New curriculum must do better

To say that the Curriculum for Excellence has failed to achieve all that was hoped would be a kindness. Indeed, to be frank, there is precious little evidence of any positive progress.

International comparators have not been particularly kind in recent years, and – on a more parochial level – domestic attainment figures released yesterday painted a worrying picture.

The SNP – to their great credit – have always made it very clear that educational improvement is at the very top of the list of governmental priorities.

However, matching action to the impressive rhetoric has been far from straightforward.

The drive to implement the new curriculum doubtless stemmed from the very best of intentions.

However, the dogged determination not to deviate from the project, despite evidence of at best limited success – not to mention strong opposition from teachers – has been misguided.

The new statistics do not make for happy reading, with local pupils falling below expected standards in far too many areas.

The precise reasons for this are not entirely clear but it is something that requires urgent attention. Acting now, before standards slip yet further, is essential. A full, thorough and entirely dispassionate review of the new curriculum would be a good start.