Brightest pupils 5 years ahead of poorest
Scotland has the highest gap between top and bottom in schools of anywhere in western Europe. Photo: Ian Rutherford
FIFTEEN-year-old children at the bottom of the class are so far behind they are performing “as if they were ten years old”, a report handed to MSPs has claimed.
The paper, written by local government experts, concluded that Scotland has the highest gap between top and bottom in schools of anywhere in western Europe.
It confirms previous studies by international bodies which have also claimed that low achievers from poor families are “slipping through the net” in the classroom.
The report prompted calls by opposition parties for the Scottish Government to focus more on inequalities within attainment, to stave off concerns of an educational underclass.
However, other education experts said the figures could be a sign that the top 20 per cent were simply being stretched, and argued that schools should not dump excellence in the bid to drive out inequality.
The report, written by the politically-neutral Improvement Service, was handed to MSPs on Holyrood’s finance committee which is holding an inquiry into inequalities in Scotland.
Colin Mair, chief executive of the Improvement Service, said: “There are some communities in Scotland living lives that are exemplary by international standards who would be among the best in the world with very good health, very good incomes and a very high level of safety in their communities.
“But there are other parts of Scotland where these things cluster negatively, which is the crux point of the report.
“It’s not a rosy picture but one where we need now a ministerial commitment to this, as well as a commitment through the parliament to the programme for government that we should target and localise and integrate around those particular communities that are very vulnerable.”
Scotland’s headline data on educational performance compares well with other European countries, the report says.
“On the raw data, Scotland is above Scandinavian and northern European countries typically taken to be more socially effective than we are,” it says.
It also says that while the average figures look good, they mask massive variations, which are wider than in any other comparable country in Europe. For example, in linguistic and maths tests at age 15, the report notes that Scotland comes fifth in Europe, above Norway, Sweden, England and France.
But, it adds: “The problem...is that the gap between the top 20 per cent and the bottom 20 per cent in Scotland is the widest in developed Europe with the bottom 20 per cent at age 15 performing as if they have five years less schooling than the top 20 per cent (ie as if they were ten years old).” Professor Lindsay Paterson, of Edinburgh University, said: “The most common reaction to this will be to say, ‘Isn’t it awful’. But we really need to think carefully about Scotland’s attitude to education performance and we must not pull down excellence in the rush to stamp our inequality.”
Committee member Michael McMahon said: “The committee has put into sharp focus the extent of inequality in Scotland. Unfortunately, progress has stalled and a lot of the evidence we are picking up is that it is because this government is not focused on these issues and does not see them as a priority.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Curriculum for Excellence provides a base for raising attainment through the development of core skills, literacy and numeracy, effective approaches to learning and the achievement of qualifications.”
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There are 36 comments to this article
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duelaynomore
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 01:45 AMBetter citizens????????????????........................................ bbbbbbbbbbbbb.................. I believe the answer should be measured against productivity. Those being unproductive are not the better citizens. I watched a programme on the box a few years back about a group of peole who were pulled together (the volunteered) to live together in a garbage dump, trying to use all the bits and pieces they could find to live, create shelter etc.. I think it lasted about a week. There was one man ( an ex pro footballer) who felt entitled to sit about and play when the rest beavered...he was not in the least apologetic, and produced nothing but angst in the remaining persons who would not confront him because he was a different racial group and bi as well! Who makes the better citizen? The one who contributes and works towards the common good, albeit with some self indulgence on the way..that's OK it the ealier goals are achieved.
AuldLochinvar
Friday, January 20, 2012 at 06:12 AM"testing the efficacy of major educational changes " Scotland's brilliant JBS Haldane defined a methodology for scientific experiments of educational .innovations. But it would be massively expensive. You divide your school populations into a test group and a control group, of equal size and socio-economic status, and determine which group, under the old or the new regime, produces better citizens. The difficulty remains of achieving agreement as to what kind of citizens we consider "better".
AuldLochinvar
Friday, January 20, 2012 at 06:04 AMThe thing that lets lousy teachers keep their jobs is the fact that the politicians are so intent on not raising taxes, they keep the budgets too low to hire enough teachers to bring down class sizes. I gave up teaching mathematics, because working for IBM as a Systems Programmer was equally satisfying and a lot more lucrative. But even when working at a Grammar School, in the "bad old days" of discrimination at 11-plus, I knew perfectly well that teachers at Comprehensive schools were working harder than I was.
AuldLochinvar
Friday, January 20, 2012 at 05:56 AM"Aristotle" is evidently not aware that our social organisation, since the days of the hominids, makes every individual dependent upon his or her neighbours, and that applies a fortiori to modern, democratic societies. It turns out that tyrannies do not do well against more democratic societies, which means that if you use your brains to get resources at the expense of your fellows, you will do less well than if you share. Having indicated some reason for not believing in the idea of the philosopher-king, I proceed to issue the warning that a society which has allowed its least respected members to become horribly ignorant, is in a poor way with respect to electing intelligent, well-informed leaders. It may even stray so far from reason as to re-elect a George W. Bush. I am amused by the website DarwinAwards, but in most cases the idiocy which eliminates its victim from the gene pool is a meme rather than a gene.
