Council Under Fire Over Writing Skills

Concerned councillors yesterday accused Aberdeenshire Council of “failing” children after figures revealed some secondary schools achieved well below the national average for writing skills.

Members of the Marr area committee said poor attainment at Aboyne Academy and the Gordon Schools at Huntly was surprising given the fundamental importance of writing to a child’s education.

The committee called on the council to produce a more detailed report examining causes and possible remedies of the problem.

A report before councillors yesterday showed 49% of S2 pupils at Aboyne Academy and 45% of pupils at the Gordon Schools achieved the expected level of writing skills in last year’s exams.

The national average is 70%.

Report author Thelma Birnie, head of education, learning and leisure for Marr and Kincardine and Mearns, admitted attainment in S2 writing across Aberdeenshire was “well below the national benchmark” and said there had been an “overall downward trend” since 2004.

Reacting to the figures, Banchory and Mid-Deeside councillor Jill Webster said it was “a critical area” and urged the council to take swift action to reverse the trend.

She said: “It’s an absolutely critical area for children and for society. It’s the absolute basic level of skill we need to get by.

“I think we’re failing our children in writing and that we have got to, as a society, look at getting the required level.”

This sentiment was reiterated by Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside councillor Bruce Luffman who said it was time to start making improvements.

“It seems to me we are failing the very people who are going to be wanting to have jobs, and society in general.

“We’re failing and we’re not improving in any sort of realistic way,” he said.

Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside councillor Peter Argyle said he would have expected more of a focus on writing in light of the area’s poor record, and suggested the council drew up a further report investigating the matter.

“It’s of such fundamental importance that I find it surprising the focus is not put on it,” he said.

Richard Stroud, chairman of the authority’s education, learning and leisure com-mittee, said it was important to remember the figures reflected “a particular issue in a particular school at a particular time” and said it would be useful to have a report which charted the progress of students over a longer period of time.

A spokesman for the council said overall Aberdeenshire outperformed many other parts of Scotland with some exam result figures sitting 32% above the national average.

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