Pupils from the least well-off communities across Scotland are falling further behind the richest as the attainment gap widens.
Opposition parties said annual figures published today were proof Nicola Sturgeon’s legacy was “in tatters” as the former first minister famously declared she would be judged on her education record.
It comes as the number of full-time students attending colleges in Scotland has also dropped to an all-time low.
Willie Rennie, Scottish Lib Dems education spokesman, said SNP ministers had “flunked” their record on schools.
At every level the gap between those from the most and least deprived areas has widened compared to the previous year.
Pupils leaving school with no qualifications whatsoever also rose compared to the previous year, and the proportion leaving in S4 is at its highest level since 2010-11.
The proportion of school leavers from the most deprived areas who went on to a “positive destination” – such as work, college or university – dropped from 94 per cent in 2022-23 to 93.6 per cent last year.
But the proportion of leavers from the least deprived areas who were in a positive destination increased slightly from 97.7 per cent to 97.9 per cent over the same time period.
The figures combined means a widening of the deprivation gap, from 3.7 percentage points in 2022-23 to 4.3 percentage points last year.
The percentage of school leavers who were unemployed has also risen slightly from 3.8 per cent to four per cent in the last year.
Sturgeon, who stepped down as first minister in 2023, famously declared that education would be her “priority” during her time in office.
In a 2015 speech to school and college chiefs, she said: “Let me be clear – I want to be judged on this. If you are not, as First Minister, prepared to put your neck on the line on the education of our young people then what are you prepared to. It really matters.”
Reacting to the latest attainment gap figure, Rennie said: “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.”
Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservatives education spokesman, said: “Nicola Sturgeon promised to eradicate the attainment gap, but her legacy lies in tatters, since it’s actually widening under the SNP.
“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.”
Jenny Gilruth, the Education Secretary, 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%) 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.
“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.”
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