Achi news desk-
The MCR Pathways program supports vulnerable young people, such as those with experience of the care system, by matching them with a mentor. It has been credited with boosting attendance and attainment rates and helping more young people get work, education or training after leaving school.
In February, The Herald reported that the program was to be cut as a result of the SNP-Green budget deal at Glasgow City Council. The decision led to protest from teachers, parent groups, mentoring volunteers and service users, but neither the SNP nor the Greens would comment at the time.
The matter was referred to a cross-party oversight group, and City Treasurer Ricky Bell said in May that he was “extremely confident” the service would be saved.
Documents now released ahead of this week’s full council vote outline the extent of the final proposed cuts to the program. The report is in the name of Christina Cannon, the council’s Education, Skills and Early Years Convener.
Five options were presented to the cross-party group, but members did not agree on which should go to a vote in full council, so the administration decided to proceed with option 4 as the “preferred delivery model.”
Until now, schools have been allocated one full-time co-ordinator to oversee the programme, but proposals now published by the council state that this will be halved to “provide a baseline of 0.5 equivalent full time (or less depending on need) Pathway Co-ordinator positions for each school”. Individual schools will be able to increase this allocation, but only by redirecting anti-poverty funding provided by the Scottish government, known as Pupil Equity Funding.
Council documents admit that schools that “fail to secure additional funding would have their Pathways Co-ordinator shared between two schools”. The documents also confirm that some schools will not be able to secure additional support “as they have already fully allocated CPE.”
Pupil Equity Funding is allocated to schools based on the number of pupils who receive free school meals. Government guidelines state that it should be used “to provide activities, methods or resources which are clearly additional to general local improvement plans.”
The Herald can also reveal that councilors are being asked to support the cuts despite the fact that an Equality Impact Assessment has not yet been carried out, meaning the impact of the cuts on vulnerable young people has not been fully assessed.
Outlining the ‘equality impacts’ of the proposed cuts to the programme, the document states:
“The impact of the proposals is positive in the sense that they maintain a mentoring service for young people who have experience of care and who are vulnerable. A full AEC will be conducted.”
Leanne McGuire, chair of Glasgow City Parents’ Group, highlighted the council’s latest plans:
“The council’s decision to reduce overall budgets while requiring schools to use Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) to support the roles of MCR Co-ordinators is a double whammy.
“This pits essential services against each other, putting pressure on already scarce resources. Schools are now expected to pay costs for services that were previously funded, which puts additional pressure on staff.
“MCR Co-ordinators are essential for mentoring relationships in schools, and it is a matter of concern that these roles will be on reduced hours and will not be as readily available as they are in schools at present. The support they provide to mentees and their mentors is essential, and this decision suggests a lack of understanding of the complexities involved. We cannot continue to ask school staff and teachers to do more with less.
“While schools will endeavor to minimize the impact on students, our concern is that this sets a dangerous precedent for the future of education in Glasgow.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Labor group on Glasgow City Council said:
“The Labor group is extremely disappointed to see Option 4 come through for approval. Our representatives on the political oversight group did not agree to this.
“We will table an amendment on Thursday. Basically, how can we approve a paper without an Equality Impact Assessment, especially when those were affected like our city’s children?”
Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government have been questioned.
