Headteachers who have used money earmarked for closing the attainment gap between advantaged and disadvantaged pupils to buy in police for schools are being accused of misusing the cash.
Martin Canavan who works for a charity that specialises in supporting disadvantaged children and their families said there were examples of the £120 million Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) - the Scottish equivalent of the pupil premium - “not being used as best it could be”.
The PEF, which was introduced into Scottish schools for the first time last year, is supposed to be targeted by heads at closing the poverty-related attainment gap.
Mr Canavan, however, called for more guidance for schools on how the money should be spent, citing the example of one local authority where headteachers were spending it on campus police officers.
There was a role for community police in schools but for disadvantaged pupils having campus police officers would not “impact positively on their education”, he said.
Mr Canavan, policy and participation officer at the Aberlour Child Care Trust, said: “We are not entirely convinced as an organisation that campus police officers are a particularly good use of PEF funding.
“That’s not to say there is not a role for the police in schools or excellent focused programmes around antisocial behaviour. But when uniformed campus officers are patrolling schools, we’re not sure that’s an appropriate use of PEF funding.”
However the council concerned - North Ayrshire Council - has defended the decision by heads to spend PEF money on a police presence in schools.
John Butcher, the authority’s director of education and youth employment, said headteachers in his authority could choose to use some of the PEF funding to pay for campus officers, with Police Scotland covering some of the cost.
He argued that campus police officers did not wander about in uniform or patrol schools but were involved in taking pupils on Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and running clubs.
Campus officers helped break down barriers between young people and the police, he said.
Mr Butcher said: “Campus police officers don’t patrol schools - that’s the bottom line. They don’t wander about in uniform.”
Mr Canavan and Mr Butcher made their comments today whilst giving evidence to the inquiry into poverty and attainment being conducted by the Scottish Parliament’s education committee.
Concerns have been raised in the past about how PEF cash is being spent: in March, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said “serious questions” needed to be asked.
She said she had heard claims that the money was going on plugging gaps left by budget cuts or to pay for other costs like staff bonuses and installing an Astroturf pitch.
However, first minister Nicola Sturgeon argued headteachers could decide how best to use the money, and that projects that might not seem an obvious way of closing the gap could actually have a dramatic impact.
