Meeting of the Parliament 09 May 2017
I am grateful for prior sight of the statement.
Many parents across Scotland will see some of the statistics as nothing short of shameful, especially those that reflect the persistence of the attainment gap, the decline in some basic literacy skills between primary 4 and S2, and the increase in the number of pupils in S2 who are not meeting the required standards in writing at all. Does the cabinet secretary agree with some of the teachers who responded to the Education and Skills Committee’s call for evidence by citing falling teacher numbers and additional classroom bureaucracy as the pressures that prevent them from getting on with the job that they are trained to do, including better teaching of literacy and numeracy?
Secondly, does the cabinet secretary agree with literacy expert Sue Ellis when she says that there is a lack of focus on ensuring that teachers have a depth of knowledge in maths and literacy and that teacher training is falling short in this area? Thirdly, does he now accept that a wide range of data is essential if we are to effectively measure curriculum for excellence and that it was a mistake to move Scotland from trends in international mathematics and science study—TIMSS—and progress in international reading literacy study—PIRLS—measurements, given their ability to provide additional and better-quality evidence?