SNP should expect greater scrutiny on education in run-up to election
New figures suggest a worrying downward trend is continuing in maths and other Stem subjects
Scotland has long enjoyed a reputation for excellence in education. As far back as 1708, writer Daniel Defoe said that in Scotland even the “poorest people have their children taught and instructed”, unlike in England’s “dark villages ... full of ignorance”.
In recent years, this reputation has been damaged by statistics from the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) that show declining standards in Scottish classrooms.
Using similar methodology, the independent think tank Enlighten has highlighted “deeply concerning data” that reveal this downward trend appears to be continuing.
According to Pisa, outcomes in maths and other Stem subjects were in steady decline from 2012 until the latest assessment two years ago. The research by Enlighten’s Commission on School Reform shows 39.5 per cent of S4 pupils passed a National 5 maths in 2025. In biology the figure is 25.5 per cent, in chemistry it is 22.2 per cent, in physics it is 17.8 per cent and in computing science it is 9.8 per cent.
The figures paint a very different picture on standards in Scotland’s schools from the one presented by the SNP administration over the same period. “We are used to hearing from the authorities that attainment is rising and rising, but this is real and full data which presents a contrary picture in Stem subjects,” observes commission member and former head teacher Carole Ford.
And Lindsay Paterson, professor emeritus of education policy at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Social and Political Science, condemns Scotland’s “disgraceful data landscape”.
The Scottish Government says not all pupils take National 5s in S4 and that overall mathematics pass rates increased in 2025 when compared with 2024 and 2019. A spokesperson said: “Levels of literacy and numeracy across primary and secondary schools are at a record high.”
But amid growing unease over the direction of travel in Scottish education, and with a Holyrood election looming in May, ministers should expect such claims to be exposed to ever more scrutiny in the weeks and months ahead.
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