RUTH Davidson will today promise a review of the Scottish Government’s flagship schools programme as she brands the SNP’s record on education a “mark of shame”.
The Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) will be undergo a “root and branch” review to improve it for teachers and pupils, the Scottish Tory leader will tell activists in Glasgow.
The review will be led by Tory education spokeswoman Liz Smith MSP, who is expected to consult education experts, before reporting by the end of the year.
Ms Davidson does not want to abolish CfE - arguing teachers have had enough reforms imposed on them already - but is instead seeking ways of making it better.
Party sources said the move also intended to help the Tories present themselves as the next party of government in Scotland, offering solutions rather than kneejerk opposition.
Intended to be a more holistic approach to learning for 3 to 18 year olds, CfE has been criticised for burdening teachers with excess paperwork and not giving pupils basic skills.
After Scotland slipped down international educational league tables last year, Ms Davidson threatened to withdraw Tory support for CfE, which until now has had cross-party backing.
Ms Davidson is expected to say: “This SNP Government’s handling of our education system over the last decade in power has been shameful – and change needs to happen.
“Standards in reading, maths and science are all getting worse according to an international survey. Scotland does not perform above the international average in anything.
“The Sutton Trust, a leading education charity, last month said this: ‘There is no specific area where able children in Scotland really excel.’
“What an absolute disgrace. What a mark of shame. So much for your social justice, Nicola.”
Ms Davidson will not blame teachers, who she will say are doing “fantastic work”.
But she will add: “No. The blame lies with a school system that, thanks to this SNP government, simply isn’t working. Here’s the thing though: we can change this.
“So I can announce we are going to undertake a root-and-branch review of one part of the system that is failing – and that is Curriculum for Excellence.
“We don’t propose scrapping it altogether. But we do have to challenge the prevailing orthodoxy which has led to this collapse in standards - which thinks of facts and knowledge as of secondary importance, puts the latest fashionable theory before the basic need for a teacher to teach, and which has left a generation of teachers, parents and pupils utterly confused about what is going on, or what Curriculum for Excellence even is.”
She will add: “It is time to get rid of the waffle, and the theories that have failed – and restore Scotland’s reputation as providing the best education in the world.”
A spokesman for Education Secretary John Swinney said: “There already has been an independent review of CfE carried out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - not a hand-picked Tory party commission - who considered it to be a bold and a successful reform that was delivering a broadened education experience for young people.
“The Tories have supported CfE since its inception – indeed, Liz Smith was right when she said recently that CfE is the way forward for Scotland’s schools.
“The [league table] results made for uncomfortable reading - but in difficult times, leaders do not abandon their principles, retreat and run for cover. They hold fast to what is right.”
Scottish Secretary David Mundell is today expected to attack the conduct of SNP ministers in their dealings with Westminster about Brexit.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel