The senior chief inspector of schools appeared this week to endorse the spirit of North Lanarkshire’s approach if not the detail.
Speaking in East Renfrewshire, Douglas Osler emphasised “the overarching importance of core skills such as reading and numeracy”. Mr Osler added: “When teachers at the early stages enable children to become proficient in these core skills before the end of P3, they are laying the foundation of an ability to take advantage of a broad education.”
He repeated an earlier acknowledgement that environmental studies would be reviewed, particularly the coherence of science teaching, as part of a general monitoring of the 5-14 programme.
