DE Johnston: SNP is responsible for fall in school standards

Structural changes in teaching are failing in the classroom. Picture: John Devlin

Scottish education is in a parlous state. Don't take my word for it: ask the thousands of teachers and support staff who, day-in, day-out, ­struggle to make things better for their pupils against the odds. Somewhere along the line, a wrong turning was taken.

The SNP’s chickens have finally come home to roost. Supported by their cabal of lightweight, sycophantic ­policy makers, and put in place some eight years ago, these so-called ‘reforms’ have been shown to be nothing more than a cynical attempt to persuade pupils and ­parents that devolved politics would deliver higher ­standards for Scottish ­children. They didn’t.

In April 2009, the then ­Education Minister launched the Curriculum for ­Excellence declaring that the reform would ‘prepare our young people for the ­challenges of life in the 21st century’. The particular focus was to be on literacy and numeracy.