THE attainment gap between the most and least deprived Borders pupils is wider than in any other council area in Scotland, according to a report. The report, entitled ‘Improving outcomes for young people through school education’, was published in March by Audit Scotland. Scottish Borders Council says it “remains committed to closing the attainment gap” between the most and least deprived pupils following the report’s findings. Exhibit 4 of the report shows the percentage of school leavers who achieved five or more awards at SCQF Level 5 [National 5] in 2018/19. The graph shows that 30.8 per cent of the ‘most deprived’ pupils achieved this feat, compared with 87.4 per cent of pupils classed as ‘least deprived’.
Attainment gap in education remains wide despite progress, auditors find
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Dundee ranks lowest in Scotland for pupils achieving one or more National 5 qualifications
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The proportion of Scottish school leavers securing at least one pass at Higher or equivalent has fallen in the vast majority of council areas, sparking warnings that decades-long progress in improving attainment has “stalled”. Analysis of data covering the 10-year period to 2018/19 suggests the percentage of school leavers with at least one pass at Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework level 6 or better – which includes Highers and typically provides the standard for progression to university – has been flatlining since around 2015. There is also a gulf in performance between some local authorities. Lindsay Paterson, professor of education policy at Edinburgh University, said the trend indicated deficiencies in Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) and an inadequate focus on core, subject-specific skills such as multiplication and grammar.