New figures published by the Scottish government show big differences in pupils’ literacy and numeracy attainment between councils, with the biggest variations seen for P7 writing and numeracy.

Figures published yesterday by the Scottish government showed that overall there were moderate gains in primary pupils’ literacy and numeracy performance overall, with the proportion reaching the expected level for their stage gradually rising.

However, a breakdown of the figures by local authority shows that pupil performance in different council areas is hugely variable.

Background: Literacy and numeracy statistics show modest gains

2018 results: Poorest pupils ‘being failed badly’

2017 results: Almost a third of Scottish 12-year-olds fail to hit writing benchmark

In one council, Highland, teachers reported that just 60 per cent of pupils had reached the expected level for writing in P7. However, in East Renfrewshire that figure was 88 per cent, and nationally 74 per cent of P7s achieved this standard.

When it came to numeracy just 62 per cent of pupils in Highland were believed by their teachers to have reached the expected level for their age and stage - but 90 per cent of pupils in East Renfrewshire achieved the standard, according to their teachers. Nationally, 76 per cent of pupils achieved this standard.

The report said: “The largest range in results across the four separate organisers can be seen in numeracy at P7 (62 per cent to 90 per cent) and in writing at P7 (60 per cent to 88 per cent) - both differences of 28 percentage points. The smallest range in results reported by organisers is for listening and talking, with a difference of 16 percentage points at P1, 23 percentage points at P4, 20 percentage points at P7 and 15 percentage points at S3.”

Education secretary John Swinney acknowledged the disparity when he made a statement to the Scottish Parliament about the figures yesterday.

He said: “While the overall picture is positive, there are of course local variations within the figures and we will be working with Education Scotland and local authorities over the coming year to support improvement.”

The report warns that when making comparisons between councils, the local context and approach to assessment should be kept in mind.