Record number win university place but SNP ‘must do better’
‘Stagnating’ grades blamed on shortage of teachers
A RECORD number of students secured university places when their exam results were released yesterday.
More than 28,700 students have confirmed their places, compared with 28,300 last year.
But overall figures revealed sagging achievement levels in Scotland’s schools, as pupils of all ages failed to improve on grades from 2016.
The rise in placements despite stagnating attainment figures will also stoke concerns that the less academic are being pushed into university against their best interests.
According to Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) statistics, results for National 5 – replacing Standard Grades – improved by only 0.1 per cent on last year, with 79.5 per cent getting grades A to C across all subjects.
The number with grades A, B and C at Higher and Advanced Higher were lower, although the number through to university is unprecedented.
Despite pass rates for some subjects such as English improving, concerns have been raised about the overall lack of improvement on last year’s results – which in themselves were worse than 2015’s. Grade A to C attainment rates for Highers fell by 0.2 per cent to 77 per cent, while Advanced Highers dropped by 1.7 per cent to 80 per cent. Across all seven Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) levels, grade A to C passes slipped by 0.3 per cent to 81.5 per cent.
Ministers have also been urged to address the fall in pupils choosing key subjects such as French, where the number of entries plummeted by almost 15 per cent at Higher level. The number choosing chemistry and history at National 5 also dropped.
Grade boundaries published by the SQA also revealed that pupils were able to achieve a National and Higher C grade in English with marks of only 50 per cent, while 68 per cent could be enough for a National 5 A in biology.
SQA chiefs yesterday claimed the attainment level was sign of a stable system, while the Scottish Government put the lack of improvement down to ‘small variations’ in pass rates. But critics blamed the figures on the teacher recruitment crisis.
Tory education spokesman Liz Smith said: ‘In some key core subjects, including history and some modern languages, there is a marked drop in entries. And in many, we also see attainment falling, particularly at Advanced Higher level. We have too few teachers. And, as the Sutton Trust recently declared, we have a school system that doesn’t give enough children the opportunity to excel and push on.’
Earlier this year, a report by the education trust showed Scotland is failing to help bright but disadvantaged pupils who are lagging behind their better-off classmates. Since the SNP came to power in 2007, there has also been a 12 per cent slump in the number of maths and science teachers.
Official figures show there are 4,000 fewer teachers in Scotland than a decade ago – 826 staff down in maths and science.
Labour education spokesman Iain Gray said: ‘These results have been achieved by pupils and teachers in spite of SNP government cuts to education budgets, teacher numbers and support staff. The detail of today’s results should also sound a warning about falls in pupils studying key subjects. A narrow curriculum is not in the interests of Scotland’s pupils but we continue to see subjects drop in terms of the number of pupils sitting them. Modern languages for example, have seen a 6 per cent fall this year.
‘The SNP government said education was going to be its priority. Days like today show it is the hard work of teachers and pupils that is delivering these results. They deserve more support from the Scottish Government.’
A total of 137,000 candidates received their full Nationals, Highers and Advanced Highers results yesterday, with a third opting to be notified by text or email. The record number of 28,700 students accepted by universities and colleges includes a 13 per cent rise from Scotland’s most deprived areas. Most will take up places in Scotland.
Education Secretary John Swinney said: ‘The whole country should rightly be proud of the excellence and achievement in Scottish education demonstrated by these results.’
SQA chief executive Dr Janet Brown said: ‘These results also show the strength of the education system working together in partnership for the benefit of our younger generation.’
‘We have too few teachers’