First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has denied maths and science teaching is being “left behind” after figures showed a “slip” in world comparative mean score testing.
It follows the release on Tuesday of the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) statistics, which record the performance of 600,000 15-year-olds from across the world.
The SNP leader was in Perth yesterday where she said it had not made “uncomfortable reading” that Scottish scores in maths and science had remained at a “similar to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)”.
When the previous results were released in 2016, Education secretary John Swinney said Scotland’s figures – which recorded the country at world average levels – made “uncomfortable reading”.
Mr Swinney said yesterday Scottish education is “on the right track”.
Pisa 2018 figures show Scotland achieved a mean score of 504 for reading, up from 493 in 2015; 489 for maths, down from 491 in 2015, and 490 for science, down from 497 in 2015.
With the rise in performance for reading, Scotland returns to a similar level recorded in 2012, when it was 506.
Canada (520), Estonia (523), Finland (520), Ireland (518) and Korea (514) and England (505) had a higher level of performance than Scotland.
In maths, performance dropped on the 491 figure in 2015 and is at its lowest level, having fallen in every Pisa survey since a high of 524 in 2003.
A total of 18 other countries recorded a higher performance than Scotland in maths, including England (504) and the UK as a whole (502).
In science, Scotland’s level of performance has also continued to fall over the last decade, with a score of 497 in 2015 and 515 in 2006.
The performance of Scotland in this category was also lower than England (507) and the UK as a whole (507).
Ms Sturgeon said: “The improvement in reading is really encouraging. After the 2016 results we took a number of actions – the attainment challenge, the pupil equity fund and initiatives like the First Minister’s reading challenged because we knew we had a particular issue to address in reading. I think the significant and sharp increase in reading is important.
“On maths and science, statistically they are stable. They are in line with the OECD average. We recognise there is work needed to see the same improvement in maths and science we have recorded in reading.”
When asked if maths and science was being “left behind” in Scottish schools, Ms Sturgeon said: “No, everybody would accept reading and literacy as a foundation is really important which is why the very deliberate and open decision to focus on literacy was made to in the early period of the attainment challenge.”
Ms Sturgeon added: “Science and maths has not ‘crashed’. The performances are stable and we are working to improve that.”
Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith said: “Nicola Sturgeon asked to be judged on education. This summer saw the fourth consecutive year of decline in Higher pass rates and now the SNP is presiding over the worst ever Pisa results in both maths and science.
“In reading, where it should be acknowledged that there is encouraging improvement since 2015, the score is still lower than the 2012 result and considerably lower than the score in 2000.
“Nicola Sturgeon’s obsession with a second divisive referendum has come at a high cost to our schools.”
