0:00:02 > 0:00:03Vroom, vroom!
0:00:03 > 0:00:05In our schools there's a sad truth.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Not every child gets a fair start.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13We know that the gap starts young.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16- How young do you think?- Well, it starts before birth, really.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18- Before birth?- Before birth.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22Now, Scotland's first home-grown billionaire is taking time out
0:00:22 > 0:00:25from the glamorous world of international business
0:00:25 > 0:00:27to go back to school...
0:00:27 > 0:00:28Hello!
0:00:28 > 0:00:32..and study how we can create a world-class education system.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37We have the ability to go and find out what's best
0:00:37 > 0:00:40and shine a light on best practice
0:00:40 > 0:00:45and therefore make it available throughout the whole of Scotland.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Why would you not do that?
0:00:47 > 0:00:50- I've got my wee girl back. - You've got your wee girl back?
0:00:50 > 0:00:52With a great teacher, they're working hard.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54This is what our school is all about.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Wow! That's a blueprint for Scottish education right there!
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Sir Tom will learn from the people who know best.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07- Thank you.- Thank you.- And when he's heard what they have to say,
0:01:07 > 0:01:09he'll take the lessons to the very top.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Making sure that our young folk get the best education
0:01:12 > 0:01:14is the only thing that matters to me
0:01:14 > 0:01:18and if something can be shown to work in doing that or if something's
0:01:18 > 0:01:21worth trying to do that, then I'll certainly be in the market for it.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38New Cumnock. Like poorer communities across Scotland,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41exam pass rates are lower than wealthy neighbourhoods.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47This is where Sir Tom Hunter grew up. Today he's back.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51So, Audrey, here we are, back where
0:01:51 > 0:01:54my educational journey started and I cannae believe it.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58It's... Wow! It's a bit different.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01When do people begin to divert and you can begin to see those
0:02:01 > 0:02:07that may be more challenged or those who are going to actually make it?
0:02:07 > 0:02:11I think the difference comes very early on, as young as two.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13- As young as two? - As young as two.- Wow.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Language development tells us at that stage that
0:02:16 > 0:02:20that can predict how prepared children are for Primary 1.
0:02:22 > 0:02:23There!
0:02:23 > 0:02:27To try and close that gap, the staff here focus their efforts
0:02:27 > 0:02:30on children's families, as well as the child themselves.
0:02:30 > 0:02:31Well done.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35For some parents, if they have a difficulty with literacy,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38then how are they then meant to get the full potential
0:02:38 > 0:02:41out of their children if they've got an issue with reading?
0:02:41 > 0:02:43So one of the things that we do is
0:02:43 > 0:02:47we provide adult literacy classes in here on a confidential basis.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51- Right.- So, for example, if some of our parents are not very confident
0:02:51 > 0:02:54about going into the centre, we go out and see them in their home.
0:02:54 > 0:02:55- Do you?- Yes, we do.- Right, wow.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59So if you like, what we're doing, we're also nurturing the parent.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08I was amazed speaking to teachers here about
0:03:08 > 0:03:12what we're actually asking teachers to do.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20In my simple world, teachers taught the weans.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26But the teachers here were talking about looking at family,
0:03:26 > 0:03:32looking at helping the parents or the grandparents or the carers.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35There's a whole level of complexity there
0:03:35 > 0:03:40and I guess I just took it for granted that some of the things that
0:03:40 > 0:03:43a family would do, we're actually asking the teachers to do
0:03:43 > 0:03:49and it's... My goodness, it's sad and it's worrying and, you know,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51I'm really scratching my head.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Today, Sir Tom mixes with the influential and famous
0:03:58 > 0:04:01while running a global charitable foundation.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04It's a long way from his origins selling trainers out of a van.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09I kind of fell into this great opportunity
0:04:09 > 0:04:11called trainers and shell suits.
0:04:11 > 0:04:17You know, for 14 years we worked at it very hard but we were very lucky
0:04:17 > 0:04:20and at the tender age of 37,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24I had a big cheque in the bank but nothing to do.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30He now runs his businesses and foundation
0:04:30 > 0:04:32from this former factory in Ayrshire.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35And next on his agenda is getting some expert help on why
0:04:35 > 0:04:38poorer kids do worse at school.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40It's really complex and we know
0:04:40 > 0:04:43that the gap starts young. We can see it...
