Lyndsay McRoberts on the ‘Future of Education in South Ayrshire’

Lyndsay is currently Head of Education in South Ayrshire, having taken up the post in April 2022.

Prior to school leadership roles, she was Principal Teacher of Pupil Support in East Ayrshire, starting her career as a Biology Teacher within Glasgow City Council. In 2014, Lyndsay became Head Teacher of Kyle Academy, and then spent 18 months as Executive Head Teacher of Kyle and Ayr Academies before moving to East Kilbride.

Since 2016, she has been a member of the ‘Scottish Qualifications Authority Advisory Council’ and joined the Board of Education Scotland as a non-executive member in 2019.

Passionate about school improvement, Lyndsay has been:

• a member of BOSCH, raising awareness and aspirations in STEM amongst young people,
• Served as a Peer Head Teacher with Education Scotland,
• As an Associate Assessor with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education

Lyndsay explained the challenges facing the future education in Scotland including the Scottish Attainment Challenge is about achieving equity in educational outcomes, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. Equity can be achieved by ensuring every child has the same opportunity to succeed. She also addressed that 1 in 5 children from poor families in Scotland leaves primary school unable to read well, a level four times as high as that of pupils from better off households. Not reading well can cut short children’s chances in life, and makes Scotland less fair and less prosperous.

Lyndsay continued by mentioning the Morgan Review. Angela Morgan’s review of implementation of additional support for learning (the ASL Review) was a significant moment in Scotland’s educational landscape. The broad engagement that Angela undertook as part of the review had the voices of children and young people, parents and carers and professionals at its heart.

Many other exciting initiatives were covered in her talk, and Lyndsay concluded by stating the large number of schools under her remit.

40 Primary Schools

8 Secondary…and

8 Campus police officers

Howard Stevenson gave a worthy vote of thanks