Listen
Priorities for education
23/02/2010
Greater diversity in the way education is governed and delivered is key to success Education Secretary Michael Russell said today as he outlined his plans to improve standards in Scottish education.
Making his first major speech on priorities in school education since taking office in early December, the Cabinet Secretary said access and excellence - the key values of Scottish Education - need to be renewed by building on what is good and changing what is not. He also said that these values must guide and underpin any changes.
Mr Russell stressed his commitment to fully implementing Curriculum for Excellence and delivering smaller class sizes. He also outlined his desire to develop better support structures to develop teachers' skills and to introduce a more supportive and less confrontational inspection process.
Speaking at the Holyrood Education Conference, he also took the opportunity to comment on today's publication of the Scottish Survey of Achievement saying that it showed that Scottish Education is "good, but not good enough" and stressing that it indicated that change was necessary in order to build on the strengths and tackle the weaknesses of present day Scottish education.
Mr Russell said:
"Access and excellence are the key hallmarks of Scottish Education and those traditional values are as important as they ever were. My predecessor Fiona Hyslop made a huge contribution by ensuring that they returned to the top of our national agenda.
"In every educational sector I now see a clear consensus around the outcomes we know our young people need, to ensure they are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens. What we have to do now is to discuss openly and widely the means to make this a reality for our young people.
"In Scotland every day there are hundreds of thousands of good pupils, being taught by tens of thousands of good teachers in thousands of good schools. There is much that is good in our system but that does not mean that we cannot do even better. In fact we must.
"I believe that we need to examine how diversity in delivery, pursuit of excellence through the curriculum, improving the skills of our teachers and providing more supportive inspection can contribute to that purpose - all within the context of the traditional and strong values of Scottish Education.
"The Scottish Survey of Achievement shows us that many pupils are making good progress and there's much to celebrate in the education system. However, it also reinforces my view that there are things that need improvement.
"We need the courage to confront the weaknesses when and where we find them. We need to meet the challenge of doing our best for each and every pupil. The reality is we don't have a monochrome, one dimensional education system in Scotland, and that is a key strength we need to build on.
"And while the Inspectorate of Education does a good job, the process needs reassessed in light of Curriculum for Excellence. That's why I will be asking the new Senior Chief Inspector Dr Bill Maxwell to take forward the debate on the balance between self assessment and external assessment and renew how we use and organise the Inspection process.
"We need every teacher to be a leader in learning. We will achieve this not through grand words but through real support for our teachers. That means better teacher education, better continuous professional development and better reflective practice. Teacher quality is the key driver of educational improvement. It is critical that Graham Donaldson's review addresses the major questions facing the profession and identifies the improvements that will deliver for all our young people.
"Through Curriculum for Excellence we are already taking the first steps on our journey to long lasting improvement in Scottish education. I strongly believe the new curriculum will deliver the connected, balanced and flexible approach we need. I have faith in Scotland's teachers and I am confident that these developments will free our teachers to do what they do best - teach our young people.
"Smaller class sizes in early primary, particularly in deprived areas, will give pupils more time with their teacher and help to drive up achievement. I remain fully committed to working with our partners in local government to deliver real progress on this.
"These are the priorities that I believe we need to agree on. These are the priorities which, I am sure, will ensure Scottish Education is not simply "good enough" but truly great. Great for our children and great for the contribution it makes to our society."