Chamber
Plenary, 14 Jan 2010
14 Jan 2010 · S3 · Plenary
Item of business
Literacy Commission
My belief in the importance of literacy was developed during the many years that I spent as a teacher working with youngsters who were failing to acquire basic literacy skills and my subsequent time lecturing in what was described as special educational needs.
Over a number of years, I saw a significant number of youngsters come into S1 who were not functionally literate and who then had difficulties accessing the curriculum—in the high school in which I taught, the figure was more than 20 per cent of those who were assessed. Those pupils were regarded almost as having learning difficulties, when in fact, for a variety of reasons, they had failed to master functional literacy skills in primary school, where a systematic approach to tackling those difficulties had not been adopted. Many of those youngsters went through the education system failing, fundamentally because they had failed to acquire basic literacy skills.
As someone who saw that at first hand over a number of years and who talked to and worked with the students concerned and their parents, I know the transformational effect that support to acquire basic literacy skills can have, and that is what drives me and the Labour Party. We have a passion for education and its transformational power, and we believe that every pupil in Scotland has a right to access high-quality education and that every child in Scotland has an absolute right to acquire basic literacy skills or functional literacy.
We know that, despite having one of the highest percentages of youngsters going on to higher education, we also have thousands of pupils leaving school who are not functionally literate. We have 13,000 pupils leaving primary school without functional literacy and a million adults in Scotland who are not functionally literate. That is simply unacceptable, both in terms of the economy and in basic human terms. We know that there are major barriers to Scotland's economic success. From speaking to people in education, teachers, people in business and academics, we know that there is widespread concern about literacy. We have only to talk to parents to know that that concern exists and that there is a recognition of the fact that pupils are being held back.
It is said that, when a job needs to be done well, one should ask busy people to do it. I echo the thanks that have been given to the literacy commission. The members of the commission had one thing in common—a belief in and passion for education and a deep commitment to doing something about it. I apologise for the fact that, when I asked them to do the job, I said that it would probably take six months—I recognise that it has taken something more than that. However, it is a very important and academically robust report, which has come up with a route map for the vision to make Scotland the first country in the world to achieve full literacy.
I give special thanks to Judith Gillespie, the redoubtable chair of the commission, who had the unenviable job of holding together a group of people who are all extremely successful and vocal and who have their own strong views and passions. I recognise that that was not always easy, and I thank every member of the commission.
The report is academically robust and sets out the vision for a fully literate Scotland. Scotland could and should become the first country in the world to banish illiteracy—we must all share that vision. That is not the massive problem that we might imagine; it has been done before.
Members have referred to the work in West Dunbartonshire that was led by Professor Tommy MacKay, who was part of the literacy commission. Over a 10-year project, the pupils in West Dunbartonshire developed functional literacy and, indeed, went on to have higher-order literacy skills as they got older.
The key features of the West Dunbartonshire project were a policy commitment at all levels to the development of literacy, leadership at all levels, and acceptance and support right across the education system that was shared by parents as well. Importantly, there was also a systematic approach to assessment that identified pupils who were failing to learn to read, which included the screening of pupils at a pre-school stage.
That is what was fundamentally missing from the five-to-14 assessment, and the danger is that it will still be missing from the curriculum for excellence. Yes, there will be formal literacy assessment in secondary schools—we welcome that; Labour called for it in the past—but there will be no progress until the Government accepts that functional literacy must be a benchmark, which is what was accepted in West Dunbartonshire, and it sets that as the level that it is going to get youngsters up to. We will continue to describe pupils' progress as we did in the five-to-14 assessment but, until we recognise the importance of the concept of functional literacy, we will merely continue as we did in the five-to-14 assessment. Sadly, I do not see any change in attitude by the people who are doing the work on the curriculum for excellence.
Over a number of years, I saw a significant number of youngsters come into S1 who were not functionally literate and who then had difficulties accessing the curriculum—in the high school in which I taught, the figure was more than 20 per cent of those who were assessed. Those pupils were regarded almost as having learning difficulties, when in fact, for a variety of reasons, they had failed to master functional literacy skills in primary school, where a systematic approach to tackling those difficulties had not been adopted. Many of those youngsters went through the education system failing, fundamentally because they had failed to acquire basic literacy skills.
As someone who saw that at first hand over a number of years and who talked to and worked with the students concerned and their parents, I know the transformational effect that support to acquire basic literacy skills can have, and that is what drives me and the Labour Party. We have a passion for education and its transformational power, and we believe that every pupil in Scotland has a right to access high-quality education and that every child in Scotland has an absolute right to acquire basic literacy skills or functional literacy.
We know that, despite having one of the highest percentages of youngsters going on to higher education, we also have thousands of pupils leaving school who are not functionally literate. We have 13,000 pupils leaving primary school without functional literacy and a million adults in Scotland who are not functionally literate. That is simply unacceptable, both in terms of the economy and in basic human terms. We know that there are major barriers to Scotland's economic success. From speaking to people in education, teachers, people in business and academics, we know that there is widespread concern about literacy. We have only to talk to parents to know that that concern exists and that there is a recognition of the fact that pupils are being held back.
It is said that, when a job needs to be done well, one should ask busy people to do it. I echo the thanks that have been given to the literacy commission. The members of the commission had one thing in common—a belief in and passion for education and a deep commitment to doing something about it. I apologise for the fact that, when I asked them to do the job, I said that it would probably take six months—I recognise that it has taken something more than that. However, it is a very important and academically robust report, which has come up with a route map for the vision to make Scotland the first country in the world to achieve full literacy.
