SO the gang in the playground have got together once again to give the SNP a bloody nose. The political football of our children’s education has been used to score points with our beloved BBC and other mainstream media outlets.

Maybe the answer is not to do any assessment at all with any year group through nursery, primary and secondary. Why not have, as I think they refer to it in nursery, “free play” where children make the decision about their activities? That would be much more fun.

This topic also featured in yesterday’s National in the long letter. I believe Carolyn Ritchie makes a number of valid points surrounding the P1 assessments, but surely the way forward is to persuade through discussion and further development of the assessments rather than threaten “I will cease to be a member of the SNP”.

If you believe that Nicola Sturgeon does not have the interests and wellbeing of the children of Scotland at heart then your decision to leave, though disappointing, may be the correct one.

Hector Maclean
Glasgow

READ MORE: Letters: SNP should respect the vote against P1 tests

I TEND to support the view that our young children probably go to school too early in life and believe in the concept of play-based learning. So it was from this viewpoint that I approached the long letter from Carolyn Ritchie.

However, as I read the letter, I became more and more disenchanted with a harangue of overstated negative description of the experiences of the children. This reached its nadir when I read that the children were not taken to the ICT suite, they were “marched off”.

Ms Ritchie finishes her letter with a threat to cancel her SNP membership if the P1 assessments are not scrapped. If we all decided to leave a political party every time we disagreed with a policy, they would soon have no members, but it doesn’t seem to be a particularly mature way to conduct a debate.

Douglas Turner
Edinburgh

READ MORE: Swinney says he will ‘consider’ P1 tests Parliament defeat

LESLEY Riddoch talks about “the massive potential of early learning” (Next generation needs a collective leap of faith by our politicians, September 20). Dare I say it? Is it possible that P1 assessments might actually tell us just how much learning has been taking place in our nurseries and early years establishments which, as we know, specialise in learning through play?

Many children spend a good part of their week in a nursery. Some will have been attending from just a few months of age. Governments continue to invest ever increasing amounts of money in early education. P1 assessments could show just how much children have learned, and tell us about the level of each child’s vocabulary. Recent studies have shown that a good vocabulary on entering school is essential for successful learning.

Anne Smith
Address supplied

READ MORE: Next generation needs a collective leap of faith by our politicians​

SURELY the discussion about P1 testing could easily be resolved if we decided to revise our educational system by creating kindergarten classes for five- and six-year-olds and bring them into classroom education at seven years?

There’s sufficient evidence from other European countries that two more years of learning through play doesn’t hold back the children’s development in any way. Why not let children be children? They’ll have enough years in the classrooms of school, work and life later on?

I speak as one who is neither a parent nor teacher but I can see children learning as they explore the world and ask questions.

Catriona Grigg
Embo

READ MORE: P1 children should be learning through play, not computers

AS the heading for Lesley Riddoch’s article in today’s National reminds us, we have a “next generation that needs a collective leap of faith by our politicians”. Well, if Mike Russell MSP is typical of our politicians in Holyrood and the Scottish contingent in Westminster then we can be reassured that the future is being carefully managed. I attended a public talk given by Mike Russell on Tuesday evening here in Stirling and I’m sure that I was not the only one to leave with renewed confidence that everything is being done to prepare for what looks increasingly like a “hard” Brexit.

As long as we keep our foot over (but not on) the accelerator while on cruise control, then we ought not to be caught out if a crash is imminent. Our children and theirs depend upon us to stay awake and get on with the things that matter to the people of Scotland as a whole community.

Janet Cunningham
Stirling

THESE are assessments, NOT tests. There is no pass or fail in them.

When my son was in P1 his teacher missed his dyslexia and was happy for him to play with Lego all day. We had him assessed privately and secured proper remedial help for his condition. I hate to think where he would have been educationally if we had not picked it up early. These assessments are essential at an early age.

David Justice
via thenational.scot