Education Secretary John Swinney is already facing calls to halt plans for national tests over claims they risk “repeating Thatcherite failures of the past”.
The deputy first minister, who was given the education portfolio earlier this week, is on an early collision course with parents, who have lashed out at proposals to make primary school pupils sit three tests lasting an hour teach.
Mr Swinney insisted they are not tests, but standardised assessments pitched at an “age appropriate” level for children.
But Shetland Liberal Democrat MSP Tavish Scott called for Mr Swinney to review the “remorseless drive to national testing and school league tables.”
“Asking five-year-old children to take hour long tests is the wrong education policy and risks repeating Thatcherite failures of the past,” he said.
“John Swinney can reset the clock. I encourage him to hold fire on national testing of school children and national school league tables. Instead he should review his government’s approach.”
The education secretary said last night: “No child at primary school will sit an hour long test. Ministers have no wish to return to stressful testing in Scotland’s schools for our children.
“We are introducing assessments, which will be age appropriate, and will allow teachers to tailor learning for each individual child.
“Nearly all schools in Scotland are already using standardised assessments – our plan is to replace these with assessments aligned to Curriculum for Excellence.”
Scottish Labour also yesterday called for Mr Swinney to stop cuts to education, while the Conservatives demanded he review the controversial Named Persons law.
