Responding to another lie from Tom Gordon, two readers have posted evidence worthy of as big an audience as possible. Share, share, share.
Legerwood
In its February 2018 report on University Applications UCAS analysed the applications from all 4 nations over a 12 year period, 2006-18, using the POLAR3 measure of deprivation.
For Scotland the results showed that the gap between the most advantaged and least advantaged applicants had halved and that had been due to the increase in applications from the most disadvantaged applicants.
In 2006 the ratio of applications from the most advantaged compared to the most disadvantaged was 4.5 to 1. By 2018 that had narrowed to 2.6 to 1 and as UCAS noted that narrowing was down to the increase in applications from the most disadvantaged applicants. In 2006 applications from the most disadvantaged applicants from Scotland was just under 10% of the total. By 2018 it had risen to 18%.
Note: UCAS processes two thirds of Scottish applications for University. The remaining third use routes within Scotland eg direct entry from FE College etc.
Gordon
Taking into account the 20/25% of mature students. There is no attainment gap in Scotland. Only opportunities. Life long learning Scotland has one of the highest university educated in the world (pro rata). 50%. Only Canada is higher 56%.
More universities (pro rata) 15 pop – 5.5Million. Colleges and apprenticeships.
30% go to university from School. 20/25% mature students. If the 15% EU students are not included in mature students. Most likely. 70% university take up + foreign students (pay full). The highest in the world. Scotland has the best education system in the world. By far.
There is a need to keep the class sizes down. Councils (unionists) poor management and allocation. The Council bad organisation keeps class sizes up. At local level. There are class room assistants to help. Councils use the statuary class room limit (30) to keep class sizes higher. Reduce the limit.The councils would have to comply. The average class size overall is 13. Different places and areas. Teacher are more qualified and get paid more than the average.
The education system could be even better. If Scotland did not have to pay for Westminster illegal wars, tax evasion, financial fraud. Hickley Point, HS2, Trident, redundant weaponry. Repayments on loans not borrowed or spent in Scotland. The illegal Barnett Formula.
For more on Gordon, I recommend this:
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Tom Gordon appears to be under the misapprehension that educational policy and schools can bring about social justice, in isolation to the wider political climate. He also appears ignorant of the harmful impact neo-liberalism has had on educational philosophy. So I’ll assume he’s not particularly well informed on the subject, or he’s Tory.
Rethinking higher education and its relationship with social inequalities: past knowledge, present state and future potential
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-017-0001-8
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Of course, he could simply be both, i.e. an ignorant Tory. 😉
Pedagogy of the Impossible: neoliberalism and the ideology of accountability
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.2304/pfie.2013.11.4.423
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I rather think that he ( and The herald ) are desperately scraping the unionist barrel for something that will delay the inevitable .
They are not so much waving (the Union Flag ) but drowning !
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Of course,Tom Gordon is probably unaware that New Labour, and then the Tories, have restructured educational policy and practice in England, in a manner that supports a nationalistic rendition of “British values”. Which means it supports the belief that Britain is one nation, and is incapable of affording space for a respect for cultural difference, such as the Scottish identity. This is how Little Englanders are created.
Political assumptions underlying pedagogies of national education: The case of student teachers teaching ‘British values’ in England
https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/berj.3331
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I see the egregious and reactionary Professor Lindsay Paterson has been elevated by BBC Scotland, whose resident pundit he has become, to the status of “Education EXPERT”. This man has NOT taught in schools. He has some worthy research to his name, but mainly in the sociology of education and not in pedagogy and curriculum development.
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One often finds that is the case . Someone who has NEVER done your job is always the best person to tell you what YOU are doing wrong and how THEY would do it – if only they were given the opportunity .
Everyone is an Education expert , of course , because we have all been through the system !
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One often finds that is the case . Someone who has NEVER done your job is always the best person to tell you what YOU are doing wrong and how THEY would do it – if only they were given the opportunity .
Everyone is an Education expert , of course , because we have all been through the system !
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