Equity can be achieved by ensuring every child has the same opportunity to succeed, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap.

The First Minister launched the Scottish Attainment Challenge in February 2015 to bring a greater sense of urgency and priority to this issue.

It is underpinned by The National Improvement Framework, Curriculum for Excellence and Getting it Right for Every Child.

The Scottish Attainment Challenge will focus and accelerate targeted improvement activity in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing in specific areas of Scotland.

It will also support and complement the broader range of initiatives and programmes to ensure that all of Scotland’s children and young people reach their full potential.

The £750 million Attainment Scotland Fund is a targeted initiative focused on supporting pupils in the local authorities of Scotland with the highest concentrations of deprivation.

The nine ‘Challenge Authorities’ are Glasgow, Dundee, Inverclyde, West Dunbartonshire, North Ayrshire, Clackmannanshire, North Lanarkshire, East Ayrshire and Renfrewshire.

A number of schools out with the Challenge Authorities, with significant proportions of their pupils living in deprived areas also benefitting. These schools have been identified on the basis of supporting a significant proportion of pupils and families from communities which are facing some of the greatest challenges across Scotland. Many of these schools are already doing well for all of their pupils and we want to learn from and spread this practice.

Pupil Equity Funding is also provided through the Attainment Scotland Fund and allocated directly to schools, targeted at those children most affected by the poverty related attainment gap.