It is safe to predict that education will remain high on the political agenda in the run-up to the 2026 Holyrood elections. In recent years, many aspects of educational provision have attracted criticism and all parties will be anxious to claim that their policy proposals will lead to improvements. Among the topics that have featured in hostile press reports are these:the … [Read more...] about Scottish education: genuine partnership or pre-election fix?
Scottish education
Snobbery at Edinburgh Uni: what a surprise!
Earlier this month the University of Edinburgh issued a request to its students from ‘privileged backgrounds’ not to be ‘snobs’ towards their peers from Scottish and working class backgrounds. Well, well – sounds like the closure of the poverty-related attainment gap might be taking a bruising at my alma mater. Now, of course, like many of those trusted friends who will read … [Read more...] about Snobbery at Edinburgh Uni: what a surprise!
Lies, damn lies and education stats
A week after the OECD published its latest (2022) findings in the Programme for International Student Assessment, a triennial exercise known by its acronym PISA, the SNP-led Scottish Government and the party itself are spinning a report purportedly showing the opposite of what the Paris-based think tank has discovered. As Profs Lindsay Paterson and Walter Humes, two of … [Read more...] about Lies, damn lies and education stats
Lost opportunities to last a lifetime 1
Why is Scottish education failing to deliver the long-promised pupil excellence and closure of the attainment gap in schools after two decades of much-vaunted policy-making and legislation? Two leading experts re-examine the roots of the problem in what was once ’the jewel in the British educational crown’. Below, Lindsay Paterson explores the links between the Curriculum for … [Read more...] about Lost opportunities to last a lifetime 1
Lost opportunities in Scottish education 2: lack of leadership
.Are politicians, administrators and senior professionals capable of demonstrating the boldness that is required?The latest PISA figures are disappointing, but not surprising. They confirm a trend that has been apparent for some time. Predictably, they have led to polarised responses by defenders and critics of Curriculum for Excellence, the flagship policy of Scottish … [Read more...] about Lost opportunities in Scottish education 2: lack of leadership