The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Fife children falling behind in key skills
Area below par in each of the basic disciplines
Worrying new figures have revealed the percentage of Fife school pupils achieving the expected level in reading, writing, numeracy, and listening and talking has fallen below the Scottish average across the board.
Statistics included in the annual Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels Return, which is based on the professional judgment of teachers, suggest the region’s school children are struggling to meet standards set by youngsters in other areas at both primary and secondary level.
Fife is said to be below par in each of the key disciplines studied, and is lagging behind in all stages measured from P1 to S3.
However, Peter McNaughton, head of education in Fife, said: “We’re confident that the ongoing work being undertaken within Fife to support schools with the new guidance and changes within our system will be reflected in our performance data as we move into next session, and beyond.”
Education chiefs have been urged to act over a “worrying” rise in the number of pupils being assigned to individual teachers in Courier Country schools.
Dundee classrooms have seen a staggering 13% rise in the ratio of pupils to teachers since 2011, the highest of any region in Scotland.
Meanwhile, schools in Perth and Kinross have seen a jump of 4.81% over the six-year period, with Fife experiencing an increase of 3.35% and Angus a rise of 0.82%.
Scottish Labour’s education spokesperson Iain Gray MSP said the figures are “deeply troubling” and would shock parents across Dundee, Angus, Perthshire and Fife.
“Scotland already has among the largest class sizes in the world and, as these figures show, in places such as Dundee that situation is getting worse,” he said.
The findings, published as part of a government report into Scottish schools, also found a year on year increase in absence reported in Dundee and Fife, prompting concerns over how the institutions are being managed.
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Liz Smith, who also serves as the Scottish Conservative’s education spokeswoman, said there were a “number of worrying underlying problems” identified in the report.
She claimed teacher numbers across Scotland are still “nowhere near the level required” and called on the Scottish Government to do more.
While the number of teachers has increased year on year, the Education Institute of Scotland (EIS) warned the rise was largely based on Attainment Challenge funds, which are only intended to be additional resources.
General secretary Larry Flanagan said the EIS, Scotland’s largest teaching union, has serious concerns about the sustainability of the new posts.
He added: “Young people in our classrooms should have the right to expect a high-quality educational experience, delivered by sufficient numbers of fully qualified teachers.”
A spokeswoman for Dundee City Council said: “These figures reflect a year of change within the school environment in the city, in particular the closure of Menzieshill High School and the increased activity being delivered through the Attainment Challenge.
“While every effort continues to be made to recruit teachers to deliver the curriculum at all levels in Dundee, it is worth noting that in the city we have high numbers of Early Years teachers.”