Exclusive:Curriculum change is coming insists education secretary after PISA woe
Mairi McAllan has written exclusively for The Scotsman detailing her aims for the future of school education in Scotland
Education secretary Mairi McAllan has pledged a reform of Scotland’s curriculum will transform education.
Following last week’s troubling PISA results, which showed decline in maths and reading, she has defended the education system’s performance.
Ms McAllan says “rigour and excellence” will be introduced as knowledge is strengthened across every subject.
However, a leading educationalist cast doubt on the promises, saying ministers do not have a “coherent idea of what they mean by knowledge”.
Writing exclusively for The Scotsman, Ms McAllan said she intends to be a “reforming” education secretary, citing the ongoing plans to reform Curriculum for Excellence.
She said: “This reform, which began before this year’s PISA results, will, among other things, strengthen knowledge in our curriculum and clarify progression through learning to ensure rigour and excellence.”
Professor Lindsay Paterson, professor of education policy at Edinburgh University, was sceptical.
The education expert said: “This is welcome, but critics have been calling for it for 20 years – right back to the beginning of the Curriculum for Excellence.
“I am not convinced that the Scottish Government has a coherent idea of what they mean by knowledge.
“It’s a slogan in their hands, not a well-worked-out understanding of how effective learning comes about.”
PISA - an international ranking of education in 91 countries - this week showed success for England’s knowledge-based curriculum and a decline in results for Scotland, which has a skills-based curriculum.
Ms McAllan rejected calls for Scotland’s system to become more like the traditionalist approach pursued south of the border.
She said: “While academic rigour is essential and, in my view must be pursued vigorously in our schools, it would be very unwise to adopt a system which ignores other vital skills and attributes that Scotland’s schools are fostering.”
In response, Prof Paterson said: “This is a false contrast.
“Abundant research shows that skills depend on knowledge.
“So it’s misleading to equate ‘knowledge’ with ‘academic knowledge’.
“The whole point of the PISA tests is to assess students’ capacity to apply knowledge.”
Prof Paterson expressed frustration at Ms McAllan’s assertion Scotland saw “stable results” from its PISA scores, saying this “ignores the long-term decline”.
READ MORE:PISA figures have a clear message for Scottish education: copy England – Professor Lindsay Paterson
“Stability since 2022 is scant comfort to the pupils who are at the bottom end of this slope,” he added.
The education secretary also suggests the attainment gap between the most and least advantaged pupils was smaller in Scotland than England in reading and maths.
Prof Paterson, however, said this is the “equality of mediocrity”.
“It is mainly because Scottish students from socially advantaged families have declined, not mainly because students from disadvantaged families have improved,” he added.
“In England, the socially deprived have improved and the socially advantaged have been stable.”
Repeated calls have been made for the Scottish Government to set out rigorous means of comparing educational success.
Scotland has been withdrawn from all international comparators other than PISA.
Ms McAllan added: “Our education system must be capable of pursuing both academic and vocational excellence that can be taken into the world by responsible and resilient young people ready to navigate the changing landscape around them.
“We do have to challenge ourselves continuously to improve in both respects and it is this I intend to pursue as Education Secretary.”
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