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<div class="gmail-row"><div class="gmail-column gmail-sm-12"><header class="entry-header gmail--border-box"><h1 class="gmail-title entry-title">Calls made for ‘urgent’ review of subject choices in Scottish schools</h1>
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<a class="gmail-byline" title="Jon Hebditch" href="https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/author/jonhebditch/"><span class="gmail-byline__pic gmail--hide-print gmail--border-radius-50pct"><img alt="" src="https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d26bf65e3cd087d671b539260baf36fd?s=64&d=mm&r=g" class="gmail-avatar gmail-avatar-64 gmail-photo" width="64" height="64"></span> by <span class="gmail-byline__name">Jon Hebditch</span></a>
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<span class="gmail-post-timestamp__published">August 10, 2018, 6:08 am</span>
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<figcaption class="gmail-thumbnail__caption gmail-wp-caption-text">Deputy First Minister John Swinney</figcaption>
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<div class="gmail-cms gmail-clearfix"><div class="gmail-lightbox-content"><p>Calls
have been made for an “urgent” review of subject choices in Scottish
schools amid claims the country’s educational reputation is being
“squandered”.</p><div id="gmail-ayl-wrapper" style="clear:both;margin-bottom:20px" class="gmail-ayl_v_ckr_b gmail-ayl_native_ad_b210d3a03693781b173d4a4b5c598340"> <div id="gmail-ayl_b210d3a03693781b173d4a4b5c598340"> <div class="gmail-ayl_b210d3a03693781b173d4a4b5c598340-flex gmail-ayl-img" style="background-image:url("https://tag-dyn-usa02.omnitagjs.com/fo-dyn/native/preview/image?key=50482a14113b64d2404287597585f866\000026kind=INTERNAL\000026ztop=0.230324\000026zleft=0.401911\000026zwidth=0.478156\000026zheight=0.478156\000026width=290\000026height=164\000026smart=true")"> </div> <div class="gmail-ayl_b210d3a03693781b173d4a4b5c598340-flex gmail-ayl-text"> <h3 class="gmail-ayl_b210d3a03693781b173d4a4b5c598340-textcolor" style="margin-top:0px;text-align:left;line-height:20px">Entrepreneurial Edinburgh </h3> <p style="text-align:left;margin-top:10px;line-height:17px">Voted top for entrepreneurs, Scotland's capital... </p> <span id="gmail-ayl_b210d3a03693781b173d4a4b5c598340-cta" class="gmail-ayl_b210d3a03693781b173d4a4b5c598340-textcolor">Find out more</span> <span id="gmail-ayl_b210d3a03693781b173d4a4b5c598340-sp"><div style="display:inline;border:0px none;padding:0px;margin:0px"><div class="gmail-ayl_native_template_credit">Sponsored by Visit Scotland</div></div></span> </div> </div> <div style="clear:both"> </div><img src="https://fo-static-usa02.omnitagjs.com/fo-static/native/images/info-ayl.png" title="Opt out of Adyoulike ad targeting" class="gmail-ayl_optout_button" style="right: 0px; top: 0px; z-index: 99; width: 15px; height: 15px; min-height: 15px; max-height: 15px; min-width: 15px; max-width: 15px; padding: 5px; box-sizing: content-box;"></div>
<p>The call from the Conservative’s Shadow Education Secretary Liz Smith
comes following research by educationalist Professor Jim Scott who
raised concerns about the number of pupils passing exams – particularly
in STEM subjects, like maths and sciences, and languages.</p>
<p>He found that the number of S4 pupils studying and passing French has
fallen by almost two thirds since Scotland’s new curriculum was
introduced.</p>
<p>Language entries for national four fell 12%, 4.5% for national five, 4% in higher and 11.7% in advanced higher.</p>
<p>In the STEM subjects it was a similar picture, with a 13% fall at national four, 3% at national five and 2,7% at higher.</p>
<p>However overall advanced higher bucked the trend with the number of
pupils sitting exams increasing by 219 and a 2.3% rise in STEM subjects.</p>
<p>Also the proportion of 2016/17 school leavers who found work or
further education after school was 92.9% – the highest since 2009/10.</p>
<p>Ms Smith said the education secretary needed to carry out a review of the situation.</p>
<p>She said: “Scottish schools were once known for the broad based education they provided to pupils.</p>
<p>“Under the SNP, that gold-standard reputation is being squandered.</p>
<p>“The decline in subject choice is one of the biggest concerns being
raised by parents across Scotland and it’s something we’ve been raising
with the SNP for months.</p>
<p>“John Swinney needs to get a grip and order an immediate review into what is going on.”</p>
<p>But Mr Swinney said: “Our focus is on a young person’s achievement at
the end of their senior phase, not just within a single year, and the
long term trend shows a greater proportion of young people staying on at
school beyond S4.</p>
<p>“Young people are gaining a broader range of qualifications and the
proportion of them leaving school with qualifications has increased in
recent years.</p>
<p>“Our STEM education and training strategy includes a range of actions
to improve learning at school, such as a bursary scheme of up to
£20,000 for career changers to teach certain STEM subjects…”</p>
<p>“Since 2013 we have invested an additional £27.2 million to help local authorities implement the 1+2 language policy.</p>
<p>“There is now a broad diversity of languages offered to qualification
level and a strong interest in the skills-based awards in modern
languages.”</p>
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<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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