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Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to unveil legislative plans Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon unveils tests plan for schools
(about 5 hours later)
Education and welfare are expected to feature heavily when the Scottish first minister unveils her new programme for government. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said improving school attainment is the most important goal of her new programme for government.
Nicola Sturgeon will set out the Scottish government's legislation for the coming year, as well as summarising its main goals for the future. She set out the Scottish government's legislation for the coming year as well as its main goals for the future.
New measures will include standardised assessments in primary schools. New measures include a national system of standardised assessment in P1, P4, P7 and S3.
Ms Sturgeon will also set out how she intends to use new welfare powers which are to be devolved to Holyrood. Ms Sturgeon said this would bring consistency to the assessment of literacy and numeracy.
That could eventually mean extra support for carers, for people with disabilities and for job seekers. National testing for five to 13-year-olds was scrapped in Scotland in 2003 by the Labour-Lib Dem coalition led by Jack McConnell.
The publication of the programme will signal the start of the Scottish Parliament's final session before next May's election, when Ms Sturgeon's SNP will be looking to win another overall majority. Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie told MSPs Scotland was returning to the school league tables that his party helped to abolish.
There will also be action to tackle domestic abuse, to reform the private rented sector and to address concerns over infant cremations following the "baby ash" scandals at crematoriums in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Fife and Glasgow. Ms Sturgeon has previously said she did not want to create "crude league tables" but that more information needed to be made available about performance in primary and lower secondary school in order to close the attainment gap between rich and poor.
ANALYSIS
By Jamie McIvor, BBC Scotland education correspondent
National testing for five to 13-year-olds was scrapped in Scotland in 2003 by the Labour-Lib Dem coalition led by Jack McConnell.
Standardising assessments could prove controversial - unions have already put a shot across the government's bows - but much of the devil will actually be in the detail.
The Scottish government sees raising attainment in schools as a top priority. One problem it faces is the quality of the data on primary school performance.
There is often very good data available at a purely local level but it can be hard to get a sense of the overall national picture or compare how well a school in one area is doing with a school somewhere else.
Read more from Jamie
She said the new tests, which will be piloted next year and introduced in 2017, would provide reliable evidence of a child's progress but would not be the sole form of measurement.
"This is not about narrowing the curriculum or forcing teachers to teach to the test. It is not a return to the national testing of old," Ms Sturgeon said.
"The assessments will inform teacher judgement not replace it."
The publication of the programme signals the start of the Scottish Parliament's final session before next May's election, when Ms Sturgeon's SNP will be looking to win another overall majority.
The legislative programme will see eight new bills introduced. They are:
Ms Sturgeon announced action to tackle domestic abuse, to reform the private rented sector and to address concerns over infant cremations following the "baby ash" scandals at crematoriums in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Fife and Glasgow.
An inquiry led by judge Lord Bonomy made a series of recommendations last year after it emerged that the ashes of hundreds of babies were disposed of without their parents' knowledge.An inquiry led by judge Lord Bonomy made a series of recommendations last year after it emerged that the ashes of hundreds of babies were disposed of without their parents' knowledge.
The first minister will also defend her government's record in areas such as the NHS - which opponents say is open to criticism. The first minister announced plans to complete the integration of health and social care by April 2016 and test new models of primary care in 10 sites across Scotland.
Speaking ahead of her statement to MSPs, Ms Sturgeon told BBC Scotland that the Programme for Government would be "bold and ambitious" and would list the policies her government would pursue to "support our economy, improve public services and tackle inequality." She also announced that policing would be strengthened by a national review of police governance and a new requirement on the chief constable to submit to local public scrutiny sessions.
She added: "But it will do more than that. It will also look beyond this parliamentary term to the next decade and beyond, looking at how we will improve education, improve our health service, reform these services for the next 10 years or more and we'll do that by building on the strong foundations that we've already created over the past eight years." Ms Sturgeon proposed that the next Scottish election to follow the 2016 poll will be held in 2021, as she confirmed that the Scottish Elections (Dates) Bill would be brought forward in the forthcoming session.
The first minister's statement will also set out more details on how her government hopes to raise attainment in schools after her admission in May that the Scottish education system was not performing as well as it should be.
Literacy standards
Opposition parties have highlighted the continuing "attainment gap" between those from Scotland's wealthiest and poorest backgrounds.
And the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy said in April that literacy standards in P4, P7 and S2 had fallen. The survey flagged up a similar drop in numeracy standards last year.
Ms Sturgeon is expected to outline moves towards standardising assessment in primary schools and the early years of secondary schools as part of her pledge to ensure that every child has an equal chance to succeed.
National tests for students aged under 14 were scrapped more than 10 years ago.
