The Conservatives called today for more rigorous testing in primary schools amid concern over literacy and numeracy levels in Scotland.

The Conservatives called today for more rigorous testing in primary schools amid concern over literacy and numeracy levels in Scotland.

Tory schools spokeswoman Liz Smith said testing at primary level could detect such problems early on.

She believes Scottish Government plans to introduce stand-alone literacy and numeracy tests in S4 will not fully tackle the problem. She said: "By S4, pupils should be able to apply the three Rs meaningfully to all subject areas, something that is desperately important if we are to raise academic standards across the board.

"The first signs of literacy and numeracy problems almost always develop in primary school and that is why I think we should be more rigorous in our testing of these skills at primary."

She added: "At present, it is far too easy for pupils in Scotland to progress from primary school to secondary school even if they are failing to reach anything like acceptable standards in literacy and numeracy.

"Naturally, this increases the likelihood of these pupils becoming more disengaged from class work and encountering behavioural difficulties when they see they can't cope.

"This is doing both them and the education system a great disservice." A Scottish Government spokesman said plans to cut class sizes in the first three years of primary school would ensure more time and attention is given to literacy and numeracy in the early years.

He stated: "Better teaching and learning in primary school is the best way to improve literacy and numeracy skills and not simply through more testing.

"With the introduction of the new curriculum, this will be the first time all teachers will have responsibility for improving the literacy and numeracy skills of all children."

The spokesman added: "At the other end of the spectrum, the Scottish Government is also instructing a national survey to be conducted this month to measure adult literacy and numeracy levels and it will be used as a baseline against which to measure the success of future initiatives to improve literacy and numeracy in Scotland."