Test case

Nicola Sturgeon is right (Scotsman, 11 September) – “getting access to information about how young people are doing to inform the judgement that teachers make is really important”.

However, in terms of the poverty-related attainment gap, we already have this information. Research in 2014 showed that by P1 there is a gap between children from high and low income families of around ten months in problem-solving skills and 13 months in vocabulary.

All the international evidence shows that the best way to help these children close those gaps, thus laying sound foundations for literacy and numeracy, is relationship-centred, play-based pedagogy, as prescribed in the Early Level of Curriculum for Excellence.

In April this year, Upstart Scotland sent all Scottish MSPS a copy of its Play not Tests for P1 document, which explains that the introduction of national standardised assessment of specific literacy and numeracy skills will encourage schools to teach to the tests, thus pulling them in exactly the opposite direction from play-based pedagogy.

P1 testing is thus more likely to widen the attainment gap in the long run than to close it.

We are very disappointed that the current political controversy has not taken any account of this evidencebased argument, which also has implications for all children’s

long-term health and wellbeing.

SUE PALMER Upstart Scotland, Edinburgh