Swinney faces defeat after ‘desperate stunt’ to defend tests in P 1
JOHN Swinney is set for a humiliating Holyrood defeat today over controversial tests for P1 pupils after his desperate attempts to win support failed.
The Education Secretary has faced growing pressure over standardised assessments, with opposition parties joining forces to demand they are scrapped.
Teachers, parents, union bosses and MSPs have raised concerns over the tests amid claims children as young as four have been left shaking and in tears.
But Mr Swinney has refused to ditch the flagship policy – insisting the tests are vital for measuring a child’s progress.
Yesterday he invited MSPs to a demon- stration of the tests in a bid to win support, but the assessments appeared to leave many with more questions about the collection of results and their validity.
Officials revealed a series of practice questions and how the tests work in schools – and admitted that league tables could be formed from the information.
David Leng, the Government’s Scottish National Standardised Assessments Product Owner, said they could be carried out at any point in the year, with or without support from teachers and older pupils, and not all children would sit the same questions.
The lack of a control in the tests has raised concerns, as it emerged that some youngsters have already sat them in class since starting school only weeks ago – while others will wait until next spring.
The Scottish Conservatives will lead a debate today, calling for the tests to be scrapped. It is expected that Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Greens will back the Tories in an embarrassing defeat for the Government.
Although not legally binding, any defeat will be embarrassing for Nicola Sturgeon, who has claimed education is her ‘top priority’.
Conservative education spokesman Liz Smith said standardised assessments could have a ‘key role’ in improving standards in schools – but not in P1.
She said: ‘We will continue to support the introduction of tests in P4, P7 and S3 and will back the Scottish Government in its efforts to do so. But the SNP needs to rethink its plans for those tests to be introduced in P1 and call an immediate halt.’
Miss Smith claimed it was ‘irresponsible’ not to listen to the concerns of parents and teachers.
In a briefing on the tests yesterday, Mr Leng said that it is up to teachers to decide when their pupils sit them, meaning youngsters are sitting them at different times throughout the school year depending on where they live. He admitted children do not all get the same questions, with the tests designed to get harder as children give more correct answers, and easier for those struggling.
Mr Leng also revealed the assessments can be carried out as a class, with one-on-one support from a teacher or with the support of an older child, sparking concerns over the data’s validity.
Scottish Labour education spokesman Iain Gray said the tests had been ‘completely discredited’ and Mr Swinney’s demonstrations were ‘desperate stunts’.
He added: ‘The idea that civil servants performing the tests to MSPs is in any way equivalent to the pressure felt by a four-year-old sitting them is utter nonsense.
‘The Scottish parliament has the opportunity to vote to scrap these tests for Primary 1 children.
‘If the SNP Government were to ignore such a vote it would simply underline how out of touch ministers are on education.’
Mr Leng also said that unofficial league tables could be compiled from the test results.
He stressed that the results were for teachers to analyse only, but admitted that parents could ask for this, and that councils would hold information on schools’ performances and how they compared across the country.
Lib Dem MSP Tavish Scott said the ‘Government must accept’ parliament’s view, while Ross Greer for the Greens said the ‘tests do more harm than good’.
Mr Swinney said the tests are ‘a valuable tool for teachers to identify the next steps in a child’s learning’.
‘The SNP needs to rethink its plans’ ‘More harm than good’