TORIES BLAST NAT PLAN TO OVERHAUL SCHOOLS

SCHOOLS are facing a radical transformation under Scottish Government plans to make education ‘pandemic-proof’.

The draft Education Recovery Strategy, obtained by The Scottish Mail on Sunday, is expected to be published as early as this week when most Scottish pupils return to school.

Under the proposals, education will be ‘redesigned’ to ensure it can cope with ‘all contingencies and disruptions’ after more than a year of coronavirus chaos.

The plan says schools will offer more outdoor classes and online learning – and suggests eventually moving away from all-or-nothing end-of-term exams.

Instead, the draft report says the aim is to ‘transform assessment to be continuous’ – and that ‘we are investing heavily to make this aspiration become a reality’.

Counselling will be available to help pupils whose mental health has been affected in the pandemic and every play park renewed to give children access to outdoor space near home.

Education secretary ShirleyAnne Somerville says in a foreword: ‘The pandemic has brought into sharper focus some of the inequalities that persist in our education system.’

However, the report avoids talk of children ‘catching up’ – despite pupils missing out on months of face-to-face teaching.

Tory education spokesman Oliver Mundell said: ‘The SNP must be having a laugh – after putting pupils and teachers through hell these last two years they can’t honestly believe publishing yet another document full of reheated promises is going to cut it.’