Education Scotland: Pisa report highlights ‘alarming’ level of violence in Scotland’s schools, say Tories

The party warned of an ‘epidemic of violence and anti-social behaviour’ in Scottish schools

International statistics have laid bare an "epidemic of violence and anti-social behaviour" in Scotland's schools, the Scottish Conservatives have warned.

The party said figures showing Scottish pupils are twice as likely to witness violence at school as children in other nations must be a “wake-up call” for ministers.

It comes after the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) rankings for 2022, which showed Scotland’s performance in maths, reading and science has declined since 2018.

Picture: David Jones/PA Wire

The report, which assessed 3,300 Scottish pupils aged 15 and compared performance with 81 other countries, also revealed school discipline concerns.

It showed Scottish pupils were twice as likely to witness a fight at school than the OECD average, with 35.8 per cent reporting seeing someone get hurt on school grounds, compared to the 17 per cent average.

Meanwhile, 40 per cent of pupils had seen their schools vandalised compared to the 19.8 per cent OECD average, and 35.7 per cent of pupils surveyed said they had heard a student threaten another student while the OECD average was just 20.2 per cent.

However, a smaller proportion of Scottish youngsters reported seeing gangs in school (9.4 per cent compared to an OECD average of 12.1 per cent) and substantially fewer said they had seen a student carrying a gun or knife at school compared to the OECD average (4.9 per cent compared to 10.6 per cent).

Violence in schools has become an increasing concern across Scotland, with Jenny Gilruth, the education secretary, holding summits on the issue. Around £900,000 was announced in recent weeks to help councils train school staff to deal with the growing challenge.

The Scottish Tories are set to raise the issue in Holyrood on Wednesday, arguing pupils are facing a “double whammy” of declining attainment figures and rising violence.

The party’s education spokesman Liam Kerr said: “The Pisa report highlights the double whammy facing Scottish youngsters under the SNP – plummeting academic standards and an epidemic of violence and anti-social behaviour in schools.

“These figures are deeply alarming and should be a wake-up call for the SNP, who have presided over the shameful failing of our education system, a growing attainment gap they pledged to close, and now the surge in school violence.

“Teachers and students should not be living in fear when stepping into supposedly safe places for learning. After 16 years of continued SNP failure in education, it’s time ministers got a grip of escalating violence and vandalism, as well as the falling standards in key STEM subjects.

“They must heed the concerns of teaching unions, review guidance and exclusion policies, and work with all parties to ensure that staff and students are not exposed to violence in schools.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The Cabinet secretary [Ms Gilruth] has welcomed views from a range of stakeholders on issues associated with changing behaviour in Scotland’s schools. It’s clear that post-pandemic behavioural changes in classrooms are affecting schools across the UK.

“Changes to attendance, behaviour and last week’s Pisa results necessitate a different approach – we cannot accept this ‘new normal’ to determine educational outcomes for the next generation. The Cabinet secretary has already committed to a joint national action plan, to set out a range of actions at national, local and school level, to support improved behaviour. Ms Gilruth held productive talks last week with trade unions and will continue to engage with them, [council body] Cosla, parents and carers to ensure we improve behaviour.

“Scotland’s performance in the Pisa assessments was above the OECD average in reading and similar to the OECD average in maths and science. This was also the case in the previous survey, in 2018.”

Elsewhere, Gillian Keegan, the UK education secretary, warned Scotland’s school standards have “plummeted” because Scottish ministers prioritised “nationalist politics” above pupils. Writing in Scotland on Sunday, she delivered a scathing verdict on First Minister Humza Yousaf’s education record.

The Pisa results showed Scotland’s average reading score was 493 – higher than the OECD average, but a fall of 11 points from the 2018 score of 504. The country also lagged behind England’s score of 496.

For maths and science, Scotland fell slightly below average, scoring 471 and 483 respectively – the second consecutive decline as it fell further on the 2018 rankings. Scotland placed third across the UK on the two subjects, behind England’s 492 in maths and 503 in science, with only Wales scoring less on 466 and 473.

However, decline was reported across the UK, with the Pisa report noting “unprecedented” results as the average score fell by 15 points in maths and ten in reading. It said the Covid pandemic was an “obvious factor”.

Ms Keegan, a Chichester MP, said Scotland was “once the envy of the world for education”, but warned the latest results were a “tale of two records”, with England “continuing to rise up the international rankings versus a failing Scottish system at the brink of collapse”.

She said: “This situation hasn’t happened by chance. Different parts of the UK have taken fundamentally different (approaches) to education. Under the SNP, standards have plummeted due to their progressive ideology they have refused to follow our lead on academisation, they have watered down the rigour of their exams and they have refused to open themselves up for scrutiny, pulling out of two international rankings.”

Ms Keegan said Scottish children had been “let down by the SNP”, adding: “The SNP have inflicted the worst ever education results in Scotland’s history for both maths and science on parents and pupils.

“I do judge the SNP on their record – and it is clear they have failed. Scottish schools need a change. They need a government who will put pupils and parents above their nationalist politics to ensure the next generation have a brighter future.”

In response, a spokesperson for Ms Gilruth said: “The Scottish Government won’t be taking any lectures from Gillian Keegan about how to run our schools. Earlier this year Ms Keegan invited people to praise her approach to dealing with the issues associated with Raac (Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) in England’s schools.

“This bizarre process involved no engagement with devolved governments and instead caused panic and alarm for parents and pupils alike. Ms Keegan would do better to focus on the areas she has responsibility for in England, rather than pontificating about schools outwith her jurisdiction.”

The First Minister previously said the Pisa results were “not good enough”, adding: “Let me put it on record and let me be absolutely explicit – we do not dismiss, I do not dismiss, nor take lightly the Pisa results that have been released this week.

“We are reflecting on a poor set of results and the education secretary will make a statement next week on the issue of literacy and numeracy and what our response is to improving those outcomes.”