Question reference: S6W-17964
- Date lodged: 15 May 2023
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Current status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 25 May 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is the case that it considers the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation to be the only measure of progress on widening access to further education, and, if so, what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) is currently the national measure of progress on widening access to higher education. This was recommended by the Commission on Widening Access in its final report, A Blueprint for Fairness, in 2016, and Ministers committed to adopting the recommendations in full. We recognise that there may be other suitable measures to work alongside SIMD, which is why Scottish Government officials are chairing an Access Data Short-Life Working Group to investigate this.