Some children are leaving Lothian schools with such poor basic skills that they can’t even add up the number of hours they have worked, business leaders said today.

The Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce warned too many pupils were starting jobs without basic reading and writing skills.

It said the situation was “tragic” and a threat to the future prosperity of the Capital, with firms struggling to recruit the staff they need.

The chamber has highlighted the problem in a new report, Tale of the Cities, which identifies a shortfall in basic literacy and numeracy among school leavers, as well as a lack of understanding of the world of work, personal organisation and teamwork…

Recent figures show 35 per cent of 14-year-olds in Edinburgh are failing to meet basic reading standards, with 49 per cent failing to achieve basic writing and 44 per cent basic maths standards.

Source: Edinburgh Evening News, UK
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1513852007