I give special thanks to Judith Gillespie, the redoubtable chair of the commission, who had the unenviable job of holding together a group of people who are all extremely successful and vocal and who have their own strong views and passions. I recognise that that was not always easy, and I thank every member of the commission.
The report is academically robust and sets out the vision for a fully literate Scotland. Scotland could and should become the first country in the world to banish illiteracy—we must all share that vision. That is not the massive problem that we might imagine; it has been done before.
Members have referred to the work in West Dunbartonshire that was led by Professor Tommy MacKay, who was part of the literacy commission. Over a 10-year project, the pupils in West Dunbartonshire developed functional literacy and, indeed, went on to have higher-order literacy skills as they got older.
The key features of the West Dunbartonshire project were a policy commitment at all levels to the development of literacy, leadership at all levels, and acceptance and support right across the education system that was shared by parents as well. Importantly, there was also a systematic approach to assessment that identified pupils who were failing to learn to read, which included the screening of pupils at a pre-school stage.
That is what was fundamentally missing from the five-to-14 assessment, and the danger is that it will still be missing from the curriculum for excellence. Yes, there will be formal literacy assessment in secondary schools—we welcome that; Labour called for it in the past—but there will be no progress until the Government accepts that functional literacy must be a benchmark, which is what was accepted in West Dunbartonshire, and it sets that as the level that it is going to get youngsters up to. We will continue to describe pupils' progress as we did in the five-to-14 assessment but, until we recognise the importance of the concept of functional literacy, we will merely continue as we did in the five-to-14 assessment. Sadly, I do not see any change in attitude by the people who are doing the work on the curriculum for excellence.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alex Fergusson):
NPA
Good morning. The first item of business is a debate on motion S3M-5512, in the name of Des McNulty, on the report of the literacy commission. Unless there a...
Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab):
Lab
I express my gratitude to the members of the literacy commission, some of whom are in the gallery, for their efforts in producing the substantial report that...
Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Con
I am a little bit confused by Labour's position, given that Mr McNulty and all his Labour colleagues voted on 7 January 2009 for exactly the same wording as ...
Des McNulty:
Lab
Perhaps Mr Fraser should read carefully the literacy commission's report, which makes an overwhelming case against the approach that he and his Conservative ...
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (Michael Russell):
SNP
I welcome the debate, as it gives me another opportunity to thank publicly the members of the literacy commission—some of whom are in the gallery—restate the...
Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab):
Lab
There is clearly a big issue about adult illiteracy and the impact that it has on families. What expectation does the cabinet secretary have that the single ...
Michael Russell:
SNP
That positive suggestion from Johann Lamont that the single outcome agreement process—a developing process that was positively discussed yesterday at the mee...
Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab):
Lab
The term "functional literacy" is central to the matter. In West Dunbartonshire the concept of functional literacy is used as a benchmark to measure progress...
Michael Russell:
SNP
I do not want to get into what my predecessor or her predecessor or any other predecessor did. I recognise the term, but one of the things that the literacy ...
Des McNulty:
Lab
The real question is partly a matter of priorities. What is the Government's priority? Is it improving literacy or reducing class sizes? Even more important,...
Michael Russell:
SNP
I am very deliberately not talking all the time about class sizes. I have discussed the subject in a paragraph almost 11 minutes into my speech. However, I t...
Johann Lamont:
Lab
Will the cabinet secretary give way?
Michael Russell:
SNP
No. Sorry, but I would like to finish this point.The means by which literacy is achieved are many and varied. I accept the literacy commission's recommendati...
Johann Lamont:
Lab
Will the cabinet secretary give way?
Michael Russell:
SNP
No, I do not want to take a point from Johann Lamont. It is possible to see a contribution being made by smaller class sizes, just as it is possible to see a...
Murdo Fraser:
Con
Is that another U-turn?
Michael Russell:
SNP
Although Mr Fraser might point out that we voted for such an amendment the last time, times change.I move amendment S3M-5512.2, to insert after "literacy act...
Elizabeth Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con):
Con
We warmly welcome this debate on a topic that the Scottish Conservatives have long believed is the most important in education. I, too, pay tribute to the wo...
Michael Russell:
SNP
Just to be absolutely clear, I neither said that nor believe it. The work that is required to be done to continue to build a curriculum for excellence is wha...
Elizabeth Smith:
Con
Cabinet secretary, I am more than happy to join in that work, but the assertion that teachers across the board have never been involved in dealing with liter...
Michael Russell:
SNP
I never said that.
Elizabeth Smith:
Con
Forgive me, but the cabinet secretary's words indicated exactly that.Let me be clear: there is absolutely no need to reinvent the wheel. Many good things hav...
Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD):
LD
Does the member recognise the value of the continuing examination of literacy that is available through the national assessment bank materials, particularly ...
Elizabeth Smith:
Con
If the member is referring to NAB materials within secondary schools, I think that there are deep concerns about that process—
Hugh O'Donnell:
LD
I referred to primary schools.
Elizabeth Smith:
Con
Regarding the primary set-up, I think that most teachers are anxious that there should be considerable improvement in the testing process to ensure that pupi...
Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD):
LD
In speaking to the amendment in the name of my colleague Margaret Smith, I add my thanks to the members of the literacy commission for their work in producin...
Christina McKelvie (Central Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
Don't worry—there is a numeracy debate next week.
Hugh O'Donnell:
LD
Thank you for that.We agree with the report's recommendation that there should be a sustained policy commitment at all levels of government to providing our ...
Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab):
Lab
My belief in the importance of literacy was developed during the many years that I spent as a teacher working with youngsters who were failing to acquire bas...