Education: policy context

Recent government policy documents have made clear reference to how education improvements could deliver improvements in health. Towards A Healthier Scotland, the 1999 white paper on health, envisaged that action on life circumstances, including the provision of expanded pre-school education and better support for vulnerable families, would have many benefits, including better health. Since then, and following publication of the consultative paper on education Targeting Excellence - Modernising Scotland's Schools (1999), the Scottish Executive have worked on a number of major educational initiatives, including: a strategy for lifelong learning -  Life Through Learning, Learning Through Life (2003) and a report on Adult Literacy and Numeracy in Scotland (2001), both of which contain many recommendations to enhance learning opportunities in adult life.