Note this is not about a so-called ‘leading’ academic like Prof Patterson on Radio 4 to dismiss his own folk for a English audience, but about the real thing.
In the Herald today, a piece on Maureen McKenna, once Director of Education for Glasgow, who will now be advising London schools on truanting and exclusion.
When I saw her name I was prompted to do a quick search and repost something from 2 years a go when supposed SNP failings in schools were headline stories day after day. The data are, of course, 2 years old now:
Scotland’s ‘struggling schools’ is another of the great myths based a handful of Pisa data which Unionists will parade before viewers and readers regardless of any rebuttals, again and again.
We’ve posted so many of the rebuttals, I lose track of them but the search engine on the blog helps me dig a few back into life for you.
From March this year:
First posted on Reddit by HandeHoche (not real name):
The SNP introduced the “CfE” exams in 2015, and – as someone who’s studied papers going back to 1997 – they’re undeniably the best in terms of layout, wording, reasonable difficulty levels, accuracy of results to ability, and marking structures.
Of my five classes I’m currently sitting, two have class sizes of <15, and the others are around 20-25. Remember when that was a big issue?
My teachers are extremely supportive and I’m honestly stunned by how dedicated they are, even giving their lunch time to talk small groups or even individual students through concepts they don’t fully grasp.
My school has never had funding issues, with every student getting multiple free textbooks home and high quality facilities for practical subjects such as PE, drama, music, woodwork/engineering, and home economics.
Schools are well taken care of, and the COVID response from Heads have been clear and professional.
Mental health of students is not ignored and there are multiple support systems in place which we are encouraged to use.
When my particular school had a big health scare a few years ago, it was brought up in Hollyrood, the school grounds were thoroughly tested without impacting teaching, and students, teachers and parents were kept very well informed. The results came back in a book-sized pdf that explained how the school was safe and the small ways it wasn’t up to standard were quickly fixed.
So I ask, what the hell are they complaining about?
From last August:
First, from Glasgow’s Director of Education, Maureen McKenna, who might know a bit about this:
This is a response to all that guff about things in Scottish education being terrible. There are a lot of people painting a very negative picture. We are not saying everything is rosy but what we are saying is that there are a range of statistics out there that point to another side, that create a different narrative.
65% The reduction in exclusions nationally between 2006-07 and 2018-19.
22.3% The proportion of pupils achieving five or more awards at Higher or equivalent by the end of S5. This has almost doubled since 2009-10, when the figure was 11.3 per cent
44.4% Proportion of school leavers in the most deprived areas of Scotland achieving at least one Higher or equivalent in 2017-18. In 2012-13 that figure stood at 34.9 per cent
62.2% Proportion of school leavers gaining at least one Higher or equivalent in 2017-18, compared to 55.8 per cent in 2012-13.
https://www.tes.com/news/its-guff-scottish-education-terrible
Second, some comparative figures with our so-successful neighbour:
A breakdown of GCSE results issued by the Department for Education (DfE) showed the gap between disadvantaged pupils and others increased for the second year in a row. The introduction of tougher exams appears to have halted the improvement seen in previous years. Just 456 of the 143,000 pupils classed as disadvantaged by the DfE achieved top grade 9s in English and maths last summer, compared with 6,132 out of 398,000 other pupils.
Meanwhile, in Scottish schools, but never to be mentioned by Sarah Smith, the gap is closing. See:
‘94.4% of pupils had a ’positive destination’ including work, training or further study within three months of leaving school last year, official statistics show. The figures also reveal that the gap between those from the most and least deprived communities achieving a positive destination has halved since 2009/10, with an increase in positive destinations for school leavers, from both backgrounds. Over the same period there have been increases at all levels of attainment – the qualifications young people are achieving. For the first time more than 30% of pupils left school with a minimum of five passes at Higher Level or better, up from 22.2% in 2009/10. The gap between those from the most and least deprived areas achieving a pass at Higher Level or better is now at a record low, reducing for the eighth successive year.’
https://news.gov.scot/news/record-high-for-school-leavers-in-positive-destinations
Getting back to the glasses, read these and order a light pink tint?
Attainment for Scotland’s school leavers far greater than in England
Attainment gap widens in England as it HALVES in Scotland, but Sarah Smith lies again
BBC Scotland and Herald mislead you as exam pass rates rise again
Standing up for Scottish education as our media parrot Tory myths
Scots more likely to enter Higher Education than those in non-Scottish parts
Scottish school-leavers record highest rate of positive destinations ever
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
SSTA and NASUWT will be demanding to be given the opportunity to refute the untruths spouted by the former Director of Education.
“Schools have been getting worse since before there ever was public education. What our members want is to be paid much more, to work from home or in a place of our their choosing, without any pupils to disturb their mental equanimity. They require to work shorter hours and have longer holidays. Our members are CARING PROFESSIONALS, and they are unable to be that because of these bastardin weans.”
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”Scottish schools failing !” :
claim assorted Unionist propaganda outlets without blushing , knowing full well that they are being disingenuous about the reality , but also in the full knowledge that unscrupulous Unionist politicians will repeat these calumnies for their own selfish ends and will never be called out by the very media who perpetrated the initial lies .
A perfect circle of deceit !
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