§ Baroness Blatchasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish data for Scotland showing for state schools, independent schools and all schools taken together the number and percentage of all pupils in P4, P7 and S2 in each of the years 1994 to 1997 taking and passing National Curriculum tests at levels A. B, C, D and E in the following subjects: mathematics, English and science, showing data separately for boys, girls and all pupils and including, for each category of school, the total number of schools and the number of pupils in P4, P7 and S2. [HL1227]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scottish Office (Lord Sewel)In Scotland the 5–14 curriculum including national testing, is non-statutory and national tests are carried out at five levels of attainment (A to E) for pupils between those ages in mathematics, reading and writing. There is84WA currently no national testing in science. A pupil takes a test when his/her teacher deems this appropriate in order to confirm the teacher's judgment that the pupil has largely completed work at that level. Most pupils are expected to move on from one level to the next at roughly two-year intervals. The results of testing between 1994 and 1997 are not centrally available.
As part of the initiative to raise standards in Scottish schools, the Government will seek in June 1998 the following information from each publicly funded primary and secondary school in Scotland: the number of pupils in P3, P5, P6 and P7 (Primary) and in S2 (Secondary); the number of pupils at each of these stages who have achieved each of the five levels in national tests by June 1998 for each of reading, writing and mathematics.
As to publication of data in future, we are committed to making more information on performance available to parents and schools. The Ministerial Action Group on Standards in Scottish Schools has been asked to look at how the present published information can be improved, taking into account the development of target setting.