Education - achieving excellence and equity: National Improvement Framework 2025

Delivering Improvement

Despite the challenges posed by the ongoing impact of the pandemic, and the cost-of-living crisis, there are many strengths in Scottish education.

• In 2023 Scotland had a higher percentage of the population aged 25-64 with tertiary education compared to the UK, EU 25 average, and OECD average. (OECD, 2023)^[1]
• Record levels of literacy and numeracy attainment at primary and secondary school level. (Scottish Government, Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (ACEL) data, 10 Dec 2024)^[2]
• Record low attainment gap in literacy for primary pupils, and in literacy and numeracy at secondary level. (Scottish Government, ACEL data, 10 Dec 2024)
• Record high positive initial school leaver destinations (95.9%) – the poverty-related gap has reduced by three quarters since 2009/10. (Scottish Government, summary statistics for attainment and initial leaver destinations, 2024)^[3]
• Scotland has the highest level of spending per pupil in the UK, and the best teacher-pupil ratio. We invested £8,500 per school pupil last year in Scotland. (Institute for Fiscal Studies, April 2023)^[4]
• A record number of school buildings across Scotland are in a good or satisfactory condition since recorded figures began – the proportion of schools in a ‘good’ or ‘satisfactory’ condition has increased from 62.7% in April 2007 to 91.7% in April 2024. (Scottish Government, school estates supplementary statistics, 2024)^[5]
• The number of pupil support assistants increased again in 2023 - there are now 490,750 hours per week for pupil support assistants equating to an estimated FTE of 17,330, an increase of 725 (4.4%) on 2022. (Scottish Government, school support staff statistics, 2023)^[6]

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on education, both in Scotland, and internationally, and we have seen sustained financial pressures on schools as a result of austerity. There is variation in the quality of learning and outcomes for children and young people across Scotland. That is why, in the coming year, and for the remainder of this Parliament, we will focus on the improving the ABC - attendance, achievement, behaviour and the curriculum in schools - to boost standards. The Scottish Government, COSLA, and ADES will also establish a joint Education Assurance Board to work together to improve learning outcomes for children and young people.

We need, also, to establish a clear long-term strategy for the future of Scottish education. A series of independent reports^[7], including the National Discussion on Education, have considered Scotland’s approach to qualifications and assessment. These reports informed the work of the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment (IRQA) led by Professor Louise Hayward and its final report: It’s Our Future^[8].

At its most recent meeting in June 2024, the International Council of Education Advisers (ICEA) said that it was important to have both a long-term strategy and a focus on a smaller number of key areas to deliver improved outcomes for children and young people now.

The 2025 refreshed NIF provides that long-term strategy for Scottish education. It addresses the findings of these independent reviews of Scottish education to enable more effective long-term planning for improvement by the Scottish Government, national organisations, and local authorities. It also reflects the guiding values for putting learners at the heart of our education system as set out in the National Discussion.

• It should be ambitious by having high expectations for all learners and enabling each child and young person to develop and achieve their ambitions.
• The Scottish education system should be inclusive by valuing, respecting, recognising, and representing the diversity of all children and young people, and provide equitable educational experiences and opportunities for all learners.
• And the Scottish education system should be supportive - engaging each child, young person, and adult meaningfully and appropriately in an education process that provides the necessary supports for all learners to progress, achieve, and realise their personal ambitions.

The Education (Scotland) Bill 2024 provides the opportunity for organisations to reset their relationships with each other and their partners in the education system. It is the first building block in a holistic, coherent, whole system approach to a reformed Scottish education system.

Schools do not exist in a vacuum. Delivering improvement and closing the poverty-related attainment gap is something that schools cannot address on their own. There needs to be a more holistic approach to take account of the wider relationship between home and schools, and ensure local services can work across institutional boundaries in partnership with schools so that the interests and views of practitioners and learners are prioritised. This was a key strength during Scotland’s response to the pandemic, and one we need to build on while we deal with the ongoing impact of the pandemic, and the cost-of-living crisis on our children and young people.

By taking this long-term, collaborative approach, we aim to achieve the outcomes set out at the start of this document.

The full details of the actions that will be taken to deliver the outcomes, the evidence to support them, and how we will measure progress will be set out in an Improvement Plan which will be published early in the New Year.