Parents ‘left in the dark’ on school performance, claims Davidson

Parents are “left in the dark” when it comes to school performance with only a handful of secondaries making information on attainment and curriculum readily available, it has been claimed.

At First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson quoted new research suggesting just 7 per cent of schools in Scotland abide by regulations governing what information they are required to make public.

Ms Davidson said research by Professor Jim Scott of Dundee University will next week reveal how many schools comply with the Education (Schools and Placing Information) regulations introduced by SNP ministers six years ago.

The regulations state information should be accessible on a host of matters including the subjects available to pupils and the performance of the school at local and national level. Ms Davidson said Professor Scott’s analysis would show only 7 per cent of schools make information on curriculum and attainment readily available while 20 per cent do not meet any of the requirements in the regulations.

“Schools should, according to this government’s own rules, give parents clear data on the curriculum and on performance,” Ms Davidson said.

“That’s so parents can find out about the school they are entrusting their children with or, where appropriate, make an informed decision about which school to choose.

0 The majority of Scottish schools are accused of not providing information on attainment and curriculum to parents

“Yet, according to Professor Scott, six years on the parent who wishes to make an informed choice of school has relatively little chance of doing so when more than nine out of ten schools fail to publish the information this parliament requires of them.”

Ms Davidson added parents were being “left in the dark”.

Ms Sturgeon insisted while there was a “wide range of information available to parents about the performance of schools”, ministers wanted to RUTH DAVIDSON Scottish Conservative leader

do more, adding “that is why we have introduced standardised assessments to replace the assessments that were previously under way by local authorities”

The First Minister revealed that the Tories were going to bring forward a Holyrood motion next week for the abolition of primary one testing.

She said Ms Davidson was guilty of “breath-taking hypocrisy” as she quoted from the Tory 2016 Holyrood election manifesto, which welcomed

the reintroduction of national testing in primary schools.

“What we see from the Conservatives is that they are shameless opportunists, they do not care,” Ms Sturgeon said.

“They care only about the short-term political opportunity, they care not a jot about the school children, they care not a jot about standards in our schools, I think Ruth Davidson has revealed that yet again today.” Nicola Sturgeon was last night challenged on her mental health record by a school pupil who criticised the SNP failing to support a move to get more counsellors in schools.

The First Minister was tackled by a schoolgirl named Ella when Ms Sturgeon appeared on a special First Minister’s Questions for young people broadcast by STV last night.

Ella reminded Ms Sturgeon she had met her in the First Minister’s office and gave her a “very personal account” of the impact of mental health problems on young people.

The youngster added: “If you are as passionate as you say you are about mental health, why did you and your party abstain against a vote for a mental health counsellor in every school after I gave such an indepth personal account?”

Ms Sturgeon said her meeting with Ella had a “profound impact” on her.

She said the government had since announced plans to increase the provision of counsellors in schools.

The First Minister said it was not always possible to support a particular motion “there and then”.

Earlier Ms Sturgeon said she had been bullied at primary school.

At one stage a teacher had to be involved, but it was not sufficiently serious for her not to go to school, Ms Sturgeon said.

“Schools should, according to this government’s own rules, give parents clear data on the curriculum and on performance”