Death of the traditional family dinner

... and Scots are the worst offenders

IN previous generations, families gathered around the dinner table each night to discuss the day’s events.

But the once-familiar ritual is under threat as working parents struggle to find the time.

A new international survey has found Scotland has the lowest proportion of parents regularly sitting down to an evening meal with their children.

The figures were produced by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), whose experts said parental communication with children was key to raising educational attainment.

Only 68 per cent of parents in Scotland said they ate the main meal of the day with their child around a table every day, or almost every day, compared with an average of 83 per cent for all the countries surveyed.

Norman Wells, of the Family Education Trust, said: ‘Social networking can make us feel we are well-connected when in reality we are becoming detached from those closest to us and living as autonomous individuals rather than as members of a family.’

The same research found the gap in problem-solving skills between rich and poor pupils in Scotland is equivalent to more than two years of education.

The findings come amid the Scottish Government’s drive to tackle the ‘attainment gap’ between the best and worstperforming schools.

PISA compares the performance of 35 nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and some ‘partner’ economies. The findings on parents eating with children covered 12 of the countries, because not all of those surveyed responded.

The study found pupils in Scotland lag behind their English peers.

The 2015 study analysed collaborative problem-solving skills – in subjects such as reading, maths and science – among 3,123 15-year-olds at 109 schools across Scotland. Researchers said pupils from the most affluent backgrounds and the most disadvantaged pupils differed by the equivalent of ‘nearly two-and-a-half years’ education’.

Points are allocated to reflect pupils’ ability. Scotland had a mean score of 513 points, above the OECD average of 500, but was outperformed by nine OECD countries, including England, Australia and Canada.

Researchers found the number of ‘low achievers’ in Scotland was lower than the OECD average at 23.8 per cent compared with 28.1 per cent. But there were 9.8 per cent high achievers, above the OECD average of 7.9 per cent.

Scottish Tory education spokesman Liz Smith said: ‘While there are a few encouraging signs, this PISA report still points to a very significant attainment gap in Scotland.’

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: ‘The results show us that our 15-year-olds have key strengths in the skills that are necessary for contributing to today’s society.’

PUPILS are having to teach themselves because of crippling staff shortages, education chiefs have warned.

The Association of Directors of Education Scotland says in a report to go before MSPs today there has been a reduction in teaching periods for youngsters studying Advanced Highers, with some expected to do ‘significant amounts of self-directed study’.

The Scottish Government said ministers recognised some areas had experienced challenges filling vacancies.