SNP forced into attainment gap statement

Nicola Sturgeon was forced to agree her government would make a statement on the attainment of Scottish pupils after she was accused of failing to tackle the attainment gap between the most and least deprived children.

At First Minister’s Questions yesterday, Scottish Tory interim leader Jackson Carlaw raised new analysis that showed attainment between the least and most deprived children had “barely moved” over the past four years and the pass rate in Higher subjects has dropped since 2015.

There remains a 20.7 point gap between the rich and the poor in primary school literacy, despite the Government setting a target of 16 points.

The numeracy gap also remains at 16.8 – lower than the 13 point target, and the literacy gap has widened by 0.2 points in the third year of high school.

Earlier this month Holyrood voted by 63 to 60 for a “full review” into the senior phase of the Curriculum for Excellence, at Scotland’s high schools. Mr Carlaw demanded Ms Sturgeon go further and have her Government make a statement on why it is “failing to meet its own targets on education in Scotland’s most deprived schools”.

Ms Sturgeon retorted that it was up to the Holyrood’s business bureau to schedule debates, but she was “very happy for this Government to give statements on the work we are doing to improve education”.

She highlighted the attainment fund that “we see at national level is pointing to an improving system” and was “narrowing the gap” between the most and least deprived pupils. “There is work to do, but we are getting on with that job and I’m sure the Deputy First Minister [John Swinney] will always be happy to advise the chamber on that progress.”