Rennie: Attainment statistics show Nicola Sturgeon has failed to deliver

Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Willie Rennie MSP today said new official statistics show the First Minister has “hardly touched” the attainment gap since claiming that closing the poverty-related attainment gap was her defining mission. 

New school leaver attainment statistics show that over 7 years (since 2014/15):

• The poverty-related attainment gap for school leavers with 1 pass or more at SCQF Level 4 or better has only shrunk 0.6%, and still stands at 5.8%.
• The poverty-related attainment gap for school leavers with 1 pass or more at SCQF Level 5 or better has only shrunk 1.8%, and still stands at 19.1%.
• The poverty-related attainment gap for school leavers with 1 pass or more at SCQF Level 6 or better now stands at 37% - the worst it has been since 2017/18.

On 19 August 2015, during a speech at Wester Hailes Education Centre, Nicola Sturgeon said she would “close that attainment gap completely” and told voters “I want to be judged on this”. 

Willie Rennie commented: 

“The yawning attainment gap is a betrayal of all those young people who were promised a better future by Nicola Sturgeon.  Despite all her talk she has failed them.  

“Nicola Sturgeon asked to be judged on her record. The results are here and they expose that her SNP Government has hardly touched the attainment gap. 

“The attainment gap for those leaving with the best school qualifications has deteriorated to 37% - the worst it has been since 2017/18. The delivery never lived up to the hype.

“A whole generation of children and young people have paid the price for ministerial disinterest and the SNP’s fixation on independence.

“Pupils and teachers can’t wait any longer. They need more in class support, stronger pupil equity funding and a government that values their future over breaking up the UK.”