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PREMIUM P1 tests have long been a source of controversy. Education Secretary John Swinney, right, was criticised earlier this year over moves to make them available despite the impact of Covid-19. Scotland s Primary 1 testing regime is an unreliable “postcode lottery” that distresses children, produces little useful information and undermines parent choice, critics have warned. It comes after The Herald uncovered significant variation in arrangements for Scottish National Standardised Assessments (SNSAs), with families in some council areas unlikely to be informed that pupils will sit them. Education Secretary John Swinney and his officials came under fire earlier this year following confirmation that the controversial literacy and numeracy tests would remain “available” despite disruption to learning in the wake of Covid-19. ....
Controversial literacy and numeracy tests taken by children as young as four would be axed under plans published by the Greens. The party said Scottish National Standardised Assessments (SNSAs), which are given to pupils in P1, P4, P7 and S3, were causing unnecessary anxiety without providing a clear educational benefit. It also wants to reintroduce a previously used study, the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy (SSLN), to monitor progress in learning. SNSAs are taken online and were introduced amid concern over sliding international performance scores in areas such as maths and science. There is no pass or fail and children do not have to revise or prepare for them. Proposals to scrap the tests come after ministers said earlier this year that they would remain available for teachers to deliver following disruption caused by Covid-related school closures. ....
CONTRARY to some headlines, there’s a lot to love in Scottish school education. As the parent of a six-year-old, that’s been my experience so far. I’m well aware of the attainment gap and Scotland’s fall in the world rankings when it comes to reading, maths and science among older children, and yes, those things worry me. But they are not the whole story. In key respects, we’re moving in the right direction with Scottish schooling. What I see when I take my daughter to school is a nurturing and creative environment where children can grow – grow unimpeded, that is, not to be pruned into a predefined shape like in the old days. Her teachers see themselves as enablers, not educational topiarists. She is able to guide her own learning, in step with her development. ....