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- How young do you think?- Well, it starts before birth, really.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50- Before birth?- Before birth in terms of foetal development
0:04:50 > 0:04:53but we can see the gap in health checks at age five,
0:04:53 > 0:04:55so for example, at age five,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59a five-year-old child from the most deprived background is likely to
0:04:59 > 0:05:02be 13 months behind in terms of their vocabulary development,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06ten months behind in terms of their ability to problem-solve.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08- Wow!- And that makes a really big difference
0:05:08 > 0:05:10when you're only five years old.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12That seems a big problem.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15And the gap widens as children move through primary school
0:05:15 > 0:05:18and continues to widen in secondary school.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20I'm looking for some answers here.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23I am actually looking for the silver bullets...
0:05:23 > 0:05:24SHE LAUGHS
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- Don't!- Because I'm a dreamer and I'm an optimist
0:05:27 > 0:05:29and I think, you know,
0:05:29 > 0:05:34with enough focus and the best people, we can solve anything.
0:05:34 > 0:05:35We need sophisticated solutions.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38We don't look for that silver bullet you were looking for there.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41I think if it was there, we'd have done it already. Let's be honest.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44I think we need to acknowledge the complexity but not shirk it.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47- We have the talent in Scotland to address complex solutions.- Yeah.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50We just need the will to do it and maybe the resource to support it.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Edinburgh's Castleview Primary serves a community
0:05:58 > 0:06:00affected by real poverty.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04But it's also a place where a lot is expected from the pupils.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07So, Lindsay,
0:06:07 > 0:06:09- great fun here today...- Yes!
0:06:09 > 0:06:12..but there's a serious side to what you're actually doing here,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14so what's actually happening?
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Well, what's happening is our Primary 7 pupils are
0:06:16 > 0:06:19serving Christmas lunch to all the other pupils in the school,
0:06:19 > 0:06:23so we've got two sittings for lunch today, but they also help
0:06:23 > 0:06:26throughout the year as well and it's about that community...
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- Why is that important? - Because we're a school family here
0:06:29 > 0:06:32and we need to be all sharing food together.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33That's a wonderful thing.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36And some of that's kind of, you know, passed now
0:06:36 > 0:06:38and people don't often sit down at a table
0:06:38 > 0:06:42and actually share food together, break bread together.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43That's what this is about.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46And this is about their service to their community
0:06:46 > 0:06:48and it's a real, you know,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52wonderful occasion where everybody's really enjoying themselves.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Hello! How are you?
0:06:58 > 0:07:01This school has recently scored highly on its inspection.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03But it wasn't always that way.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14When Lindsay arrived in 2005 from a school in a well-off area,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17she came to a place with problems.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21When I first arrived here, we did have a lot of exclusions
0:07:21 > 0:07:26for poor behaviour and the curriculum was not well developed,
0:07:26 > 0:07:31so it was a real concentration on developing inspirational teaching
0:07:31 > 0:07:34and learning and really being very firm about what we were going
0:07:34 > 0:07:39to accept in terms of behaviour and also about attendance as well.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41You had to come to school
0:07:41 > 0:07:44so all of those things were really important and it was hard
0:07:44 > 0:07:47and I'm not going to lie to you and I've said this really openly,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49you know, sometimes on the way home from school
0:07:49 > 0:07:51I used to have a little stop in a lay-by
0:07:51 > 0:07:52and I used to have a wee kind of bubble
0:07:52 > 0:07:55and then I'd put my make-up on and then I'd get on with it.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Other headteachers will tell you exactly the same story,
0:07:59 > 0:08:01that sometimes our job is very, very difficult.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05STAFF BANGS ON GROUND
0:08:05 > 0:08:06And who do we have here?
