SNP face 'flunked it' claim as gap grows between Scotland's richest and poorest pupils

Statistics published on Tuesday highlighted a widening in the gap between those from the poorest and wealthiest neighbourhoods in terms of the proportion ending up in “positive” destinations, such as college, university or in jobs.

Divergence in the attainment of qualifications between school leavers from the most and least affluent areas was also highlighted in official figures.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth highlighted longer-term trends, saying the gap between the proportion of school leavers from the most and least deprived areas had reduced by two-thirds since 2009/10, although she admitted “there is much more work still to do to close this gap”.

But opposition parties seized on the data, as well as separate figures showing the number of full-time equivalent places delivered by colleges had dropped by more than 8,000 to 116,602 in 2023/24, the lowest on record.

The college statistics from the Scottish Funding Council also revealed that student headcount fell by around 12.4 per cent compared to the previous session, while the number of enrolments fell by 18.9 per cent compared to 2022/23.

In terms of the official data on school leavers, it showed 55,988 pupils left school in 2023/24 - the largest school leaver cohort since 2009/10.

Of these, 95.7 per cent were in a “positive initial destination” after leaving school, down from 95.9 per cent in 2022/23, although it was the joint second highest since consistent records began in 2009/10.

There was a slight increase in terms of the proportion going into higher education, and a drop for further education and employment.

The proportion of school leavers from the most deprived areas who were in a positive destination fell from 94 per cent in 2022/23 to 93.6 per cent last year. At the same time, the proportion of leavers from the most affluent areas who were in a positive destination increased slightly from 97.7 per cent to 97.9 per cent.

This led to a widening of the deprivation gap, from 3.7 percentage points in 2022/23 to 4.3 percentage points in 2023/24. There was also a widening of the gap in terms of attainment of qualifications among school leavers.

The difference between the proportion of leavers attaining one or more pass at National 5 or better was 22.7 percentage points, wider than 20.2 in the year before. At Higher, it was 38.4 percentage points in 2023/24, compared to 36.9 percentage points in 2022/23.

The gap has also widened since last year if you look at all attainment measures, such as National Certificates and Scottish Vocational Qualifications, and not just national qualifications. Over a longer period, however, the gaps have generally been narrowing, despite a widening last year.

Opposition members recalled how former first minister Nicola Sturgeon once described closing the poverty-related attainment gap as the “defining mission” of her government.

Conservative education spokesman Miles Briggs said: “Nicola Sturgeon promised to eradicate the attainment gap, but her legacy lies in tatters, since it’s actually widening under the SNP. Meanwhile, the number of unemployed school leavers is up.

“After years of insisting that education is their priority, the SNP have been missing in action while ministers have let down pupils and teachers at every turn. Under John Swinney’s Government, it’s our most deprived students who now face the narrowest options and the worst prospects.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesman Willie Rennie said: “The attainment gap got bigger last year. Ministers have flunked it. The SNP now have no chance of closing the poverty-related attainment gap next year as they promised a decade ago.

“When I speak with teachers they identify a series of classroom challenges, from bad behaviour and high absence rates to lack of additional support for pupils who need it and teachers languishing on supply lists. There are also fundamental issues with the curriculum that must be fixed.

“Closing the attainment gap is essential, so that young people can fulfil their potential and so that as a country we have the skills we need in the future.”

Scottish Labour education spokesperson Pam Duncan-Glancy said: “These damning figures show the SNP is taking our education system in the wrong direction. On the SNP’s watch, attainment is declining and the poverty-related attainment gap is growing, with the poorest kids in Scotland paying the harshest price for SNP failure.”

Ms Gilruth said: “It’s very welcome to see the vast majority of school leavers in Scotland continuing to enter a positive destination on leaving school, with the percentage of those in a positive destination after three months (95.7 per cent) being the second highest since records began.

“These results are testament to the hard work of the young people and all those who support them.

“We will continue to work with our post-school system to ensure all young people have the opportunity to achieve their potential, whether it is in further or higher education, apprenticeships, training or the world of work. It is also good news that the number of school leavers achieving one or more vocational and technical qualification has increased.

“While the gap between the proportion of school leavers from the most and least deprived areas has reduced by two-thirds since 2009/10, there is much more work still to do to close this gap, particularly for the generation of children who experienced the pandemic.

“The Scottish Government is committed to enhancing outcomes for young people. This includes delivering a fair and credible qualifications and assessment system as part of our wider work on educational reform.”