New funding is allowing innovative work to raise attainment in Scotland’s schools, the First Minister has said.

Nicola Sturgeon met pupils and staff working with support from the £120 million Pupil Equity Fund (PEF) at Levenvale Primary School in Alexandria on Monday.

The school has used its share of the fund to recruit an extra teacher to work on literacy through Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) projects, and create a child and parent book club.

Allocations from the fund are based on the number of pupils from primary one to three who are registered for free school meals.

The First Minister said: “We’ve made it clear we want to see more of the budgets that support schools and education generally being determined at the level of individual schools so the PEF fund is really the first step in doing that.

“It is money, and I’ve heard this from headteachers around the country, that is allowing them to make a difference and I think that’s what’s important about it.”

Ms Sturgeon added: “The number one priority of this government is to raise school attainment, particularly in less advantaged areas.

“The work I have seen at Levenvale Primary is a perfect example of this. By looking carefully at their own unique circumstances, they have created their own solutions – in particular by recruiting specialist staffing and providing extra support to parents.”