Johnny Little

1 in 4 children in Scotland are not reaching primary school standards, according to a new report on Education performance. The PISA report has raised generational concerns about the decline:

These concerns are echoed by what Former First Minister Henry Mcleish has observed:

‘The amount of money invested in public services has gone down and down, and has really reached severe limit in what we can do in education.’

‘We have a an SNP government legitimately pursuing independence, but I think the eye is off the ball too many times and what we need to do is refocus on the big issues, and of course one of them is education.’

Mcleish addresses the impact of covid and the lack of public spending on education:

‘Covid 19 provided a massive step back for education. What is important to realise is that issues like that don’t impact everybody in the same way. Scotland also suffers from poverty and considerable inequalities.’

‘It’s what government should value. I’m very critical of the present government of Westminster because it believes taxes should be cut regardless of the consequences for public policy.’

Carole Mckenzie, Director of Education at the South Lanarkshire council, explains her reaction to the Pisa report as someone who is actively involved in education policy:

‘Disappointment would be my overall reaction, touched with a hinge of realism. I think it’s a kind of wake up call now for us really to look at what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.’’

Mckenzie emphasises the after effect of covid and the issues surrounding the Curriculum of Excellence:

‘Since we’ve all got back to ‘normal’ it’s still seen as, if I need a day off now, I’ll just take it as opposed to you’ve got to go to school every day.’

‘I think that somewhere along the way in the primary sector, some of the rigor was lost through CFE’

Mckenzie describes how the lack of public spending has additional impact:

‘It would be a dereliction of my duty not to also point out that we need enough their resources and finance within the local government setting’

Whenever education policy is implemented, there is always the opinion of the student who is effected. David, who sat his national 5’s and higher’s during the pandemic, gives his experience:

‘Obviously being taught through a video on powerpoint isn’t the same as being taught in a classroom’

‘The year that I took my higher was the first year that people actually did exams again. That kind of felt unfair, it wasn’t like I didn’t go through the same thing that people who didn’t have to take exams’

At the youngest level of primary school education, concerns are equal. Lisa, who’s child is currently in primary 4, is worried about the prioritisation of education.’

‘I just feel that our education has gone on to the backburner.’

‘We had to invest in tutors to help our daughter. We’re lucky in our position to be able to afford that.’

Click here to read the PISA report on Scottish Education