We need delivery, not more promises on Scottish education

Our young people do not need political gimmicks. They need a Scottish Government that delivers on the promises it makes

Children across Scotland are returning to school, and families are making those last-minute purchases of school essentials. Parents are focused on the practical realities of a new school year: buying uniforms, replacing worn-out shoes and PE kits, all while trying to balance household budgets that remain stretched after years of the cost-of-living crisis.

Facebook will soon be full of the obligatory back-to-school photographs by the front door, as Scotland’s schoolchildren head back looking smart and shipshape. Sadly, our education system under the SNP is not in such good shape.

The attainment gap remains stubbornly wide. While there has been some narrowing at all levels, the gap remains wider than it was in 2016, when then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared that “the defining mission of this government will be education.”

Her ambition was clear: a “truly transformational investment” that would eliminate the poverty-related attainment gap. To underline the importance of that mission, she appointed her then most senior minister, John Swinney, as Education Secretary.

The Scottish Government put significant funding behind this ambition through the Attainment Scotland Fund, which received £1.75 billion in cumulative investment over ten years. Despite this, the attainment gap stubbornly remains.

The deadline for completely eliminating the poverty-related attainment gap was 2026. That deadline has now been dropped, with no firm commitment from the SNP Government about when the gap will be narrowed, or whether its elimination remains an ambition.

There is a particular irony in John Swinney now writing in the Daily Record to praise the strength of Scotland’s education system.

In his column last week, the First Minister said the latest exam results should put an end to those “talking down Scotland’s education system”. He pointed to improved exam passes and the further narrowing of the poverty-related attainment gap as evidence of progress.

Of course, we should celebrate the achievements of Scotland’s young people. They, along with their teachers, parents and support staff, deserve enormous credit for their hard work.

But John Swinney is not simply a commentator on Scotland’s education system. He was the minister tasked with delivering the transformation that was supposed to close the poverty-related attainment gap.

The exam question for Swinney is this: if Scotland’s education system is as strong as he now claims, why was the Government’s own deadline for eliminating the poverty-related attainment gap allowed to pass without the target being met? And why, after billions of pounds of investment and years of promises, does the attainment gap remain such a stubborn feature of Scottish education?

Instead of attempting to answer these hard questions going into an election year, the SNP chooses to promise every child in Scotland a free school bag filled with essential supplies. Yet Freedom of Information requests have revealed that the policy could prove too expensive, with civil servants suggesting that the promised backpack could instead be replaced by a cheaper tote bag.

The school bag pledge looks increasingly like an uncosted gimmick designed to distract from the lack of progress on the serious challenges facing Scottish education. And it comes at a time when schools are already struggling with significant pressures that will not be fixed by a free school bag.

There are more teachers than ever working on temporary contracts, with many struggling to secure permanent positions. The Scottish Government remains unclear about how it will deliver its three-year teacher guarantee, leaving newly qualified teachers facing uncertainty and pupils without the continuity they need to thrive.

More experienced temporary teachers are also unclear about how they will be protected should this policy proceed.

As one teacher said to me: “My own experience is that although I work hard and contribute well to the schools I have worked in, there is no job security.”

Scotland’s education system does not suffer from a shortage of promises. It suffers from a shortage of delivery.

Teachers and pupils also raise serious concerns about behaviour in our schools. The Scottish Government’s own Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research has found rising levels of serious disruptive behaviour, alongside increased reports of violence and physical aggression experienced by school staff.

Every child deserves a classroom where they can learn without disruption. Every teacher deserves a safe and supportive working environment. Newly qualified teachers should be able to build their careers rather than wondering whether their contracts will be renewed. Pupils deserve stability, high standards and the opportunity to succeed, regardless of where they grow up.

Scotland has extraordinary teachers, dedicated school staff and ambitious young people. They deserve a government that is relentlessly focused on making our education system work.

The problems we face in education should not simply be put in the “too hard to solve” column. Education needs to be a priority at Holyrood across the political divide with politicians working in partnership with teachers, pupils and parents.

Our young people do not need political gimmicks. They need a Scottish Government that delivers on the promises it makes.

Because good intentions are not enough. Delivery is what counts.

Katherine Sangster is Labour MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic