but are also doing more online. For those who have tried new things for the first time during lockdown, more than nine in ten (94%) expect this to continue in the long-term and almost a fifth (17%) are concerned that their digital skills still aren’t good enough.
More than half (53%) of Scots rely on the internet for day-to-day life and 49% agreed being online helped them to find and get a job.
Philip Grant, chair of Lloyds Banking Group’s Scottish Executive Committee, said: “During the pandemic, digital skills have been a lifeline for many, helping people stay in touch with friends and access services like banking and online shopping.
“Being online has become part of everyday life for many more people and creating the Bank of Scotland Academy is all about helping people build the right digital skills.
“For small businesses digital confidence and capability have been crucially important. In the last year, 44% of small Scottish businesses wouldn’t have continued trading without digital facilities.[1]
“Having the right digital skills means that people can stay connected with loved ones, businesses can run more efficiently, and charities can raise more funds by reaching more people.
“The lessons are open to everyone, easy to follow and completely free, so my message is: get involved.”
Kate Forbes MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, added: “Digital technology plays a key role in a great many aspects of our lives and is essential to our economic recovery. As many people also choose the convenience of digital banking services, industry led initiatives such as the Bank of Scotland Academy will ensure that our financial system remains inclusive and accessible.
“If people have access to devices and the skills and confidence to use them, it will have significant benefits in economic growth and ensuring services work for us all. I would encourage anyone who thinks they would benefit to make use of this excellent new resource.”
The live lessons and resources have been created by Bank of Scotland with the help of expert learning and technology partners. The number of lessons available will evolve over time to reflect changing needs.
Sessions can be booked through Eventbrite[2] and more bespoke sessions will also be available, built around the specific needs and objectives of organisations.
More than 100,000 affordable homes delivered – since 2007
Scotland has delivered more than 100,000 affordable homes since 2007, marking a major milestone on the path to a fairer, more equal nation.
Statistics published today show that 102,055 affordable homes have been delivered since April 2007, with 70,866 of these for social rent.
Scotland delivered over 75% more affordable homes per head of population than both England and Wales in the four years to 2019-20, and over nine times more social rented homes per head than in England during the same period.
Housing Secretary Shona Robison said yesterday: “This is a remarkable achievement. Today’s statistics tell the story of more than 100,000 households being given access to high-quality, affordable homes – whether they be for social rent or people owning a home for the first time.
“I would like to thank registered social landlords, local authorities, the construction sector and our other partners for helping us hit this significant milestone.
“Scotland has been leading the way across the UK with delivery of affordable housing, but we know there is more to do to ensure everyone has a warm, affordable home that meets their needs in a vibrant, safe community.
“Our utmost priority over the past year has been to keep Scotland safe from Coronavirus (COVID-19), and this has meant placing restrictions on construction or at times stopping it altogether.
“While this has affected our ability to meet our target of delivering 50,000 affordable homes over the last parliamentary period, we are continuing to work closely with partners across the housing sector to deliver the remaining homes as quickly as it is safe to do so.
“We will then deliver a further 100,000 homes by 2032, with at least 70% of these for social rent. This is just one of the actions set out in our Housing to 2040 strategy for building a fairer, more equal housing sector, alongside taking steps to tackle high rents in the private sector, setting a single set of standards for housing quality and accessibility, and continuing our work to end homelessness and rough sleeping once and for all.”
A consultation seeking the views of business, retailers and shop workers on New Year’s Day trading has been published by the Scottish Government.Union leaders have welcomed the announcement – but say it’s 14 years late!
The move follows an Usdaw petition to the Scottish Parliament, which was supported by the Public Petitions Committee who pressed Ministers to commit to a consultation.
Running for 10 weeks until 24 August, the consultation aims to determine whether the current law should change and restrict large retailers from trading on New Year’s Day as is the case on Christmas Day.
Affected stakeholders, including large retailers and their staff, are strongly encouraged to participate in the consultation which follows a parliamentary petition calling for trading on 1 January to be prohibited.
Public Finance Minister Tom Arthur said: “The last year has shown how much we all rely on retailers and their staff who have supported the country during the pandemic. As we look at recovery and building a sustainable economy we need to consider what will support businesses and their staff in the future.
“Following a petition to the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee calling for trading to be banned on New Year’s Day, the Scottish Government has been engaging with business groups, trades unions and others to understand what impact this would have on business and staff.
“This consultation will help us to determine whether the current law should change and restrict large retailers from trading on New Year’s Day, as they currently do on Christmas Day.
“The Scottish Government encourages everybody with an interest to complete this consultation to ensure their views are considered.
“As we recover from the COVID pandemic we are committed to building on the £3.6 billion in support we have delivered to businesses since March 2020 and ensure we seize Scotland’s economic potential, creating secure, sustainable and satisfying jobs.”
