Nats regurgitate education plans
Last week the Scottish Government announced their priorities for Government, and it was clear that improving education will be their number one aim over the next five years.
As I listened to the First Minister, I was struck by a sense of déjà vu as the Scottish Government has been in power for nine years and have had ample opportunity to progress meaningful education reform.
Changes made so far have failed to produce the right outcomes on almost all levels.
Scores on the PISA rankings have fallen in successive years and this week’s Scottish Literacy and numeracy survey showed that the attainment gap is growing at an alarming rate.
Despite free university education, a significantly lower percentage of students from deprived backgrounds are going to university when compared to England and Wales, where tuition fees exist.
And the curriculum for excellence has been struck by serious teething problems with the SQA being hit by scandal over the past two exam years.
Turning these failures around will require serious thought and hopefully co-operation between all parties.
I was therefore delighted to have been appointed the Scottish Conservatives’ education spokesperson. In my role shadowing John Swinney, I will press for greater support for college learners and an end to the named persons scheme which is clearly adding pressure to already weary teachers.
There must also be clarification on new national testing and what this means for both students and teachers, particularly at a primary school level.
Despite these differences there is common ground between us and the Government.
There is now a clear parliamentary majority in favour of giving schools greater power over budgets, recruitment and the ability to opt out of local authority control.
Giving head teachers more flexibility has the potential to drive up standards with schools tailoring their tuition to the needs of individual pupils.
Over the summer we will push for speedy reforms at an education summit and I would encourage the Government to fast-track the devolution of power to head teachers.
A great example of free thinking from individual school leaders is the daily mile and I was therefore pleased to learn that a third of pupils in Perth and Kinross schools are running it.
The daily mile involves pupils taking around 15 minutes out of class to walk, jog or run a mile around their playgrounds, sports facilities or nearby area.
As well as helping their fitness, studies have shown it can also help pupils’ engagement and attainment whilst also boosting friendships and confidence.
This type of forward thinking is exactly what we can expect if the shackles are taken off of school leaders.
Ensuring that there is a level playing field for all students is a long process and there is no easy fix when it comes to increasing attainment but the Scottish Government must use its powers responsibly to create the best environment for students at primary, secondary and tertiary education.
As ever I welcome the feedback of constituents and can be contacted at the Control Tower, Perth Airport, Scone, Perth PH2 6PL. Tel: 01738 553990 or email at Elizabeth.Smith.msp@ parliament.scot