Eric Wilkinson: Initiative shows what can be done with a modest input of resources

THE findings of the evaluation of the Kirkcudbright initiative provide a profound challenge to all politicians and other members of the policy community in Scotland who are serious in their desire to seek ways to improve standards in Scottish education.

Improvements are long overdue. The initiative has delivered sustained improvements in standards, significantly raised the number of young people opting to continue their education beyond the age of 16 and provided an impressive breadth of opportunities second to none in Scotland.

Such outstanding results have largely been achieved by reorganising Kirkcudbright Academy into two phases – the "junior" school (S1-S3) and the "senior" school (S4-S6). By taking their first external exams at the end of S3 (instead of S4) many young people have been motivated to expand their knowledge and skills beyond expectations.

By no means is this the "assessment tail wagging the curriculum dog". All this has been delivered with a relatively modest input of resources. It has been the vision of the headteacher, the dedication of the staff, the support from parents and the local authority that have created an educational environment that has brought out the best in all young people there.

It would be all too easy to belittle the successes of the initiative on the basis of its rural location. By no means are all families living in comfortable circumstances as our visits to more than 30 families during a six-year period have demonstrated. Yet many young people living in difficult economic circumstances have responded well to the challenges of the initiative.

It is now up to our national policymakers to consider the implications for all secondary schools in Scotland.

• J Eric Wilkinson is Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Glasgow.