Q&A: Education Secretary John Swinney defends his reforms

1. You’ve now been in the job for two years. Are you making a difference?

Yes. We have record numbers of students from our poorest communities getting places at university this year, school attainment figures suggest we are beginning to see a closing of the attainment gap between the richest and poorest pupils and we are on track to almost double funded childcare to 1,140 hours – the same time children spend in primary school.

To take just one of those achievements, on the attainment gap, the latest data shows that the proportion of pupils from our most deprived communities getting National 4s, National 5s and Highers is rising faster than in our richest communities. And, an increasing proportion of looked-after children are leaving school with at least one Higher or equivalent.

This has been achieved because of the hard work of pupils, teachers and the whole education community but we also know the extra investment we have made, not least through the £120 million Pupil Equity Fund, is making a real difference. It puts money directly in the hands of headteachers to drive local, tailored improvements and that is making a big difference in young people’s lives.

Improving attainment cannot be achieved overnight but these early signs are extremely encouraging.

2. The named person debacle rumbles on. When are you likely to produce the revised code and will that see the scheme progress to fruition?

An independently-chaired panel, announced last year, is working to ensure the code of practice, statutory guidance and other materials required to support implementation of the named person service, are workable, comprehensive and user friendly. The panel is expected to consult on a draft code shortly, and make its recommendations to ministers in the autumn.

3. Your flagship Education Bill aimed at giving schools more power has had to be shelved due to lack of support. Why were you unable to garner that cross-party agreement and what now is the consequence?

That is not the case. We decided to implement the reforms without a bill because we reached agreement with local councils that allows us to fast-track progress.

The earliest legislation would be enacted is 2019/20 but now our reform agenda will be under way from the start of the new school term in 2018 – giving schools and teachers more control, more quickly.

This way we are able to work in partnership with councils, implement the reforms more quickly and make further improvements in children’s education sooner.

4. The educational outcomes for children who have been in care remain appalling. What are you doing to address this?

There is no doubt that the educational attainment of care-experienced pupils is not high enough. Indeed, the First Minister has set in train an independent, root and branch review of the care system exactly because the life chances – including educational achievement – of care-experienced people are not acceptable.

Around three-quarters of care-experienced pupils were in work, education or training in 2016/17. In 2009/10, it was just 40 per cent.

So progress is being made, but much more is being done and needs to be done. So, we have made the full higher education bursary available to all care-experienced young people and increased the level of that bursary too. And to get the best possible outcomes as early as possible, £33 million is being made available to specifically support educational attainment for care-experienced young people in school. That will help provide the additional targeted initiatives, activities, and resources to improve attainment and ensure equity for all.

5. Audit Scotland reports the attainment gap is growing at colleges. Have you focused too much on schools and universities?

Raising attainment is a shared priority across education. If we are going to ensure every child born in Scotland is given an equal chance to succeed, schools, colleges and universities must work together.

by Tom Freeman

Analysis: a year in Scottish education - government ambitions stumble

In the last year, the attainment gap has closed for college students from the 20 per cent in the most deprived areas – with successful completion rates up from 65.4 per cent in 2015/16 to 66.2 per cent in 2016/17.

This is thanks to the hard work, highlighted within the Audit Scotland report, already being done by our colleges to assist the most disadvantaged students. Some of the direct interventions in this area are dedicated staff at Glasgow Kelvin, additional transportation in Dumfries and Galloway and free counselling for students in South Lanarkshire.

Of course, we want to see these figures improve even further, which is why we will continue our national college improvement programme to improve retention and raise attainment.

This will be supported by continued record levels of student support. The 2017/18 budget of over £107 million in college bursaries, childcare and discretionary funds is a real-terms increase of 32 per cent since 2006-07.

However, we know there is more to do. Which is why, following on from the recommendations of the Independent Review of Student Support, over £21 million will be invested per year by the end of this parliament to improve the financial support available to students at university and college.

6. Critics of standardised testing, especially for primary ones, include the teachers delivering them and your council of international advisers. Time for a rethink?

No. It is certainly true that some voices have been raised in opposition to these assessments but it is equally the case that many teachers and headteachers recognise their value. That is hardly a surprise given the majority of councils had P1 pupils sit not one, but two, assessments before we brought in the national system.

As is so often the case in education, there are a mix of different views about the new system but we are clear that we cannot wait until a pupil is more than half-way through primary school – Primary 4, when the second assessment takes place – before having these assessments.

The assessments give teachers additional, consistent, evidence to use when making their professional judgement on whether a child or young person has met a CfE level. That is a critical aid to closing the attainment gap and raising standards for all.

What is equally important is to recognise that these assessments are not the high-stakes testing regimes we have seen in other countries and that the International Council of Education Advisers rightly warned against. There is no pass or fail and the assessments can be taken at any time during the school year by individual pupils, providing teachers with helpful information that can be used to plan the next steps for each child.

They are age and stage appropriate and align with CfE benchmarks. All of the guidance that is put in place about the delivery of standardised assessments makes it very clear they should be part of the everyday educational experience of young people. They should never, ever, be undertaken in any form of stressful or high stakes environment.

I take all feedback very seriously and I have been listening to views, particularly around P1. That includes publishing a user review of the first year which includes enhancements planned for the system. 

I am keen to continue to work with practitioners and key stakeholders and take the action necessary to close the attainment gap.

7. What did you like best about school?

I tended to specialise in the study of History, Modern Studies and English as these subjects interested me the most. I did, however, enjoy being part of a comprehensive education system that brought pupils from different backgrounds to work together.

8. What did your school report cards tend to say about you?

I was a pretty diligent pupil so my report cards charted pretty consistent effort during my school years. I think they would also say I contributed to the common good of the school. I certainly benefited from that.