Schoolreport

I was disappointed to learn that the standards in Scottish schools, according to official reports, are lower now than in the past when there was almost no rapport between teacher and pupil and lessons were drummed into the pupil.

However, currently, the records indicate standards in the primary sector were higher when I was a boy over 70 years ago and now the attainment gap seems to be growing. There appears to be an increasing ratio of pupils who require inordinate attention from the teacher to the detriment of the rest of the class.

I have also been told by professionals in and around teaching that the policy of Inclusion is significantly underfunded and so children with additional support needs are being neglected in mainstream education. They are not being provided with the resources they need and there's not enough staff to support them to learn. This negatively impacts achievement and attainment across classes because teachers are far too stretched to meet the needs of all children without appropriate training, resources and support staff.

What’s more, schools require access to services such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). However they are facing waiting lists of several years. Often children do not receive support until they are in secondary school – it tends to be only extreme cases that are seen by these agencies. Consequently, problems are escalating, behaviour is becoming more challenging. Early intervention and support would result in improved overall outcomes for pupils.

VINCENT MCCANN

Edinburgh