Education table shows Scots split east-west

AN AREA of Glasgow has come bottom of a league for having the worst level of qualifications in Britain.

More than one-third of working age people in Glasgow North East have no school qualifications, according to the University and College Union (UCU), which published the table of UK parliamentary constituencies.

The organisation said it demonstrated the "extreme" differences across the country.

Parts of Glasgow and the surrounding area were named as four of the worst 10 areas in Britain.

Glasgow East ranked third, with 29 per cent of people having no qualifications.

In contrast, 4.4 per cent of people aged 16 to 64 in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine had none.

Other high-performing areas included Edinburgh West, Gordon in the north-east, parts of the Highlands, Orkney and Shetland.

The UCU highlighted a Glasgow-Edinburgh divide, saying children in worse areas may not be able to fulfil their potential.

Every Edinburgh constituency was placed in the top third for educational achievement across Britain, while each constituency in Glasgow was below the average.

Sally Hunt, UCU general secretary, said: "There is a clear Glasgow-Edinburgh divide in Scotland. One city with education and the massive personal benefits it can bring, and the other without.

"There is a real danger that children growing up in places where it is not unheard of to have no qualifications will have their ambition blunted and never realise their full potential."

The best-performing Scottish constituency, West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, ranked 607th out of 632 constituencies.