The pandemic leading to the school curriculum narrowing has largely been a topic of concern in England. There, the new target that 90 per cent of children should hit the expected standards in the three Rs by 2030 has prompted school leaders to warn that this will lead to fewer children taking part “in the arts, in sport and in making things”, as Geoff Barton, general secretary at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), recently put it.
However, a new Education Scotland report reveals that Scots would be wrong to be complacent and that in some schools north of the border the curriculum is also narrowing. A review of the approaches being taken by schools to Covid recovery, published earlier this month by inspectors, finds that, in some schools, the focus on literacy, numeracy and wellbeing is having an impact on the “entitlement to a broad general education”, with the increased time being dedicated to these curricular areas squeezing other subjects out.
So, if a broad general education is something Scotland aspires to - if it is an entitlement, no less - how does Education Scotland suggest we fix this?
Well, it largely doesn’t. And the fact that this is happening - that what many regard as one of the key strengths of Scottish education is under threat -- also receives little more than a passing mention in the body’s recovery review. In fact, in the 22-page report, there are just two sentences dedicated to the issue.
The report says that a number of schools have reviewed and adapted the curriculum to have an enhanced focus on literacy, numeracy and wellbeing, and it adds: “In a few cases, the increased allocation of time in these curricular areas impacts on young people’s entitlement to a broad general education.”
That’s it.
Now, maybe the report glosses over the issue because it isn’t a big deal but, responding to the Tes Scotland article, curriculum expert Professor Mark Priestley said on social media that the narrowing of the curriculum in Scotland “has been apparent for some time”. He then added: “The next step is to address the system pressures and data driven practices that lead to a culture of performativity and which are ultimately counter-educational”.
Former Scottish chief inspector of education, Graham Donaldson, also found the news significant. He said: “Our young people need a broad and challenging curriculum more than ever. Closing the experiential gap is the key.”
But while these education experts are willing to put forward their opinions, the inspectorate’s reticence to pin its own colours to the mast is palpable.
The introduction to the report tells us the recovery review’s purpose is “to describe current practice in Scottish education” and “to promote improvements...by drawing on the professional view of [the inspectorate]”, but the focus seems to be on what schools are doing - with precious little analysis or “professional view of [the inspectorate]”.
This latest report on recovery approaches, for instance, contains no recommendations, and the conclusions that it comes to - like schools should ”focus on a manageable number of priorities” and that “establishing ongoing evaluation is crucial” - seem imprecise and rather obvious.
Frustration at Education Scotland’s apparent unwillingness to challenge government isn’t new. In the EIS teaching union’s submission to the Muir review - which was looking at how key education bodies including Education Scotland should be reformed - the EIS said the body’s lack of independence from government needed to be addressed, adding: “Too often, it can seem that Education Scotland is tasked with carrying out the political bidding of the Scottish government.”
The EIS cites Education Scotland’s failure to challenge the introduction of the Scottish National Standardised Assessments (SNSA), which test performance in literacy and numeracy in P1, P4, P7 and S3, as an example of its toothlessness.
Now, these tests and their results might help explain why some schools are narrowing the curriculum - last year, primary literacy and numeracy attainment hit its lowest level.
But if the SNSAs are an issue, Education Scotland is steadfastly refusing to make the connection. And fears that the curriculum is narrowing in some schools failed to make it into the body’s own summary of the review findings.
This was also the case for other interesting nuggets buried in the report, such as the struggle Gaelic-medium schools have faced from the impact of the lockdowns on their pupils’ language skills - especially if they lived in non-Gaelic speaking households. Or the heavy impact the pandemic has had on practical subjects, in particular - again something that seems like a significant finding to come out of the review but that receives little more than a passing mention.
Another key issue the review highlights - which actually is included in the summary of findings - is that senior leaders “would benefit from support for their own resilience and wellbeing”.
It says that school leaders have “routinely prioritised the wellbeing of others over their own” - but then instead of suggesting what councils or the government could do to support them, the review puts the onus back on hard-pressed heads, saying they need to “prioritise time for their own wellbeing”.
Several pages on, the review says “staffing shortages often restrict senior leaders in using funding to recruit additional staffing to support recovery”.
No line is drawn, however, between the aforementioned stressed out school leaders and this lack of staff “for some subjects and specialist Gaelic-medium education”, which means they have to step in and teach classes.
The pandemic has inevitably had a huge impact on schools - on what is being taught, on behaviour, on attendance and on staff. But this vague and disappointing report whispers about the challenges, instead of shouting about them so that they get the attention they need and can be addressed.
We have to hope that when the inspectorate regains its independence - which is what the Muir report recommended and what the government has committed to - it also regains its voice.
Emma Seith is a senior reporter at Tes Scotland. She tweets @Emma_Seith
