By Steve Bargeton, political editor

THE NUMBER of Scottish pupils gaining Higher and Standard Grade passes fell this year, according to results published by the the Scottish Qualifications Authority yesterday.

A third of youngsters (33%) managed to get five or more Standard Grades at credit level, down from 34% over the last two years.

Just 30% got three or more Higher passes, compared to 31% last year and 32% the year before.

But Education Minister Peter Peacock made no mention of the fact that standards had fallen when he commented on the figures.

“Across Scotland pupils and teachers worked hard to gain good grades in this year’s exams and these statistics show what they achieved,” he said.

“I applaud all the hard work of teachers, pupils and parents in helping our young people gain the qualifications they need.

“While exam results are obviously important, they’re only one way of judging school performance.”

Next month the Scottish Executive plans to publish school-by-school exam results on the internet to give parents better information on school performance.

The figures released yesterday provided only a breakdown by local authority area.

They show that the percentage of youngsters gaining five or more Standards Grades at credit level in Dundee schools this year plunged from 24% (10% below the national average) to 21% this year—the worst performance outside Glasgow.

Angus improved from 36% in 2001-02 to 38%, Fife went up 1% to 32% and Perth and Kinross edged up 1% to 38%.

On three or more Higher passes Dundee also dropped back from 23% in 2001-02 to 22% this year—8% below the national average.

Angus also slipped back two points to 32%, Fife dropped one 1% to 31% and Perth and Kinross fell back from 38% last year to 35% this year.

* Fife’s results were much on a par with the past couple of years, writes Bruce Fegen.

However, Kay Morrison, Fife’s spokeswoman for school children, said, “We intend to do better.”

She continued, “There’s evidence of some improvement in this year’s figures and this is very welcome.

“However, I think we should be slightly above the national average and this is our target. Our message is that our agenda is an improvement one.

“Our head of education Roger Stewart has been going into every school to talk through the results and clarify the need for progress. It is our intention to improve right across the board.”

* A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said that, while some aspects of the pre-appeal results were disappointing, overall they were positive, writes Dave Lord.

“In general the results published today show positive achievement among young people in Perth and Kinross council schools,” the spokesperson said.

“In particular, we are pleased to note that 38% of S4 pupils achieved the equivalent of five Credit passes or better, 5% above the national average, and by the end of S6 23% of pupils achieved five Highers or above and 35% three Highers or above.

“Pupils and staff are to be congratulated for their hard work,” the spokesperson continued.

“While there are certain aspects of the results which we are disappointed to note, for example the static level of attainment at lower levels in S4 and a drop in the number of S5 pupils achieving five or more Highers, we are putting strategies in place to address these issues.

“It should also be noted that a straight comparison between these results and 2002 results cannot be made as the information published today is pre-appeal data.”

* Dundee City Council’s education convener has lambasted the Government’s authority-by-authority exam league tables as “fatally flawed” and “unrepresentative,” writes Steve Scott.

Councillor Fraser MacPherson rounded on the new tables which show Dundee schools’ exam performance still lagging well below the national average. In the table for S4 exams, Dundee is placed last of Scotland’s 32 authorities in two or three categories, betters only Glasgow City, Clackmannanshire and West Dunbartonshire in S5 categories and is similarly placed low in most S6 categories.

The performance levels have not worsened drastically in the last three years, according to the tables, with increases in the numbers of pupils staying on to S5 and S6 being sustained, but Mr MacPherson believes that year-on-year comparisons are meaningless.

“These statistics are fatally flawed as they have been compiled this year before the appeal process has been completed,” he said.

“In any case, the tables also fail in terms of comparing Dundee against other local authorities as they do not represent a level playing field. Dundee has particular problems of deprivation and social exclusion and it is ridiculous to attempt to make meaningful comparisons with more affluent councils by way of raw statistics.”

Mr MacPherson said that the true performance of the city’s schools was better highlighted by the report of the Education Inspectorate and the Accounts Commission published in August, which acknowledged the “significant challenges” of declining population and socio-economic disadvantage but commended the “considerable progress” made to address the problems.

However, Dundee East MSP Shona Robison said she was concerned at figures that showed Dundee trailing in many tables and said there was no room for complacency from the local authority.

“The trend does not appear to be in any way upward and I will be writing to the education authority to underline my concerns … and asking what their strategy is to improve the city’s position.”