Tracy Gilbert, Usdaw Regional Secretary for Scotland, said: “Today’s launch of a consultation on large stores closing on New Year’s Day, after an unnecessary 14 year delay, is a step forward in our campaign to get a proper break for shopworkers over the festive period.
“As key workers delivering the essential service of keeping the nation fed, shopworkers deserve a decent break over the festive period. They have worked long hours in difficult circumstances throughout the pandemic, faced unprecedented levels of abuse and worried every working day about catching the virus and taking it home to their families.
“However this is not just a campaign for the pandemic, our members have for many years demanded a proper break after the extremely busy and stressful shopping period in the run-up to Christmas. 98% say that large stores should be closed and only 4% are happy to work on New Year’s Day or 2 January.
“Hogmanay and New Year is a special holiday, but this is not reflected in the experience of many retail workers, with three-quarters saying they spend too little time with friends and family.
“We will be encouraging our members to engage with the consultation, to ensure the voices of shopworkers are heard. If we can secure a positive outcome, Usdaw will be calling for the necessary legislative processes to be completed in time for 1 January 2022.”
Prime Minister: “We must learn to live with COVID”
Step 4 of England’s Roadmap paused for four weeks while vaccination programme is accelerated following significant rise in more transmissible variant
Second dose brought forward to 8 weeks for over 40s to provide strongest protection against Delta variant sooner
Restrictions to be lifted on weddings and wakes on 21 June
Step 4 will be delayed by up to four weeks in England and the vaccination programme accelerated to respond to the rapid spread of the Delta variant, the Prime Minister confirmed yesterday.
Scotland’s First Minister will give an update on Scotland’s plans later today. At present it’s planned that Scotland would move to Level 0 on 28 June, but concerns over rising numbers of the Delta variant make it likely that the date will be put back.
By 19 July, all adults in England will have been offered a first dose and around two thirds of all adults will have been offered two doses of the vaccine.
Data suggests that the Delta variant is between 40% and 80% more transmissible than the Alpha variant and is rapidly driving up case numbers.
There are currently around 8,000 cases a day, the highest since the end of February, and these are increasing by around 64% each week.
Hospitalisations are starting to rise, with the average number of people admitted to hospital increasing in England by 50% per week, and 61% per week in the North-West.
Our successful vaccination programme is weakening the link between cases and hospitalisations, but the latest evidence shows that two doses are needed to provide effective protection against the Delta variant.
The Roadmap has always been led by data and not dates, and the government’s four tests have not been met. In order to offer two vaccine doses to more people, prevent thousands of unnecessary deaths and protect the NHS, Step 4 will be delayed by up to four weeks to Monday 19 July. If the data rapidly improves this could be brought forward to 5 July.
The four tests are:
The vaccine deployment programme continues successfully
Evidence shows vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths in those vaccinated
Infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS
Our assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new Variants of Concern
Two vaccine doses have now been shown to be highly effective in reducing hospitalisation from the Delta variant, with the latest PHE data suggesting this could be up to 96% for Pfizer-BioNTech and 92% for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
All adults aged 18 and over will now be offered a first dose by 19 July, 2 weeks earlier than planned. All adults aged 23 and 24 will be able to book their first dose from tomorrow (15 June).
By 19 July, all those aged over 50 and the clinically extremely vulnerable will have been offered their second dose, and those second doses will have taken effect.
Second doses for all over 40s will be accelerated by reducing the dosing interval from 12 weeks to 8 weeks. All over 40s who received a first dose by mid-May will be offered a second dose by 19 July.
The school holidays in England begin at the end of July, further reducing transmission among the younger age groups. Step 3 restrictions will continue in their current format with the following exceptions implemented from 21 June. No restrictions will be reimposed.
The 30-person limit will be lifted for weddings and wakes. There will be no set limit on the number of attendees, but venues must adhere to covid secure guidance, maintain social distancing and provide table service. All weddings in private settings, such as gardens, must have completed a covid risk assessment to ascertain how many guests they can host safely.
Event pilots will continue, including some Euro 2020 matches, Wimbledon, and some arts and music performances. Attendees will show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test.
Care home residents will no longer need to isolate if they leave their residence. Exceptions will include high risk visits including overnight stays in hospital.
Cases are expected to continue rising due to the transmissibility of the Delta variant, but with the acceleration of the vaccination programme hospitalisations are expected to stabilise.
Additional support is available for areas with high cases rates of the Delta variant, including surge testing, isolation support, and efforts to maximise vaccination uptake.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a statement at a press conference last night:
When we set out on our roadmap to freedom a few months ago, we were determined to make progress that was cautious but irreversible. And step by step – thanks to the enormous efforts of the British people and the spectacular vaccine roll-out we now have one of the most open economies and societies in this part of the world.
