LITERACY skills are “simply not good enough” and education reform is now “imperative”, Education Secretary John Swinney said yesterday.

Ability levels have fallen in the past four years and less than half of the country’s 13 and 14-year-olds are performing “well” or “very well” in writing.

Writing performance has also dropped for pupils in primaries four and seven, according to the latest Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy (SSLN).

Reading performance across all three age groups was broadly stable, but, despite a growing focus on the attainment gap between richer and poorer learners, the gulf between these groups has not reduced.

Responding to the results, Swinney said there are four key areas for improvement: “A stable performance and drop in S2 writing is simply not good enough.

“We need to better understand the progress of individual pupils, be clear about the standards expected in our classrooms while stripping out bureaucracy to free teachers to teach, and ensure literacy skills are fully embedded across the curriculum.”

Swinney said standardised assessments and literacy benchmarks would reveal where action had to be taken and new funding would help improve literacy.

However, he added: “These reforms are not an overnight solution. But if anyone looking at these literacy results thinks nothing more needs to change in Scottish education then they are mistaken. Further reform is now imperative.”

However, Larry Flanagan of the EIS teaching union said reform was partly to blame for the lack of progress in the SSLN.

He said: “Although the dip in measured levels of performance in writing at S2 is clearly worthy of further analysis, it is important that we keep these figures in context.

“These particular figures relate to 2016, a session when teachers and pupils were being placed under great strain through over-assessment linked to new qualifications and the resultant excessive workload demands.

“Overall, the figures highlight that Scottish pupils are continuing to perform well despite the many challenges that our schools have faced in recent years.”

However, Vicky Crichton of Save the Children said the Government must target the youngest children to close the attainment gap and drive up standards.

More than one quarter of youngsters are living in poverty, according to Scottish Government figures.

Crichton said: “Children growing up in low income homes are still falling behind their peers in every aspect of literacy, from learning to read to speaking and writing skills.

“Whilst it is wholly encouraging to hear Mr Swinney state that further action is needed, we believe these changes need to start well before a child sets foot in a classroom.

“Young children living in poverty are twice as likely to have difficulties in early development of language and communication.

“It’s shocking that so many children start school without the developmental building blocks they need to learn and unthinkable that they have to struggle to catch up throughout their school years. If we’re serious as a nation about closing the attainment gap, we need to make sure these issues are addressed.”

According to the SSLN, 49 per cent of S2 pupils did “very well”

or “well” in writing last year, compared to 55 per cent and 64 per cent in 2012.

Tory education spokeswoman Liz Smith called the results “shameful”, adding: “Over its 10 years in office, this SNP Government has failed a generation.”

LibDem leader Willie Rennie said: “Ten years of SNP mismanagement and obsession with independence has taken a terrible toll on Scottish education. A 15 per cent fall in writing performance at S2 is unacceptable. Pupils deserve better.”

Dismissing the claim that standardised testing will help, Greens education spokesperson Ross Greer, said: “What matters in education is adequate individual support for pupils. The best way to provide that support is by bringing back the staff who have been cut, keeping class sizes down and easing teachers’ unsustainable workloads and mountains of unhelpful guidance.

“We must also focus efforts outside the classroom as a young person’s learning is far too often affected by poor housing, poor health and lack of income.”