Aberdeen falling behind in literacy and numeracy

Posted by Jamie Mackie | Updated 2016-12-13

Government figures released today show that the percentage of pupils in Aberdeen City achieving expected levels in literacy and numeracy are at least ten percent below the national average.

The Scottish Government came under sustained fire today after statistics show deteriorating levels of reading, writing, numeracy and listening & talking skills in schools across the country.

North East MSP Mike Rumbles said: “These figures show that almost a third of children in our schools in Aberdeen are failing to meet the required level literacy and numeracy.

“The system, under this inept SNP Government, has utterly failed thousands of children across the North East. What is worse is that they have refused to acknowledge that their incompetence could leave a generation of children without the skills they need to get on in life.

“They promised class sizes would shrink and attainment would increase. Needless to say, that is two more promises that this shambles of a government have not delivered. After ten years in power, it’s time they took responsibility for our education system instead of cutting the resources available to it.”

ENDS

Notes for editors:

Figures can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/Summarystatsforschools

The averages for Scotland (in percentages) are:

Reading:

Writing

Listening and Talking

Numeracy

81%

78%

85%

84%

75%

69%

81%

73%

72%

65%

77%

68%

86%

84%

87%

86%

	Reading				Writing				Listening & Talking				Numeracy
	P1	P4	P7	S3	P1	P4	P7	S3	P1	P4	P7	S3	P1	P4	P7	S3
Aberdeen City	65%	60%	57%	71%	64	52	49	67	71	64	64	69	71	57	58	83
Aberdeenshire	80	71	64	86	79	67	55	86	83	78	73	89	83	69	58	88
Angus	84	83	84	98	83	79	81	98	88	89	89	98	87	82	80	96
Dundee	78	71	61	88	70	62	51	87	83	78	66	88	78	66	49	79