STANDARDS of numeracy amongst Scottish pupils are continuing to fall despite a drive to improve basic skills.
New figures show the proportion of pupils performing "well" or "very well" in P4 and S2 fell between 2011 and 2015.
The Scottish Survey of Numeracy also found pupils from better off areas are continuing to record better results than those from the most deprived communities with the attainment gap between rich and poor getting bigger in some cases.
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John Swinney, the new Education Secretary said the statistics reinforced the need to improve attainment.
He said: "We have much to do to ensure our young people are supported to improve their understanding and use of numeracy, and our teachers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and confidence to drive up standards in this area.
"We have introduced several measures since numeracy statistics were last published in 2014 as part of our firm commitment to address the attainment gap."
However, the Scottish Government came under fire from opposition politicians who accused them of failing schools after nine years in power.
Liz Smith, the Scottish Conservative Party's education spokeswoman, said the "appalling" figures showed the SNP was "failing Scotland's pupils and failing to close the attainment gap".
She added: "The SNP has completely taken its eye of the ball when it comes to education and helping those from the most deprived backgrounds to succeed.
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"We have said for quite some time that the attainment gap between children from poorer and richer backgrounds remains the biggest challenge in our education system. The SNP must look at narrowing this gap now, as a matter of priority."
Iain Gray, Scottish Labour's education spokesman called the figures a "disgrace".
He said: "Our children pay the price in poorer literacy and numeracy skills. They lay bare the SNP's failure on education with performance falling in every category and every stage, and the gap between the richest and the rest increasing.
"Mr Swinney says these new figures show the scale of the challenge he faces, but it is a challenge he created himself by slashing investment in education during his near decade in charge of Scotland's finances."
Tavish Scott, spokesman for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, accused the Scottish Government of burying the figures until after the recent election.
He said: "Nine years ago the SNP promised to cut class sizes and boost attainment, but the opposite has happened.
"It is no surprise the SNP were happy for these latest figures to be buried until after the election given what they show about the SNP’s record in government."
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However, Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) teaching union, said the survey showed that pupils continued to perform well in numeracy overall with a majority of pupils working at or above the appropriate levels for their stage.
He added: "It is significant to note that where there has been a dip it has occurred primarily in pupils from the most deprived backgrounds - underlining the fact that austerity driven cuts, which have deepened the levels of child poverty in Scotland, have created even greater barriers to educational achievement."
Approximately 10,500 pupils in 2,200 schools took part in the 2015 Scottish Survey of Numeracy.
It found performance was highest at P4 and P7 with 66 per cent of pupils at those stages performing "well" or "very well". At S2, 40 per cent of pupils performed "well" or "very well".
The proportion of P4 pupils that performed "well" or "very well" decreased between 2011 and 2013, and again, slightly, between 2013 and 2015, the survey shows.
Boys outperformed girls in numeracy at S2 whereas there was no difference in the proportion of boys and girls performing "well" or "very well" at either P4 or P7. Pupils from affluent areas demonstrated stronger performance compared to poorer pupils in numeracy at all stages.
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