And as we have always known and as the February roadmap explicitly predicted – this opening up has inevitably been accompanied by more infection and more hospitalisation. Because we must be clear that we cannot simply eliminate Covid – we must learn to live with it. And with every day that goes by we are better protected by the vaccines and we are better able to live with the disease.
Vaccination greatly reduces transmission and two doses provide a very high degree of protection against serious illness and death. But there are still millions of younger adults who have not been vaccinated and sadly a proportion of the elderly and vulnerable may still succumb even if they have had two jabs.
And that is why we are so concerned by the Delta variant that is now spreading faster than the third wave predicted in the February roadmap. We’re seeing cases growing by about 64 per cent per week, and in the worst affected areas, it’s doubling every week.
And the average number of people being admitted to hospital in England has increased by 50 per cent week on week, and by 61 per cent in the North West, which may be the shape of things to come. Because we know the remorseless logic of exponential growth and even if the link between infection and hospitalisation has been weakened it has not been severed.
And even if the link between hospitalisation and death has also been weakened, I’m afraid numbers in intensive care, in ICU are also rising. And so we have faced a very difficult choice. We can simply keep going with all of step 4 on June 21st even though there is a real possibility that the virus will outrun the vaccines and that thousands more deaths would ensue that could otherwise have been avoided.
Or else we can give our NHS a few more crucial weeks to get those remaining jabs into the arms of those who need them. And since today I cannot say that we have met all four tests for proceeding with step four, I do think it is sensible to wait just a little longer.
By Monday 19th July we will aim to have double jabbed around two thirds of the adult population including everyone over 50, all the vulnerable, all the frontline health and care workers and everyone over 40 who received their first dose by mid-May. And to do this we will now accelerate the 2nd jabs for those over 40 – just as we did for the vulnerable groups – so they get maximum protection as fast as possible.
And we will bring forward our target to give every adult in this country a first dose by 19th July that is including young people over the age of 18 with 23 and 24 year olds invited to book jabs from tomorrow – so we reduce the risk of transmission among groups that mix the most.
And to give the NHS that extra time we will hold off step 4 openings until July 19th except for weddings that can still go ahead with more than 30 guests provided social distancing remains in place and the same will apply to wakes. And we will continue the pilot events – such as Euro2020 and some theatrical performances.
We will monitor the position every day and if after 2 weeks we have concluded that the risk has diminished then we reserve the possibility of proceeding to Step 4 and full opening sooner.
As things stand – and on the basis of the evidence I can see right now – I am confident we will not need any more than 4 weeks and we won’t need to go beyond July 19th. It is unmistakably clear the vaccines are working and the sheer scale of the vaccine roll-out has made our position incomparably better than in previous waves.
But now is the time to ease off the accelerator because by being cautious now we have the chance – in the next four weeks – to save many thousands of lives by vaccinating millions more people.
And once the adults of this country have been overwhelmingly vaccinated, which is what we can achieve in a short space of time, we will be in a far stronger position to keep hospitalisations down, to live with this disease, and to complete our cautious but irreversible roadmap to freedom.
Scotland’s First Minister will give an update on Scotland’s plans later today. At present it’s planned that Scotland would move to Level 0 on 28 June, but concerns over rising numbers of the Delta variant make it likely that the date will be put back.
Students experiencing hardship over summer as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) can apply for financial support if they are struggling to meet accommodation and other costs.
Backed by £20 million of new funding, students in financial hardship can apply directly to their college or university’s Coronavirus Discretionary Fund.
The Scottish Government has also committed to review the future of summer support and the availability of funds will be monitored to ensure support remain available to students throughout summer.
This latest funding package takes total support for students since the start of the pandemic to more than £96 million.
Higher and Further Education Minister Jamie Hepburn said: “The pandemic has impacted students significantly and not only has there been disruption to their education, but many students have faced financial difficulties with accommodation, associated costs or challenges in getting jobs. This additional £20 million will help to alleviate the financial pressure and stress facing many of our students over the summer period.
“The Student Hardship Task Force have been a crucial voice in ensuring students are supported this summer and I thank them for their important work.
“The support provided to students over the course of the pandemic has been substantial with now over £96 million being provided via hardship funding, digital access, mental health support and for student associations.”
NUS Scotland President Matt Crilly said: “We welcome additional discretionary funding for students today and that the Scottish Government has recognised the dire situation facing students this summer.
“Many students have already lost crucial part-time jobs, most have received their final student support payment, and are not eligible for Universal Credit, which is why today’s announcement of a summer support review is particularly welcome. We need to see a year-round student support system that ensures no student falls through the cracks and is driven out of education and into poverty.”
