WIREDGOV

Under Curriculum for Excellence, more than 90 per cent of pupils are within or above expected reading and writing levels Learning Minister Alasdair Allan said yesterday.

The first ever literacy results from the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy have been published yesterday; the survey assessed pupils in primary four, primary seven and second year of high school in reading, writing and listening and talking. It shows:

•  More than 90 per cent of pupils at all stages are working within or above the expected level for reading
•  More than 90 per cent of pupils are working within or above the expected levels for writing
•  For listening and talking, more than 80 per cent of all pupils are working within or above the expected levels.

The survey comes as Curriculum for Excellence continues to improve learning in schools, with a key focus on literacy and numeracy. The Education Secretary also recently announced plans to improve attainment and close the educational gap, including partnering schools from similar backgrounds and improving school leadership.

Alasdair Allan said:

“Schools across Scotland are doing a good job and we know from recent inspection reports that they continue to improve. I am pleased that our schools are achieving and sustaining high performance in reading and writing, with more than 90 per cent performing within or above expected levels.

“Of course, we want all children to achieve their full potential and that is why we continue to focus on driving up standards. Curriculum for Excellence makes literacy the responsibility of all teachers, while pupils now focus on these key skills across learning. Teachers will also have more help at hand, as Education Scotland has published additional resources today.

“We are committed to improving literacy and breaking the link with deprivation. Although it follows historical and international trends, it is not acceptable that those in deprived areas do less well. That is why we are taking clear action, including through the Literacy Action Plan, developed with input from the Literacy Commission and Early Years initiatives, such as PlayTalkRead, to help our youngest children.

“We are also supporting five Literacy Hubs to develop and share effective approaches to raising literacy levels to help schools learn from each other. I believe this will complement Curriculum for Excellence and ensure young people leave school with the skills they need for learning, life and work.”

Background

The Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy is a sample survey which monitors national performance in literacy and numeracy in alternate years. The first literacy results were published today and are available from (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/01037).

The survey results show:

In reading:

Almost all primary four pupils (99 per cent) were working within or beyond the expected level of the curriculum, with 45 per cent performing very well, over a third performing well and over 10 per cent working within the level.

More than 90 per cent of primary seven pupils were working within or above the level, with 60 per cent performing very well, 30 per cent performing well and just under 10 per cent working within the level.

In second year of high school, more than 90 per cent were working within or above the level, with 45 per cent performing very well, around 40 per cent performing well and around 15 per cent working within the level.

In writing:

Almost all primary four pupils (98 per cent) were working within or above the level, with almost 20 per cent performing very well or beyond, around 45 per cent performing well and around a third working within the level.

In primary seven, more than 90 per cent of pupils were working within or above the level, with over 20 per cent performing very well or beyond, around 50 per cent performing well and a quarter working within the level.

More than 90 per cent of S2 pupils were working within or above the level, with almost 20 per cent performing very well or beyond, around 45 per cent performing well and almost 30 per cent working within the level.

In listening and talking:

More than 90 per cent of primary four pupils are working within or above expected levels, with over 10 per cent performing very well, around 40 per cent performing well and around 40 per cent working within the expected level.

Around 90 per cent of primary seven pupils are working within or above the expected levels, with 15 per cent performing very well, more than 40 per cent performing well and around a third working within the expected level.

More than 80 per cent of S2 pupils are working within or above the expected level, with more than 10 per cent performing very well, a third performing well and almost 40 per cent working within the expected level.