By a Newsnet reporter 
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson has had her grasp of Scottish education questioned following comments she made where she called for Scotland to follow England’s example on education.
The General Secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), Larry Flanagan said that Ms Davidson appeared not to know what the Curriculum for Excellence was about.
By a Newsnet reporter
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson has had her grasp of Scottish education questioned following comments she made where she called for Scotland to follow England’s example on education.
The General Secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), Larry Flanagan said that Ms Davidson appeared not to know what the Curriculum for Excellence was about.
Ms Davidson has called for the creation of English style technical schools in order to train disaffected teenagers to become proficient in trades such as engineering and plumbing.
Miss Davidson said:
‘Rather than sticking rigidly to the one size fits all model, other parts of the UK have innovated in the delivery of education by tailoring schooling to the needs of the parents and local community.
“We want to bring forward proposals to free more schools from the direct control of councils.
“We want to see more choice and innovation in Scotland by looking at what is going on elsewhere in Britain in terms of technical and free schools.’
However the Scottish Conservative leader was described as not understanding Scottish education by the general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), Larry Flanagan.
Mr Flanagan said that these paths were already open to Scottish based youngsters through modern apprenticeships and college courses, paths which he pointed offered youngsters assistance in achieving their aims through state school education.
In response to Miss Davidson’s comments, Mr. Flanagan said: “The tone of Ruth Davidson’s remarks seems to suggest she does not understand what Curriculum for Excellence is actually about.
“At the end of third year all pupils are entitled to a three – year plan, which links in with modern apprenticeships and further education to address the needs of pupils who leave school at 16.
“All pupils have access to the same level of experiences across S1 – S3 then they have a focus on a career path in response to their abilities.’
He added: “We already have a plan in place, but the Tories are not aware of it.”
