Return of knowledge in schools could transform education, says academic

A leading academic has called on the Scottish Government to return to a “knowledge-based and content-rich” strategy for education following the dramatic turnaround in attainment seen at a school in the Borders.

Writing in a new paper published on Monday, Lindsay Paterson, professor emeritus of education policy at the University of Edinburgh, and Berwickshire High School headteacher Bruce Robertson urged a change in direction at the national level.

In the paper, published by the Reform Scotland think tank, the educators say a knowledge-focused curriculum could “transform” education.

It details how Mr Robertson turned Berwickshire High School in Duns from one deemed “weak” and “unsatisfactory” by inspectors to a school “recognised as sector-leading” in just four years.

The percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more level 6 qualifications in S5 has surged from 21% in 2018 to 41% in 2024 following changes implemented by the headteacher.

The percentage of S4 pupils achieving 5 or more level 5 qualifications increased from 44% to 64% in the same time period.

Inspectors noted that “the quality and consistency of learning, teaching and assessment has improved considerably across the school”.

Mr Robertson said he had transformed the school by redefining the meaning and purpose of the curriculum as content while ensuring it was knowledge-based and skills-oriented.

He said: “At Berwickshire, we have shown that it is possible to work within Curriculum for Excellence and still create a curriculum based on knowledge and rich in content, which both increases the attainment of students and better prepares them for life and work.

“We took a curriculum which had, in effect, very little clear content, and in which the intended outcomes were vague and ambiguous, and redesigned it for the betterment of teaching and learning.

“We did it at Berwickshire High. It can and should happen all over the country.”

Professor Paterson said: “At Berwickshire, Bruce Robertson’s leadership and innovation have transformed outcomes for his students by putting knowledge-based content back into his school’s curriculum.

“The return of knowledge to the curriculum throughout the rest of Scotland could produce a new generation of talent.

“As a matter of urgency, the Scottish Government should now strongly encourage schools throughout Scotland to learn from Bruce’s programmes of teaching and learning model and roll it out throughout the country.”

Chris Deerin, director of Reform Scotland, added: “The performance of Scotland’s schools is, with good reason, a cause of national concern.

“The most recent Pisa (Programme for International Student Assessment) figures were particularly alarming – Scotland appears to have entered a long decline when it comes to pupil performance in key areas such as reading, maths and science.

“As it stands, the Curriculum for Excellence is not serving Scotland’s teachers, pupils or parents as well as it should or could.

“However, as the results from Berwickshire High School show, Robertson’s redesign has led to dramatic improvements in pupil performance.

“We hope policymakers pay close attention.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Curriculum for Excellence was endorsed by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) in 2021 as the right approach for Scotland.

“It helps children and young people gain the knowledge, skills and attributes needed for life in the 21st century.

“Education in Scotland compares favourably to every other nation in the UK.

“We have the highest spend per pupil and the lowest pupil to teacher ratio.

“We also have record levels of literacy and numeracy in our schools, the lowest attainment gap since records began and record numbers of young people entering work, training, college and university.”

Scottish Labour education spokeswoman Pam Duncan-Glancy said: “Young people must have the knowledge and skills to play their part in Scotland’s future but under the SNP’s watch they’ve been held back and their potential has been squandered.

“That’s why we need a curriculum that is vibrant, that equips young people for their next steps in life and that matches up with our economic and social future.

“It’s clear the SNP can only deliver more failure and that a new direction from a new government in 2026 is needed to deliver for young people in Scotland.”