ANALYSISANALYSIS
By Glenn Campbell, BBC Scotland political correspondentBy Glenn Campbell, BBC Scotland political correspondent
It's Holyrood's equivalent of the Queen's speech. But it's the first minister rather than the monarch that sets out the programme for devolved government.It's Holyrood's equivalent of the Queen's speech. But it's the first minister rather than the monarch that sets out the programme for devolved government.
It's expected to include eight new bills to be pushed through the Scottish Parliament in the eight months that remain before the next Holyrood elections in May 2016. The programme includes eight new bills to be pushed through the Scottish Parliament in the eight months that remain before the next Holyrood elections in May 2016.
New laws on everything from revenge pornography to private rented accommodation; from cremation following the baby ashes scandal to the formal creation of a Scottish fiscal commission as Holyrood takes on more tax powers.New laws on everything from revenge pornography to private rented accommodation; from cremation following the baby ashes scandal to the formal creation of a Scottish fiscal commission as Holyrood takes on more tax powers.
Education will grab much attention as the Scottish government seeks to introduce standardised national assessment in primary and the first years of secondary school - as part of a new drive to improve attainment. Education grabs much attention as the Scottish government seeks to introduce standardised national assessment in primary and the first years of secondary school - as part of a new drive to improve attainment.
But what's more striking about this programme than any individual measure is its overall focus on the future.But what's more striking about this programme than any individual measure is its overall focus on the future.
Nicola Sturgeon is indicating how she intends to use the tax, welfare and employment powers that Holyrood will gain in the years ahead.Nicola Sturgeon is indicating how she intends to use the tax, welfare and employment powers that Holyrood will gain in the years ahead.
In setting out a "vision for the coming decade", the first minister is staking the SNP's claim to continue in office for two or perhaps three more terms.In setting out a "vision for the coming decade", the first minister is staking the SNP's claim to continue in office for two or perhaps three more terms.
Bold? Yes. Presumptuous? Maybe.Bold? Yes. Presumptuous? Maybe.
But the opinion polls suggest the post referendum surge in support for the SNP may have risen higher.But the opinion polls suggest the post referendum surge in support for the SNP may have risen higher.
In Labour and the other opposition parties at Holyrood, there's a sense that loosening the nationalist's grip on power is not a short term project. In Labour and the other opposition parties at Holyrood, there's a sense that loosening the nationalists' grip on power is not a short-term project.
Scotland's largest teachers union, the EIS, has already said it would oppose the return of a national testing system, partly over fears that the data could be used to make league tables of how well schools are performing - although the government has said it will not do this. The first minister also published the first draft of the National Improvement Framework for Scottish Education.
Scottish Labour said closing the attainment gap in education should be at the heart of the Programme for Government. She said: "Improving school attainment is arguably the single most important objective in this Programme for Government.
Its leader Kezia Dugdale said: "Today the SNP government has a chance to change the lives hundreds of thousands of Scottish children. They should grasp it. "Improving it overall and closing the gap between children in our most and least deprived areas is fundamental to our aim of making Scotland fairer and more prosperous."
"Children who started High School this week have spent every year of their time at school under an SNP Government. What have we seen for it? She told MSPs: "Education in Scotland is already good and getting better. Last month young people achieved a record number of passes at Higher and Advanced Higher but despite some encouraging evidence that it might be narrowing slightly the attainment gap is still too large."
"We see a 12% attainment gap in reading between the rich and the poor, a 21% gap in writing and a 24% gap in numeracy. Almost half of the poorest kids leaving primary school are unable to write properly or to count properly. Scotland's largest teaching union, the EIS, said it was encouraged to see that the first minister was "not advocating a return to the failed high-stakes testing regime of the past".
"Scotland can be better than that. By investing in these kids we are investing in the country's most powerful and potent natural resource." EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said standardised tests should be used to support teachers' professional judgement.
Ms Dugdale called for all school inspections to be suspended for a year while the inspection regime was redesigned. He warned against the the misuse of data generated through the proposed assessment changes.
"The first minister is the most powerful woman in British politics today, she's had a year to get used to the job, and it's time she started wielding that power to build a fairer nation," she added. Mr Flanagan said raising attainment could be best achieved by "lowering class sizes, improving pupil-teacher ratios, and tackling the blight of poverty among school-age children".
ANALYSIS
By Jamie McIvor, BBC Scotland education correspondent
The phrase national testing will not be used by the Scottish government - but standardising the assessment process for primary school and early secondary school students would mark a return to a form of national testing.
National testing for five to 13-year-olds was scrapped in Scotland in 2003 by the Labour-Lib Dem coalition led by Jack McConnell.
Standardising assessments could prove controversial - unions have already put a shot across the government's bows - but much of the devil will actually be in the detail. Read more