Rural schools aren't the problem, CfE is

Schools in relatively remote areas are not performing as they once did. The Scottish Government has addressed (disguised?) this outcome specifically by allowing preferential treatment of potential university entrants from specified secondary schools. In urban areas, private schools provide an important defensive barrier against CfE. Controversially, university admission protocols are being inverted to boost recruitment from disadvantaged postcodes. Schools everywhere find it increasingly difficult to recruit to STEM subjects and more generally will diminish the range of curriculum in phase with the difficulty of recruiting specialist teachers. Schools in relatively remote areas with a curriculum that undermines knowledge are less attractive career options for teachers with a professional commitment to their subject.

Remoteness has not just been inflicted on large parts of Scotland. These communities are no more distant than they were decades ago, when there was significant and sustained progression to higher education. Something has changed, and it’s not the "miles to Dundee"…or Aberdeen, Edinburgh or Inverness. In spite of the SNP Government’s ineptitude on a range of transport issues, these communities are more "connected" than they ever were. And information technology removes location and distance as contributing factors. Geographical location is not a foreground matter of concern. Neither is infrastructure: with the internet providing unprecedented access to a full range of cultural and academic amenities. And if the education sector finds distance to be a problem, it may be exceptionally inept. The metropolitan criminal community has had no difficulty in reaching the communities of East Aberdeenshire and creating new heroin hotspots!

Secondary schools in so-called remote areas had a proud record of enabling students to progress into higher education. Within a few hundred yards of our council house in a small Aberdeenshire town in the 1970s, over a five-year cycle there were subsequently four doctorates and two professors, standing out amongst a full range of professionals from that street. This was not untypical. And the school offered a curriculum featuring three modern and two classical languages, advanced sciences, a full range of arts and humanities and a willingness to embrace emergent subjects such as Economics and Psychology.

Distance is not the issue: access to a dynamic curriculum is. Current proposals to subvert rigorous assessment might obscure the reality, but will do little for aspiring and ambitious students. Scotland’s education crisis is widespread and apparently beyond the intellectual reach and political grasp of our education and government leaders.

Professor William Wardle, Glasgow.

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Why benefit cap should stay

IN relation to the two-child benefit cap ("Scrapping two-child benefit cap will be considered", heraldscotland, July 22), am I missing something here? The emotive headlines around this issue may lead some to think Government policy is that people are only allowed to have two children. No, this is not the case. The state is quite reasonably saying to parents claiming benefits "you can come to us for financial help for the first two children but, if you wish to continue having more children, then either support them yourself, or make use of free contraception, again provided by the state". What is unreasonable about that?

Stephen Flynn ("Flynn wants four-nation child poverty summit as benefit cap pressure rises", The Herald, July 20) knows an emotive headline when he sees one to put pressure on the new Labour Government. He has been told the DWP budget is straining to meet its commitments but apparently cares not. This liberal society we live in has created more problems than it has solved in terms of taking personal responsibility for actions which others are expected to pay for.

Elizabeth Mueller, Glasgow.

• THERE is much discussion about changing the two-child benefit cap. Perhaps it is worth reminding ourselves that MPs serving constituencies outside of London are entitled to an allowance to rent property in London. Records show that in 2023 they were also entitled to a supplemental annual accommodation allowance of £6,120 for each child up to a total of three. There was no monitoring whether or not on the children were domiciled in the rental property on a regular basis. The amount allowed per child was considerably greater than the standard £3,235 Universal Credit payment for a child at the same period.

This begs the question why the children of MPs merit better treatment than those of the great unwashed.

David J Crawford, Glasgow.

Brass neck of Stephen Flynn

I ENJOYED Mark Smith's recent article re the contradiction at the heart of the SNP ("There for all to see: the contradiction at the heart of the SNP", The Herald, July 20); particularly the quote in Parliament from Stephen Flynn, “We should of course be seeking to rejoin the European customs union. It makes sense to us all”, which, according to Mr Smith, was accompanied by the SNP MPs imitating nodding ducks.

What a brass neck. A number of years ago, I wrote in these columns pointing out that Theresa May’s Government put that option to Parliament and lost by a mere six votes after the entire SNP representation abstained despite Nicola Sturgeon previously stating that this option was the minimum they would accept. We should never forget that the SNP's desire to take a wrecking ball to the UK was more important than achieving a softer Brexit and that this led to the “red lines” issue with accompanying violence in Northern Ireland.

Of course, the SNP already has precedent. It can just follow the lead of Nicola Sturgeon and simply not remember.

Duncan Sooman, Milngavie.

Stephen Flynn (Image: PA)

The real reasons Tories failed

CONSERVATIVE MSP Jamie Greene ("Centre right has no roadmap to government in Scotland", The Herald, July 18), blames a series of scandals and clangers for the dismal showing of the Conservative Party at the recent General Election. If only.

Yes, the various "...gates" were an embarrassment, particularly the Covid ones. It was to my considerable chagrin to find out that some people were making whoopee, and having a grand old time, while I, and doubtless many other members and supporters of the party, confined ourselves to our houses for 23 hours out of 24, stood patiently in queues doing our best to maintain two metres between the persons in front, behind and to our sides whilst having our glasses constantly steam up whilst wearing an uncomfortable mask, and forgoing the family, workplace and wider community events that bring pleasure to our lives.

However, memories of these sort of things tend to fade, be forgotten or even forgiven. When Boris Johnson resigned as Prime Minister and an MP, the Tories were four points behind Labour - almost within the margin of error of these polls. But the gap relentlessly widened to 20 points or so.

This would be much more likely to due to spending enormous sums of money on a railway to convert Birmingham into another London borough, a pell-mell rush to net zero and running a country which, at a time of rising international tensions and an old-fashioned state-on-state war raging not too far from our own front doorsteps, feels less secure, safe, and with declining public services.

Also, most people, even those comfortably off, do not feel more affluent, and there's little hope for the future. Now there have been two cuts in employee NI contributions. However, from a purely personal point of view, they have been of no benefit to me and others like me who are continuing to work beyond pensionable age. OK, we don't have Employee NI deducted from our pay, but still, all we have to anticipate is an ongoing freezing of tax thresholds until 2028.

Christopher W Ide, Waterfoot.

Is Harris the right choice?

JOE Biden is out and it looks extremely likely that Kamala Harris is in ("US election race is thrown into turmoil as Biden quits", The Herald, July 22). This has desperation written all over it.

The tidal wave of praise for Ms Harris is so contrived that it is dangerous. When Rishi Sunak was in trouble before the General Election those voices wanting to replace him were silenced for a good reason. No matter how bad the polls looked dumping your leader that close to an election would have made a bad Tory night even worse. The Democrats have closed ranks to try and cling on to power but can this tactic really succeed and is Ms Harris really the Democrats' best presidential candidate?

Dr Gerald Edwards, Glasgow.