Social mix is key to closing the attainment gap

What does this latest exercise in pointlessness tell us? Firstly, going by performance in external exams, youngsters attending independent schools are doing very well indeed. Who would have guessed it? Most of Scotland’s independent schools are ranked against the gold standard of success at Higher and Advanced Higher. For some, however, run-of-the-mill Scottish Highers are not good enough. Concentrating on GCSE and A Levels carries greater kudos. It’s also a dog whistle that their pupils are bound for greater things south of the border, preferably Oxbridge.

Who cares? The table is of interest only to those sufficiently well-heeled to afford the fees. The “best performing” independent schools’ websites suggest day-pupil fees start at around £10,000 a year, extending to well north of £20,000. No doubt some parents think their money is well spent and hey, there are lifelong social connections to be made. Although, last year I was puzzled to see two local schools simultaneously claiming to be “Scotland’s independent school of the year.”

Of greater relevance, is the guide’s claim to identify Scotland’s ten best state schools. Well, I’ll be jiggered; all ten are in leafy suburbs. Not surprising, as the rankings are based on exam performance, accessible and easy to tabulate.

Don’t get me wrong, exam performance and attainment are important, but, in this context, they are self-fulfilling prophecies. In a couple of months, the sackcloth and ashes will be distributed to what are usually described as Scotland’s “worst performing schools.” Send a self-addressed envelope and I’ll save you the wait by telling you the names now.

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I’ve worked in schools at both ends of what is most certainly a league table. I was head of a large inner city secondary school serving numerous areas of multiple deprivation. Thanks to a committed and talented staff we were doing okay, or so I thought.

Around 30 years after the event, I still remember the day Scottish exam data was published for the first time. The press was ill-equipped to deal with the data and many chose to convert it into league tables, in effect naming and shaming. The next day a youngster asked if we were really one of the worst schools in Scotland. It undid much of the good work that had been done.

A few years later I moved to a school in the leafy suburbs. According to exam data at any rate, it was consistently placed amongst Scotland’s top five “best performing” state schools. In general, the quality of teaching was high but not noticeably better than in the school that bumped along the bottom. In the latter, teachers ran fast to get to the point where they could start teaching. In the high-performing school, lessons could begin with minimal fuss or delay.

If guides such as Parent Power have any value at all, it lies in their confirmation that education opportunity is skewed in favour of the already privileged. Independent and to a lesser extent, state systems continue to extend advantage and privilege. The Sutton Trust claims having a house in the vicinity of a high-performing state school in England can add 20% to its value. It’s unlikely to be any different in Scotland.

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While Labour’s commitment to removing independent schools’ charitable status and levying VAT on fees in England is welcome, it’s not a game changer. The revenue could certainly be used to increase early years provision, especially for those from the poorest homes. However, the socially stratified system remains the biggest barrier to closing the gap and educational levelling up.

All our state schools require a social mix that offers role models, whose presence and example emphasises and celebrates aspiration and attainment. Without that mix, we are simply tinkering at the margins and the attainment gap will remain as wide as ever.