Group leader's 'can do better' rating for Highland Council over exam results prompts angry response from education chairman
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A DROP in the number of pupils achieving passes in Nat 5 maths and Higher English has prompted a 'could do better' rating for Highland Council – from one of its own representatives.
But her "disappointing" claims have been rejected by the education committee chairman.
Councillor Helen Crawford, who has previously taken the local authority to task over its record on literacy and numeracy in schools, said a "deep dive" into exam results this year reveals some concerning statistics masked by the highlights trumpeted by the local authority.
In a call for a meaningful "recovery plan", the Conservative group she leads on Highland Council says it is also time to address a large school estate "that has the worst performance scores in the whole of Scotland, encompassing issues such as asbestos, mould, and rodent infestations".
Leader of the Highland Conservative Group, Councillor Helen Crawford, a former Alness Academy pupil, said: “Well done to our pupils, the parents and the teachers who worked hard to achieve success. Not so well done to the Highland Council though – it could definitely do better!
“Councillor [John] Finlayson, the chair of the education committee, says there is "much to celebrate across Highland" in this year’s results. Indeed, seeing 105 young people achieve an impressive five Grade A higher awards in S5 deserves celebration.
“However, if you take a deep dive into the Highland specific statistics, the story is not quite as clear cut. The reality is that this year’s exam results are a real mixed bag and, while it’s important that we heartily celebrate the many successes that have been achieved across Highland, we also need to be open and honest about those very obvious areas which are not so positive.
“We must address the fact that there is a whopping 11.5 per cent reduction in the number of pupils achieving Grade A-C in National 5 Maths and a 4.4 per cent reduction in the number of pupils passing Higher English, compared with what was seen in 2022. If Highland Council wants to improve these statistics, we have got to be transparent about all of the data, the good and the bad, in order to really make progress.
“This downward trend is not isolated to specific subjects. It represents a larger challenge that requires honesty about whether this is a systemic failure. Last year, I lodged the first motion of the new five-year Council session, calling for an Education Recovery Plan, and calling for updates to be presented to Full Council twice a year so that all 74 Highland Councillors could track this. I did that because Highland ranked lowest in Scotland for literacy and numeracy. The SNP-Independent led administration refused to consider my motion despite many of other Councillors speaking up and supporting it.
“Given these latest statistics, perhaps now is the time that the council's education strategy is comprehensively re-evaluated. We have to ask ourselves – do we really have the right strategies and effective leadership within our education system across Highland, at Council level?”
Cllr Ruaridh Stewart, member of the Highland Conservative Group said: “We know that Highland Council manages a school estate that has the worst performance scores in the whole of Scotland, encompassing issues such as asbestos, mould, and rodent infestations. There is no question that compromised learning environments significantly undermine the health, well-being, and focus of our students, which makes it difficult for them to perform at the best level in their studies. We also know that the many of our secondary school fall well below the average in terms of outcomes, with many departments struggling to maintain full time staff, often having to rely very heavily on supply teachers."
He added: “Surely now is the time for that Recovery Plan that Cllr Crawford pushed for last year, so we do everything we can to give our young people a competitive start in life.”
However education chairman John Finlayson firmly rejected the criticism.
He said: "It is really disappointing that councillors from certain political groups choose to criticise the efforts of schools and young people in Highland and do not take time to properly scrutinise the data currently available regarding 2023 exam results.
"In terms of the results, I am happy to indicate that despite what Cllr. Crawford says the reality is that SQA offer two National 5 awards in Maths and young people can be presented for National 5 Maths or National 5 Applications for Maths, which are both available at Higher level.
"In Highland, the combined attainment for both awards is 73.5 per cent which is 11.6 per cent higher than the national figure. Highland Council is also top of quartile 1 for National 5 awards in terms of the combined Maths qualifications which means pupils in Highland are number one across Scotland.
"In Higher English, national awards have decreased by 4.2 per cent right across Scotland. However, in Highland, Higher English has moved up three places from 15th place nationally in 2022 to 11th place nationally in 2023. This is an improvement of four places and reflects the ongoing improving picture of attainment for the local Authority.
"The attainment in Highland in National 5 and Higher, based on published SQA results, continue to show very positive picture with Highland in quartile 2. This is testament to the hard work of our pupils, teaching staff and officers. I would like to thank the majority, of members for their unwavering support for our schools and agreeing to the Raising Attainment action plan drawn up in collaboration with schools which was approved at Education Committee in September 2022.
"This plan is clearly achieving positive results and will continue to be evaluated and updated to ensure that schools and pupils continue to receive support and challenge across all areas of the curriculum."
