Government Under Fire Over Education

The Scottish Government's attempts to cut the education gap between the richest and poorest pupils in Scotland has come under fire from opposition MSPs.

It follows a report by a major think tank, Reform Scotland, into how Holyrood plans to cut the attainment gap, as well as improve standards for all pupils.

The Commission for School Reform is questioning how the government can do both without a clear strategy.

The attainment gap is increasing across Scotland, but decreasing in Fife - the council credits this to a focus on numeracy and literacy.

Keir Bloomer, the chair of the Commission, said: "The Scottish Government are right to focus on the twin objectives of raising overall attainment and simultaneously closing the gap between the attainment of disadvantaged children and those from more affluent backgrounds. 

"However, it is time for government to adopt clear strategies to achieve those valid ambitions. Our earlier report established that whilst Scotland’s schools are good, they are not getting better as fast as they are in some other countries. 

"We start from a position that the status quo is not good enough, and will only see us falling further behind. In this, the first of a series of challenge papers, we want to prompt a new sense of urgency in Government thinking.
 
"We can transform our educational performance through concerted action to close the gap in attainment, drive up professional standards in teaching and empower schools to respond successfully to local educational needs."