Aberdeen lad
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 08:43 PMFor your information it was more serious than being shouted at.
duelaynomore
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 04:00 PMI know its been socially unacceptable for about 30 years or more to encourage competitiveness in school classrooms or even on the school sports fields. Streaming undermined the self esteem of Wee Johnny or Big Wully, so everyone had to be interrupted by him fooling about, asking daft questions and eventually fighting with other kids and even teachers..But patience is required, its not his fault, we all must suffer collectively, and generally have a examination system that is easier to pass every year. That way wee Johnny Big Wully can be included in our feel good "club" .................................................................. Please note the number of A grade highers, and A star "A" levels achieved these days, compared to say 30 years back! Either we were just dumber in those days or the "fences" are easier to jump in modern times....................................................................Ask any teacher (almost all have been employed during this "indian Summer of the last 30 years), and they will of course deny any dumbing down, despite the overwhelming experience of those in the workplace, and industry, trying to get these kids to work, other than as automatons or as keyboard bashers ........................................................... Do we want to educate yet more thousands of kids to be forever scarred by their difficult years at school, with views of their "entitlement arrangements" permanently inculcated (some even write in these columns). Or should we teach some of them woodwork rather than phsychology? Not that I would have been any good at either when I was at school......... We surely must reward success and genuine effort, not those who continually fail and who are deliberately disrutive. The slow of wit, or just plane difficult should be given special assistance away from the 80% of the student population which is trying. A few years of this, and I'll bet the number wanting to be difficult will diminish. I was not always in the A stream at school, and I did not feel terrible about it. I didn't want to learn Latin anyway. But I did try to get in the A stream for science subjects...that was much more interesting than woodwork..... As for Adult education, I feel this has huge potential, as long as it is to learn something other than how to complain, and get extra benefits from the diminishing number of tax payers. Consequently, Law should be excluded from such adult education establishments or we will never produce anything meaningful ever again....... But we would be bogged down in interminable meetings to seek consensus (only of their ideas though).
samcoldstream
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 03:33 PMHeadline in the 18th October, 2011, edition of The Times: "School Performance in Northern Ireland Puts England to Shame." "Recent international studies have found that, despite the many political and social problems facing Northern Ireland, its dual Catholic and non-denominational schools continue to outperform that of the State Education services in the rest of the UK." "The school curriculum for both communities in Northern Ireland have also been singled out by international educationalists for pushing up standards in a still divided society." "A study is currently being carried out by a working party for the Department for Education to ascertain what can be learned from Northern Ireland's example." (Source: The Times)
samcoldstream
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 03:21 PMHeadline in 19th January, 2012, edition of The Daily Telegraph: "Gove: 10 Years For School, Reforms To Improve School Standards." "Education Secretary Michael Gove has admitted that it will take 10 years before school reforms result in pupils in England climbing the international league tables." "Reversing England's slide in league tables for reading, maths and science subjects would not be seen for a decade." "Gove blames the previous Labour Government for allowing education standards in England to fall to unacceptable levels." (Source: The Daily Telegraph)
A Friend of Fernando Poo
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 01:41 PMCharles wonders: "What Happened to our Teaching System." Back in the 1970's, the Trots decided they could win the long game by brainwashing the next generation and took over the teaching unions and colleges. The rest is the history we're living now.
A Friend of Fernando Poo
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 01:39 PM#1 observes: "If a child gets too far behind in a class it is pretty logical to assume many of them will stop trying."............................................................................................................................Which is an argument in favour of streaming by ability, but too many of our Socialist Nationalist overlords oppose such sanity for political reasons.
A Friend of Fernando Poo
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 01:37 PMHas anyone actually checked whether or not the bottom 20% have had five years less schooling? It could be down to skiving.
Digory
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 11:58 AMTo clarify a point - the example referred to in 17. of a child put in composite classes several years younger and having Primary School Staff go to the Secondary School was not one of my children this child was from another family and was put in classes with my youngest child - at Primary School. The examples referred to in 17. were mentioned to demonstrate certain points regarding ability and attainment which could be expanded on further.
SINGAPOREAN
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 11:23 AMThe human condition is wide ranging. Some are born to be little more than vegetables needing constant care, others rise to intellectual andor physical greatness. Schools take a slice of this spectrum. The gap between the top and bottom depends on the size of the slice.
PeterVincent
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 11:08 AMMany children enter P1 up to 2 years behind their peers in terms of development. As they get older the gap widens. I have personal experience of seeing P1 children who don't know the names of basic colours, cannot count to five let alone ten, can't recognize their written name, do not know which way to hold a book, cannot answer simple questions and have limited vocabulary. Their more blessed peers rocket ahead through school while these poor souls struggle to access even the fundementals provided by our free education. The problem usually starts in the home with parents who are poorly equiped to provide a stimulating and educational environment for their children.
Bro. Michael-Godfrey
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 10:51 AMThere is lots of blame to go around but it should stop first at the door's of Marxist, trade unions and civil service.
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