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Quick, call the constable in case they mean me harm.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13I am a friend to the presence of Craigmillar.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Our Primary 7 children take children from all over Scotland
0:08:16 > 0:08:18on tours of Craigmillar Castle
0:08:18 > 0:08:22and it really builds on their learning through literacy
0:08:22 > 0:08:24and through talking and listing,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28and so they are able to build up in their confidence by delivering
0:08:28 > 0:08:31a script which tells you all about the story of Craigmillar Castle,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34and so children are really learning from each other.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Finding ways to engage with parents
0:08:41 > 0:08:44has been a big part of Castleview's success.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48One way has been to start a community allotment -
0:08:48 > 0:08:50the children learn about food
0:08:50 > 0:08:53and the parents have a chance to get to know each other
0:08:53 > 0:08:55and be part of a school community.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59We've got a pond and a dead hedge...
0:08:59 > 0:09:00TOM LAUGHS
0:09:00 > 0:09:03..and ten families which are here on at least a weekly basis.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07Right, and what's the main kind of thing that you're proud of
0:09:07 > 0:09:09that's happening here?
0:09:09 > 0:09:11The whole fact that everybody comes out
0:09:11 > 0:09:13and are working together as families
0:09:13 > 0:09:17and growing and learning new skills about eating and things.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21I think it's more kind of community spirit, fresh air, bit of exercise
0:09:21 > 0:09:22and it's all free.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26- So it's truly the community taking care of itself?- Yeah, that's it
0:09:26 > 0:09:28and it's nice to teach them new skills
0:09:28 > 0:09:31that they'll eventually grow up and hopefully they'll keep it going.
0:09:31 > 0:09:32Hello!
0:09:34 > 0:09:35If I could give you the magic wand
0:09:35 > 0:09:39and you're now the fairy godmother at the top of the tree,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43what's a couple of things you would maybe tell us so that we can go
0:09:43 > 0:09:46and help make it happen elsewhere?
0:09:46 > 0:09:49It's quite simple. It's all about the leadership.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52And it's not just about having a head teacher at the top.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56It's about really developing the leadership of the whole team
0:09:56 > 0:09:58and developing the leadership of the children as well,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01and their understanding of the role that they play
0:10:01 > 0:10:05and what's their service to their school and their community.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08That's what it's about. I'm talking here to you today
0:10:08 > 0:10:12and out there we're feeding 300 children Christmas lunch.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15It's happening. It doesn't need me to do that.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Yeah. Well, it certainly needed you in the beginning
0:10:18 > 0:10:20to set the tone and the culture,
0:10:20 > 0:10:25- and I'm just really glad you did, so thank you.- Thank you. OK.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33Secondary school is where results really count.
0:10:33 > 0:10:34And poverty still has an impact.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39At this Glasgow school,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42only a quarter of children get five Highers.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46In schools in richer areas, it can be three-quarters.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49To give you, I suppose, a statistical breakdown in the school,
0:10:49 > 0:10:5267.6% of our young people
0:10:52 > 0:10:57- lived in the 15% most deprived areas of Scotland.- Right.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00And that gives you an understanding of some of the issues
0:11:00 > 0:11:03in terms of poverty and deprivation
0:11:03 > 0:11:05that make up the school community.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Despite those statistics, increasing numbers of children from here
0:11:11 > 0:11:14are getting into university, and its exam results
0:11:14 > 0:11:18are above average for a community with these levels of poverty.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23I'm so keen that we find out what's going on here,
0:11:23 > 0:11:27so that we close this attainment gap, so, I mean, what do you think?
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I think it comes directly from our head teacher
0:11:30 > 0:11:33so if someone's struggling in our school, just like I was
0:11:33 > 0:11:37in Higher Maths last year, he'll directly set up a meeting
0:11:37 > 0:11:40and he'll talk to you about how you felt during the subject
0:11:40 > 0:11:43and how he thinks he can help us,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46so he set up after-school classes on a Monday.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48We had supported study on Monday, Wednesday,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51- we came in on a Saturday morning. - Wow. And the teachers were willing
0:11:51 > 0:11:53- to give up their time? - And they all gave up their free time
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Saturday morning, 9 till 12,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58- for six weeks.- See, that's a story that's not really told.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00That's brilliant.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02- And I passed, so...- Brilliant.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04We don't settle for second best.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08He always says that we are the best and we need to prove that we are.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11He has such high expectations and ambitions for us and I think
0:12:11 > 0:12:12that stirs us on individually
0:12:12 > 0:12:15because you want to do the best, you want to prove like,
0:12:15 > 0:12:17"Yeah, it's good that you had the faith in me because I can"
0:12:17 > 0:12:20and it drives the teachers as well because they know their targets
0:12:20 > 0:12:23- and goals that they want us to achieve as well.- Wow!
