FMQs: SNP's record on education its 'defining failure'

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has accused the first minister of failing to improve the education system and of letting down Scotland’s young people.

Raising recent statistics on the failure to close the attainment gap, as well as a report out today highlighting problems with additional support for learning, Sarwar said John Swinney’s “report card is woeful”.

The first minister argued that progress is being made on closing the attainment gap, though he acknowledged more needed to be done.

The Scottish Government, under Nicola Sturgeon, had pledged to “substantially close” the attainment gap by 2026.

But the latest figures published earlier this week found the gap increased last year for pupils sitting National 4s, National 5s and Highers.

Sarwar said Scottish education was “going in the wrong direction” and the SNP has “let down a generation of young Scots”.

He added: “John Swinney was tasked with improving Scottish education. He has failed. Just last year, 42.6 per cent of pupils let school without a single Higher or equivalent. That’s almost 24,000 young people.”

The first minister, who between 2016 and 2021 was education secretary, said the overall attainment gap had reduced by 60 per cent since 2009-10.

He said it was at a record low in primary schools, while it has also reached record lows among secondary pupils for literacy and numeracy.

He added: “I accept there is more than needs to be done, but important and substantial progress has been made in closing the attainment gap. That is good for children and young people in our country.”

The first minister also came under pressure for his government’s failure to sufficiently bring down A&E waiting times, particularly for elderly patients.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton raised the case of a constituent, 87-year-old Winifred, who had been forced to endure multiple hours-long waits after experiencing a fall.

He said: “Winifred is not alone. These waits for emergency care have skyrocketed since the SNP came to power. New research we are publishing today shows that more than 12,000 people aged over 85 waited longer than 12 hours in Scotland’s A&E departments last year.”

Swinney offered his apologies to Winifred, before pointing to some progress in reducing long waits.

While he said they were “still completely unacceptable”, patients waiting for more than eight hours in A&E were falling.