Nicola Sturgeon has admitted that teaching in Scotland does not focus enough on reading and writing.
In an interview on the BBC, she defended the SNP’s overall education record and cited unpublished figures as proof that new statistics are not as grave as they seem.
Pressed by interviewer Andrew Marr that “things have got worse and quite dramatically so”, the First Minister replied she was “not denying that in terms of literacy and numeracy”.
The SNP leader said: “I’ve been very clear that’s not good enough but, just to put that into context, we have a survey that measures pupils in the second year of secondary school but measures them against the standards that they are expected to achieve in the third year of secondary school.
“We have other information that shows by the time young people are in the third year, more than 80% are reaching the required level.”
The Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy, published last week, showed drops in performance in all measures for primary and secondary age children over four years.
Ms Sturgeon said some of the blame for that performance lies with the new Curriculum for Excellence, which has come in for criticism from the Conservatives.
She said: “We have had some advice that the new curriculum is not focusing…the new curriculum for excellence, which I’m sure you’re familiar with, is about educating young people to be good citizens, to not just absorb facts and figures.
“To encourage young people not just to absorb facts and figures but to be able to analyse that and be make sense of the word they live in.
“It is the right thing to do but we have had some advice that we need to have more of a focus within that curriculum on literacy and numeracy and that is exactly what we are doing.
“We have introduced new benchmarks for the teaching of literacy and numeracy.”
Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith MSP said: “Today’s response from the First Minister that she is ‘not denying’ collapsing standards in literacy and numeracy is a tacit admission of failure.
“The recent SSLN statistics made it clear that the SNP government is not doing enough to address the problems in basic literacy.”
The First Minister also warned of an “extreme” Brexit being pushed through by Theresa May.
She also aped the Prime Minister’s language of appealing for personal votes that would be “strengthening my hand” in her effort to be heard in Brexit negotiations.
Mrs May urged voters to “strengthen my hand” in the upcoming wrestle to leave the European Union.
Ms Sturgeon said: “This election actually gives the Scottish people the chance to give real democratic legitimacy to those proposals.
“My message on this election on Brexit is whether you voted leave or remain, whether you were yes or no in 2014, if you vote SNP you are strengthening my hand to make sure that Scotland’s voice is heard in these negotiations and that we don’t sacrifice jobs and our economy.
“We can press the case for Scotland’s place in the single market.”
The SNP leader also suggested an independent Scotland might be forced into a “phased approach” to EU membership.
She said: “My position is I want Scotland to be in the EU. Now we have to set out if we are in an independence referendum, and we are not in it right now, the process for regaining or retaining depending on where we are in the Brexit process, EU membership.
“It may be that we have a phased approach to that by necessity…even if we didn’t want that.”
