Abandon P1 testing and focus on reversing education cuts and fighting poverty

Nicola Sturgeon asked that she be judged on her success in improving educational standards and in closing the attainment gap, and has charged her education minister, John Swinney, with the task.

Since taking up office he has attempted to introduce a number of reforms, the most recent of which is the controversial Primary 1 testing of 4 and 5-year-old children.

As the debate rages on, there seems to be a lack of clarity and honesty regarding the purpose of these tests. This form of standardised test should not be confused with the important assessment which teachers carry out on a regular basis as part of the learning and teaching process.

In Primary 1, assessment should enable the teacher to build on the valuable information already provided by a child’s nursery, their parents and other involved professionals.

It allows the teacher to identify the interests, strengths and support needs of each child in all areas of their development. This type of assessment is child-centred.

These standardised tests are different. They require all P1 children across Scotland to answer the same set of questions in the same way. The results then make it possible to compare the relative performance of individual/groups of pupils and of schools within each local authority and across the country.

There seems to be little clarity or honesty about how the results of these tests will be used, and their introduction goes against the ethos of an early education play-based curriculum. Teachers, parents and the teaching unions are right to express concern and to oppose their implementation.

Closing the attainment gap is a complex issue, but it won’t happen until the government is prepared to tackle its root causes.

Those of us who have spent a lifetime working in the field of education know that the early experiences and support provided at home have a huge impact on a child’s readiness for formal education. Their diet, their physical and emotional well-being and their social and communication skills will hugely impact on their ability to progress happily and confidently along with their peers.

If the government is serious about improving the life chances of the most deprived children and closing the attainment gap there are far more important steps they could take than testing P1 children:

They could reverse the crippling cuts to local authority budgets, which have seriously impacted on the staffing support to schools. They could take steps to lift more families out of poverty and they could develop a strategy to increase the dwindling number of health visitors who provide valuable support and advice in the early years to vulnerable families.

That, Mr Swinney, would be a good place to start.

MO DAVIDSON Eskfield Grove, Eskbank, Dalkeith