0:12:23 > 0:12:26That's, that's a blueprint for Scottish education right there!
0:12:28 > 0:12:31The school also has a vocational programme
0:12:31 > 0:12:34for children aiming for a job rather than university.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39But the debate around how good a school is
0:12:39 > 0:12:43often focuses solely on Highers and university entrance.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46It seems to me, Gerry,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49that you're being asked to do something impossible.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51HE CHUCKLES
0:12:51 > 0:12:56It seems to me that this attainment gap is measured on exam results
0:12:56 > 0:12:59and of course there's going to be differences
0:12:59 > 0:13:04between areas in Scotland, it's common sense. What do you think?
0:13:04 > 0:13:05I don't focus on it.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09I focus on doing the best for my young people.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12There are schools in other areas, and I won't mention them,
0:13:12 > 0:13:16who are getting better results than us, who are coasting schools,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19who in my view are underperforming schools because they're not
0:13:19 > 0:13:23adding value to the young people that come into their school.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26We add value to every young person
0:13:26 > 0:13:28and because their starting point might be different
0:13:28 > 0:13:31and because some of the challenges they face might be different,
0:13:31 > 0:13:35that's not recognised as much as a school
0:13:35 > 0:13:38where things are already established because of the communities
0:13:38 > 0:13:40and because of their parents
0:13:40 > 0:13:43and because of some of the kind of societal issues, but coast.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48So do you think, then, by focusing and having all this political
0:13:48 > 0:13:52rhetoric about the attainment gap, we're really missing the point
0:13:52 > 0:13:55and we're doing our young people a disservice?
0:13:55 > 0:13:57For me it's about...
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Let's not look at the gap, let's look at the threshold.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04Let's raise the threshold for every young person in Scotland
0:14:04 > 0:14:08and get it higher and higher and higher, so the bar goes up
0:14:08 > 0:14:12and up and up, and everybody works to get over the bar.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15If some people are going higher and have always gone higher, fine.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19But if the bar's getting higher - in St Andrew's it's got higher,
0:14:19 > 0:14:2225% of my young people now leave with five Highers.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29Three years ago that figure was 16%, so we are doing all of that.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33So we're improving. While we're doing that, the threshold's gone up.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35That's where we should be focusing,
0:14:35 > 0:14:39raising the threshold for every single young person in Scotland.
0:14:39 > 0:14:40Sounds good to me, Gerry.
0:14:42 > 0:14:43WHISTLE BLOWS
0:14:43 > 0:14:46I mean, I think the attainment gap has become
0:14:46 > 0:14:50this almost political football that gets kicked about.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52I think it misses the point.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55I think it's a very narrow measure
0:14:55 > 0:14:59of what education is and should be delivering.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03Now, whether that's to get four Highers and go to university,
0:15:03 > 0:15:05that's one measure,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07but whether it's to get an apprenticeship,
0:15:07 > 0:15:10equally valuable.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14And that's why I think we need to broaden out the measure
0:15:14 > 0:15:17of what our education is delivering
0:15:17 > 0:15:19for the young people of Scotland.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23- Thank you and welcome Sir Tom Hunter.- Thank you.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25APPLAUSE
0:15:25 > 0:15:31One of Sir Tom's day jobs is acting as a mentor to young companies.
0:15:31 > 0:15:32From not knowing what a shell suit was,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35we became Europe's biggest seller of shell suits.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Today, he's talking to BrewDog,
0:15:39 > 0:15:43a recent start-up that now employs 600 people
0:15:43 > 0:15:47and their experience confirms his view that paper qualifications
0:15:47 > 0:15:49are only a small part of the picture.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53So, James, when you're recruiting young people,
0:15:53 > 0:15:58is the bits of paper that they've got, is that a prerequisite?
