Ministers consider national tests for primary schools

Details will be unveiled "very soon," the First Minister told MSPs.

But, speaking during First Minister's Questions, she acknowledged there was a lack of information about primary school performance compared with secondary schools and promised improvements to the system.

A system of standard tests for five- to 14-year-olds was scrapped in 2003 by Labour's then education minister, Peter Peacock.

The move followed complaints that teachers were "teaching to the tests" at the expense of giving pupils a broader education.

Local councils were also frustrated that the standard tests allowed league tables to be drawn up.

At present, local education authorities have their own separate systems for measuring primary pupils' progress.

Ms Sturgeon faced calls to bring back standard tests by Scots Tory leader Ruth Davidson, who claimed the government had "no clear idea" of the quality of primary education in different parts of the country.

The First Minister told her: "I openly acknowledge that while we do have, through exam passes, a wealth of data about the performance of secondary-school pupils, we do not have that same data on primary-school pupils."

She said a "serious and substantial" study was taking place and added: "I'm not going to simply give Ruth Davidson a yes or a no answer, to jump to the decisions before we have properly considered what the right thing to do is.

"We do need a new national performance framework, but we do need to make sure that the data we're collecting and the way we do that is right, proportionate and sensible.

"We're considering these issues at the moment and I look forward, and the Education Secretary looks forward, to updating Parliament very soon on the the direction in which we want to go.

"I am determined that we make the improvements in our education system that require to be made."

Recent official figures showed standards of literacy in Scottish primary and secondary schools are falling.

The Scottish Survey of Literacy found performance in reading dropped in primary schools between 2012 and 2014, as well as in the second year of secondary school.

Last year, the same survey found Scottish primary schools had experienced a dramatic decline in standards of numeracy.

Angela Constance, the Education Secretary, this week provoked a backlash from unions after challenging teachers to do more to improve pupils' basic skills.

Speaking after First Minister's Questions, Ms Davidson said: "It's no wonder the Scottish Government doesn't know what to do, because it doesn't know what's going on.

"And while I'm glad the First Minister says she is listening, what we really need now is action.

"We need a new system of primary testing, exactly like Denmark and Ontario, whose approaches the Scottish Government are studying.

"The best education systems in the world test children, gather data and benchmark for success.

"The SNP now has to ask itself why it hasn't brought that in for Scotland after eight years in charge."

She added: "This isn't about making snap judgements on children at an early age, it's about ensuring we know which schools need help to improve, and which ones are leading the way."

The Scottish Government's record on education was also criticised by Labour and the Lib Dems.

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale accused the SNP of "letting down" students by cutting funding for grants and bursaries by £40million.

Scots Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie called for the "pupil premium" - the system of additional funding for schools in England with large numbers of pupils from disadvantaged students - to be introduced in Scotland.

Ms Sturgeon accused Labour of "hypocrisy" for raising the issue of student debt after introducing university tuition fees. In response to Mr Rennie, she said funding per pupil was higher in Scotland than England.