This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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High marks for pupils in international study
30/01/2002
A major international study has found that Scottish pupils perform well in comparison with pupils in other countries regarded as economic competitors.
Scotland's performance overall was in the top ten for all the subjects assessed as part of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study, one of the main international comparative educational studies. The study assessed the reading, mathematical and scientific literacy of 15 year old students in over 30 countries in 2000.
A report - published today by the Executive - shows that Scotland scored particularly well in mathematics and reading, being ranked fifth and sixth respectively and in science was ranked ninth. In the PISA study, the UK as a whole was seventh for mathematics, seventh for reading and fourth for science.
Minister for Education and Young People, Cathy Jamieson said:
"These very encouraging results are consistent with the HM Inspectorate of Education finding that attainment in S3 and S4 is good or very good in 70% of schools, and with the continuing upward trend in examination performance and improved attainment of target levels.
"This report show there is much to be proud of in Scottish education. Our National Priorities for education will help all schools develop programmes for further, year on year improvement.
"But while we are doing well we can always do better. For example the results of the PISA study suggest that our commitment to improving the quality of science education in Scottish schools is particularly important. As part of the Science Strategy for Scotland we are taking a range of action to improve school science education, including more support to science teachers - £5m is being distributed to education authorities to meet the aims of the Strategy.
"And while it is encouraging to see improvements in attainment in S1 and S2, there is still clearly much to be done at these stages to match improvements at other stages. Through the Assessment of Development Programme, the Scottish Executive is taking action to ensure better communication amongst teachers about pupils' progress, attainment and learning needs throughout primary and secondary schooling but especially at the transition from primary to secondary school."
The PISA study was carried out as part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) educational indicators programme. The OECD set up PISA to provide measures of the attainment of 15 year old students nearing the end of compulsory education. PISA assessed the reading, mathematical and scientific literacy of 15 year olds in over 30 countries in 2000. The major area assessed was reading literacy and in the 2003 study the major area will be mathematical literacy with scientific literacy following in 2006. In 2000 over 250,000 students participated in PISA.
The OECD published the international report on PISA on 4 December 2001 with press conferences in a number of cities including London. Their report only provided UK results and the Scottish report, prepared by the Education and Young Persons Research Unit in the Scottish Executive Education Department, presents findings from a Scottish perspective. The Scottish report is based on tests and questionnaires from 2,500 students in 99 schools.
Copies of the Scottish report can be obtained from the Scottish Executive Education Department, Education and Young People Research Unit, Dissemination Officer, Mr C Affleck, 1B, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ or on www.scotland.gov.uk/edru. Media copies are available by e-mail from David Hood on 0131-244-5033.
The latest published figures on examination results relate to pre-appeal results and were published on 30 November 2001 in 'Examination Results in Scottish Schools, 1999-2001'. The latest published figures on the 2001 SQA exam results for publicly funded schools show that 33% of S4 pupils gained 5 or more Standard Grades at grades 1 to 2 or Intermediate 2 at grades A to C and 77% gained 5 or more Standard Grades at grades 3 to 4 or Intermediate 1 at grades A to C or better.
The Scottish Executive's Assessment of Achievement Programme (AAP) monitors the achievement of a 5% sample of pupils in P4, P7 and S2 each year in English, mathematics and science in a rolling programme. The 2000 mathematics survey results were published in the summer of 2000 and showed improvements at P4, P7 and S2 since the previous 1997 survey and improvements overall since 1991. The results of the survey of English are expected later this year.
The latest 5-14 attainment trends were published in a Statistical News Release on 13 December 2001, with further detail given in another Statistical News Release on 24 January 2002. The percentage of 5 to 14 year old pupils attaining or exceeding target levels in reading, writing and mathematics in publicly funded schools, continued to increase between 1999/00 and 2000/01. As in previous years, the percentages of pupils attaining target levels was generally higher in the early primary stages than in the later primary and early secondary stages.
A Science Strategy for Scotland sets the framework which will set the detailed development of policy for the support and use of science to achieve the Scottish Executive's objectives set out in Working together for Scotland - A Programme of Government.