0:15:58 > 0:15:59What do you value the most?
0:15:59 > 0:16:02We're looking for so much more than the bits of paper.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06The bits of paper maybe count for about 10 or 20% of our valuation.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08We're looking for attitude, we're looking for commitment,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11we're looking for passion, we're looking for belief,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13we're looking for personality.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15So we like to get people in, we like to set them challenges,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17we like to ask them unusual questions,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19we like to give them unusual tasks,
0:16:19 > 0:16:21we like to see how they cope under pressure,
0:16:21 > 0:16:22how they cope with challenges
0:16:22 > 0:16:25and that gives us a much better indication of how someone's going
0:16:25 > 0:16:28to get on in our company than interview questions
0:16:28 > 0:16:30and what's on their CV.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37The area around the Church Street estate in London
0:16:37 > 0:16:40is one of the city's poorest neighbourhoods.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46But its school is achieving remarkable things.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51This is an academy, a state school run by a company,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53not a local authority.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56One in five publicly-funded English secondary schools
0:16:56 > 0:16:59is an academy or free school.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01Scotland has none.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05This one aims to bring private sector thinking to public education.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08When the school was founded in 2007,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11the people who were behind the school were very ambitious people,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13very successful in business,
0:17:13 > 0:17:18and they wanted to kind of make something happen for this community
0:17:18 > 0:17:21and in education and then that led to a level of ambition
0:17:21 > 0:17:23and that doesn't necessarily mean
0:17:23 > 0:17:26just replicating what has happened before,
0:17:26 > 0:17:28it means doing things differently.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35This school now has the best GCSE results
0:17:35 > 0:17:37of any non-selective school in England.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41Innovation is everywhere.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45A longer school day, extra time for teachers to plan lessons.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50Students are encouraged to single each other out for praise,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53expressed through clicks and shout-outs.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55I want to give a shout-out to Sada because...
0:17:55 > 0:17:58With a great teacher, everybody working hard,
0:17:58 > 0:17:59this is what our school's all about.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02When I came for my interview day,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04the first thing I came into was a Year 7 classroom
0:18:04 > 0:18:06and they were chanting, "Read, people, read!"
0:18:06 > 0:18:09which is what we do when we're excited about reading our books
0:18:09 > 0:18:11and, the moment I heard that,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13- I knew that this school was something really special.- OK.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16So, before we go, can I have a shout-out for Ms Povey?
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Because I think she's fantastic.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21So one, two, three, two claps.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24- Bye-bye.- Thanks very much.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26The school often recruits through Teach First,
0:18:26 > 0:18:30a programme that brings graduates from top universities
0:18:30 > 0:18:32straight to English and Welsh classrooms
0:18:32 > 0:18:35without a teaching training degree.
0:18:35 > 0:18:36ORCHESTRA PLAYS
0:18:38 > 0:18:40All children learn a musical instrument.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43The year groups are small, just 60 children.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47It's a school that prides itself on finding its own way of working
0:18:47 > 0:18:49and on trying to give poorer pupils
0:18:49 > 0:18:53the advantages wealthier ones take for granted.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Where would you like to end up?
0:18:55 > 0:18:59- I'm aiming for Imperial College. - Wow.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01To do a mechanical engineering degree,
0:19:01 > 0:19:07which I never even thought about a couple of years ago
0:19:07 > 0:19:11and now it's like my dream to become an engineer.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Tell me a bit about your background and how you ended up here.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19I'm the first in my family to think of going to university.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22None of my parents have actually gone.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26They've immigrated here from Lebanon 18 years ago.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28And, at the beginning, before I entered the school,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31I didn't even know how to enter university,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35I didn't know any names of any universities.
