Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain has slammed the SNP’s continued failures in education in Highland Council, following the publication of the National Improvement Framework report which shows a decline in standards in literacy, reading, writing and listening and talking since a previous report in 2018-19.
Highland council has the lowest percentage of pupils P1, P4 and P7 pupils achieving the expected level Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) in literacy, reading, writing, listening and talking and numeracy.
The percentage of pupils P1, P4 and P7 pupils achieving the expected level CfE is 49.5% literacy, 61.8% in reading, 53.7% in writing, 71.5% in listening and talking and 60.1% in numeracy. In each category this is the lowest achievement percentage in Scotland’s 32 council authorities.
Analysis by the Scottish Conservatives has shown that in 31 out of 32 of Scotland’s local authorities, including Highland Council, the percentage of pupils in Primaries One, Four and Seven achieving the expected attainment levels in literacy, reading and writing, is now lower than in 2018-19.
Edward Mountain MSP says these figures are further evidence of how the SNP have damaged Scotland’s once world-leading education system during their 15 years in power.
Edward Mountain MSP added that it is extremely concerning that fewer and fewer pupils in the Highland Council are achieving the required levels of attainment in primary school and the figures fly in the face of SNP claims that education is their top priority.
Edward Mountain MSP said: “Ensuring our pupils in Highland Council are leaving primary school with the required levels of basic attainment should always be a top priority.
“So these figures make for deeply concerning reading given such dramatic falls in performance over the last few years in the Highlands.
“They are just the latest example of how SNP ministers have taken their eye off the ball and are failing our young people in our region.
“Scotland’s education system used to be world-leading but the SNP have taken a wrecking ball to that during their 15 years in power.
“This lack of attainment in the Highlands should be an urgent wake-up call to SNP ministers to actually match their rhetoric about education by giving our schools the resources they need.”
