The truth about Scottish schools
In new book on Scottish education, a former Arran teacher says the 2020-2021 SQA scandal is without a doubt the biggest education scandal of the Devolution era.
Former English teacher James McEnaney, who started his teaching career at Arran High School is now a lecturer and journalist.
He is one of Twitter’s most vocal Scottish education experts and questions whether Scotland’s education system suffers from miscommunication between teachers and government or whether it has become party manifesto fodder in his new book Class Rules: The truth about Scottish Schools.
Offering an overview of the last 20 years of education politics, McEnaney shows how the 2020-21 scandal with the SQA exam system affected pupils and teachers: ‘The whole thing was an extravagant display of bureaucratic idiocy which clearly stemmed from a refusal to trust teachers and a desire to protect the system rather than the students.’
Sifting through statistics used in politicians’ speeches, McEnaney deciphers the complexities of the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), and provides a breakdown of the data, finally seeing what the numbers really say.
He shines a light on the issues with the CfE and says it is the pupils who ultimately pay the price.
‘In the year 2020, in the middle of a deadly global pandemic, after years of insisting that closing the educational gap between rich and poor was their priority, the SNP government, alongside an exams body that hasn’t been fit for purpose for years, prioritised the defence of a long-broken status quo over the protection of young people’s futures and wellbeing.’
Arguing that the current educational climate is a symptom of larger social issues, McEnaney highlights that the first step for change is to create fissures in the bureaucratic status quo. And he has a few ideas of where to start.
A review by Professor Lindsay Paterson described the book as: ‘Brilliantly written – far more eloquent than anything else that is available on Scottish education.’
James is a former secondary school English teacher turned lecturer, journalist and writer who currently lives near Glasgow.
He is a leading commentator on issues affecting Scottish education.
James specialises in investigative journalism with a particular focus on Scottish schools, freedom of information and policymaking.
He has worked with a wide range of publications including traditional titles such as The Times, The Guardian and The Daily Record, as well as new media platforms such as The Ferret.
The book will be published on Wednesday September 8 by Luath Press Ltd of Edinburgh, paperback £9.99.