Meeting of the Parliament 04 March 2026 [Draft]
We all remember the “judge me” pledge that was made in 2015 by the then First Minister, and it has already been referenced today. Nicola Sturgeon asked to be judged on her ability to reduce the attainment gap between rich and poor students. That was her promise and the standard that she set. However, in the 10 years since that definitive statement and the 19 years of the SNP leading our education system, Scotland’s once-proud reputation of educational excellence has taken a hit, and the poverty-related attainment gap remains deeply rooted for Scotland’s children.
By any fair measure, the SNP has failed. I noted in Karen Adam’s personal and passionate contribution the ASN issues that she highlighted. She also commented that we are discussing educational failure. However, I state categorically that we are not talking about that; we are talking about the Government’s failure to deliver on educational promises, which is a different thing. Let me be clear that that is not a reflection on any of our teachers, staff, schools or pupils. We can all agree that, when we speak of such issues, we are aware that our teachers and staff are doing a fantastic job. The failure lies solely at the feet of the SNP Government and is due to a failure to meet those promises.
Recent curriculum for excellence data shows that, in primary schools, the gap between the most and least deprived pupils when it comes to meeting expected levels is still wide, at 19 percentage points in literacy and 17 percentage points in numeracy. In secondary schools, the divide is just as worrying. Among those getting A to C grades for national 5, the gap is more than 16 percentage points and, for highers, it is more than 17 percentage points. Among pupils getting As in national 5, the difference is a striking 27.5 percentage points, which is almost the same as it was before the pandemic. That is not progress; it is generational injustice.