Meeting of the Parliament 15 May 2019
The 2015 OECD report that examined Scottish schools said some very interesting things, and it is in that context that I will address Tavish Scott’s motion, which the Scottish Conservatives will support. The report made plain just why investment in education is important, why Scotland has so much potential and strength in its underlying ethos—that is, why there are so many good things in Scottish education—but also why, as yet, we are not able to fully harness that potential.
I do not doubt for a minute the very genuine desire across this chamber—that, of course, includes the cabinet secretary—to deliver the highest standards for our young people, but it seems abundantly clear that several key things are getting in the way of the SNP’s approach to fulfilling that promise.
The OECD report acknowledges that, when educational reform is introduced, things cannot be expected to turn around overnight, hence why it would not have been sensible to evaluate CFE in the first few years of implementation. However, the report goes on to say that the mid-term evaluation of CFE is crucial and the OECD worries that Scotland is not sufficiently data rich—for exactly the reasons that Iain Gray set out—when it comes to the measurement of progress. Of course, that makes it all the more surprising that the Scottish Government wanted to remove Scotland from other helpful international data. We cannot go on hoping that things will turn around when we know that there are fundamental flaws with accuracy of measurement.
It is surely urgent to comprehensively review CFE—not its principles, but its structures. If that does not happen soon, its whole raison d’être will be called into question and, as Tavish Scott rightly said, nobody wants that.
The OECD makes the point strongly that
“A priority area for evaluation is to follow closely how CfE is being implemented on the ground”.
I think that it is very fair to say that the inquires led by the Education and Skills Committee on attainment and subject choice have thrown up considerable concern from the ground about the implementation of CFE.
I will give two examples. First, in the debate about P1 testing, considerable concern was expressed about whether the purpose of that testing was clear and whether it was formative or summative. The cabinet secretary seemed to muddy the waters on the issue when he gave evidence to the committee on 20 February. It is that lack of clarity and unwillingness to respect some of Parliament’s concerns that led to further confusion over the P1 tests.
Secondly, on subject choice, the real problem that has been flagged up is the complete disconnect between the broad general education and the senior phase. It seems that each has been designed by a different agency, which has resulted in a lack of accountability. To some extent, I think that schools and local authorities have become confused about their roles. The cabinet secretary said in the previous debate on subject choice that there is a tension between CFE allowing schools autonomy and the adherence to national standards. I think that he has a point, but they are not and should not be incompatible when it comes to the curriculum.