The Scottish government has prioritized closing the attainment gap between the most and least affluent areas since 2015. However, new figures reveal that the gap has widened, particularly in the wake of the Covid pandemic. In the 2023/24 academic year, the disparity in the proportion of school leavers achieving at least one pass in Highers or equivalent qualifications increased to 38.4%. This reflects a concerning trend as the educational divide between Scotland's richest and poorest students continues to expand.
Last year, only 83.5% of school leavers managed to secure at least one pass at the National 5 level, with 57.4% achieving the same at the Higher level. The attainment gap at the National 5 level stood at 22.7%, highlighting a significant disparity in educational outcomes. Contributing to this issue is the impact of school closures during the Covid pandemic, which disrupted learning and widened existing inequalities.
The number of students leaving school after S4 reached its highest since 2010, with 8,084 pupils exiting at this stage. This accounted for approximately one in seven of all school leavers. The total number of young people leaving school last year was just under 56,000, marking the highest figure since 2010. Despite these challenges, more than 95% of school leavers transitioned to positive destinations such as higher education, employment, or training.
"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%) being the second highest since records began." – Jenny Gilruth
The Scottish government has faced criticism for its handling of educational priorities. Opposition voices argue that more needs to be done to support students and educators in bridging this gap.
"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." – Miles Briggs
Experts have pointed out a lack of comprehensive educational recovery programs compared to other countries.
"Unlike in England and other countries, there has never been a proper programme of educational recovery here." – Professor Lindsay Paterson
More than 67% of school leavers last year pursued higher or further education within three months of leaving school. Despite the widening attainment gap, the percentage of school leavers in positive destinations after three months rose to 95.7%, marking it as the second highest on record.
