Scottish Budget 2026 to 2027

Chapter 6 Education & Skills

Portfolio Responsibilities

The 2026–27 Education and Skills budget reflects the Scottish Government’s continued commitment to tackling child poverty, improving learner outcomes, and strengthening the sustainability and resilience of our education and skills system. It maintains support for high-quality public services while advancing reforms and efficiencies in line with the Government’s Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan.

At a critical time for both sectors, this budget delivers a significant real terms increase in our investment in Scotland’s College and University sectors so that people of all ages have the opportunity to fulfil their potential. We will continue to work closely with both colleges and universities as they design and deliver the vital reforms needed to meet learner and business needs now and well into the future.

Scotland’s colleges will see a combined increase of £70 million in resource and capital funding, equivalent to a 10 per cent uplift on last year’s budget. This is an opportunity for the sector to demonstrate how they can come together to help people all across Scotland to fulfil their potential, and ensure that Scotland’s workforce needs are met.

Our continued investment in apprenticeships, careers advice, Developing the Young Workforce and adult learning will strengthen pathways into and through employment, supporting economic outcomes, helping parents and carers to sustain and progress in work, and help tackle child poverty. Overall, this budget will support sustainability and reform, protect free tuition, advance widening access and support learners to progress into and through work, helping address poverty and cost of living pressures.

Scotland’s schools are delivering literacy and numeracy attainment at the highest levels on record, with sustained progress in narrowing the poverty-related attainment gap through the Scottish Attainment Challenge. Attendance has improved, class sizes are smaller, and there are more teachers in Scotland’s classrooms. This budget builds on these gains by protecting teacher numbers, supporting workforce stability and ensuring that staffing levels continue to support high-quality teaching, learning and relationships in schools. Investment in learning infrastructure remains a priority through the Learning Estate Investment Programme, ensuring schools across Scotland are fit-for-purpose.

We will continue working with local government to expand free school meals provision to include children from families in receipt of Pension Credit, and those impacted by the increase in the Administrative Earnings Threshold. These measures will enable a further 5,500 pupils to access nutritious and healthy food, backed by investment of up to £3 million. We will maintain the Test of Change of secondary school meal provision during the full academic year, and increase school clothing grant funding in line with inflation.

The Budget delivers new funding to provide a national breakfast club offer in all primary schools in Scotland and also expands after-school activities clubs for children. This builds on existing breakfast delivery leading to the roll out of a national offer by August 2027. The offer includes the cost of providing up to one hour of supervision, to enable working parents to drop children at school early. This ensures that we are increasing the childcare options available to parents for whom cost and availability present a barrier to employment whilst also addressing issues of food insecurity for children.

In addition, the budget provides up to a further £2.5 million for wraparound activities provision building on the success of the ‘Extra Time’ programme, to expand after school club services for families most in need.

We continue to fund flexible and affordable childcare through our Early Adopter Communities, and our commitment to supporting the real Living Wage in private and voluntary sector ELC and children’s social care services. Support for care experienced children and young people remains central, with continued investment in Whole Family Wellbeing, preventing crises and helping families to flourish, reaffirming our commitment to Keeping The Promise to Scotland’s care experienced children and young people and the establishment of the new National Social Work Agency. 

Education & Skills intended contributions to the National Outcomes

Primary National Outcomes

• Education
• Children and Young People
• Economy
• Poverty

Secondary National Outcomes

• Communities
• Human Rights
• Fair Work and Business
• International
• Culture

Education & Skills

The prior year 2025-26 Budget Comparator figures are based on the latest in-year budget numbers which were revised at the Autumn Budget Revision. The 2024-25 Scottish Budget comparator figures reflect the outturn numbers for that year.

* NB there is a technical adjustment in AME and non-cash figures above which does not impact the resource and capital discretionary funding allocations.

* This line transfers funding in-year to Local Government. This includes amounts for Free School Meals, Additional Support for Learning Support Staff, Pupil Support Assistants and School Clothing Grants.

* This line transfers funding in-year to Local Government for removal of curriculum charges and instrumental music tuition charges in schools.

* This line transfers funding in-year to Local Government relating to The Promise and for Children’s Services Planning Partnerships, removal of curriculum charges and instrumental music tuition charges in schools.

* This is a technical adjustment to the valuation of student loans and does not affect discretionary spending.

* Higher Education received in-year funding for specific programmes. This means the figures for the ABR 2025-26 and 2026-27 budget are not directly comparable.

* As in previous years, a portion of the raising attainment budget line will be used to top-up Pupil Equity funding above £120m, to meet the increasing costs of the programme.