Current and future resources allocated to Regional Improvement Collaboratives: FOI release

Information requested

 

All information on the current and future resources and budgets allocated to the Regional Improvement Collaboratives, including funds that have been made available to the RICs and the source of these funds, which is held by Scottish Government and Education Scotland.

 

Response

 

1. In answer to your question on RIC budget support, 2018/19 is the first year that the Scottish Government has provided funding to all 6 of Scotland’s RICs to support delivery of their first full regional improvement plans of September 2018. The following Scottish Government funding offers were made in response to individual resourcing requests from each collaborative, to support dedicated regional capacity building and planned RIC activity over the 2018/19 school year:

• Forth Valley and West Lothian Improvement Collaborative - £899,270
• Northern Alliance - £1,086,067
• South East Improvement Collaborative - £1,205,029
• South West Improvement Collaborative - £471,072
• Tayside Collaborative - £592,550
• West Partnership - £828,488

The actual level/s and breakdown of funding that will be drawn down under these arrangements in this financial year is ongoing and is subject to each Collaborative's continued development. This funding is being managed under Scottish Government Grant Offer conditions, and is being provided from the Education Reform budget and from the Attainment Scotland Fund (for regional activity relating to attainment).

2. As the 2018/19 funding arrangements apply to RIC activity across the current school year, the Scottish Government is liaising with COSLA in setting out RIC funding proposals for the 2019/20 school year.

3. In addition to the direct RIC funding outlined above, Education Scotland is also recruiting additional staff to provide further expert support to each RIC. The support that Education Scotland provides to each RIC area will be confirmed once the current recruitment and appointment processes have concluded. The Scottish Budget 2019-2020, which sets out the Scottish Government's proposed spending and tax plans for the 2019/20 financial year and can be accessed at

https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2019-20/ , proposes an increase of £2.5m to Education Scotland's budget. That increase will support Education Scotland in delivering enhanced support to Scotland's education system in a range of areas, including to the RICs.

 

About FOI

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