THE attainment of school pupils in West Dunbartonshire has fallen across every primary age group, according to new figures.

The Scottish Government statistics, which show the result of the achievement of curriculum for excellence, highlight that literacy and numeracy has fallen in primary schools.

In West Dunbartonshire, the total local authority attainment for English writing in P7 pupils was 66% in the year 2020/21, compared to 70% in 2018/19.

In numeracy, P7 pupils in the local authority recorded 70% in 2020/21, compared with 71% in 2018/19.

The percentage of pupils achieving expected Curriculum for Excellence levels in numeracy between 2018/19 and 2020/21 also fell for every primary age group.

The rise in attainment gap is thought to be the result of the impact of Covid-19.

Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie said: "These devastating figures reveal the true scale of the challenge we are up against.

"The pandemic has wreaked havoc with education, and sadly it is once again the poorest kids who have been hit the hardest.

"This must be a wake-up call – we have no option but to be ambitious right now.

"We urgently need a real plan to get schools back on track and close Scotland’s shameful attainment gap once and for all.

"Labour have set out ambitious plans for an education recovery, and I hope the SNP will work with us to make them a reality."