Closing the Attainment Gap

Tackling the attainment gap requires all those involved in Scottish Education to collaborate and focus efforts on reducing the impact of poverty on attainment. Youth work - taking place in schools and within the wider school community - plays an important role in the learner journey for many young people, particularly those affected by poverty and inequality.

YouthLink Scotland's Youth Work & Schools Partnership programme, funded under the Scottish Attainment Challenge, aims to promote and expand the role of youth work in closing the poverty-related attainment gap by:

• Strengthening collaboration between the youth work sector and formal education.
• Providing capacity and support for improved joint self-evaluation of school improvement through youth work.
• Increasing local and national evidence of youth work's impact.

Check out our Covid-19 section for more useful information including:

COVID-19 Education Recovery: Youth work – A Guide for Schools

Developed with the Youth Work COVID-19 Recovery Group, this document explains how youth work can help schools to close the poverty-related attainment gap and improve outcomes for all children and young people.

Find out more about this programme and how youth work is helping to close the gap: