School qualifications used to be on a fairly level playing field.
Pupils across Scotland got a set number of subjects to study, give or take one or two. Then the new “flexible” set-up was introduced.
On paper, the Curriculum for Excellence sounds good. It was designed to follow children through school and create a more rounded experience.
In practice, there have been significant teething problems.
Now some of those mistakes risk creating more barriers for children based on where they live , not what they can do.
Some schools offer as few as five Nationals, while private schools can offer as many as 10.
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Research by Reform Scotland suggests choice is getting worse as years go by in this relatively new system.
Poor management has been blamed, while teachers have been loud in their demands for reduced workload and less red tape.
Deprived communities seem to be at the hard end of this new drift.
The attainment gap between rich and poor is a stubborn social scandal that Nicola Sturgeon and Education Secretary John Swinney have vowed to eradicate.
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There is going to have to be a hard look at what this narrowing of choice will do for young people.
It is not too late to improve the set-up.
When the architect of the new curriculum is among those finding fault, it’s really time for the Government to listen.
