News

Plans to use standardised testing to close attainment gap lead to league table fears

Government policy
The prospect of standardised testing as a tool to help close the attainment gap has drawn criticism from teachers, who say it would fail to make a positive difference and lead to "flawed" league tables.

First minister Nicola Sturgeon has promised to make the widening disparity between pupils from poorer and richer backgrounds the priority of her SNP administration after UCAS figures showed that only
9.7 per cent of those from the most disadvantaged areas had won a place at university this summer, unchanged from last year.

This compares with 17 per cent in England, 13.9 per cent in Northern Ireland, and 15.5 per cent in Wales. In the least deprived parts of Scotland, more than a third of young people had been accepted at university.

League tables would not be a goal of standardised testing in Scotland's primary schools, Ms Sturgeon said, but she admitted freedom of information might make it impossible to prevent.

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