0:19:35 > 0:19:36The first day you come here,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39you immediately know about five universities.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43Each class here is named after the university the teachers went to.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47- Ah.- Mine is named after Sussex University so...- OK.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52The school would say that's the kind of small innovation
0:19:52 > 0:19:55that's raised aspiration amongst pupils.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00They also visit college campuses and shadow professionals
0:20:00 > 0:20:02like lawyers and those working in the City.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09So you're allowed to innovate within your school
0:20:09 > 0:20:11- for the benefit of these young people.- Absolutely.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13So I think, if we look at the data,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16historically, pupils from poorer backgrounds
0:20:16 > 0:20:18don't have the same life opportunity.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21There's a big attainment gap in terms of what happens to pupils
0:20:21 > 0:20:23in their lives and, when we started our school,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25we said, "We're going to eradicate that gap.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28"We're going to make it happen that, for our pupils,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30"they're going to be able to achieve everything
0:20:30 > 0:20:33"that anyone who was born into privilege can achieve."
0:20:33 > 0:20:36And that's what, every day, we're working really hard to make happen.
0:20:36 > 0:20:37Fantastic.
0:20:37 > 0:20:43The ambition of the leadership comes through in spades
0:20:43 > 0:20:48and then he is being allowed to innovate within certain boundaries.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50I think that's something that Scotland
0:20:50 > 0:20:52can really, really learn from.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Here at a training firm in Glasgow,
0:20:57 > 0:21:01there's evidence that new things are being tried in Scotland.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04What we need to do is get a plain sheet of metal...
0:21:04 > 0:21:07These pupils are from Newlands Junior College.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09They're studying to be car mechanics.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12The guarantee for every child at the college is they will leave to a job,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16apprenticeship or high-quality college course.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18That's music to Sir Tom's ears.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24I can't help coming back to some of the inequalities
0:21:24 > 0:21:27that I see in Scotland today.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30The best social policy to solve them
0:21:30 > 0:21:33is a decent, well-paid job.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37The college's campus is on Glasgow's Southside.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41It takes pupils from surrounding state schools
0:21:41 > 0:21:44when they're in danger of leaving with no qualifications.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46It's an independent school.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Fees are covered by the local authority,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52Scottish government and the college itself.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55For children like Megan, who was often in trouble at her old school,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59the quiet, informal atmosphere here has worked wonders.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04I used to be this wee angry, wee cheeky wee lassie
0:22:04 > 0:22:07and now I'm confident, I can talk to people...
0:22:07 > 0:22:11- You can.- ..whenever, like anywhere, anybody.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14I can keep my anger in.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18- So, Lee-Anne, you're Megan's mum. - Yep.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22I'm just keen to understand what's been the differences
0:22:22 > 0:22:25- that you've maybe saw? - I've got my wee girl back.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27- You've got your wee girl back.- Yep. - Goodness me.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29And its not just a wee girl. Do you know what?
0:22:29 > 0:22:31She's bright, she's intelligent and she's confident.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35And, when you and her sit and chat now, what do you think?
0:22:35 > 0:22:38- Because I can see something special in Megan.- Megan is special.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41And I think maybe she's just beginning to believe in herself.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Megan believes in herself now. She didn't then.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48But do you know what? It's taken here to make her believe in herself.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51And do you know what? She will go somewhere with her life.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55It'll be all thanks to Newlands Junior College. Definitely.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01The school has only operated for two years.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04It's still to prove itself
0:23:04 > 0:23:06and there's been opposition.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08We are drawing from 11 schools here.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Now, unfortunately, not all of the schools will engage with us.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15- Most of them will. - Some schools say no?
0:23:15 > 0:23:21It's because they've got some sort of philosophical reason
0:23:21 > 0:23:24not to do it. But, anyway, that's fine.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26We'll deal with the ones that deal with us
0:23:26 > 0:23:30and we've got really good engagement with some of the schools.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33And they're putting forward these young people
0:23:33 > 0:23:40as people who they think are likely to get few or no qualifications.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42- But have the talent. - But have the talent.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Newlands, outside of council control,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51but largely publicly funded, is unusual in Scotland.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57The EIS, which represents most Scottish teachers,
0:23:57 > 0:24:01is opposed to reforms like Teach First and academies.
