Children 'deserve better' than standardised assessment, union chief says

The introduction of standardised assessment for primary-school pupils has been condemned by a senior trade unionist, who insisted Scotland's children "deserve better".

Helen Connor, president of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC), launched a fierce attack on the tests, which are due to come in this year for students in P1, P4, P7 and S3.

The Scottish Government argues the new assessments are a key part of its work to close the attainment gap that exists in classrooms.

Ms Connor, who has been a teacher for 32 years, said she would not give the tests to pupils.

She added: "I'll tell you how you don't tackle the attainment gap - and that is by continually testing children by the use of standardised tests.

"As a teacher, as a professional, I will not give the same test to all children when I know that their abilities are different.

"Why do we differentiate our teaching and then administer the same test? I didn't come into teaching to see children fail.

"Just as well I'm retiring soon as I will not sacrifice my professionalism and the self-confidence of my pupils in order to provide the Scottish Government with data. Our children deserve better."

Ms Connor made the comments as she addressed the STUC annual congress in Aviemore in the Highlands, saying that in the time she had worked as a teacher in primary and secondary schools she could "rarely recall a period when I was more angry than I am now".

She said that while the Scottish Government has stated it wants to close the attainment gap, ministers are "at the same time cutting back on money given to local authorities which run education".

As part of efforts to close the attainment gap, ministers are providing £120 million extra cash through the Attainment Scotland Fund, with the money going direct to head teachers.

Ms Connor warned: "Don't get me wrong, additional money for education is always welcome but this approach is fraught with danger.

"It can undermine the role of local authorities in running our schools and being accountable for doing so.

"It could, longer-term, lead to the academy approach which we see down south.

"Let me be very clear to the Scottish Government and indeed the Scottish Tories: that approach will not be tolerated in Scotland.

"We value our children's education too much to allow it to become a lottery."

The STUC president argued tackling poverty was key to ending the attainment gap, describing the problem as being one "which goes far wider than the education system".

She stated: "How do you expect children to attain when they are hungry, don't have heating in their homes or indeed a permanent home?

"Tackling this issue is a wider societal issue. Schools can help but the deep-rooted causes of poverty begin far earlier than that."