LIBDEM leader Willie Rennie is attempting to build cross-party support to force the Scottish Government to scrap national testing for primary one pupils.
Rennie hopes to stage a Holyrood showdown on the issue despite changes announced last week by Education Secretary John Swinney after a government review of the newly introduced tests.
Swinney said a number of adaptations would be made following complaints from some teachers and parents that the tests were putting too much pressure on pupils.
Some questions are to be removed and tests have been redesigned to reduce the need for certain computing skills.
However, Rennie said yesterday that the tests should be scrapped altogether and has opened cross-party discussions in an effort to ensure that there is a parliamentary vote “at the earliest opportunity”.
“The Scottish Government review of its own national testing policy was unsurprisingly a whitewash,” he said. “Teachers were horrified that ministers dismissed the feedback that they had been bombarded with. They opted to retain the tests for P1s despite overwhelming evidence from across the country that they are a monumental waste of time and resources, counterproductive and useless in assessing a child’s level.
“Parents considering withdrawing their children were told by ministers to get back in line, only to discover this week that the legal advice the Scottish Government used to do this didn’t actually exist.
“The SNP can’t escape the parliamentary maths. They can’t point to having the support of any other MSP for their policy of national tests for P1 pupils.
“The schools are already back and Parliament will follow them this week. There is no time to lose and that is why I have today invited the other opposition leaders to agree to use the first available opportunity to scrap national testing for P1 pupils. Parliament must put a stop to this shambles.”
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