Analysis: ‘Scorecard not enough – we must improve system faster’

Published on Monday 28 November 2011 01:58

EARLIER this year, the preliminary results from PISA (a study that compares the performance of different countries’ school systems) were published.

They revealed that the world’s most effective schools are in Shanghai. They came out top in all the subjects tested: reading, maths and science.

There can be no argument about how fast schools in countries like China and India are improving. We know we cannot compete on price or scale of production. Now, it seems, we may struggle to compete in advanced skills, innovative thinking and creativity. Scotland has been warned.

There are, of course, many fine qualities in Scottish education. We have notably well-qualified teachers. Curriculum for Excellence offers a positive sense of direction. The same PISA study shows Scottish education again improving after some years of stagnation.

But, in comparison with others, how good are we really? And how can we improve faster? These are the questions that the independent Commission on School Reform is setting out to address.

The first task is to try to form a fair and objective view of Scotland’s performance. There is plenty of evidence available, but past discussion has tended to focus on political point-scoring and the allocation of blame. This is not good enough: future policy has to proceed from a reasoned assessment informed by genuine evidence.

Giving Scotland a scorecard is obviously not enough. However good Scotland’s education system currently is – and it is likely to emerge as a relatively high performer – there will surely be agreement that it has to improve.

Technical issues such as curriculum content, assessment and teaching methods will certainly figure prominently in the commission’s discussions, but there are other concerns. How well is the system managed and governed? Is it accountable to the right people? What can be done to raise learners’ ambitions and motivate those who are disadvantaged?

• Keir Bloomer is the chairman of the Commission on School Reform.

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