How disabled pupils face 'deeply concerning' attainment gap in Scotland

Statistics published alongside this year’s Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) exam results show a pass rate at National 5 level of 69.5 per cent for disabled pupils, down from 73.5 per cent last year and 71 per cent in 2019, before the pandemic.

It is 6.9 percentage points below the pass rate for non-disabled pupils, which was 76.4. This attainment gap was up from 4.4 points last year.

At Higher, the A to C attainment rate for disabled candidates was 68.9 this year, down by 2.7 percentage points on the previous year.

The gap between disabled and non-disabled learners was 4.8 percentage points, an increase on the 2023 value of 4.5.

Jeremy Balfour, Scottish Conservative deputy equalities spokesperson and chair of Holyrood’s cross-party group on disabilities, said: “These figures are deeply concerning. 

“Disabled pupils already face significant barriers and the failure of the SNP to do enough to support them while they are in school is only going to harm their future prospects.

“It is also alarming to see the attainment gap widen significantly since last year between disabled and non-disabled students and SNP ministers must urgently address this.

“Disabled pupils should not be at a disadvantage when it comes to educational attainment but that is sadly the case right now.

“I will continue to push SNP ministers to ensure they are fully supported in our schools to ensure they have the qualifications and skills to guarantee they will be able to access good jobs upon entering the world of work.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The proportion of A-C grades at Higher being obtained by candidates with additional support needs (ASN) has increased slightly from 2019 levels (67.9 per cent in 2019 and 69 per cent on 2024).

“We are committed to delivering the Additional Support for Learning Action Plan to ensure that all children and young people get the support that they need to reach their full potential.

“Spending on additional support for learning reached a record high of £926 million in the latest available figures [2022-23] to help address growing demand in this area.”