IT is surely still accepted, despite the internet and digital information, that successful communication, social integration and access to learning which requires verbal reasoning and retention is very dependent, for most people, on confident use of their own language. As the more privileged, wealthier members of our society still demonstrate, being able to pay for early learning ensures that the gap in educational achievement continues to widen.

I retired from teaching ten years ago but have vivid memories of frustrations about poor language skills being shared across the curriculum – amongst staff and with pupils themselves.

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It takes a long time to establish changes in education, even longer to identify outcomes; it is apparently impossible to make politicians admit responsibility when the outcomes of their policies are disastrous. Once such changes are embedded, it is very difficult to repair the damage.

In my opinion, the current Pisa results have far more to do with trends that began with the Primary Memorandum in the late 1960s and were compounded by social and educational policies directed by Westminster, across the UK, throughout the 1970s and onwards.

In Scotland, the mess that destroyed the best of Scotvec and SEB courses and qualifications was driven ruthlessly by Labour and amounted to a cover-up of the original mess in primary education. The SNP have not had the courage to do anything other than follow the path set by them. They are all guilty. Meanwhile the Tories battle to defend the privileges of private schools which focus on language, drama and speaking skills to the point where dangerously stupid individuals are enabled to attain positions of power.

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Scottish children and their teachers deserve meaningful learning experiences. The current mess is not meaningful and children are rejecting it, as they usually reject meaningless activities, with challenging behaviours. They are also, from a very early age, well aware of false praise and complacency.

Meaningfulness is vital for all children. Scotland should celebrate the positives of Curriculum for Excellence – for there are key elements which have won praise from Pisa and educationalists all over the world – but we need to fill in the blanks created over decades.

Therefore, along with decent food and clothing, give all our Scottish pupils confidence in literacy and numeracy, drama and debating skills and our smart youngsters will wipe the floor with the privileged, disastrously articulate incompetence which dominates all Westminster parties in both houses and also bears huge responsibility for the long decline in “British” education throughout the UK.

Frances McKie
Evanton, Ross-shire

AS I write, the rain has not stopped for three days. It is so bad that even my dogs look sideways at me before scurrying out into the garden and back as fast as possible.

The world outside is now so dark, you worry the light of humanity has been put out once and for all. You open the curtains and it makes the room darker.

In the Celtic world we are entering the time when our ancestors believed the edges between the living and the dead became so thin it was possible for you to cross over and back, if you had the skills.

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As I read the UK Government’s plans for Rwanda, its mealy-mouthed abstention on the issue of preventing the killing of more children in Gaza or of bloviating Johnson’s latest attempt at claiming “it wisnae me, thon Cummings' yer man” as he yet again seeks to avoid responsibility for his own serious failings and the deaths of some 250,000 of his fellow citizens, I fear we are now trapped on the wrong side; in the world of the dead.

We can not wait for the SNP, as clearly they are hamstrung by their indulgence in Section 30 approval and the “law”.

The darkness of indifference is smothering us. I fear it will not be long in pushing us into the dark abyss of “what’s the point?”.

“We the people are sovereign”; if so, it is up to “we the people” to throw the yoke of Westminster from our shoulders, even if it means we become outlaws because our politicians are aa feart to.

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It is that or living in the land of the dead, mummified by a Starmer government equally indifferent to Scotland as the Tories.

Maybe Private Frazer was right after all: “We’re aa doomed!”

We are, unless we change tack in pressing for Scottish independence. The democratic route has been closed to us for some time.

Peter Thomson
via email

I COULDN’T see how John Ray (Letters, Dec 14) could criticise Lesley Riddoch’s film, on what Scotland can learn from Denmark, based solely on the highest rate of income tax in Denmark.

A little research revealed that the personal tax systems in Denmark are completely different from those in the UK. The differences are so great that quoting any tax rate is misleading, for example there is no zero band in Denmark – so the lowest rate of income tax is 8% compared to the 0% in the UK.

Some idea of how Denmark compares to the UK can be gained from Denmark’s online personal tax calculator that appears to include taxes similar to our income tax, capital gains tax, National Insurance, council tax and others being included in deductions paid directly from earnings in Denmark but not normally though of as income tax in the UK.

Perhaps Lesley Riddoch’s film does not mention Denmark’s tax rate because it is offset by the high level of income in Denmark and did not appear significant during her research.

As Danes are regularly reported in surveys as among the happiest people in the world, we certainly can learn a lot from Denmark.

John Jamieson
South Queensferry