Agenda: Austerity and poverty are having an impact on literacy and numeracy levels

It is worth noting that in second year at secondary (S2), the pupils are being measured against Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Level 3, which is the minimum standard that all pupils should achieve by the end of third year so the survey has quite a high threshold.

Having noted that, concern has rightly been expressed about the comparative drop from 2012 and this requires further consideration, especially as last year's figures looking at numeracy raised similar matters. Is there a flaw in the CfE programme, or at least in how it is being implemented or are other factors at play? Perhaps there is a bit of both.

In terms of the basic framework of CfE, at least in the three to15 age group area, the programme has settled into working mode. Key concerns that emerge would be around the transition between primary and secondary, where successful implementation of the primary seven profile as a focus of the move between the sectors has been patchy. Secondary schools are still adjusting, also, to the implications of a broad general education across S1-3, leading, theoretically, to a summative S3 profile that forms the basis for a pupil's transition to the senior phase experience. Improvement is required in this area.

In primaries, significant concern has been expressed by teachers about the manner in which the curriculum has been "re-cluttered", with a range of initiatives that can often distract from attempts to focus on core skills such as literacy and numeracy that were meant to be at the heart of CfE.

With regard to secondary schools, the survey was carried out in May 2014, which coincided with the introduction of the new National 4 and 5 qualifications. It has been widely acknowledged since then that teachers had to make a massive commitment to this programme in order to safeguard the interests of the first cohort of students taking the exam and it would not be surprising to learn that the workload tsunami that swept over schools in that period might have impacted on other areas of work.

More significantly, we need to consider the social context of the past few years when austerity measures have begun to hit home sharply. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has evidence of the enormous rise in child poverty, with increasing numbers of children going to school hungry. In particular, the negative impact of cuts to welfare benefits initiated in 2012 directly correlate with the period between surveys.

In that same timeframe we witnessed Cosla twice failing to maintain teacher numbers, which dropped whilst class sizes grew bigger. School budgets were squeezed and we had reports of increasing numbers of class teachers having to supplement basic materials from their own pockets. The number of classroom assistants dropped, including support for pupils with Additional Support Needs and, despite a growing demand for English as a Second Language services, the number of staff working in this area was cut.

In summary, austerity has an impact on our schools. The link between poverty and educational attainment is clear so it should come as no surprise that an increase in poverty in our society appears to be reflected in attainment in our schools. Recognising this allows us to address the issue.

Since the survey was carried out the Attainment Challenge has been announced and the £100 million funding from the Scottish Government is welcome, with additional resource also being announced this week. The EIS believes, however,that this additional funding needs to be targeted specifically at addressing the impact of poverty and providing the additional support where it is needed most; that is, in the classroom. Schools cannot eradicate poverty but they can and mitigate its effects to make a positive difference to young people's lives.