0:24:03 > 0:24:08They want fully qualified teachers and council control of schools.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10To Sir Tom, that sounds like it might be
0:24:10 > 0:24:13a one-size-fits-all approach.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Well, I think, if you visited schools, you would actually find
0:24:16 > 0:24:19much more diversity than people sometimes see from the outside.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23I think there's potentially more scope for a bit more freedom.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25That was one of the big ambitions of Curriculum for Excellence,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28was to actually create this space to allow for schools to do things
0:24:28 > 0:24:31slightly differently and customise what we're delivering
0:24:31 > 0:24:34to young people to the needs of the young people.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38We probably haven't gone as far down that road as we'd hope for.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44I think we have got to take on some of the lessons
0:24:44 > 0:24:48from all round the world, and indeed even England,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50where perhaps we can learn from.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54So we've got to be open to these innovations
0:24:54 > 0:24:58so that we can build a world-class education system in Scotland.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01I don't think we're quite there yet.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06The future of Scottish education
0:25:06 > 0:25:10will be determined here at the Scottish Parliament.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Hello, First Minister. How are you? Nice to see you.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Sir Tom is ending his journey by sitting down
0:25:16 > 0:25:20with the woman at the top to share what he's heard.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24One of the very innovative things that we saw was down in London,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26an academy school,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29and it seems to me there are innovations there
0:25:29 > 0:25:31which we don't have in Scotland
0:25:31 > 0:25:35and I just wonder why we wouldn't give our kids in Scotland
0:25:35 > 0:25:37a chance to have this.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40You know, I'm not closed-minded to anything that is proven to work
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and I went to London to look at some of the experience
0:25:43 > 0:25:47of the London Challenge. I went to a school in Tower Hamlets
0:25:47 > 0:25:51and they were pointing to many of the different aspects
0:25:51 > 0:25:55of what had worked in the London Challenge, not just Teach First.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58I also went to New York to see some of the innovative practices
0:25:58 > 0:26:00they're doing there so I'm not ideological about this
0:26:00 > 0:26:03and I'm absolutely clear, if something can be proven to work,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06we should try it. In fact, we should be prepared to try things
0:26:06 > 0:26:08to see if they work rather than sitting back passively
0:26:08 > 0:26:11and waiting to see if other people can do it
0:26:11 > 0:26:15so there's no ideological closing of doors.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Making sure that our young folk get the best education
0:26:18 > 0:26:20is the only thing that matters to me
0:26:20 > 0:26:23and, if something can be shown to work in doing that
0:26:23 > 0:26:25or if something's worth trying to do that,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27then I'll certainly be in the market for it.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30I just wonder about measures of success
0:26:30 > 0:26:33because, when we went to St Andrew's in Carntyne,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36the headmaster there was terrific,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39and he said it wasn't so much about an attainment gap,
0:26:39 > 0:26:43he was trying to make sure that every pupil in his school
0:26:43 > 0:26:45reached the potential they had.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48I mean, what do you think about these measures of success?
0:26:48 > 0:26:51I agree with that but I guess,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54you know, what I want to see is that,
0:26:54 > 0:26:58when we talk about a young person fulfilling the potential they have,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01it's got to mean the potential they innately have,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04not the potential once you factor in their background
0:27:04 > 0:27:08and their circumstances and, you know, the degree of poverty
0:27:08 > 0:27:10or otherwise that they live in.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Now, that involves much more than education.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16That's about how we tackle poverty and disadvantage and deprivation
0:27:16 > 0:27:23but we've got to see schools as part of how we overcome the disadvantage
0:27:23 > 0:27:24that some of our young people have.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27- First Minister, thank you very much. - Thank you.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33I think the key things that have struck me is one -
0:27:33 > 0:27:35one size doesn't fit all.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Leadership, surprise, surprise,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45when we went into the schools, it comes from the top.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52And I suppose I'm someone who always likes to know
0:27:52 > 0:27:54whether we're making any difference or not.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Is that a piece of paper?
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Is that a positive destination?
0:28:01 > 0:28:05And the most positive destination a young person can get to
0:28:05 > 0:28:06is a well-paid job.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Are we measuring the right things
0:28:13 > 0:28:18and are we adjusting our education system when it's not working
0:28:18 > 0:28:20or are we afraid to take these steps?
0:28:24 > 0:28:29I would say we'd be doing Scotland's children a disservice
0:28:29 > 0:28:31if we were afraid.