File:Are you with me-Nicola Sturgeon.webm

English: On this day last year, I had the enormous privilege of being sworn in as the First Minister of Scotland. I want to take the opportunity to thank all of you who sent messages of congratulations at that time and to thank you for the great support you have shown me ever since. From facebook question and answer sessions, to public meetings across the country, I have tried very hard to be an open and accessible First Minister, and I will continue to do that in the months and years to come.

Over the past year, one of my big priorities has been education. I know personally the importance of education. It’s largely down to the education I had, that this working class girl from Ayrshire can now be the First Minister of Scotland. So I’ve launched a £100million attainment fund because I am determined to make sure that we raise standards in our schools and that we also close the gap in attainment between those in our most and those in our least deprived areas. Everyone regardless of their background has the right to a high quality education.

Of course I’m also the first women to have held the office of First Minister and I am determined that I use my position in whatever way I can to open the gate of opportunity to women and to girls across the country. I was very proud to appoint one of only a small number of gender balanced cabinets across the world and I am now determined that we continue to improve and to transform the provision of childcare in this country. Firstly because it is a key way of giving young people the best start in life but also because it helps parents, and mothers in particular, get back in to the work place.

So these are some of the priorities I’ve been pursuing over the past year. This job is such an amazing privilege and there is not a day goes by that I don’t consider and reflect on what a big opportunity this is. So I look forward to the year ahead, and to continuing with the work that I have started, there is much work still to do. And as I look back on the last year I am proud of what has been done but in many ways I am just getting started. So I look forward to working to make this country even better in the months and years to come.