The £750 million Scottish Attainment Fund was launched in 2015 by Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, to boost the resources of councils with the biggest numbers of disadvantaged pupils.
The Pupil Equity Fund, which is part of the scheme, goes straight to schools and can be spent at headteachers’ discretion.
In December, John Swinney, the education secretary, welcomed figures showing hundreds of new staff were employed as a result, with overall teacher numbers up to 51,138 after a rise of 447 the previous year. However, 44 per cent of the 1,000 new teachers taken on are without permanent contracts, raising doubts over job security and the sustainability of the project.
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