Scotland’s primary pupils for the first time found what it was like to be sliced and diced and held up for cold inspection by school league tables.
Defenders of league tables insist it’s all about giving parents the data to make informed choices about their children’s education. They claim the league table format allows them to compare a school’s performance against those of other schools in the same neighbourhood.
“Our school might be languishing at 149 but the patterns of deprivation in its catchment area really mean it’s at a more respectable 73. Bravo,” said no parent ever since league tables were first published.
This is the invisible x-factor which can never be measured in a league table. Every child who passes through this school is loved and cherished so that, no matter what the future holds for them, for a few years they knew they were all equally valued. Many other schools possess this too.
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