Education, Education, Education?

Nicola Sturgeon pledged to “substantially close the attainment gap”.

But Audit Scotland said in a report published on Tuesday: “Progress on closing the gap has been limited and falls short of the Scottish government’s aims” https://t.co/frr76jfZV4

— The Times Scotland (@thetimesscot) March 25, 2021

Nicola Sturgeon asked to be judged on the success of her government's education policies, but The Times reveals that a major report was smuggled out at the fag end of the Scottish Parliament - avoiding the need for debate and scrutiny by MSPs.

"Before the 2016 Holyrood election, Sturgeon said education would be her number one priority She pledged to “substantially close the attainment gap” between affluent and deprived children by the end of the current parliament — which ended yesterday — and “to eliminate it within a decade”.

"But Audit Scotland, the spending watchdog that independently assesses the government’s performance, said in a report published on Tuesday: “Progress on closing the gap has been limited and falls short of the Scottish government’s aims.”

"The report was buried in the government agenda beneath the ruling that Sturgeon did not knowingly mislead parliament about her involvement in the Alex Salmond sexual harassment investigation, and the announcement that the SNP would push for a second referendum in 2023."