Pupils turn policy makers for new attainment framework

Pupils of Westquarter Primary turned policy makers to help shape future education across the country as part of a new national blueprint.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Jan 2016, 12:00 BST
Angela Constance and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with Westquarter primary pupils at the launch of NIF. Picture: John DevlinAngela Constance and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with Westquarter primary pupils at the launch of NIF. Picture: John Devlin
Angela Constance and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with Westquarter primary pupils at the launch of NIF. Picture: John Devlin

Councils will now be required to introduce standardised testing in primary schools for reading, writing and numeracy.

Raw data from the tests will not be made public, but information on the number of children reaching the desired standards will be to help authorities identify if improvement is needed.

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The National Improvement Framework (NIF) aims to improve standards in schools by helping children and young people to achieve their full potential as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors to society.

On a visit to the school, pupils impressed Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong learning Angela Constance MSP so much with the work they were carrying out on the draft NIF, they were invited to the official launch of the policy.

Councillor Alan Nimmo, Falkirk Council’s spokesperson for education said: “The work that Westquarter Primary is carrying out on NIF and other projects shows that their hard work is paying off and being recognised at a national level.

“They were the only school in the Falkirk Council area to be recognised like this and I offer my sincere congratulations to the staff and pupils at the school for their excellent work and it is our hope that they will share some of their experiences as NIF progresses over time.”

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Parents will have access to the results of standardised assessments as part of a raft of information on their children’s progress in school.

In every local authority area, information will be gathered in a consistent way, using new national standardised assessments developed for the Scottish curriculum in reading, writing and numeracy in P1, P4, P7 and S3.

The information will be used by teachers to inform their judgement in the classroom and by parents, schools, local authorities and the Scottish Government to ensure that every child gets the right support at the right time.

The National Parent Forum of Scotland says it is important that parents are “at the centre” of the new framework.

Related topics:Falkirk Council