Primary children in West Lothian are achieving above the national average in literacy and numeracy.
A newly-released report puts West Lothian pupils above the Scottish average in all 20 of the national measurements.
West Lothian pupils were ranked top for achievement at primary school level amongst our comparator authorities, which are other council areas with similar demographics and levels of deprivation.
They were rated as third highest for achievement for the whole of Scotland, with only primary pupils from the significantly more affluent areas of East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire rated higher.
By Primary 7, 81 per cent of pupils in West Lothian were achieving the expected level of literacy, significantly above the national average of 71 per cent.
Similarly, 83 per cent of Primary 7 pupils in West Lothian were achieving the expected level of numeracy, compared to 76 per cent for Scotland as a whole.
The number of West Lothian pupils achieving the expected level in Primary 1 across five key indicators was 3.4 per cent above the national average, rising to 7.6 per cent in Primary 4 and 8 per cent in Primary 7, according to the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels for 2021/22.
Literacy and numeracy attainments gaps for primary pupils were smaller in West Lothian than the national levels and have been continually decreasing since 2018/19.
Executive councillor for education Andrew McGuire visited Bankton Primary School in Dedridge, Livingston, recently, where the strong commitment to the key drives of Health and Wellbeing and Getting it Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) have led to all children progressing successfully in their learning.
Councillor McGuire said: “I’m delighted to see that West Lothian primary pupils, including those at Bankton Primary, are continuing to punch above their weight in achievement for both literacy and numeracy.
“Thanks to everyone who has played a role in this fantastic achievement, from teachers and colleagues from across education, parents/carers and, of course, the dedicated pupils themselves.
“Deprivation levels are a key factor in young people achieving their potential, so it’s especially heartening to see we are helping more of our least affluent pupils to reduce the attainment gap with our more affluent pupils.
“It’s essential we do all we can to give our children the best possible start in life to help them have a successful future, which is why we have prioritised education including investing to build one of the best school estates in Scotland.
“The achievement of our primary pupils, together with exam attainment in West Lothian rising consistently for the last decade for secondary pupils, is evidence that this approach is proving successful.”
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